Iraqis relocate to La. to help train troops

2 The Advocate News ^ | 25 April 2005 | AP

[Racehorse]

The Army is paying Iraqi immigrants $220 day, plus board, just to be themselves.

[. . .]

Some 250 Arabs and Kurds, including about 50 from metropolitan Detroit, occupy the 18 ethnically, politically and religiously diverse villages that comprise the fictitious province of Talatha, located at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La.

"When we come here, we act like we are back home," Amir Saymari, 30, of Dearborn, Mich., said. "We teach them about the culture, and we teach them about the Iraqi people."

Some role players portray local officials such as sheik, imam, mayor and council member. When in character, they speak Arabic and little if any English. Talatha's population is supplemented by another 1,000 role players who live near Fort Polk or are soldiers assigned to the base. All spend 12-hour days acting out mostly unscripted situations that U.S. troops may face upon reaching Iraq -- whether it's defusing the anger of a crowd whose village is without water or electricity or firing laser beams to gun down "insurgents" wearing special sensors.

[. . .]

"I believe in what I'm doing," Saymari said. "It's not about the money. I used to be a truck driver, and I made more money. But this helps save lives. ... As long as they ask me to come back, I will do this."

To Ali al-Taye, 47, also of Dearborn, living in World War II-era barracks and being virtually unable to leave the Army base isn't too great a sacrifice.

"I work very hard to save the American soldier, to save lives," said al-Taye, an artist who was born in Babylon, Iraq. "We who are here in America, we are Americans, and we hope everyone is safe in Iraq on both sides -- American and Iraqis.

[mark502inf]

The Army needed a place to train our troops for deployments to Third World countries. We temporarily put our training center at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas and looked at Panama and Okinawa. Then we chose the place that best replicated Third World conditions: Fort Polk adjacent to Leesville, Louisiana.

Incoming Army personnel bringing their families to Fort Polk were advised to take the back road where you emerged from woods and farms directly onto post. The prevailing wisdom was that if families saw Leesville before you got them onto post and safely installed in quarters that they'd bolt, never to be seen again.

[donozark]

In the 60s we called Leesville-"Diseaseville." No further explanation necessary...