Chinese 400 Anyone? 

  The language lab at 1^st Special Forces Group (Airborne) on Ft. Lewis, WA is bridging the language gap and offering language and cultural training to all of the Soldiers in the First Special Forces Group.  Soldiers are spending hours in a small classroom setting, learning languages such as Korean, Chinese Mandarin, Tagalog (one of the main languages in the Philippines), Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian and others. 

  Sergeant First Class (SFC) Todd Amis has completely over-hauled the language program through an improved budget and improved command emphasis.  His dedication and time with the language immersion program is clearly reflected in the scores these 1^st Group Soldiers are achieving with the Defense Language Proficiency (DLPT) test.

Sergeant First Class Todd Amis, 1^st SFG (A) Language programs

  The training program developed by SFC Todd Amis is tailored for each individual Soldier to achieve the greatest results in the shortest period of time. Language professionals are hired to screen and select teachers based on their teaching methods and their proficiency.  Soldiers are then paired with two to three teachers based on the individual Soldiers’ learning style.  In addition to the regular classroom instruction, scenario training, field-trips and hands-on STX type training is emphasized that highlights speaking ability—which the 1^st Group believes is the most important component of language training. 

  The methodology SFC Amis has developed enables Soldiers to learn faster and retain more of the training, and these results have become apparent as 1^st Group Soldiers test their language capabilities on the DLPT, as well as in speaking STX scenarios.

  Though these changes have been made and proven successful, SFC Amis remains the true quiet professional, placing the credit for these achievements with others “The main thing that has led directly to the success of this program is the new and very high level of command emphasis,” SFC Amis stated.

  In the Fall of 2006, relying heavily on input from SFC Amis, a plan was developed to create a 160-hour training course in language and cultural education for all Green Berets currently assigned to the First Special Forces Group (Airborne).

  Those 160 hours of training consisted of small class sizes of about 5 to 10 Soldiers per instructor.  230 Soldiers were trained in 10 languages, which resulted in 33 separate classes.  Of the 230 Soldiers trained, 67% improved to pass the SF Standard of 1/1 or better.  , An amazing 23% who were currently not receiving language pay improved to the 2/2 level or higher in these difficult category 3 and 4 languages, and are now receiving pay for their language skills. These Soldiers were trained in ten different languages; most of these are category 3 languages (very difficult to learn), and several of which are category 4 languages (considered the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn).  Over 90 percent of the Green Berets who have taken part in the training experienced at least a 33% increase of their overall knowledge and measured language capability. 

  Green Beret Soldiers trained as a team and received the added benefit of self-study material, a fully-functional computer lab for interactive classes online, a small library of references and plenty of opportunity to learn.  They were able to supplement their classroom education with software such as Rosetta Stone for improvement in vocabulary, as well as with interactive online classes.

  In addition to the 160 training hour language sustainment/improvement requirement levied on the previously language trained Green Berets of the 1^st Group, new Special Forces Soldiers without previous language skills trained in Chinese Mandarin and Tagalog.  This six-month initial acquisition program is designed to enhance the individual Soldier’s ability to learn and improve their self-efficacy through a demanding and rigorous training program.  Half of the Soldiers participating in this training at the 1^st Group language lab were able to either meet or exceed the 2/2 standard in this six month window, which is less then half the time normally allotted to meet the 2/2 standard.

  Many Green Berets who were actively participating in the last phase of their training stated they were learning a lot about how to effectively communicate and make clear their needs. 

  One new Soldier who was learning Chinese said “I learned the most from using my language during field trips the 1^st Group language lab set up for us to visit elderly Chinese folks at a local elder-care facility.  I discovered that some words I learned have different meanings in different dialects of Chinese.”

 A student in a Chinese class receives instruction.

  The most recent graduates of this Chinese Language Program showed an enormous improvement, reflecting their hard work and effort.  Out of 18 graduates, none failed to meet the 1/1 (elementary proficiency) minimum requirement for their language.  50% are now receiving language pay for receiving higher than a 2/2 (working proficiency) on the DLPT.  Additionally 22% have at least “3” (general proficiency level) in one of the tested categories such as listening or reading.  In speaking, despite the reduced six month course length, their scores ranged from a 1+ to a 2/2+.

  The success of the 1^st Group Green Berets in deployments around the world often hinges on their ability to speak the local language and understand the local culture.  The 1^st Special Forces Group, through vast improvements in language training developed by SFC Amis since the Fall of 2006, has provided these Soldiers key tools as they prepare for, and execute their missions in the PACOM and around the globe.