Since 2003, Marines deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan have received training in the local culture and language. For some time, I've wondered how this training impacted the proverbial “pointy-end-of-the-spear.” For the answer, I decided to visit the virtual mess hall and tap intoThe Butter-Cutter's experience.(1)

“Have you had a tour of duty in Iraq?” I asked The Butter-Cutter.

I caught him unaware as he was poking at the pats of butter in a bowl of ice water. “Duty where?” he asked.

“Duty in Iraq,” I repeated.

“Oh, sure,” he answered.

“Well. Before deploying, did you receive training on the country's culture and language?”

“Yeah, we were told: be nice; hand out soccer balls; don't talk to women; respect their religious sites; and shit like that,” he said with marked sarcasm.

“ '. . . and shit like that?' What do you mean by that? Weren't you taught that winning the hearts and minds of the people was essential for success in this kind of war? And that understanding the cultural and language were weapons for winning that aspect of this war?” I asked.

“Oh, bull shit! If that were true, why was I sent there? Every day I'm told that I'm a 'WARRIOR.' Warriors fight and 99.9% of my training was warrior stuff. One-tenth of one percent was winning hearts and minds stuff. Based on my training, what am I best qualified to do? If winning the hearts and minds of the people is essential to success in this Iraq war, then send in the Peace Corps and take out the Marine Corps! We blow up things and kick ass. They build things and kiss ass. Now you tell me: Who is best suited to be involved in--what do you call this Iraq thing-'nation building?'” (2)

I was losing control of this conversation and getting far away from what I came here to learn. So, I tried to get the Butter-Cutter back on track by asking, “OK. But how useful was that 'one percent' of culture training you received? Did it help you at all in accomplishing your mission there?”

“Hell NO! In fact, it got some of our guys killed. Like that CRAP that we had to respect their religious sites. In their mosques, they stored ammo and retreated there when they were getting their ass kicked knowing we would stay out of those places. They also put snipers atop those mosque towers [minarets] and shot at us. They took us for suckers! Hell, when was it that the Soonies blew up the Sheeheight's Gold Mosque? (3) These guys don't respect each other's stuff and they're BOTH Mooselems. On top of it, they're killing Iraqi Christians because they're Christians! A few weeks ago they even murdered a Catholic Archbishop. (4) Respect them and their religious stuff? Get real!” 

“You meant to say 'Sunnis' and 'Shi'ites,' didn't you?” I tried to subtly correct the Butter-Cutter.

“Hell, no!” he barked back. “I said what I meant to say.” 

I was beginning to get frustrated, but continued. “In terms of the Arabic language training you received. How useful was it?”

“Oh, yeah, useful. We liked using that all-purpose greeting: 'Uh Salami I Like 'em,' ” The Butter-Cutter explained.

“No. No. The phrase is, 'Ah Salam a Likum.'”

“There you go again,” he shot back. “Who the f*** do you think I am? I barely graduated from high school; was given a handful of hours of language training--much of it I slept through; and now, you 

want me to talk like a native Arab. Well, I don't! 

“By not paying attention to the pronunciation,” I interjected, “you are defeating the whole purpose of language training: It's about communicating, speaking the language correctly is necessary for the people of that country to understand you.”

“Understand me? Well I'll tell YOU something. When this PFC warrior with his Marine buddies knocked down a door of an Iraqi house; charged in with our rifles' muzzles searching out targets; and shouted, 'Uh Salami I Like 'em Mother F****rs; every man, woman, and snotty-nose kid in that room hit the deck! YOU MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND ME, BUT THEY DID!” 

I had enough and left thinking . . . 

Semper lots o' cultural luck,

Anthony F. Milavic

Major USMC (Ret.) 

(1) http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-155824166.html and http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/31/news/top_stories/0730071990.txt

(2) http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080407/FOREIGN/563079299/1001

(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Askari_Mosque

(4) http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-03-14-voa4.cfm