Communication, awareness important in today's global climate

[Francis Hult]

ScrippsNews

 

Communication, awareness important in today's global climate

 

U.S. Army Capt. Brendan Tarpui was at a checkpoint in Afghanistan when one of the Afghan soldiers he was working with saw what he suspected was an improvised explosive devise, a homemade bomb used to blow up patrols and civilians.

 

The soldiers quickly closed off the area and directed traffic away when a van began speeding toward them. They feared the driver could be a decoy or a suicide bomber.

 

In Dari, one of the main languages spoken in Afghanistan, Tarpui ordered one of the Afghan officers to show his gun to deter the driver and then to shoot his rifle into the ground as a warning. The driver hit the brakes, and the soldiers found only a frightened family in the van.

 

Tarpui said speaking a few words of Dari and knowing certain commands allowed him to communicate with the Afghan soldiers and avoid a potentially catastrophic situation.

 

"This illustrates how much and how important language is to U.S. and Afghan troops, and Iraqi troops for that matter," Tarpui said. "It helped us avoid a potentially terrible situation. The ability to understand and communicate verbally is a huge, huge thing."

 

Full story:

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/34981

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