Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was quoted in a Dec. 2, 2005, Air Force Link article about officers becoming culturally savvy as saying, "we simply must develop a greater capacity for languages that reflect the demands of this century."
At the very least, this senior leader sound byte leaves no question in servicemembers' minds that there will be more of an emphasis and dependence in the future on a working knowledge of a foreign language.
Lt. Col. Bob Pagoni, an A-10 Thunderbolt pilot now working for and providing operational expertise to the Air Force Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center here, helped the Air Force's vision of developing expeditionary Airmen by spending 31 days between Oct. 15 and Nov. 15, 2005, learning about, living in and experiencing Buenos Aires, Argentina -- and getting paid for it. |
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"Top shelf," Colonel Pagoni said of the Language and Area Studies Immersion Program. "It was like being in college, but I had money in my pocket this time."
The colonel was able to attend the 31-day immersion program due to his expertise in the Spanish language. The minimum score on the Defense Language Proficiency Test for a particular language to apply to the immersion program is a 1/1. The maximum score to attend is a 2+/2+.
The two scores are for listening and reading. Each part of the test is scored separately and those scores are converted into the Levels 0, 0+, 1, 1+, 2, 2+ and 3.
Level 0 and 0+ are no proficiency and memorized proficiency, Level 1 and 1+ are elementary and elementary plus proficiency in the language, Level 2 and 2+ is a limited working proficiency, and Level 3 is considered a general professional proficiency.
With the qualifying score, officers can submit an application through the International Airman Web site. Upon acceptance, the Air Force handles the rest, from transportation and lodging to stipends and meals.
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"You're not just there to learn a language, you're there for cultural immersion," Colonel Pagoni said. He recalled how the program allowed the students to travel to different places in Argentina through different cultural excursion trips.
On one such trip, the students traveled to a ranch in a rural area to ride horses. "Again, you got a chance to talk to the two handlers that were with us," he said. "The big thing was interacting with the locals."
Colonel Pagoni said the program challenged the students to not only learn the lessons taught in their classes, but to apply the cultural skills while immersed.
The students were immersed further in the Argentinean daily life by staying with local families. "Every one of us was with a different family," Colonel Pagoni said.
Other than learning from cultural excursions and residence with a local family, the students attend courses through culture and language programs contracted by the Air Force.
Colonel Pagoni's schedule was to wake up at 6:45 a.m. every morning to attend private language lessons. Four hours of group lessons followed with three to four people in each group. "The teachers made it fun and entertaining," he said.
While Colonel Pagoni describes his experience as fun, entertaining, empowering and "top-shelf," he's also adhering to the words of his senior leaders.
"We're an expeditionary force," he said. "When a commander shows up you need somebody who can speak the local lingo."
Colonel Pagoni's been studying Spanish language and culture since his senior year at the University of Connecticut. His depth of knowledge not only earned him a seat in the LASI program, it also earned him an additional Air Force Specialty Code as an International Affairs Specialist with a Latin American expertise.
To be considered for the additional career designation, you need the language proficiency and, "you need something else that indicates you know something about their country," the colonel said.
The IAS designation can help officers get a job as an attaché, a seat on a military advisory group, or involvement in military foreign sales, Colonel Pagoni said.
The LASI program, for Colonel Pagoni, was as good as anything he's ever done in the Air Force. "I just had a great time," he said.
"So if you're looking for some new adventure, I think [learning a foreign] language is a good way to find it," said Colonel Pagoni. "I mean if I was a lieutenant, and I knew what I know now, I would have done this a long time ago."
Interested officers can log on to the Air Force Portal for more information on becoming an International Affairs Specialist or participating in the Language and Area Studies Immersion Program
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