Air Force ROTC cadets learn to avoid cultural conflicts

"I decided to go because I was curious," said Jack Johnston, one of the cadets. "It was an eye-opening experience. I was surprised how closely related Christianity and Islam are."

Josh Isenga, the other cadet who visited the center, said he learned a lot about the culture.

"I didn’t know a whole lot about Islam," Isenga said. "One of the things I remember the most is when I put the Koran on the ground and was quickly corrected."

In addition to the personal curiosity that inspired Johnston to visit the center, he also said the experience was necessary for his future role in the Air Force.

"Not only will I be deployed to Islamic areas, I will also be in charge of airmen who may be of the Islamic faith," he said. "Knowledge is power and I want to know more about Islam so I can handle the different situations that I find myself in."

Training all airmen to be cross-culturally competent has recently become a priority for the Air Force. In May, U.S. Air Force Gen. Norton Schwartz, the service’s chief of staff, signed the Air Force Culture, Region and Language Flight Plan. The plan acknowledged the importance of cultural, regional and language education for all airmen. It also outlined a road map for the development, alignment and management of such programs. The goal is to ensure that all airmen are cross-culturally competent so they can perform anywhere in the world.

Lt. Col. Michael Connelly, the commander of the Air Force ROTC detachment at Michigan State, said cross-cultural competency is absolutely necessary for Air Force personnel who must be ready for global deployment.

"You have to understand the people that you’re working with," Connelly said. "And to understand them, you have to look at their culture."

Connelly said cross-cultural competency hasn’t always been a priority for the Air Force. He said pre-deployment training in the mid-1990s was limited to a “don’t do these things” PowerPoint briefing. The lack of preparation led some of his coworkers to commit cultural sins.

Connelly recalled that in Saudi Arabia a local shopkeeper was so offended by an airman’s gestures -- the OK symbol and use of his left hand, both of which are considered inappropriate in the region -- the shopkeeper "just put up his hands and walked away."

In September, the Air Force added another facet of the new policy by allocating funds to encourage all cadets to study a foreign language. Cadets also must enroll in an aerospace studies course featuring regional studies during their final year of college.

In addition to the class, Air Force ROTC offers optional, culturally geared training programs that take place during summer break. One of these, the Cadet Cultural Immersion Program, exposes cadets first hand to different cultures and languages by offering two-week programs in Brazil, the Czech Republic, India, Morocco, South Africa and Turkey.

Maj. Ivan Acosta escorted cadets in those programs to Turkey in 2008 and Morocco this year.

"By immersing cadets in another culture, they get a better understanding of how people live in other parts of the world," Acosta said "It is difficult to say that there will be a direct benefit immediately after returning from the country but there will be experiences in life when they will be able to use that knowledge."

Matteo DiMercurio, who went to Morocco, said the trip "was set up perfectly to show us the range of culture in Morocco."

He said his group of 15 cadets and two officers were introduced to conversational Arabic and regional history. They also experienced Moroccan cooking, dance and music as well as a two-hour camel trek through the Sahara Desert.

"My favorite part was the night we spent in the desert," DiMercurio said. "I think we did this both as a 'gee whiz' type of thing but also so we could learn about the Bedouin culture. This was the best way for us to learn about a major part of Moroccan society."

"This experience is highly effective," Acosta added, "not only for the students and cadets that attend but their friends and families who hear about their experiences. Just showing the pictures of the trip to others helps to clarify some of the misconceptions people have about Muslims. This in turn becomes a domino effect as the information spreads from person to person."

Connelly said the cross-cultural programs aren’t meant to be the only preparation that airmen receive prior to going overseas.

"These programs are meant to be a baseline," he said. "Then you’re going to get more training -- regionally specific training -- once you actually go out."

Johnston, who is also the cadet leader of the Air Force ROTC program at Michigan State, said the programs are an excellent opportunity for cadets.

"As wing commander I can encourage people to go out and learn," he said. "I don’t have the resources to send people abroad but I do push cadets to learn about others and to enter into these experiences with an open mind."