View Full Version : 3rd Group AOR Change?
I recently was selected at SFAS class 11-05, and was assigned 3rd Group/French. I changed my language to Dari because I thought it would be more valuable and because I already am proficient in French. In addition to studying Dari, I am studying French to get back to where I was a few years ago (2+/2+ DLPT). I have heard from a few different places that 3rd Group's AOR is going to change soon, and will no longer cover any countries in Africa. Can anyone confirm or deny this? I am trying to determine if it is worth it for me to continue studying French, or if I should focus completely on Dari if 3rd's AOR will no longer encompass any area of Africa. Thanks for any help.
yes and we addressed that during the brief that we gave you prior to selecting your language and MOS, might as well keep your french up, you can get paid for both.
Thanks for the info. I'm an 11A and none of the As attended those briefs so I wasn't sure if what I heard guys talking about was speculation or fact. Thank you for confirming though.
Dari - estimates put Darie speakers at around 12-15 million mostly clustered in the central asian area of Afghanistan.
French - other than France - it's the official language of the UN and most international organizations. Around 145 million folks in the Euro zone speak French to some degree - and something like 27-29 countries have French as their official language.
Now I ain't sayen' but.............
OK, Dari will be a good work language but when some "Hey You" comes down where they need someone who can speak French...............:D.
English, Dari and French - sounds like a good combination.
Dari - estimates put Darie speakers at around 12-15 million mostly clustered in the central asian area of Afghanistan.
French - other than France - it's the official language of the UN and most international organizations. Around 145 million folks in the Euro zone speak French to some degree - and something like 27-29 countries have French as their official language.
Now I ain't sayen' but.............
OK, Dari will be a good work language but when some "Hey You" comes down where they need someone who can speak French...............:D.
English, Dari and French - sounds like a good combination.
But, but, what about 5.56 and 7.62:eek::eek: According to *ahem* someone, that's all we need to know how to speak...
Surgicalcric
04-19-2011, 16:32
...According to *ahem* someone, that's all we need to know how to speak...
There is a disproportionate number of SF guys who attended the wrong selection process to be quite honest. The same guys who fail to see why language is important also fail to see why the Echo course should include HF, the Bravo course foreign weapons, the Charlie course construction, and the Delta course anything more than SOCM..
Worse yet, these individuals have managed to get promoted and have subsequently been placed in positions where they could implement changes to SWTG and Group...
Okay, I will get down off my box...
Crip
There is a disproportionate number of SF guys who attended the wrong selection process to be quite honest. The same guys who fail to see why language is important also fail to see why the Echo course should include HF, the Bravo course foreign weapons, the Charlie course construction, and the Delta course anything more than SOCM..
Worse yet, these individuals have managed to get promoted and have subsequently been placed in positions where they could implement changes to SWTG and Group...
Okay, I will get down off my box...
Crip
Troof...or isn't that the truth.
Where do they come form???:confused:
Better yet...why do they advance and succeed.
Ok, sorry, enough of a "off topic/hijack"
Back to my....whatever I was doing before this
The Reaper
04-19-2011, 17:22
But, but, what about 5.56 and 7.62:eek::eek: According to *ahem* someone, that's all we need to know how to speak...
He's overseas, teaching COIN and FID now.:D
TR
But, but, what about 5.56 and 7.62:eek::eek: According to *ahem* someone, that's all we need to know how to speak...
....and uh, DA in the Desert is all we need to know while certification will set you free. So much from them days still draw a "blank".
oy vey....:rolleyes:
I recently was selected at SFAS class 11-05, and was assigned 3rd Group/French. I changed my language to Dari because I thought it would be more valuable and because I already am proficient in French. In addition to studying Dari, I am studying French to get back to where I was a few years ago (2+/2+ DLPT). I have heard from a few different places that 3rd Group's AOR is going to change soon, and will no longer cover any countries in Africa. Can anyone confirm or deny this? I am trying to determine if it is worth it for me to continue studying French, or if I should focus completely on Dari if 3rd's AOR will no longer encompass any area of Africa. Thanks for any help.
To get this back on Topic... Language and 3rd Grp.
YES 3rd GRP Languages and AOR did change. We are now what is called Central Asia.
IMHO - You did the right thing for the Group your going too Sir. Yes, French is easier to learn. I will tell you this and everyone out there. I got French in SFQC. In 10th Group we focused on Bosnia and the target language of Serbian. Group and I self taught myself the Serbian language. Now I could not "TERP" for myself. But I started to score a 0+/0+, next trip 0+/1 last trip to Kosovo 1/1. All started with a BC that made everyone and told all of us that you will be test on DLPT once you get back. Just about all of us did get tested, and most scored very well. That showed me that I could learn what SWC or SWTG thought was a "hard" language.
With today OPI language target training. It goes back to what is stated across the broads here. SF soldiers don't like "talking", yes some Groups still do. Guys have the "Door Kicker" mentality towards language training. But here is SF the UW component of DoD and we have guys that don't care about language. "Why do I need language training. " Some in Leadership Positions seem to have this attitude.
crobb07 - Study hard and figure out how you learn something. As an 18A you should know this by now. Everyone needs to figure that out. Some people can do flash cards from hell and learn by reading. While some have to do, so your a speaker. IMHO - SFQC Language somewhat sucks due to the testing and you start to just studying for those Quizzes. DO what you need to do.
You will have to put in time every night (1 hour at least) on any language that is new for you. If your married, having you wife help you with questions will work. Some weekend you will need to meet. Not at Starbucks in the B&N bookstore. Somewhere that you don't have eye candy. hour or two will work for you I feel.
Group Language programs need Battalion and Group Command visits to see what instructors and students say about the training. Just like when a CO shows up at a range to observe training. This needs to happen IMHO at the Group Language Centers too.
Thanks for the info. I'm an 11A and none of the As attended those briefs so I wasn't sure if what I heard guys talking about was speculation or fact. Thank you for confirming though.
No prob
But, but, what about 5.56 and 7.62:eek::eek: According to *ahem* someone, that's all we need to know how to speak...
Would that be before or after his helicopter set down at the gas station on the highway in UK, when it ran out of fuel?
Gents, thanks for all the insight. Pete and MtnGoat, thanks for the specific info. I plan on frequenting this web site as I go through the SF pipeline and even once I get to 3rd Group. It seems like a great forum to learn from some guys with real-world SF experience.
and something like 27-29 countries have French as their official language.
I just wish this Country would make English the OFFICAL LANGUAGE of the United States of America!!!
Airbornelawyer
04-21-2011, 15:14
For those who are interested, here is a good language map of Central Asia:
Small map (788kB): Central Asia MidEast and Vicinity Languages (http://gulf2000.columbia.edu/images/maps/Cent_Asia_MidEast_and_Vicinity_Languages_sm.jpg)
Big map (6.5mB): Central Asia MidEast and Vicinity Languages (http://gulf2000.columbia.edu/images/maps/Cent_Asia_MidEast_and_Vicinity_Languages_lg.jpg)
Depending on how the AOR is defined, I would rank Persian high for the region. I would not limit myself to the Dari version, any more than I would say to a Spanish student study only Cuban Spanish. Dari and standard Persian are mutually intelligible. The differences aren't nearly as profound as that found between MSA and various Arabic dialects. In my experience, I've never noticed any significant difficulty with Iranians understanding Dari or Afghan Dari speakers understanding Iranians, though Iranians tend to look down on Dari. Because my experience was working with mujahideen, I studied Dari before interacting in any meaningful way with Iranians, but if I had to do it all over again, I would start with Persian, because I found it harder to unlearn local idiom and slang.
Also, in the longer term, Iranian Persian might prove more tactically valuable than Afghan Persian, if the winds of change kick up a duststorm in Tehran again.
For that matter, although it is a more difficult language for English-speakers to pick up than Persian, I would assess Pashto's importance higher in the current conflicts. Outside of native speakers like Tajiks, most Dari second-language speakers tend to be the educated elites in places like Kabul. Your typical Pushtun villager from maulavi to farmer won't understand Dari well, if at all. And if you broaden your scope across the border, Pushtuns in the Pakistani tribal areas won't speak it at all.
When it comes to languages, though, I may not be the best judge. I am bit of a jack-of-all-trades/master-of-none. I was a 3/3 in German and a 2+/3 in French on my last DLPTs, but I'm probably around 1/1 in 9-10 different languages. As my coach would say if I'd stuck with a sport long enough, "you lack focus."