{"id":173927,"date":"2024-05-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=173927"},"modified":"2024-05-13T00:55:23","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T00:55:23","slug":"us-army-interpreter-bridges-cultures-at-african-lion-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=173927","title":{"rendered":"US Army interpreter bridges cultures at African Lion 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>

\n
\n
\n U.S. Army Sgt. Qahtan Karoomi, a human intelligence collector with the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade, poses for a photo in Ben Ghilouf, Tunisia, on May 1, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command\u2019s premiere joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, with over 8,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. William D. Kennedy III)
\n (Photo Credit: Pfc. William Kennedy)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Back to\u00a0U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

BEN GHILOUF, Tunisia \u2013 The cultures of the United States and Tunisia differ significantly, from customs and signs of respect to social norms and taboos. In the joint military training environment of African Lion 2024 (AL24)<\/a>, overlooking these societal rules can damage relationships and inadvertently cause incidents.<\/p>\n

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) considered these challenges when planning AL24. Among those tasked with addressing these challenges is U.S. Army Sgt. Qahtan Karoomi, a human intelligence collector<\/a> assigned to the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade<\/a>, Utah National Guard. Karoomi serves as an interpreter at the exercise to help bridge the cultural gap between American service members and African partner nations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are the bridge between two nations and cultures,\u201d Karoomi said. \u201cWe don\u2019t just interpret or translate words or documents. We interpret the culture, the background, the stories, the history. Often, I explain the historical meaning behind a specific word or story while I\u2019m translating or interpreting.\u201d<\/p>\n

AL24 is a multinational joint exercise involving more than 8,100 participants from 27 countries and NATO contingents. This setting presents numerous opportunities for misunderstandings.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur job is critical because we carefully translate, interpret and explain these two cultures to each other,\u201d Karoomi said. \u201cWithout our work, it would be impossible for the people who need to collaborate to understand each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \"Utah
\n <\/a>
\n
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n 1 \/ 2<\/span>
\n
\n Show Caption +<\/span>
\n Hide Caption \u2013<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
\n
\n U.S. Army Sgt. Qahtan Karoomi, a human intelligence collector attached to the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade, Utah National Guard, helps U.S. Army Lt. Col. Patrick McElhone, a nurse anesthetist attached to the 909th Field Resuscitative Surgical Detachment, communicate with a member of the Tunisian Armed Forces in Ben Ghilouf, Tunisia on May 1, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command\u2019s premiere joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, with over 8,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. William D. Kennedy III)
\n (Photo Credit: Pfc. William Kennedy)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \"Utah
\n <\/a>
\n
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n 2 \/ 2<\/span>
\n
\n Show Caption +<\/span>
\n Hide Caption \u2013<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
\n
\n U.S. Army Sgt. Qahtan Karoomi, a human intelligence collector with the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade, shows members of the Libyan Armed Forces where to apply a deliberate tourniquet in Ben Ghilouf, Tunisia, on May 1, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command\u2019s premiere joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, with over 8,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. William D. Kennedy III)
\n (Photo Credit: Pfc. William Kennedy)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Originally from Baghdad, Iraq, Karoomi became a local interpreter for the U.S. Army in 2003.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the war happened, I noticed that the U.S. Army in Baghdad lacked interpreters,\u201d Karoomi recalled. \u201cI decided to step up and help. Since then, I\u2019ve loved the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Karoomi continued to work with the Army in Iraq until he was able to join the force himself. He became an American citizen in 2014, and he believes his dual experience as an Iraqi and an American enables him to understand and articulate both perspectives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith our partner nations, they realize that the Americans care,\u201d Karoomi said. \u201cWhen I walk in and they see there\u2019s an interpreter, I can see the sense of relief because they know I will explain things in a way they can understand. It\u2019s the same for the Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Karoomi\u2019s cheerful personality and signature bushy mustache have helped him explain cultural nuances and prepare U.S. service members for deployment, teaching them how to work effectively with an interpreter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to help them get familiar with working through an interpreter,\u201d Karoomi said. \u201cFor example, they often speak in long sentences and don\u2019t pause long enough for an interpreter to translate. I\u2019m translating and teaching these new leaders skills they will need if they\u2019re ever mobilized.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \"Utah
\n <\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
\n
\n U.S. Army Sgt. Qahtan Karoomi, a human intelligence collector attached to the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade, Utah National Guard, helps soldiers attached to 4th Battalion, 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade, communicate with a member of the Tunisian Armed Forces in Ben Ghilouf, Tunisia, on May 1, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command\u2019s premiere joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, with over 8,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. William D. Kennedy III)
\n (Photo Credit: Pfc. William Kennedy)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Karoomi aims to foster stronger relationships between American and African partner nations during AL24. He also works in a counter-drug program for the DEA through the Utah National Guard<\/a>, where his language skills are vital.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my job, I use my language a lot,\u201d Karoomi said. \u201cWhen we talk to Tunisians or Moroccans, I learn more about the language and cultural background. This improves my language skills and provides more tools to use when I return home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout AL24, Karoomi has been involved in a variety of events, from interpreting customs instructions to discussing infantry tactics and medical techniques with military members from African nations.<\/p>\n

As the exercise concludes in Tunisia, Karoomi is optimistic about the future of African Lion and the relationships between the U.S. and its African partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year, this exercise grows,\u201d Karoomi said. \u201cMore Tunisians are coming, and more countries are joining. We have Libyans and Egyptians this year! This shows that we\u2019re doing a great job. Countries want to join because they see it; they watch the news and see how we showcase these exercises.\u201d<\/p>\n

About African Lion<\/strong><\/p>\n

2024 marks the 20th anniversary of\u00a0U.S. Army Africa Command’s<\/a>\u00a0premier and largest annual, combined, joint exercise African Lion. This year\u2019s exercise will take place April 19 through May 31 and is hosted across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia with more than 8,100 participants from over 27 nations and contingents from NATO. African Lion 24 focuses on enhancing readiness between the U.S. and partner nation forces. This joint all-domain, multi-component, and multinational exercise, employs a full array of mission capabilities with the goal to strengthen interoperability among participants and set the theater for strategic access.<\/p>\n

African Lion content can be found on the\u00a0Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About SETAF-AF<\/strong><\/p>\n

SETAF-AF provides\u00a0<\/strong>U.S. Africa Command<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0U.S. Army Europe and Africa<\/a>\u00a0a dedicated headquarters to synchronize Army activities in Africa and scalable crisis-response options in Africa and Europe.<\/p>\n

Follow SETAF-AF on:<\/strong>\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>,\u00a0YouTube<\/a>,\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0DVIDS<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. Army Sgt. Qahtan Karoomi, a human intelligence collector with the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade, poses for a photo in Ben Ghilouf, Tunisia, on May 1, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command\u2019s premiere joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173929,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-173927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=173927"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173927\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173934,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173927\/revisions\/173934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/173929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=173927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=173927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=173927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}