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Troops hear how to avoid culture clash

Aug-28-2006 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

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SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune

U.S. soldiers in Iraq have to operate in a culture where it’s legal and routine to own an AK-47, family honor is restored through revenge, and showing a boot sole could start a riot.

“Showing the bottom of your feet is the equivalent of giving someone the middle finger,” Yvonne Pawelek, a Fort Lewis culture specialist, told a group of soldiers last week.

Her audience at a Fort Lewis theater included several soldiers new to the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. They are weeks away from joining the rest of the unit already in Iraq.

One of them, Pvt. Scott Miller, said cultural training was among the most useful classes they were getting before leaving for the Middle East.

“It’s a lot different than here,” the 24-year-old from Tennessee said after the training. “A lot different.”

The success of U.S. operations in Iraq could hinge on how these young soldiers interact with the locals. It can be harder in a place where the OK sign is obscene, pointing with a finger is a sign of contempt, and people don’t share the Western concept of personal space.

“When someone is talking to you they are going to get right up into your face,” Pawelek said. “It’s going to drive you crazy. But you need to understand it’s just a different concept.”


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