My younger brother is going to the Defense Language Institute...

[Spoooon]

He enlisted in the Air Force and just found out today what he's going to be doing. They told him he's probably going to be learning Arabic. He told me something about also qualifying for airborn linguist. He's pretty excited. He doesn't know when he's leaving though. Anywhere from 2 weeks to 7 months.

 

[Rumpltzer]

Learning a language in the military is tough. My friend was sent to school to learn Russian. At least eight hours a day just learning a language, five days a week, for weeks on end. Exams determine who stays and who gets the boot. Most don't make it.

It's a good position to be in if you do make it, though!

 

He'll be an airborne cunning linguist!

 

[robh23]

My degree was arabic, i did persian for 2 years, and an american friend who did persian works for the DoD now.

Tell him to use the Al-Kitab books if he can get hold of them for grammar, they are very good.

 

[paulney]

Originally posted by: Rumpltzer
Learning a language in the military is tough. My friend was sent to school to learn Russian. At least eight hours a day just learning a language, five days a week, for weeks on end. Exams determine who stays and who gets the boot. Most don't make it.

It's a good position to be in if you do make it, though!

My wife teaches Russian to a couple of ex-spies from Monterey Institute. They tell lots of interesting stories. One guy fell in love with the colonel's daughter. He was warned by her mother, that if he doesn't lay his hands off her daughter, he'd end up in the 'asshole of the Earth' as she put it.

The guy didn't listen, and on the opposite, him and the colonel's daughter married secretly. When truth came out, the guy was transferred to the most remote outpost in Turkey where he would eavesdrop on Russian radio-communication 7 days a week, no going out anywhere. There were like six other guys and the officer there. The closest village - miles away. So, him and his buddy arrive to that outpost, and the first thing the officer says (he later said it was just a coincidence) - "Welcome to the asshole of the Earth!"

So, this guy spent like a year and a half or more there, but finally returned to US, and lives with the colonel's daughter to this date. Her mother never talked to him though.

 

[slick230]

Originally posted by: paulney

Originally posted by: Rumpltzer
Learning a language in the military is tough. My friend was sent to school to learn Russian. At least eight hours a day just learning a language, five days a week, for weeks on end. Exams determine who stays and who gets the boot. Most don't make it.

It's a good position to be in if you do make it, though!

My wife teaches Russian to a couple of ex-spies from Monterey Institute. They tell lots of interesting stories. One guy fell in love with the colonel's daughter. He was warned by her mother, that if he doesn't lay his hands off her daughter, he'd end up in the 'asshole of the Earth' as she put it.

The guy didn't listen, and on the opposite, him and the colonel's daughter married secretly. When truth came out, the guy was transferred to the most remote outpost in Turkey where he would eavesdrop on Russian radio-communication 7 days a week, no going out anywhere. There were like six other guys and the officer there. The closest village - miles away. So, him and his buddy arrive to that outpost, and the first thing the officer says (he later said it was just a coincidence) - "Welcome to the asshole of the Earth!"

So, this guy spent like a year and a half or more there, but finally returned to US, and lives with the colonel's daughter to this date. Her mother never talked to him though.

Ah, beautiful and picturesque Sinop, Turkey. I heard horror stories about that place when I was in Germany. People thought that getting a 1 year tour in Korea was bad, but a 1 year tour in Sinop is true hardship.