Moroccan-born Soldier serves as vital communicator

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jared Gehmann | Spc. Ikram Mansori, of San Francisco, Calif., smiles as she is greeted by a group of Iraqi girls at an elementary school during a recent combined humanitarian assistance mission in the town of Salman Pak, Iraq, located 20 miles southeast of Baghdad. Mansori, who speaks five languages including Arabic, is a vital asset in assisting Paratroopers and senior leaders of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division communicate with the Iraqi people.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

09.28.2009

Story by Pvt. Jared Gehmann 

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division

BAGHDAD — It's not difficult to find a service member who can speak two or possibly even three languages, but it's nearly impossible to find one who speaks five different ones, and fluently.

For Moroccan-born Spc. Ikram Mansori, who now calls San Francisco home, being fluent in Arabic, French, Spanish, Moroccan and English has served her well during her 12-month deployment to Iraq.

When Mansori enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2007, she committed herself to be a truck driver. However, because of her language skills, senior leaders of her unit felt she would be a valued asset serving as a linguist. Mansori currently serves with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

Growing up in the town of Youssoufia, Morocco, Mansori thrived as a student learning several languages while living with her father. When she became a junior in high school, Mansori put a lot of thought into her future and what colleges would best suit her. Feeling that the U.S. offered her the best opportunity, Mansori moved in with her mother in San Francisco in the summer of 2004. Despite that fact that she did not speak English very well, Mansori pushed herself to learn the language and fulfill her goal of attending an American university.

"At that time I knew very little English, but I wanted to finish high school in the U.S. in order to go to a four-year university where I could get a degree" said Mansori. "After a year of being in the U.S., I could speak English well."

Mansori went on to graduate high school and attended college at the University of California, Davis for her freshman year. In order to support herself, Mansori said she worked as a waitress at an Italian restaurant. While Mansori was working on her degree, her mother introduced her to a friend who just so happened to be an Army recruiter. Meeting the recruiter started to make her think about military service.

"The recruiter was a friend of my mom's and they were both encouraging me to join. I saw it as a great opportunity," she said.

With that encouragement, Mansori decided to take a break from her studies and enlist in the Army as a truck driver. Despite her language skills, becoming a truck driver offered her an immediate incentive.

"I became a truck driver because the job came with such a large sign-on-bonus," she said. "However, I still planned on taking the DLPT [Defense Language Proficiency Test] and becoming a qualified linguist."

After finishing her individual training, Mansori obtained her Army Linguist Certification and attended the Army's Airborne School. Jumping out of a plane was something that intrigued her.

"I went airborne because I wanted to serve with the 82nd Airborne Division," she said. "I knew how often the 82nd gets deployed and I wanted to go to another country and experience new things."

Being deployed since December 2008 with the 3rd Brigade in Baghdad, Mansori has been able to see much of the change in the country. She says that she will never forget the people or the places she has seen while deployed. Because of her ability to speak Arabic she's had the chance to communicate with the Iraqi people.

"It's amazing that people on the other side of the world are just like everyone else. The Iraqi people just want a better place to live and work. I believe the majority of the Iraqi people want us around to help," said Mansori.

Mansori currently serves in the brigade's command group as a linguist to the command sergeant major for the brigade.

"When I'm not working in the office or assisting the command team, I'm usually out on patrols and humanitarian missions helping the paratroopers communicate with the Iraqi people. I don't have one favorite experience in Iraq because every time I dismount on a patrol I know I'm going to have the best experience," she said.

With her deployment coming to an end, Mansori is excited to return home and see her family especially her 11-year-old brother.

"My little brother is recovering from an incident that happened earlier this year, I miss him and can't wait to go home and take him snowboarding once he's better," she said.

In the future Mansori would like to become an officer in the Army where she hopes to serve as a language cultural advisor or to go back to school and eventually choose a career. Mansori looks forward to becoming a U.S. citizen later this fall.

• Date Taken: 09.28.2009
• Date Posted: 09.29.2009 05:55
• Story ID: 39409
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ