Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Bryant Maude | (Left to right), Col. Kevin O'Connell, commander of the 1st Sustainment Brigade;...... read more read more
By Spc. Andrea Merritt
1st Sustainment Brigade PAO
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – For years, coalition forces have been training and advising Iraqi forces with the goal of helping the once war-torn country become a more stable, independent and self-sustaining country.
Through the help of interpreters, who sometimes help coalition forces at the risk of their own personal safety, training and advisory teams are able to be more effective in the way they teach the Iraqis.
"For the most part, they can make things flow a lot faster," said Capt. Jeffrey Stukey, an Englewood, Ohio native and a member of the Force Protection Training Team from the 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment, an Indiana National Guard unit attached to the 1st Sustainment Brigade.
In the 1st Sustainment Brigade, there are 11 interpreters who aid the Brigade's training teams in their mission. Although interpreting provides a source of income for them and their families, many do this job because they simply believe in what they do.
"I believe in the changes in my country brought by the U.S. I do this to help my country and my people and to support my family," said Johnnie, an interpreter assigned to the 1st Sust. Bde.
Johnnie's main job is to interpret for Col. Kevin O'Connell, the commander of the 1st Sustainment Brigade and a native of Clinton, Md., when he interacts with his Iraqi counterparts. When Johnnie is not assisting the brigade commander, he works with the Brigade's Iraqi security forces cell.
As an Iraqi native, Johnnie was raised during the rule of Saddam Hussein and his regime. During Saddam's reign, Johnnie's uncle was executed and his family was targeted by the Baath Party.
"Whenever someone was executed in Saddam's system, that person's family was considered a bad family who didn't deserve to make a living. My father couldn't work. At that time, there was a file at the Baath Party office and they would place an X on that family. My family had an X on them," Johnnie explained.
"It was a nightmare. No one could ever dream that Saddam would be gone one day," he added.
After Saddam was removed from power, Johnnie's father began working as an interpreter with U.S. Forces on Taji. Soon, he and his uncles followed in his father's footprints.
For the past five years, Johnnie has worked as an interpreter. Earlier in his career he was assigned to a 3rd Infantry Division unit and assisted Soldiers during patrols in different neighborhoods.
"I have been on about 400 patrols and hit by IEDs seven times and survived. Their job was to secure the [main supply route] and find insurgents and IEDs. At checkpoints, we stopped a lot of insurgents and IEDs from killing innocent people," said Johnnie.
Another interpreter in the Brigade is Ibrahim. He is originally from Kurdistan, but he moved to the United States and has become a naturalized citizen since then. Ibrahim works as an interpreter for the 1st Sqdn., 152nd Cav. Regt.
"In 91, when the Kurd revolted against Sadaam, his army came up there, so most of the population ran away from their cities and their homes to the Turkey border and the Iranian border," said Ibrahim. "That was my beginning to get out of Iraq. I stayed in Turkey for a year and then I got a visa to come to the United States as a refugee."
While in the U.S., Ibrahim attended the Tennessee State University in Nashville and obtained a degree in engineering. When he did not get the job he applied for to be interpreter for an overseas engineering company, he applied to be an interpreter for U.S. Forces in Iraq.
"I'm really happy with my job out here working with the Army, especially the group that I work with now. I enjoy it. Every day I learn something new. It's feels real good because I get to help these guys that don't understand their language," said Ibrahim.
"It's fun to be between two people that don't understand each other and translate. It makes me feel proud of what I am doing," Ibrahim added.
Since returning to the Middle East, Ibrahim has seen many notable changes in society.
"This is the country that was under the dictatorship, now it's liberated. It was nice to see Iraq taking a step toward democracy. It makes me feel [good] to work with those advisors that work with the Iraqis every day to try to make things work. This Army is going to be Iraq's army; it's not going to be under dictatorship where somebody is oppressing the Iraqi people," said Ibrahim.
Like Ibrahim, Shawn also fled to the U.S. in search of a better life, but returned to Iraq to work as an interpreter. He was born and raised in the Baghdad area, but in 1978, he journeyed to the U.S and settled in Los Angeles, where many of his family members went earlier in the decade.
At the age of 17, Shawn convinced the Iraqi authorities that he was a going out of the country for a short period of time to travel as a tourist, but his intentions were to leave and never return.
"In high school, they were imposing on us to be part of student militia armies. I didn't want to join the Baath Party army, so I was very determined to leave Iraq because I envisioned the future would be very devastating in Iraq. I was lucky to envision that at that age," Shawn explained.
"That was not my goal. I was a student and I wanted to be free, not to be imposed to join any party. I was eager to get my education. I realized my freedoms were going to be restricted in Iraq, so I convinced my parents to allow me to leave," he said.
On his way to the U.S., Shawn stopped in Italy and waited for his older brother, who left two days after he did so they wouldn't arouse suspicion. After they were together, Shawn and his brother managed to go to Greece for a year and a half before coming to the United States and applying for political asylum.
"My experience in Europe matured me a lot. It taught me a lot to be strong and dependent on myself. It was an adventure and learning experience to me," Shawn said.
About a year after Shawn and his brother came to the U.S., their parents followed. Today, Shawn and the rest of his family are proud U.S. citizens. Out of dedication to his country, Shawn chose to become an interpreter after a friend told him about the job.
"I have a friend who has been working in theater for about three years in the Diyala province area. He is close to me and he encouraged me to apply for this job. When I heard the job involved the United States Army, I always admired the Armed Forces, so that was an area I was interested in," Shawn said.
Four months ago, Shawn returned to the country where he was born, and began working as an interpreter for the 1st Sust. Bde.'s ISF Cell. He works with the Soldiers who advise Iraqi army soldiers, Iraqi military police, and the Level III Maintenance Facility.
Although Johnnie, Ibrahim, and Shawn enjoy their jobs, they have to keep safety uppermost in their minds.
"All interpreters have fear because we're not soldiers. We're not trained to handle hostile actions, but our faith keeps us strong and the company and unit we work with are superb people. They really make life easier here," Shawn stated.
In 2004, while working as an interpreter, Johnnie and his family received death threats because people in his neighborhood found out he was working with the U.S. Army. Although he had to move his family, he never once thought of quitting his job.
"I didn't stop. I believe in my job and changes. If I think like that about my own safety and quitting, nothing will be changed, so I believe I can continue," Johnnie stated.
Without the dedication of interpreters, the mission of U.S. Forces who train Iraqis wouldn't be possible. Interpreters, in essence bridge the gap that is often brought by the language barrier. Through them, U.S. Soldiers are able to communicate effectively with Iraqis in order to get the mission accomplished.
For the advisors, one of the main ingredients in being successful in their training team mission is to have a friendly relationship with their interpreters. The interpreters not only translate, but they also keep Soldiers mindful of the Iraqi culture, which helps in keeping good relationships with the Iraqi Soldiers.
"We both know we have a job to do here and we are going to focus on the job. If we don't have a friendly relationship, then the job would be very difficult and neither me or my interpreter would want that," Stukey said.
At the end of the day, despite any cultural differences, the interpreters and the advisors all have the same vision and goal in mind.
"Iraq as a country, I wish them stability. That's my vision for them, stability and peace so they can join other countries and live a better standard of life. There are a lot of good people in Iraq," said Shawn.
"We did the right thing to come to this country and save it from the previous government, the dictatorship that ruled this country for three decades. I think we're planting the seeds in them for their future generation and I think they're going to appreciate us a lot in the future," Shawn concluded.
| Date Taken: | 10.21.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 10.21.2008 07:21 |
| Story ID: | 25302 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 261 |
| Downloads: | 241 |
This work, Bridging the gap, by SSG Andrea Merritt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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