By Patrick Bray
DLIFLC Public Affairs

Josephine Petkovski teaches a Korean class Aug. 7 at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Asian School II, better known as the Korean School. She is also an alumnus of the Institute where she now teaches, having graduated from the Chinese Mandarin course in 2004. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)

MONTEREY, Calif. – Standing at a height of only four feet, 11 inches, one could be forgiven in thinking that Josephine “Josie” Petkovski may feel intimidated by the military uniforms that surround her every day. Though short in stature, she is not. She has worn two of them as a Veteran of the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy.

Petkovski is a new teacher at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Asian School II, better known as the Korean School. She is also an alumnus of the Institute where she now teaches, having graduated from the Chinese Mandarin course in 2004.

So, Petkovski knows a thing or two about both learning languages and being in the military.

Originally from Busan, South Korea, she presently resides in San Juan Bautista, California, with her family, husband and a six-year-old daughter. She first visited the U.S. in the 1980s to attend a wedding in Minnesota and visit her relatives in Florida. She then traveled for two months from Colorado to Florida to Chicago by Greyhound bus. Later, she permanently moved to the U.S. in 1990 and in 1991 joined the U.S. Army Reserves, seeking education benefits.

Military life in the fleet and field

“One day I was sitting on the couch in the living room and I saw this commercial – Be all that you can be,” said Petkovski of the Army’s recruiting slogan from 1980 to 2001.

The Army opportunities looked better to her than part-time retail or food service jobs, but when she entered the recruiter’s office he told her that she is “not quite there yet.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“Josie, you’re too short,” he replied, after measuring her height three times. The recruiter had to ask for a waiver from the Army for her to join.

Petkovski’s height was her first challenge in joining the military. Her second was getting through Army basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

“I strived to pass basic training because I wanted it so bad,” she said.

After graduation from basic and advanced individual training, also at Fort Leonard Wood, Petkovski became qualified as an 81B technical drafting specialist.

“That job doesn’t exist anymore,” Petkovski said, speaking of the tedious work of drawing technical designs by hand before computer-aided design. “But I loved being in the Army and getting to go to school.”

However, in December 1993 Petkovski left for Germany; spent three years there; and then returned to the U.S. She continued her postsecondary education in the midst of undergoing a few personal ordeals.

“I thought about returning to Busan but my mother said, ‘Josie, you’ve come too far to start over again in Korea,’” she said.

Instead, Petkovski channeled any negative feelings she had into her studies and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. From there she decided to join the active duty Navy.

Petkovski made her decision based on a brief visit to Naval Station Rota, Spain, but also out of her love for the white uniforms, famously featured in the movie “An Officer and a Gentleman” in the 1980s.

“I fell in love with the Navy. I told the navy officer recruiter that I want to travel the world by ship,” said Petkovski.

His reply, “Josie, you’re too short.”

U.S. Navy Lt. Josephine Petkovski proudly shows off her diploma after graduating in Pensacola, Florida. (Photo courtesy of Josephine Petkovski)

At DLIFLC

Despite her height, Petkovski was able to join the U.S. Navy and attended Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, commissioning in 2000.

Petkovski’s first deployment was as an aviation maintenance duty officer for six months aboard the USS Harry S. Truman. Afterward she was re-designated as a cryptologist, also known as an Information Warfare Officer, and got hand selected for DLIFLC to study Chinese Mandarin. She reported in January 2003.

“I totally underestimated learning Chinese Mandarin,” said Petkovski, having previously studied it in Korea. “I struggled for a good six months.”

Sino Korean is a non-tonal language. Chinese taught in Korea does not utilize tone, which can differentiate the meanings of every single character.

“Not to be really dramatic, but you could mean to say you want to help somebody but really say you’re going to hurt them,” said Petkovski on the importance of getting the right tone.

As an officer she did not want to embarrass herself in front of her classmates who were a U.S. Marine Corps Captain and a U.S. Air Force Special Agent with the rest of the class being enlisted.

“I was very proud of my enlisted classmates, though. Although they had no background in Asian languages, they were amazingly perfecting the language,” Petkovski said. “I admired their endeavor in learning the language.”

Petkovski never thought about quitting though she was studying every night without her grades improving. “As an officer and a section leader the thought never crossed my mind,” she said.

Then one teacher helped Petkovski achieve a breakthrough. She told her that her pronunciation and tone were not correct, but she said so in a constructive way. “So Zhao Laoshi, who is no longer a teacher at DLI, helped me to figure it out.”

From then on, “I could hear Chinese Mandarin and process it in my brain in Korean and then produce an output in English,” Petkovski said as her learning improved.

Overall, she says of her experience as a student was not easy training. “Chinese is not an easy language to learn,” commented Petkovski.

U.S. Navy Lt. Josephine Petkovski (second row, first on left side) poses with her classmates during SERE training in 2004. (Photo courtesy of Josephine Petkovski)

After DLIFLC, Petkovski went on to water survival training and then Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) School, but due to the required non-disclosure agreement signed by all students she cannot talk about SERE.

“I have my profound deference to every single POW in my country like Sen. John McCain and Louis Zamperini, a WWII POW who was featured in the movie “Unbroken,” and have a speck of understanding what our POWs might have gone through,” said Petkovski of the SERE experience.

Petkovski went on to Misawa, Japan, to work with Chinese Mandarin linguists. Today, as a Korean teacher she is familiar with the linguist career beyond being a student at DLIFLC.

Petkovski’s maiden name is Cho. She met her husband through a Korean missionary pastor while stationed in Bahrain and took his surname – Petkovski – who is of Macedonian and Danish descendant.

Coming full circle

Petkovski originally applied for her position at DLIFLC in 2011, but was not referred. After she finished her Master’s degree in TESOL, teaching English to speakers of other languages, her adviser at the University of San Francisco said she should reconsider her application. With her Master’s degree in hand it took her only five months to get the job.

Josephine Petkovski teaches a Korean class Aug. 7 at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Asian School II, better known as the Korean School. She is also an alumnus of the Institute where she now teaches, having graduated from the Chinese Mandarin course in 2004. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)

Now Petkovski has just finished her first semester as a Korean teacher. She finds it to be a learning experience for her just as much for the students, referring to an article by Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade at San Francisco State University who said that “Teaching is who I am not what I do.”

“I’m learning a lot from my students,” said Petkovski, who is excited to see them graduate in about a year.

“I know my student’s physical and mental struggle. I tell them to work with their teachers if they find themselves struggling, and find balance and manage their time outside of class.”

“I always encourage my motto, PMA – positive mental attitude. I tell them if I can do it, so can anyone.”

Since returning to DLIFLC, Petkovski has reunited with some of her Chinese teachers who welcomed her back and also surprised that she became a teacher. “I am very grateful that I have this opportunity to teach Korean at DLI, albeit not in uniform.  I only hope to be an invaluable asset not only to the Korean School but also DLI as a whole.”

***

DLIFLC provides resident instruction in 17 languages at the Presidio of Monterey, California, with the capacity to instruct another 65 languages in Washington, D.C., graduating more than 220,000 linguists since 1941.

In addition, multiple language training detachments exists at sites in the U.S., Europe, Hawaii and Korea spanning all the U.S. geographic combatant commands in support of the total force.

By Patrick Bray
DLIFLC Public Affairs

Editor’s note: This article is a feature from the Foreign Area Officer program’s monthly U.S. Army officer professional development series at DLIFLC.

Dr. Wade Huntley, academic director of the Regional Security Education Program at the Naval Postgraduate School, in Monterey, California, spoke to Foreign Area Officers in language training at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Aug. 16 about North Korea and its nuclear weapons program. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)

MONTEREY, Calif. – Dr. Wade Huntley, academic director of the Regional Security Education Program at the Naval Postgraduate School, in Monterey, spoke to U.S. Army Foreign Area Officers in language training at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center along with students from the Institute’s Korean School, Aug. 16, about North Korea and its nuclear weapons program.

Huntley’s talk came merely two weeks after North Korea’s threat to strike the U.S. Territory of Guam prompting U.S. Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, to say that, “The United States and our allies have the demonstrated capabilities and unquestionable commitment to defend ourselves from an attack,” and also stated that, “The DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) should cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people.”

Huntley subtitled his talk “Dr. Strange Kim (Jong Un)… or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the crazy dictator with the bomb.” Kim Jong Un took power in North Korea in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il.

“Why does North Korea do anything it does?” asked Huntley, who explained that the motives of the world’s most secretive and isolated regime are sometimes baffling. “Most analysts come to a consensus that the primary focus of North Korea is regime survival.”

Huntley continued with a detailed lecture on North Korea’s quest to obtain the bomb.

Beyond the Cold War

South Korea and the U.S. have maintained a bilateral Alliance for more than 60 years. Born out of the Korean War, the Alliance grew stronger, both during and after the Cold War. Today, both nations “go together,” as their slogan suggests, to meet the security challenges of Northeast Asia.

A major focus for the Alliance is still North Korea as the Alliance has faced thousands of North Korea armistice violations in six decades.

North Korea may have succeeded in building medium-range ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets in South Korea (pictured) and Japan, but has not developed intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs – heavy space rockets – capable of hitting long range targets. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/released)

In the 1980s, Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, pushed North Korea to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Huntley discussed the 1970 treaty, which commits states with nuclear weapons to pursue disarmament, while states without nuclear weapons agree to forgo developing or acquiring weapons of their own.

Then, the world began to change dramatically. The Berlin Wall fell and the Tiananmen Square protests for democracy in Beijing both took place in 1989, followed by the downfall and 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, North Korea’s main benefactor.

“The Soviet Union left North Korea out in the cold (after the collapse),” said Huntley.

At that time in history, many believed that North Korea would be next.

“In the early to mid-1990s North Korea was imploding. We didn’t realize it then because the problem was chronic rather than acute,” said Huntley.

North Korea’s nuclear ambitions may have begun as a way to ensure regime survival, Huntley also added, leading to the first nuclear crisis.

In 1994, North Korea expelled investigators from the International Atomic Energy Agency instigating the first nuclear crisis. This prompted the Clinton Administration to deal with the situation. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter traveled to North Korea and was able to work out an agreement with President Kim Il Sung. Known as the Agreed Framework, it allowed North Korea to replace nuclear reactors with light-water reactors, which is allowable under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Kim Il Sung died later in 1994 and was followed by his son, Kim Jong Il.

Because of the belief that North Korea would be the next communist state to collapse, “most Koreans supported the Agreed Framework thinking that reunification would occur before the light-water reactors were ever completed,” said Huntley.

North Korea may have succeeded in building medium-range ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets in South Korea (pictured) and Japan, but has not developed intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs – heavy space rockets – capable of hitting long range targets. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/released)

In 2002, the Agreed Framework collapsed as a result of a dispute between the Bush Administration and the government of Kim Jong Il. North Korea pulled out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and restarted its nuclear program, leading to the second nuclear crisis.

The Bush Administration began a series of talks that included North and South Korea, the U.S., Japan, China and Russia – the Six Party Talks – because the U.S. favored a broad, regional discussion rather than bilateral negotiations. The talks had some success throughout the remainder of the Bush Administration but have not occurred since 2008 when North Korea walked away.

Most proliferate states have had years of experience running a research reactor as opposed to North Korea, which decided to go full on nuclear before a research reactor. It takes longer for countries without a full industrial base, such as North Korea, to construct nuclear weapons. North Korea’s 2006 test was unsuccessful.

In 2009, North Korea’s first minimally successful nuclear test took place instigating the third nuclear crisis. North Korea may have achieved at least some part of its nuclear ambitions without full weaponization, but it has still not fully developed its delivery systems. It may have succeeded in building medium-range ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets in South Korea and Japan, but has not developed intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs – heavy space rockets – capable of hitting long range targets. The North could hit Seoul, but according to Huntley, that is North Korea’s “prize” and may not be willing to drop nuclear weapons anywhere south.

The biggest dilemma in all of this, Huntley argued, is that if the U.S. were to accept North Korea as a nuclear state, it could null the 1970 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty causing other states to pursue nuclear weapons, but it is already obvious that North Korea has nuclear capabilities, according to Huntley.

Dr. Wade Huntley, academic director of the Regional Security Education Program at the Naval Postgraduate School, in Monterey, California, spoke to Foreign Area Officers in language training at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Aug. 16 about North Korea and its nuclear weapons program. In the background is a 2014 photo from the NASA Earth Observatory showing a dark North Korea, “a regional black hole amidst South Korea and northern China,” according to Huntley. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)

The role of China in North Korea

The North’s ally throughout the Cold War had been primarily Russia, Huntley emphasized. Today when considering North Korea one must also consider the role of China, which supports maintaining the status quo in Northeast Asia. The region is an economic powerhouse with a black hole, North Korea.

For years China has been expanding its economic zones outside of its own borders as an alternative to the U.S. dominated international order. This is an effort to marginalize the U.S. by looking west and uniting Eurasia and Africa under the Chinese model of globalization.

So, China is more interested in stability and therefore more concerned about a North Korea collapse than its nuclear program, or at least that is what they tell us, according to Huntley.

Q & A time

Huntley concluded by answering questions from the students concerning a reunified Korea, where North Korea gets its technology, how North Korea survives in the internet age, and U.S. strategy in dealing with North Korea. Huntley stated that in light of these recent events, most experts on Northeast Asia are still trying to determine how Kim Jong Un will shape the direction of the country.

For the U.S., North Korea is merely one of many international problems, but for North Korea the U.S. is its sole international problem, according to Huntley, which is why there is not a more long-term U.S. strategy in dealing with the regime.

The Obama Administration’s way ahead for the U.S. was a policy of “strategic patience,” which was unlike the more confrontational Bush Administration approach of the early 2000s. The policy suggested that the U.S. can afford to wait for North Korea to make its own decision to denuclearize.

“The U.S. has left a chair at the table for North Korea in the Six Party Talks and has waited for eight years,” said Huntley. “North Korea never came around.”

The Trump Administration’s policy is still developing, but Secretary Mattis emphasized that, “Kim Jong Un should take heed of the United Nations Security Council’s unified voice, and statements from governments the world over, who agree the DPRK poses a threat to global security and stability” and that “our State Department is making every effort to resolve this global threat through diplomatic means.”

Huntley’s teaching interests include nuclear, biological and chemical weapons proliferation and non-proliferation, and Northeast Asian security. He spoke as part of the FAO program’s monthly U.S. Army officer professional development program, which is a critical part of FAO training at DLIFLC. The monthly program is as an essential addition to the biannual Joint Foreign Area Officer Course Phase I, usually held in January and June.

FAOs, who come from the four branches of the U.S. military, are regionally focused and are considered experts on political-military issues. Once their FAO training is completed, they are expected to serve as defense attachés, security cooperation officers and political-military planners worldwide.

DLIFLC provides resident instruction in 17 languages at the Presidio of Monterey, California, with the capacity to instruct another 65 languages in Washington, D.C., graduating more than 220,000 linguists since 1941.

In addition, multiple language training detachments exists at sites in the U.S., Europe, Hawaii and Korea spanning all the U.S. geographic combatant commands in support of the total force.

By Natela Cutter
DLIFLC Public Affairs

Lieutenant General Kenneth R. Dahl, Commander, U.S. Army Installation Management Command, shakes hands with DLIFLC Commandant, Col. Phil Deppert, during a meeting hosted by the Institute. (back center) Congressman Jimmy Panetta greets G. Brynt Parmeter, civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army, in California (Silicon Valley). (U.S. Army photo by Natela Cutter)

MONTEREY, Calif. – Lt. Gen. Kenneth R. Dahl delivered opening remarks at a meeting at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Aug, 22, sharing his thoughts with Team Monterey members, a gathering of local Department of Defense organizations and Monterey County representatives.

“Take advantage of other people’s talents. Come together and find that common ground,” he urged, adding that cooperation between the community and military organizations saves money and enhances community relations. Dahl said it was his second visit to Monterey, where he was impressed by the “Monterey Model,” whereby the City of Monterey provides maintenance services to several local DoD organizations.

Lieutenant General Kenneth R. Dahl, Commander, U.S. Army Installation Management Command, speaks with Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) at a meeting composed of local military and DoD organizations called Team Monterey. (U.S. Army photo by Natela Cutter)

“This is such a good model,” he said, explaining that it is his responsibility to examine innovative cooperation models between the military and civilian organizations and then try to have similar models implemented elsewhere. “It is important that we focus on what we do best, and let others do what they know best.”

The Team Monterey group, founded by former Congressman Sam Farr, is now headed by Rep. Jimmy Panetta, who is interested in facilitating communication and cooperation between the entities in his district. Dahl, who is in charge of 75 active military installations under U.S. Army Installation Management, or IMCOM, encouraged participants to seek ways to improve cooperation that would benefit the entire community.

Organizations represented included the Naval Postgraduate School, the Fleet
Numerical Oceanography Center, the U.S. Coastguard and Defense Manpower Data Center, alongside representatives of local cities in the Monterey county region.

Lieutenant General Kenneth R. Dahl, Commander, U.S. Army Installation Management Command (right), gives introductory remarks at a Team Monterey meeting, composed of DoD organizations working in Monterey County. Dahl emphasized the importance of cooperation between the military and local cities and educational institutions in order to reduce costs and gain talent for the military. The meeting was hosted at the Presidio of Monterey, one of 75 installations that fall under Dahl’s responsibility. Congressman Jimmy Panetta (left) leading Team Monterey, listens to Dahl’s introduction. (U.S. Army photo by Natela Cutter)

spouse training request form

By Natela Cutter
DLIFLC Public Affairs

Today, as the Chief Military Language Instructor at Middle East III, Sgt. First Class Brandon Tinling runs, together with the civilian leadership, a school of about 100 teachers, eight Military Language Instructors, and several hundred students of all four branches of the service. (U.S. Army photo by Amber K. Whittington)

MONTEREY, Calif. – When Sgt. First Class Brandon Tinling graduated from his Modern Standard Arabic course about 15 years ago, he didn’t exactly know what lay ahead for him. He thought he may end up working in a cubicle, diligently chipping away at Arabic translations and analysis. Instead, he ended up deploying four times.

“One day in Baghdad, while I was sitting outside on my break, one of the gate guards came running up to me to take me back over to the gate where a frantic Iraqi woman was screaming and crying. I quickly found out that her daughter had been kidnapped earlier in the day. We were able to pass that information on to the Iraqi police and they were able to find the child within 24 hours,” said Tinling.

Today, as the Chief Military Language Instructor at Middle East III, Tinling runs, together with the civilian leadership, a school of about 100 teachers, eight Military Language Instructors, and several hundred students of all four branches of the service. The kidnapping in Baghdad took place just a year after his graduation in 2004, and is one of the favorite stories he tells students because it illustrates how knowledge of a foreign language saves lives.

“The role of MLIs is vital at Defense Language Institute because we have been out in the field and we know what awaits these young men and women when they get out there,” explained Tinling, speaking about the mentorship role MLIs play in the schoolhouse, in addition to teaching some 10 hours per week, grading papers, tracking test results, and counseling students regarding academic and nonacademic performance.

In 2015, with the arrival of a new Commandant to the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, the Institute began laying plans in earnest to achieve higher levels of student proficiency and set the graduation standard for 2+ in listening, 2+ and reading, and 2 for speaking, according to the Interagency Language Roundtable scale. But this change needed to be followed up with an actionable plan within the eight DLIFLC schools.

“My decision to ask the MLIs in each of the schools to work closely with their civilian counterparts on a realistic plan to achieve 2+ levels, precisely came from the fact that I knew MLIs had military planning skills, as well as knowledge about what the students need to reach those goals. Motivating the students is also no small part of the process, in fact, it may be the most important,” said DLIFLC Commandant Col. Phil Deppert.

Today, as the Chief Military Language Instructor at Middle East III, Sgt. First Class Brandon Tinling runs, together with the civilian leadership, a school of about 100 teachers, eight Military Language Instructors, and several hundred students of all four branches of the service. (U.S. Army photo by Amber K. Whittington)

Aside from helping the civilian deans and chair persons of the departments create a viable plan and execution timeline for the 2+ plan, Tinling decided to strengthen the MLI mentorship program by having them volunteer their time outside of the classroom to spend with students, responding to their questions and motivating them to want to reach higher levels of proficiency.

“The push for 2+ is strategically and tactically great and it is one of the reasons why we have pushed so hard to motivate students and give them a lot of other skills needed to be successful. There are things outside of the curricula, such as critical thinking skills, briefing skills, interaction with people and using the language in authentic settings which can help them,” he said.

“The MLIs have such a vast background of knowledge and experiences of duty assignments that they have a unique chance to present all those job opportunities to the students… and explain what they will be doing, from a tactical standpoint with a platoon, right up to the national and strategic level,” explained Tinling, in-between talking to a Marine Corps sergeant and an Arabic language instructor.

“This is a very academic environment, but once we release our students into the force it’s no longer an academic exercise, it’s a very practical and very real exercise,” said Tinling.

As for his own motivation, Tinling says, “The more I teach and share, the greater, and longer lasting my impact on the military in general, and on individual Soldiers. The students I teach and mentor now will be my legacy long after I have retired.”

Today, as the Chief Military Language Instructor at Middle East III, Sgt. First Class Brandon Tinling runs, together with the civilian leadership, a school of about 100 teachers, eight Military Language Instructors, and several hundred students of all four branches of the service. (U.S. Army photo by Amber K. Whittington)

By Natela Cutter
DLIFLC Public Affairs

DOD winner of the best Command Language Professional of the year went to Air Force Staff Sgt. Monica Helling, who works for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) at Travis Air Force Base as a Russian Linguist. The award was presented by DLIFLC Assistant Commandant Col. Wiley Barnes. (U.S. Army photo by Natela Cutter)

MONTEREY, Calif. –

More than 200 members of all four branches of the services and Department of Defense civilians attended a three-day Advanced Command Language Program Manager Workshop held at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Aug. 29-31.

The workshop was opened by DLIFLC Assistant Commandant Col. Wiley Barnes, who welcomed the CLPMs, whose job is to help linguists maintain and improve their foreign language skills and advise them in their career paths.

“Take advantage of this workshop…build relationships across services and agencies, exchange ideas, learn from each other. Don’t accept the status quo, things are always changing. Technology changes, the environment changes, and the enemy gets a vote…we have to adapt,” said Barnes.

The large gathering of military and civilian foreign language community managers and leaders served as a perfect venue to give awards for the DOD Command Language Professional of the Year and the Command Language Program of the Year.

The winner of the DOD’s best Command Language Program of the Year for 2016 was the Navy Information Operations Command, Maryland. The award was received by the incoming CLPM Chief Petty Officer Vernon “Duke” Smith, who accepted the cup on behalf of the work of CLPM Chief Petty Officer Kate Greifzu and her commander, Capt. J.S. Scheidt.

DOD winner of the best Command Language Professional of the year went to Air Force Staff Sgt. Monica Helling, who works for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) at Travis Air Force Base as a Russian Linguist.

Completely caught off guard by the recognition in this forum, in an interview Helling admitted that she was surprised by the announcement.

“I was shocked,” Helling said with a broad smile. When asked how she decided to become a linguist, Helling said “This predisposition for languages came to me from my parents who are Polish immigrants, my brain in structured differently.”

The winner of the DOD’s best Command Language Program of the Year for 2016 was the Navy Information Operations Command, Maryland. The award was received by the incoming CLPM Chief Petty Officer Vernon “Duke” Smith, who accepted the cup on behalf of the work of CLPM Chief Petty Officer Kate Greifzu and her commander, Capt. J.S. Scheidt. Marine Corp, Army and Air Force program managers also received recognition. (U.S. Army photo by Natela Cutter)

“When I joined the Air Force I knew I wanted to be a linguist, but when I arrived, I was given Arabic instead of Russian. Fortunately, someone heard me, and I was moved to a Russian class. The rest is history,” she said. Today Helling is one of the top interpreters of Russian where she must deal with topics related to strategic arms reduction in the nuclear division.

By her side, beaming with pride, was Helling’s father, Jaroslav Jerzy Fabis, a veterinarian by profession. “I knew that coming to America would be a good choice for my children. I am very proud of my daughter.” Fabis immigrated to the United States in 1983 during a politically tumultuous time for Poland.

The 2016 U.S. Army Language Professional of the Year was Sgt. Auday Alamery of the 513^th Military Intelligence Brigade, Fort Gordon, Georgia, the U.S. Marine Corps Language Professional of the Year was Sgt. Kyle Morgan, of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Europe, and the U.S. Navy Language Professional of the Year was Cryptologic Technician – Interpretative 1 Brian Blacher.

Finalists for the DOD Command Language Program of the Year were the 500^th Military Intelligence Brigade, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, the 2^nd Radio Battalion, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and the 34^th Intelligence Squadron, Fort Meade, Maryland.

DOD winner of the best Command Language Professional of the year went to Air Force Staff Sgt. Monica Helling, who works for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) at Travis Air Force Base as a Russian Linguist. By her side, beaming with pride, was Helling’s father, Jaroslav Jerzy Fabis, originally from Poland. (U.S. Army photo by Natela Cutter)

Runner-ups and the winner of the Command Language Professional of the year pose for a photo. (left to right) U.S. Navy Language Professional of the Year Cryptologic Technician – Interpretative 1 Brian Blacher, DOD winner of the best Command Language Professional of the year, Air Force Staff Sgt. Monica Helling, of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency at Travis Air Force Base, U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Kyle Morgan, of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Europe, and U.S. Army Sgt. Auday Alamery of the 513th Military Intelligence Brigade, Fort Gordon, Georgia. (U.S. Army photo by Natela Cutter)

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DLIFLC events throughout the summer of 2017

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Lt. Gen. Michael Lundy, commanding general of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, visited the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, California, April 13, to see first-hand the Army's foreign language training mission. Lundy spent time observing classes in Russian, French and Spanish and spoke to students of all four branches of the services about the importance of their studies to national security. During a working lunch, Lundy spoke with DLIFLC civilian and military leadership to express his views about the importance of their contributions to the training of the future force. He also addressed DLIFLC Army cadre later in the day, reminding them of their vital role in the development of young Soldiers. (Photo by Amber K. Whittington)

By Natela Cutter
DLIFLC Public Affairs

Click on the image to see more photos in our Flickr gallery (U.S. Army photo by Natela Cutter)

MONTEREY, Calif. –

Twelve individuals, 10 instructors and two family members, became U.S. citizens Sept. 7, at a naturalization ceremony hosted by the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center located at the Presidio of Monterey.

Naturalization ceremonies are organized jointly by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office and DLIFLC each quarter because of the large number of foreign instructors employed at the Institute. The event is organized three times per year.

“It is so exciting to see entire families receive their citizenship here at DLI. I think the event becomes even more personalized by allowing family members and colleagues to come help celebrate the event,” said Helai Sanaie, who works for the Faculty Personnel Office and is one of the main coordinators for the event.

By Patrick Bray
DLIFLC Public Affairs

During a humble ceremony at the Presidio of Monterey, California, Chapel Sept. 11, St. Jerome became inducted as the patron saint of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center and of military linguists. Linguists now join with other military career fields who have followed in this tradition.

MONTEREY, Calif. – During a humble ceremony at the Presidio of Monterey Chapel Sept. 11, St. Jerome became inducted as the patron saint of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center and of military linguists.

St. Jerome, who lived from 347 to 420, has been associated with writing, cataloging and translating works of history, biographies, and biblical translations and is traditionally regarded as the most learned of the Latin Fathers. Therefore it is fitting that he be chosen as the patron saint of linguists, according to Chaplain Maj. Chan-young Ham, DLIFLC command chaplain.

“St. Jerome was dedicated to his work as a translator and linguist. He was disciplined and he believed in what he was doing, pushing himself to be an expert in language and the understanding of them,” said Ham.

“He was internationally influenced,” Ham continued. “He traveled the world and respected other cultures, while dialoging with many to discuss scholarship and the truth.”

The tradition of patron saints as guardians over areas of life, to include occupations, dates back to as early as the fourth century. Linguists now join with other military career fields who have followed in this tradition. St. Michael, paratroopers, and St. Barbara, field artillery, are examples of military occupations that have previously inducted a patron saint.

Col. Phil Deppert, commandant of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Presidio of Monterey, California, and Father George Khoury, associate professor of Levantine at the Institute, unveil the St. Jerome icon in the Presidio Chapel Sept. 11. The icon will be displayed in the Aiso Library on the Presidio. St. Jerome became inducted as the patron saint of DLI and of military linguists. Linguists now join with other military career fields who have followed in this tradition. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)

Father George Khoury, associate professor of Levantine at the Institute, inducted St. Jerome at the Presidio Chapel and blessed the pendants with holy water, which were then given to all in attendance. He and Col. Phil Deppert, commandant of DLIFLC, unveiled the St. Jerome icon that will be displayed in the Aiso Library on the Presidio.

The idea of a patron saint for linguists was brought up to Deppert when Ham arrived at the Institute in December 2016. Patron saints within each branch have long been a military tradition.

“Since I got here I thought we should have a pendant with a patron to set our commitment and professionalism,” said Ham. “Since we did not have one we embarked on making a pendant and ended up inducting a patron saint.”

In the process Ham offered Deppert a choice between St. Nicholas, the patron saint of the Military Intelligence branch, and St. Jerome. In the end, the Commandant decided to go with St. Jerome.

The next step was to ensure that the Institute did not appear to be promoting a religious affiliation. Although it has a Christian historical background, there are no hidden motives of endorsing the Christian faith.

“Instead, we are creating a tradition like other branches where we hold our standards to the highest values and commitment as linguists,” said Ham. “St. Jerome loved languages. He was a proficient linguist, an open minded scholar and translator.”

Col. Phil Deppert, commandant of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Presidio of Monterey, California, speaks to those in attendance at the St. Jerome induction ceremony at the Presidio Chapel Sept. 11. Deppert said that they can look to St. Jerome as a point of inspiration, especially students. St. Jerome became inducted as the patron saint of DLI and of military linguists. Linguists now join with other military career fields who have followed in this tradition. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)

Deppert told those in attendance that they can look to St. Jerome as a point of inspiration, especially students, as DLIFLC is considered one of the toughest training pipelines in the Department of Defense. The language school places enormous pressure on students from across the services to succeed in only a limited amount of time. It is easy to see how students might feel stressed and overwhelmed.

The Army offers a variety of wellness programs through physical fitness, emotional, and spiritual fitness to improve readiness and increase resilience through public health initiatives and leadership engagement. According to the Army Public Health Center, spirituality is often defined as a sense of connection that gives meaning and purpose to a person’s life. Spirituality is unique to each individual, and refers to the deepest part of “you.”

Part of St. Jerome’s legacy is that he once said, “Good, better, best. Never let it rest ‘til your good is better and your better is best.”

St. Jerome is also the patron saint of archaeologists, biblical scholars, librarians, students and translators. September 30 is his feast day according to Latin traditions.

DLIFLC provides resident instruction in 17 languages at the Presidio of Monterey, California, with the capacity to instruct another 65 languages in Washington, D.C. The Institute has graduated more than 220,000 linguists since 1941.

In addition, multiple language training detachments exists at sites in the U.S., Europe, Hawaii and Korea, spanning all the U.S. geographic combatant commands in support of the total force.

By Patrick Bray
DLIFLC Public Affairs

Tech Sgt. Ryan Best received the Military Language Instructor of the Year award from the Kiwanis Club of Monterey Sept. 13. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)

MONTEREY, Calif. – The Kiwanis Club of Monterey honored two Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center faculty at their monthly meeting in downtown Monterey Sept. 13.

Dr. Gamal Kalini received the Civilian Instructor of the Year award and Tech Sgt. Ryan Best received the Military Language Instructor of the Year award. The awards are representative of the partnership between the Institute and the greater Monterey community.

Kalini, originally from Cairo, Egypt, has worked for the Institute since 2007.

“Dr. Kalini is so dedicated to his profession that he regularly shares his research and work with colleagues through workshops and presentations at various faculty development events at DLIFLC and beyond,” said Col. Phil Deppert, commandant of the Institute.

Dr. Gamal Kalini received the Civilian Instructor of the Year award from the Kiwanis Club of Monterey Sept. 13. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)

Best, who joined the U.S. Air Force in 2006, studied both basic and intermediate Mandarin Chinese at the Institute before becoming the Chief Military Language Instructor at the Institute’s Asian School I, the Chinese School.

“Aside from all his accomplishments, Tech. Sgt. Best also holds the highest DLPT score within the Air Force, with a 3+/3/2+ in Chinese Mandarin – which puts him in the top one percent of Air Force linguists,” said Deppert.

Kiwanis International was founded in 1915 by a group of businessmen in Detroit, Michigan. The name “Kiwanis” was coined from an expression in a Native American language of the Detroit area, “Nunc Kee-wanis,” which means, “We trade.” In 1920, the motto of Kiwanis became “We Build.” It remained the motto until 2005, when members voted to change it to “serving the children of the world.”

Col. Phil Deppert, commandant of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, addresses the Kiwanis Club of Monterey Sept. 13. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)

The Kiwanis Club of Monterey, founded in 1926, has donated more than $1 million in college scholarships and grants to local charities such as the Boys and Girls Club, the Salvation Army, Boy and Girl Scouts, the Rape Crisis Center, and more.

DLIFLC provides resident instruction in 17 languages at the Presidio of Monterey, California, with the capacity to instruct another 65 languages in Washington, D.C. The Institute has graduated more than 220,000 linguists since 1941.

In addition, multiple language training detachments exists at sites in the U.S., Europe, Hawaii and Korea, spanning all the U.S. geographic combatant commands in support of the total force.

By Patrick Bray
DLIFLC Public Affairs

Editor’s note: This article is a feature from the Foreign Area Officer program’s monthly U.S. Army officer professional development series at DLIFLC.

Nicholas Tomb, program manager of the Center for Civil-Military Relations Africa Program at the Naval Postgraduate School, in Monterey, spoke to U.S. Army Foreign Area Officers in language training at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Sept. 20, about Africa. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)

MONTEREY, Calif. – Nicholas Tomb, program manager of the Center for Civil-Military Relations Africa Program at the Naval Postgraduate School, in Monterey, spoke to U.S. Army Foreign Area Officers in language training at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Sept. 20, about Africa.

Tomb titled his talk “Beyond Democracy in Africa” and began by asking FAOs what is the definition of democracy.

FAOs suggested ideas of government ruled by the people, equality and freedom. Tomb shared the lengthy United Nations definition of democracy, but dwelled on the concept of representative governance – the manner of governing in which the people determine their political, economic, social and cultural systems. He followed with an anecdote to show the low quality of representative governance in African countries.

“Mo Ibrahim, Sudanese businessman and telecom magnate, offers the Mo Ibrahim Award to any African president that steps down from power at the end of his term,” said Tomb.

Since 2006, only four African leaders have been honored with the $5 million award, proving the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership to be one of the world’s most exclusive awards.

Tomb continued, “The fact that so few African leaders have accepted the award and stood down demonstrates the fact of how much money is to be made by staying in power.”

“There’s this perception that Africa is a very poor place and there are certainly a lot of poor people, but in reality, it is an extremely wealthy continent.”

Therefore, democracy in Africa falls victim to corruption by many African leaders, something that unfortunately runs deep into the culture, according to Tomb. Quoting statistics from the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, nine of the top 10 governance performers are civilian regimes that have come to power through elections. The top 10 worst governance performers are military regimes that came to power through coups or authoritarian transitions.

“The governors who are elected have to meet the needs of the people or the people will vote them out and bring in somebody who will do a better job representing their interest,” said Tomb, explaining why civilian regimes perform better as opposed to “rule through the barrel of a gun.”

Many African nations face a lot of problems on the road to democracy such as economic, security and demographic challenges along with corruption, natural resource concerns, climate change, desertification, and food scarcity.

“I lumped them into these big broad categories, but I’m sure there are a lot more,” said Tomb. “In problems facing the continent there is certainly no shortage of them.”

In economic challenges, Africa is a very poor place for the vast majority of people, “but there are also massive economic opportunities. Sixteen of the fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa,” said Tomb. From 1970 to 2008, Africa has experienced enormous economic growth becoming the third largest growing economic region in the world. The growth slowed after the global financial crisis in 2008.

“People often ask me ‘why does Africa matter?’” said Tomb. “I turn around and ask ‘why does China think Africa matters?’”

Resources are incredibly abundant in Africa, which the Chinese seek along with access to fast growing markets. China is building infrastructure in Africa that African countries otherwise could not afford, especially improvements to ports, highways and railroads.

Demographically, 50 percent of the population is under 20 years of age, more than a billion people, and the population continues to grow rapidly, according to Tomb. But, large parts of the population face humanitarian crises such as major epidemics like Ebola or AIDS. Also, millions of people have been displaced by terrorist activity such as Boko Haram, which has emerged as an extension of Al Qaeda in northeastern Nigeria and parts of Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

All of these contribute to security challenges. U.N., African National Union and European Union peacekeeping operations take place across the continent. Tomb also noted the religious tension that spreads across Africa between the majority Muslim and the majority Christian countries. This tension has reinforced terrorist activity such as Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab, an active militant group in East Africa. Both have adopted the black flag of ISIS, which has plagued parts of Iraq, Syria and Libya.

“If African countries can get governance right then there are incredible opportunities,” said Tomb. “Democratically elected, civilian controlled armed forces lead to security and better governed countries, which leads to more economic development and ultimately a better place to be.”

Tomb’s teaching focus is on executive education, conflict management, conflict resolution, post-conflict recovery, civil-military relations and civil society organizations. He spoke as part of the FAO program’s monthly U.S. Army officer professional development program, which is a critical part of FAO training at DLIFLC. The monthly program is as an essential addition to the biannual Joint Foreign Area Officer Course Phase I, usually held in January and June.

FAOs, who come from the four branches of the U.S. military, are regionally focused and are considered experts on political-military issues. Once their FAO training is completed, they are expected to serve as defense attachés, security cooperation officers and political-military planners worldwide.

DLIFLC provides resident instruction in 17 languages at the Presidio of Monterey, California, with the capacity to instruct another 65 languages in Washington, D.C., graduating more than 220,000 linguists since 1941.

In addition, multiple language training detachments exists at sites in the U.S., Europe, Hawaii and Korea spanning all the U.S. geographic combatant commands in support of the total force.

By Brian Lepley
Garrison Public Affairs

Staff Sgt. Bryan Ivery displays the web belt buckle he earned as the 2017 AIT Platoon Sergeant of the Year. (U.S. Army photo by Amber K. Whittington)

MONTEREY, Calif. – The eight other candidates for the Army’s 2017 AIT Platoon Sergeant of the Year can blame Leesa Brotherton.

Staff Sgt. Bryan Ivery, the PSOY winner named at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Sept. 15, credits his hyper-competitiveness to his aunt Leesa.

“We grew up together and she was 10 years older than me. We played all kinds of games and she showed me no mercy,” remembers Ivery. “I learned. Since I was young I have to bring my best to any competition I’m in.”

“Iron sharpens iron” is Ivery’s motto, an ethos born from those losses to Brotherton as a child. His duty at Company B, 229th Military Intelligence Battalion, is preparing new arrivals for the academic rigor of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.

“Motivation is definitely a driving factor in my day-to-day activities with these new Soldiers,” said Ivery, one of five platoon sergeants for the battalion’s Phase Four training.

Co. B 1st Sgt. Clint Rowe and Ivery are products of DLIFLC, a joint service school where students can spend more than 18 months learning languages, dialects and cultures like Farsi, Arabic, Korean, Urdu and many others.

FORT ORD NATIONAL MONUMENT, California — Staff Sgt. Bryan Ivery gestures to a passing hiker during the road march portion of the 229th Military Intelligence Battalion AIT Platoon Sergeant of the Year competition June 1. (U.S. Army photo by Amber K. Whittington)

“Staff Sgt. Ivery gets Soldiers right out of basic and brings them up to the level DLI and the Army needs them to be in order to succeed,” Rowe said. “His dedication and grit are paramount.”

The Army AIT PSOY event, run by Training and Doctrine Command, was modeled on a hectic combat mission and tested that motivation, Ivery said. It was five days of strenuous tasks on a punishing schedule.

“Starting Monday (Sept. 11), we didn’t know what was coming next until they told us. PT, taking tests, range, the board … it was non-stop,” he said. “We didn’t get much sleep. There was zero down time. That was by design.”

Ivery’s coach at the Army Drill Sergeant and AIT Platoon Sergeant of the Year competition was Rowe. By the end of day two, the first sergeant knew his NCO was finishing high.

“In every event Ivery was first or second and if he was second, it was always a different NCO in first,” Rowe said. “He and another contestant were the best I saw there in military bearing and PT.”

Ivery’s feats weren’t only recognized by his first sergeant.

“By Thursday morning, other competitors were calling him champ,” remembers Rowe.

Seven drill sergeants were after their award alongside the nine platoon sergeants. Ivery regarded everybody as competition.

“It was me against 15, that’s how I saw it. There was an award that everybody competed for, the Tobias C. Meister physical fitness award,” said the South Carolina native. “After the PT test a drill sergeant and I were tied with a 299 score.”

On Wednesday, SSG Bryan Ivery does 150 sit-ups for the 229th Military Intelligence Battalion’s Platoon Sergeant of the Year competition. This competition showed off their physical fitness skills at Del Monte Beach in Monterey, California. The competitors had to complete 100 push-ups, 150 sit-ups, 200 power squats and then run a 5k. (U.S. Army photo by Amber K. Whittington)

Event administrators decided the tie breaker would be the score from the Army Combat Readiness Test. The Meister award went to Ivery.

“Sheer persistence and determination was the difference for me in platoon sergeant of the year,” he said. “At that level, when you have that type of competition, the best that the Army has to offer, I thought ‘I would love to be on top.’”

Ivery’s achievement has earned him a new set of duties, an assignment to the Center for Initial Military Training at Fort Eustis, Virginia. He expects to report there with his wife and daughter in December and become a sergeant first class in January.

“I will be on a team that will visit basic combat training and advanced individual training sites to see that things are being done according to reg and to learn about new methods and ideas that are being used,” he said.

On losing his NCO, Rowe says “It’s bittersweet and I’m not happy about it,” but he believes that Ivery is tracking to master sergeant and perhaps sitting at Rowe’s desk one day.

But first, Ivery’s next iron to sharpen is improving the Army’s initial training process, the latest step of the journey aunt Leesa began.

By Chief Petty Officer Jamie Barron
IWTC Monterey

Staff and students from Information Warfare Training Command Monterey, California, pose for a photo aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) during San Francisco Fleet Week. (U.S. Navy photo by Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) 1st Class Erik Oehrtman/Released)

SAN FRANCISCO – Students assigned to Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Monterey, California, visited San Francisco Fleet Week, Oct. 7.

More than 60 students who are attending various linguist programs at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, met with the crew of the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) and received a tour of the ship’s operations spaces. Along with the public spaces, IWTC Monterey students were also able to get a glimpse inside the Ships Signal Exploitation Space, where they could potentially be assigned.

“It was a great experience getting to see what we do in the fleet,” said Seaman Paul Greathouse. “Most people don’t know what goes into our job, so it was nice to get answers to some of the questions I’ve had since I chose this rating.”

Cmdr. Andy Newsome, commanding officer for IWTC Monterey, requested the visit in order to provide operational context for the language training Sailors receive at DLIFLC.

“Many of our newest Sailors are excited to deploy and utilize their new skills, but are unsure where they fit in the world of information warfare,” said Newsome. “We feel strongly that by giving our Sailors a glimpse of what their shipmates are doing, we can help increase their motivation to excel in language learning.”

This is the second time IWTC Monterey students have visited San Francisco Fleet Week activities. In 2016, students had the opportunity to attend Fleet Week and were also able to see a Navy EP-3E Aries II aircraft and meet with a crew from Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron One (VQ-1) at the Monterey Jet Center.

“Last year’s visit was such a huge success that we did not want to pass up this opportunity,” said Newsome. “We were thrilled that USS Essex agreed to open their brow and show our students parts of the ship that are not typically open to the general public.”

IWTC Monterey, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training, provides a continuum of foreign language training to Navy personnel, which prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

For more news from Center for Information Warfare Training, visit http://www.navy.mil/local/cid/, http://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/ciwt/, http://www.facebook.com/NavyCIWT, or http://www.twitter.com/NavyCIWT.

By Patrick Bray
DLIFLC Public Affairs

MONTEREY, Calif. – The Korean School at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center at the Presidio of Monterey held the 15th Annual Korean Alphabet Day Video Contest Oct. 12 and presented awards to students who participated in the 26th Annual Korean Language Writing Contest for Foreign Nationals.

The annual contests are in celebration of Hangul Day, translated as Alphabet Day, which also takes place in October. The writing contest was hosted and judged by Yonsei University in Seoul.

The overall winner of the writing contest was U.S. Army Pvt. Brennan Couch, a first-semester student. Couch’s award was presented by the DLIFLC commandant, Col. Phil Deppert.

“Winning a difficult contest like this is motivating for me,” said Couch, who is still early in the Korean program with no prior experience in foreign language acquisition. “I can measure my learning and have a tangible product for my efforts.”

The writing contest theme centered on the seasonal change from summer to fall allowing students to showcase their Korean writing ability and cultural awareness in a fun way.

Couch wrote a poem and read it aloud in Korean. “Autumn is a pale horse wandering around the globe, a beautiful warning of the coming winter and her icy touch.”

The video contest winner came from Department D, Team 3, for their rendition of the Beatles’ song “Let it be” parodying life as a student at DLIFLC.

The ninth of October every year in Korea is Hangul Day, and is a holiday commemorating the gift of a simplified alphabet from King Sejong the Great to his people in 1446, replacing complicated Chinese characters.

“Being of foreign origin, Chinese characters are incapable of capturing uniquely Korean meanings. Therefore, many common people have no way to express their thoughts and feelings,” said the king, according to the alphabet’s historical account.

More than 570 years later, the Korean alphabet withstood the test of time and is being taught all around the world, to include DLIFLC.

Deputy Consul General Jimin Kim, from the Korean Consulate in San Francisco, was a special guest at the ceremony and spoke about the spread of the Korean alphabet around the world and commended the students for studying the Korean alphabet. To see the alphabet so widely used by so many people pays homage to the efforts of King Sejong, said Kim.

DLIFLC provides resident instruction in 17 languages at the Presidio of Monterey, California, with the capacity to instruct another 65 languages in Washington, D.C., graduating more than 220,000 linguists since 1941.

In addition, multiple language training detachments exists at sites in the U.S., Europe, Hawaii and Korea spanning all the U.S. geographic combatant commands in support of the total force.

By Patrick Bray
DLIFLC Public Affairs

Staff Sgt. Mashal Shekib, a Military Language Instructor at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Presidio of Monterey, California, gives a treat to the Institute’s mascot, Pfc. Lingo, Oct. 31, 2017. When he’s not teaching Pashto, from Afghanistan, Shekib likes to train dogs and operates his own canine training academy. Originally from Kabul, he immigrated to the U.S. in 2008 and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)

MONTEREY, Calif. – Every Tuesday at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Col. Phil Deppert, commandant of the Institute, and Command Sgt. Maj. Ryan Ramsey, the senior enlisted leader, meet-and-greet all the new personnel during the newcomers briefing.

Most are fresh recruits straight out of basic training who are about to begin their language classes, while others are returning to serve as Military Language Instructors, or MLIs, within the language schools.

During the briefing, Deppert has the new MLIs stand up, say their name and where they are coming from. One Soldier stood and said, “I’m Staff Sgt. Shekib. I’m coming from Fort Gordon.”

Before moving on, Deppert said, almost without hesitation, “Wait. Stand up again. You’re a native speaker.”

Deppert had guessed correctly. Staff Sgt. Mashal Shekib is from Kabul, Afghanistan, and a native speaker of Pashto and Dari. He just recently completed the MLI certification course in September 2017 and now shares his language and culture with his students, who look to him for inspiration as a subject matter expert.

MLIs are qualified noncommissioned officers who teach students in their language and serve as an example to them. They bridge the gap between the military units and the civilian staff in all eight schools and languages taught at DLIFLC.

Watching students study (and struggle) with Pashto reminds Shekib of his own experience, only the other way around, he said about his English studies in his home country. He believes it is more difficult to be an English speaker and learn Pashto rather than vice versa.

“It’s a struggle to learn another language and seeing my students’ struggle kind of echoes that experience for me,” said Shekib. “But I can empathize more when my students need help.”

Shekib’s long road to DLIFLC began in his homeland, a non-stop warzone for as long as he can remember. In Kabul in the 1990s, Shekib attended public school, but learned to speak English at schools setup by non-governmental and charitable organizations designed to help the people of the war-torn, impoverished country.

“Staff Sgt. Shekib’s family success is an American Dream story, from Kabul to California with many twists and turns. He embodies courage, hard work and sacrifice with all his combat operations in Afghanistan,” said Ramsey, who meets with every new NCO, including Shekib, before they begin their tour of duty.

Staff Sgt. Mashal Shekib, a Military Language Instructor at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Presidio of Monterey, California, teaches a Pashto class Nov. 3, 2017. Originally from Kabul, he immigrated to the U.S. in 2008 and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)

War began in 1978 followed by the Soviet invasion, the Afghan Civil War, years of infighting, the establishment of the Taliban Islamic Emirate, the NATO invasion and insurgencies that have lasted to this day.

But the worst of the worst times, according to Shekib, was during the 1996-2001 Taliban rule. Shekib grew up in a “very non-religious, very educated family,” he said, but both of his parents were without work during Taliban rule. His father was unemployed solely because he worked for the government prior to the Taliban. His mother could not continue her teaching job because she was a female – work was forbidden for women under the Taliban – and his sister could not go to school for that same reason.

Still, for Shekib and those who lived there, life went on as they tried to find normalcy. It was while in his senior year of high school that the world would change forever – Sept. 11, 2001.

“I remember watching the news showing the collapse of the World Trade Center, but I could tell the goal behind the newscast wasn’t to tell people how bad this was,” said Shekib. “Basically it blamed the Western world instead of sympathizing with the situation.”

Taliban state-sponsored news depicted the twin towers falling, followed by footage of scorched earth tactics and massacres by the Russian military during the Soviet-Afghan War. The scenes were designed to rally the Afghans against the potential war to come, but Shekib did not buy into this propaganda.

“My take was that they (Al-Qaeda) just killed innocent people,” said Shekib. “I knew, in the bottom of my heart, that wasn’t right.”

The U.S. overthrew the Taliban government in October 2001, launching Operation Enduring Freedom, though the Taliban insurgency continued to fight on.

Staff Sgt. Mashal Shekib, a Military Language Instructor at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Presidio of Monterey, California, teaches a Pashto class Nov. 3, 2017. Originally from Kabul, he immigrated to the U.S. in 2008 and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)

“I hate the word invasion. I never saw the U.S. as invaders. I saw them as liberators because they liberated me and my family,” said Shekib.

After high school, Shekib began working as an English teacher to Afghans and attending Kabul Polytechnic University. Soon, he was visited by military police at the school where he taught. Classrooms were divided by curtains in a building that was basically a large hallway.

“Three or four military police walked down that hallway, watching all of us,” said Shekib. “They waved at me and I waved back.”

The U.S. Soldiers approached Shekib. “Salaam alaikum,” they said in an attempt to talk to him and then asked, “If we were to tell you that we’re going to hire you right now as our interpreter would you leave this job and work for us?” For Shekib this was a dream come true. “I said yes and they said okay, let’s go now.”

“But hold on a second,” Shekib continued, as the MPs paused. “Let me get my bike.”

Telling Shekib not to worry, the Soldiers loaded his bike into a Humvee and it was waiting for him when he arrived at Camp Phoenix, the NATO military installation near the Kabul airport.

“I’d never leave my class like that today,” Shekib adds to reassure his DLIFLC students. “But the next day I did go back and formally resign.”

Eventually, both his parents got their jobs back, his sister went back to school and for Shekib, working for the U.S. Army couldn’t be more fulfilling. His first two years were with the MPs who hired him, which involved patrolling Camp Phoenix and training Afghan National Army Military Police.

“The senior NCOs in the company mentored the Afghan MP Company commander,” said Shekib. As the U.S. Soldiers taught and trained, Shekib translated.

His responsibilities grew and after two years Shekib transferred to the G2 section – military intelligence – where he translated for the intelligence officer and his counterparts in the Afghan National Army.

Shekib worked for the Army for five years all together until June 2008, when he received a visa under the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program, designed for those who were employed by the U.S. Government. More than 150 interpreters on Camp Phoenix at that time had applied, with others doing so as well across Afghanistan. The process took about three years for him due to vetting and the number of applicants.

A distant cousin of Shekib’s already lived in the U.S. and he helped Shekib to settle in Dumfries, Virginia. One of his first memories of arriving in the U.S. was at the airport where he noticed an abundance of electricity unlike anything he had seen before in Afghanistan.

“The lights, the brightness and the loudness of everything – the first question I asked my cousin was, ‘Do you all have this every day? Like 24 hours? What time do they shut it off?’” Shekib said, followed with a laugh. In Afghanistan, electricity was sporadic, only supplied for a few hours a day and definitely none at night.

Staff Sgt. Mashal Shekib, known as “Marshall Sanchez” at the time, right, served as a linguist with the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan in 2010. Today he is a Military Language Instructor at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Presidio of Monterey, California, teaching Pashto, from Afghanistan. Originally from Kabul, he immigrated to the U.S. in 2008 and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Blair Neelands/Released)

After settling in the U.S. and a brief job teaching Pashto and Dari to Air Force defense attaches, Shekib enlisted in the U.S. Army. At that time, in 2009, Pashto and Dari linguists were in very high demand. His service also opened a pathway to him becoming a U.S. citizen.

As a Soldier, Shekib returned to Afghanistan in 2010, deploying as a military linguist with the 3-6 Field Artillery, 10th Mountain Division, from Fort Drum, New York. He interpreted on countless missions and his story was covered by the Fort Drum website, the Mountaineer Online, under the alias “Spc. Marshall Sanchez.” Today, Shekib feels he does not need an alias.

Upon return from Afghanistan, Shekib reenlisted. He bypassed DLIFLC twice – first when he enlisted as a linguist and then when he reenlisted into military intelligence.

“Switching from Dari to Pashto is still my native language, so I didn’t need to go to DLIFLC, when I reenlisted,” said Shekib. Then later at Fort Gordon, Georgia, in 2017, he received orders to the Institute.

“I was very surprised to learn that I would be coming here,” said Shekib, excited about the opportunity to be a teacher.

Today, Shekib says that teaching puts a smile on his face, especially when he hears students start to pronounce letters and sounds that don’t even exist in English, and then master it.

Staff Sgt. Mashal Shekib, a Military Language Instructor at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Presidio of Monterey, California, teaches the Institute’s mascot, Pfc. Lingo, to sit, heel and stay Oct. 31, 2017. When he’s not teaching Pashto, from Afghanistan, Shekib likes to train dogs and operates his own canine training academy. Originally from Kabul, he immigrated to the U.S. in 2008 and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)

“The Army has done a lot for me and my family and I felt that I owe it back to them… that I should do something to pay it all back,” said Shekib, explaining why he serves.

When he’s not teaching, Shekib likes to train dogs and looks forward to an opportunity to train the DLIFLC mascot, Pfc. Lingo. Canine training is a skill he learned while working with the Fulton County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Department while stationed at Fort Gordon. Today, he owns and operates his own canine academy, MK9 Marshall’s Dog Training Service.

DLIFLC provides resident instruction in 17 languages at the Presidio of Monterey, California, with the capacity to instruct another 65 languages in Washington, D.C. The Institute has graduated more than 220,000 linguists since 1941.

In addition, multiple language training detachments exists at sites in the U.S., Europe, Hawaii and Korea, spanning all the U.S. geographic combatant commands in support of the total force.

DLIFLC events throughout the fall and winter of 2017

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The All-Army Women's Basketball team is set and ready to defend their gold medal at the Armed Forces Basketball Championship starting Wednesday at Lackland AFB, TX. Members of the 2017 final team include: SPC Alexia Sanders, Fort Hood, TX 2LT Desiree Wilson, Fort Stewart, GA SGT Latrel Kirkland, JB Lewis-McChord, WA SPC Pearl Henriquez, Wiesbaden, Germany SGT Donita Adams, Maryland Army National Guard CPT Louise Vandenbosch, Fort Knox, KY SPC Juliette Turner, Texas Army National Guard 1LT Michelle Ambuul, Presidio of Monterey, CA SPC Kenyatta Sears, DC Army National Guard 2LT Danielle Salley, Camp Red Cloud, Korea SFC April Cromartie, Fort Jackson, SC 2LT Kiana Doliveira, Fort Carson, CO The team is coached by MAJ Michael Meyers from Fort Hood, TX, SFC Albert Mayon from Fort Bliss, TX, CPT Kelly Scott from Fort Wainwright, AK and SGT Shaquana Bleach from Lemoore, CA is the Team OIC.

By Natela Cutter
DLIFLC Public Affairs

The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center held a Veterans Day ceremony Nov. 9th on the upper Presidio of Monterey with military personnel, veterans, faculty, staff and students in attendance. Army retired lieutenant colonel, Mayor of Del Rey Oaks Jerry Edelen, was guest speaker, with mayors and officials from seven different local municipalities.

MONTEREY, Calif. – The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center held a Veterans Day ceremony Nov. 9th on the upper Presidio of Monterey with military personnel, veterans, faculty, staff and students in attendance.

“We are gathered here today to honor our Veterans, and to remember their courage and sacrifices they have made to defend this great nation of ours,” said guest speaker, Jerry Edelen, mayor of Del Rey Oaks.

Attending the event were mayors and city officials of the seven surrounding municipalities. Earlier in the day, veterans and guests were invited to a social hour with light refreshments in order to mingle with your service members who study at DLIFLC.

“This location that you have chosen to honor this special day is a fitting one,” said Edelen, pointing to the three slabs of the Berlin Wall that have been mounted in the upper courtyard of the Presidio of Monterey and serve as a reminder of the Cold War.

The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center held a Veterans Day ceremony Nov. 9th on the upper Presidio of Monterey with military personnel, veterans, faculty, staff and students in attendance. Army retired lieutenant colonel, Mayor of Del Rey Oaks Jerry Edelen, was guest speaker, with mayors and officials from seven different local municipalities.

“During the Cold War, I served behind this wall in the Berlin Brigade during the years 1985-1988,” said Edelen, himself a retired lieutenant colonel, Ranger and graduate of the West Point Academy.

“You future veterans … study hard to master strategic languages so that you provide critical, timely information to your chain of command so that the right decisions can be made, battles can be won, and lives may be saved,”
DLIFLC provides resident instruction in 17 languages at the Presidio of Monterey, California, with the capacity to instruct another 65 languages in Washington, D.C. The Institute has graduated more than 220,000 linguists since 1941.

In addition, multiple language training detachments exists at sites in the U.S., Europe, Hawaii and Korea, spanning all the U.S. geographic combatant commands in support of the total force.

The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center held a Veterans Day ceremony Nov. 9th on the upper Presidio of Monterey with military personnel, veterans, faculty, staff and students in attendance. Army retired lieutenant colonel, Mayor of Del Rey Oaks Jerry Edelen, was guest speaker, with mayors and officials from seven different local municipalities.

By Natela Cutter
DLIFLC Public Affairs

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Force Education and Training, and the Department of Defense’s Senior Language Authority, Mr. Fred Drummond talks with Russian language students at DLIFLC during his tour of the Institute. (U.S. Army photo by Natela Cutter)

MONTEREY, Calif. –

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Force Education and Training, and the Department of Defense’s Senior Language Authority, Mr. Fred Drummond, received a tour of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center and Presidio of Monterey Nov. 15 and 16, during a two-day visit.

Drummond observed a Russian language class and had an opportunity to talk with students, reply to their questions and learn about their intensive studies, that last 48 weeks, five days a week, six to seven hours per day.

“I really appreciate the opportunity of being able to see what you do in the classroom and take back your story to Washington D.C. and the policy people. My job is to ensure you folks have everything you need to effectively learn foreign languages in support of the Services,” said Drummond, to a class of students studying Russian.

Drummond also had the opportunity to see a demonstration of DLIFLC online foreign language products which are used as predeployment or sustainment materials for service members.

On Nov. 16, Drummond chaired the language and culture Annual Program Review, held each year to review DLIFLC’s past progress and future plans for the upcoming fiscal year. Aside from the 20 or more outside visitors, some 50 members of the DLIFLC academic and military leadership participated in the event.

DLIFLC teaches 17 foreign languages with the ability to instruct another 65 foreign languages through its Washington D.C., branch. The Institute has graduated more than 230,000 students since its inception in 1941.

By Tim Hipps
IMCOM Public Affairs

The All-Army Women’s Basketball team pose for a photo opportunity in Philadelphia before departing for the Armed Forces Basketball Championship at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, Oct. 31 – 8 Nov. (Photo courtesy of All-Army Women’s Basketball)

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Presidio of Monterey’s 1st Lt. Michelle Ambuul tough-nosed hoops skills helped the All-Army women secure silver at the 2017 Armed Forces Basketball Championships. Literally.

As if getting her nose broken during training camp Oct. 10 at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, was not enough to overcome, Ambuul got whacked again the following week during an intra-squad scrimmage at Fort Hood, Texas.

A nose broken twice in as many weeks would make many athletes retreat from competition, but Ambuul donned a protective mask and played All-Army’s last four games of the seven-day tournament at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.

All-Navy (6-1) defeated All-Army (4-3), 79-63, in the women’s gold-medal game Nov. 7 at Chaparral Fitness Center.

The tournament was perhaps the last hurrah as a competitive basketball player for Ambuul, 30, who serves as Associate Dean of the Persian Farsi School at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.

1st Lt. Michelle Ambuul of the Defense Language Institute at Presidio of Monterey, Calif., grabs a rebound during All-Army’s 95-37 victory over All-Marine Corps on Nov 4 in the 2017 Armed Forces Women’s Basketball Championship tournament at Chaparral Fitness Center on Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. After sustaining a twice broken nose during training camp, Ambuul donned a protective faceguard, courtesy of medical personnel at crosstown Fort Sam Houston, to play in Army’s final four games of the seven-day tournament. (U.S. Army photo by Robert Dozier, IMCOM Public Affairs)

“I think this is the last time I’ll play competitive basketball at a high level,” she said. “I have other priorities that I want to focus on. And the older you get, the harder it is on your body. I’m definitely learning that the hard way. I just want to go out strong.”

Despite a delivery delay of her mask, Ambull managed to play in Army’s last four games. She collected 10 rebounds during Army’s 95-37 win over the Marines Nov. 4.

Broken noses were growing old for the Ambuul, who was an All-Armed Forces basketball selection in 2012.

“Once in Germany, when I was 22 or 23,” she recalled of her previous facial injuries. “All the rest were in college between 2005 and 2009.”

Both of the most recent fractures happened after Ambuul secured a rebound, only to catch an elbow to the face in the process. This time, Ambuul predicted she had “at least a deviated septum” because she couldn’t breathe very well.

In college, Ambuul was one of the leading three-point shooters in the Rocky Mountain Conference for the NCAA Division II Colorado State University-Pueblo ThunderWolves. In high school, she averaged 20.6 points and 5.1 rebounds as a senior and was named Colorado Springs’ Player of the Year by The Gazette.

“Everyone who plays a sport always has that passion and that drive to do it,” Ambuul said. “I said I was going to stop playing a while ago, and look where I’m at today.”

1st Lt. Michelle Ambuul, who twice sustained a broken nose during training camp, adjusts her faceguard mask for a couple of All-Army teammates before their 95-37 victory over All-Marine Corps on Nov. 4 in the 2017 Armed Forces Women’s Basketball Championship tournament at Chaparral Fitness Center on Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. (U.S. Army photo by Robert Dozier, IMCOM Public Affairs)

Ambuul appreciated the encouragement of her chain of command at the 229th Military Intelligence Battalion: her company commander Capt. Brandon Peer and Lt. Col. Toni Sabo, battalion commander.

“They told me to go out there and do well and make them proud,” Ambuul said. “I really love the job that I’m in right now and I’m thankful to be a part of the community.”

The Presidio and DLIFLC are a small community with a training mission of teaching foreign languages to service members in a compressed time period. Looking out for each other’s interests is automatic, Peer said.

“She was very concerned about leaving the school and her dogs for such an extended period of time,” he said of Ambuul’s worries. “This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her and if we have Soldiers pass up these amazing moments because of a sense of duty and selflessly not wanting others to need to fill in we really do a disservice to those special talents that are out there.”