Fort Carson soldiers learning Arabic before heading to Iraq (RMN)

Language lessons aimed at winning hearts and minds

By Tom Roeder, The Gazette
December 31, 2004

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COLORADO SPRINGS - In a classroom at Fort Carson, two dozen soldiers from the Iraq-bound 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment sing out in unison: "Jundi Amreeki." Translated, that means "American soldiers."

The language lessons are part survival course, part charm school. They fit into a training overhaul for the regiment, which will head to Iraq early next year with beefed-up fighting techniques, new battlefield computers and improved medical skills.

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The 5,200-soldier regiment, which went to Iraq in 2003, was designed to fight against an armored enemy. It went to war on short notice without language training or solid plans on how to fight guerrillas.

Now, commanders hope, a combination of charm, high technology and revitalized soldiering skills will help soldiers make Iraqi friends while conquering insurgents.
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http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/america_at_war/article/0,1299,DRMN_2116_3436191,00.html

The Gazette is a RW Colorado Springs paper, however, I was alarmed by the use of "winning the hearts and minds" in the article. Way too reminiscent of Nam. Also, how do you "make friends" while conquering someone? MKJ

Start with the idea that the Iraqis are smarter than you are, and maybe
we can make some progress on fixing this mess.

So, nearly two years in, the military finally decides that it may be better for the troops to learn a little Arabic rather than teaching the natives to shout "Medic!" at the point of a gun.

I suppose this qualifies as progress on some level.