Love of languages prepares medic for immersion in Afghan culture

Published Oct. 8, 2008
By Master Sgt. Eric Gill
Air Force Print News

FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- An Airman deploying soon to Afghanistan as part of a provincial reconstruction team will be able to use a hobby of his to help make his deployment easier for himself and his team.

Senior Airman George Williams II joined the Air Force almost four years ago in hopes of being a linguist specializing in Chinese, but instead became a medical technician in Keesler's 81st Aerospace Medicine Squadron.

His love of learning different languages is now a hobby rather than a full-time job. That hobby, however, is allowing Airman Williams to learn not only how to be a combat medic during combat skills training at Fort Bragg for his deployment, but also allows him to immerse himself in the Afghan culture as well.

"The cultural learning that we're getting here (in combat skills training where we have) foreign nationals to help teach it is my chance for immersion," Airman Williams said. "I didn't really see myself getting that overseas (move) so here's my chance (to learn a new culture)."

He just likes dabbling with languages, he said.

"I'm fairly decent with Spanish and have dabbled with other languages," he said. "I'll go back and forth with a little bit of French or some German. I love listening to the accent."

The only thing missing is what Airman Williams described as being "plopped somewhere and learning the language there."

This deployment is the chance "that I get to get plopped into that situation, and use it," he said.

During PRT training, Airmen, Sailors and Soldiers receive the language training to get them through combat scenarios, but Airman Williams is taking it farther by learning not only the language, but studying the written word as well.

"The language itself looks beautiful on paper, so, I'm trying to learn it," he said. "Soldiers can get by on (the training received here) and make stuff happen, but I would like to also be another go-between liaison -- in the medical field, that's key. You can relay information from the patient to the doctor and make the encounter go so much smoother."

Learning more, however, wasn't easy because of the time spent learning combat medic skills and how to survive in a combat environment. That said, Airman Williams said he hit the Internet and went to the Defense Language Institute's Web site and found study materials. He credited the Afghan foreign national volunteer that he works with on a regular basis at Fort Bragg as a big help.

To Airman Williams, it's also about sharing cultures.

"The more I know about their country, the more they come to learn about us, and the less separated we are going to feel," he said. "We're going to visit their towns almost every day and (learning their language and culture is) going to create a certain atmosphere that we're both going to appreciate."