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Marine Forces Special Operations Command

 

Marine Forces Special Operations Command

Camp Lejeune, NC

MSOAG Marines go to the source with immersion training

By Lance Cpl. Stephen C. Benson | | March 10, 2008

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Teams from Marine Special Operations Advisor Group, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command, deploy to austere locations to pass on their warfighting expertise to militaries of partner nations.

 To succeed in these missions, individual MSOAG Marines and Sailors need to develop trust and build strong relationships with their host-nation counterparts, which requires a thorough understanding of the local language, customs and culture.

 One way they broaden their knowledge in these areas is through immersion training in countries where their assigned languages are spoken.

 Immersion programs provide lessons about unfamiliar countries and culture that can only be discovered through first-hand experience.

 “When you are immersed into the surroundings or culture, you will benefit much more,” said Tanya Woodcook, Component Language Program Manager, MSOAG. “In that environment, you’re pushed to speak the language, you are pushed to communicate.”

 Marines are evaluated on their language proficiency using the Defense Language Proficiency Tests and the Interagency Language Roundtable scale. The ILR scale ranges from zero to six. Zero indicates the least amount of familiarity with a particular language, while six indicates the most. Marines must possess more than a basic survival level of their language to be considered for this special training.

 “If I sent someone with a low proficiency level abroad and they can only understand sporadic words, then they would not really benefit from this event because the foundation is not there,” said Woodcook. “It would almost be like a culture shock.”

 According to Woodcook, Marines who go through language immersion training follow a structured program when staying in their assigned country. They often live with a family and attend classes at a local educational institution. They are also expected to visit museums and get involved in the community in order to absorb the culture.

 “It’s extremely important for our deploying Marines to know how to behave, how to read properly and how to strike up a small conversation to establish the proper rapport,” explained Woodcook. “They can also learn what not to do to aggravate them or inadvertently offend them.”

 Sgt. Michael G. Harrell, tactics element leader and assistant medical technician, MSOAG, recently returned from six weeks of language immersion training in Paris. According to Harrell, the approximately 250 hours of language training in the classroom during the MSOAG training pipeline is helpful, but nothing compares to the value of his first-hand experience in France.

 “As a team member taking language classes on base, sometimes I have to go take care of administrative duties which take me out of that learning environment,” said Harrell. “I never missed a day or even an hour of study when I was in Paris for six weeks.”

 Harrell and a fellow team member stayed with host families and attended language classes in Paris. They ate breakfast and dinner at their host families’ homes nearly every day and went to French restaurants with their instructors from school.

 “Everything is communicated in your target language,” explained Harrell. “If you don’t know a word, they don’t give you the English word, they give you a similar word in their language, so you might end up learning five new words.”

 According to Harrell, the two most important aspects of being an advisor are being able to communicate with those you work with and having a thorough understanding of their culture.

 “If you’re attempting to speak their language, it helps your cause much more,” said Harrell. “They know you want to be there and they understand you’re trying to learn their language, and that is very important to them.”

 Harrell and Woodcook both believe that stronger language abilities and thorough understanding of culture and customs are important to mission success, not just in U.S. Special Operations Command, but throughout the entire military. The fact that Harrell still maintains contact with his host family and French instructors is an indication of the lasting bond formed by this exchange.

 “You learn invaluable lessons that you simply can’t learn sitting in a classroom in your own country,” said Harrell. “It’s an important step in building relationships, and that’s a huge part of our mission.”

 Active duty Marines and Sailors interested in joining MARSOC can contact the Marine Special Operations School at (910) 451-0099/3349 (DSN 750-3349/3123).


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