Culture of Life! Breaking Down Barriers in Kuwait

Photo By Staff Sgt. Joseph Black | Kuwait’s director of moral guidance and public relations, Brig. Gen. Kaled Naser Al-Jutaili, and Area Support Group – Kuwait command chaplain Lt. Col. Douglas Swift sit for tea during a cultural awareness tour Oct. 29, 2019, in Kuwait City, Kuwait. The event included a history museum tour, some local eating and an opportunity to visit a local market. (U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Joseph Black)  

KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT

10.29.2019

Story by Cpl. Joseph Black 

U.S. Army Central   

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait -- Soldiers assigned to Area Support Group - Kuwait joined Kuwait’s Directorate of Moral Guidance and Public Relations and other military officers on a cultural enlightenment tour in Kuwait City in October.
The trip helped foster the Defense Cooperation Agreement, an initiative built between Kuwait and U.S. government officials, by allowing U.S. Soldiers to experience the history of Kuwait and traditions of the people who live here, said Lt. Col. Douglas Swift, a U.S. Army command chaplain at Camp Arifjan.
“This was an opportunity for our service members to experience a little bit of Kuwait and really understand why we are here,” said Swift.
This tour was comprised of a Kuwaiti breakfast, a tour of a local history museum, lunch and a visit to a traditional Kuwaiti marketplace.
Guiding the tour was Kuwait’s Director of Moral Guidance and Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Kaled Naser Al-Jutaili, and Chief Warrant Officer Mohammed Al-Duraibi, 94th Brigade liaison officer.
“I really wanted to introduce people to our culture,” said Al-Jutaili. “And what is better than to go to a museum and to see the culture from the inside?”
Al-Duraibi spoke about the culture shock that some Americans feel when coming to Kuwait and how visiting the museum can help shed light on some of the questions that people have.
“The media can give you something, but seeing it in reality is something else,” said Al-Duraibi. “Every country has a beginning, and our beginning was very down-to-earth and gradually we built and through the grace of god and assistance of people coming from abroad, it brought us to the status that we are today.”
Swift also spoke about the outcome the history museum visit had on the two cultures.
“Perhaps the most important outcome of visiting the history museum was for our Soldiers to see that we are not that different from the Kuwaitis; we have had many of the same experiences and that life is not as different as some media want to portray it,” said Swift. “These conversations actually highlight what we have in common, which is quite a bit.”
Swift, Al-Duraibi and Al-Jutaili all spoke about breaking down barriers and learning the culture so as to foster growth between the U.S. and Kuwait.
“This is a culture rich with tradition that cares about people,” said Swift. “This is a culture of life!”
The Directorate of Moral Guidance and Public Relations and Area Support Group - Kuwait hopes to continue having events such as this in the future.

• Date Taken: 10.29.2019
• Date Posted: 11.12.2019 05:36
• Story ID: 350341
• Location: KUWAIT CITY, KW