20,000 leagues under the sea...?
Posted on 04/25/2006 6:50:15 AM PDT by Nextrush
David Ehrhart's first period Current Events class prepared their questions upon arrival to class on March 10. In minutes, the students would engage in a videoconference with a man 63,026 miles away.
Rob Beck, a 2002 Central York High School graduate, currently serves in the Army Reserves 20 miles south of Baghdad. He is a Staff Sergeant and spends his days training Iraqi men to become soldiers and also to create a police force.
Beck was sent to Iraq in August 2005 where he was greeted with the violent conditions of a warring country. He says he has gained a tolerance for the turbulence in the months he has lived there. Beck says his fellow soliders' mission is to reduce the aggression and create peace. This is brought about by a philosophy that Beck and others share, "Friendship first, and then business."
Beck says he has established these relationships by striking up casual conversations with men in the Iraqi battalion. Ali is one of his friends with whom he has built a strong relationship. Beck has spoken to Ali's family and often joins them in their home for dinner. "He is willing to defend my life with his own," Beck said.
This mentalitiy is common because it is not unlikely that these men will face a dangerous situation. "You pretty much always have to have a sense of fear," said Beck of the missions. Robert Hendrix, a senior at Central asked Beck if he felt safe in Iraq. Beck answered that he embarks on missions with 20-30 Iraqi men at any time. "Iraqi soldiers are real loyal. I wouldn't hestitate to put my life on the line next to them and I know they'd do the same for us," Beck said.
These missions give the American soldiers an opportunity to interact with Iraqi civilians. People from home send the troops toys and candy to hand out in villages. Beck said, "The look on the children's faces when you hand them the toys...it's something you'll never forget."
Through his interaction with the Iraqi people, Beck was confronted with two major cultural differences: the language and the treatment of women. Although the cultures differ, there was one aspect of Iraqi life that Beck would like to assimilate into American culture: the strong family bonds. "One nice thing about the culture was that families stay close and there is not much desertion or dissention," said Beck. Despite the close family ties, women are often regarded as property. Women are supposed to stay home and care for their family. Today, men are dominant, but not necessarily abusive. In Irag multiple marriages are not illegal. "I've been offered to two wives on separate occasions," Beck said.
"The overall opinion of the Iraqis is that the Americans are welcomed here and they are glad to see them there. They don't want to see them leave," Beck said. "It's going very well. Definite progress has been made here. Is it going to take a lot of time? Yes."
Beck said that the media portray a lot of negative images in an attempt to receive high ratings. Often times the Iraqi insurgents use the negative American media to prevent peace and incite violence. "If the media supported the war the whole way through, what would the view of Bush and Iraq be?" Beck asked.
A recent poll taken by the Washington Post and ABC News shows that four out of five Americans expect a civil war to erupt in Iraq. "The media is using this as a catalyst to spark trouble. I personally don't believe a civil war will happen," said Beck.
Beck said that the best thing that has happened to him since joining the Army Reserves is meeting people from around the world. "There is no way to describe the benefit that it has had in my life," said Beck.
John Pickerill, a senior, asked Beck: If you could go back in time would you change anything?" Beck replied, "I would not change a thing. I volunteered to come here. As much as the Army has given me, I need to give back to them."
It made an impression on me when I read it and I'm sure it made an impression on the students and teacher in that class as well.
Good news and the truth from Iraq.
That puts him about a quarter of the way to the moon.
We need details about the location and the school. Give the educators some credit. This is real learning for the kids.
Chuckled when I saw that, too - although from experience, that's how it feels sometimes. Blessings and protection prayers for this soldier and all the others in harm's way.
Colonel, USAFR
This is from York, Pennsylvania. Central York High School.
I don't know if the teacher or students expected the answers they got, but it was a good video hookup all the way from Iraq. Too bad we all didn't see it.
I was wondering if that was the distance as the satellite link flies. Otherwise, ???
Looks like I shoulda made that left toin at Albakoikee.
It's good to read about the interaction between our troops and the Iraqi troops - I'm glad to see there's a level of trust, there, on both sides, as well as a rapport between our troops and the Iraqi civilians. Kudos to the teacher who make it possible for his students to hear, first hand, from our troops in Iraq and diffuse some of the lies from the media.
Bump for later reading
Beck says he has established these relationships by striking up casual conversations with men in the Iraqi battalion. Ali is one of his friends with whom he has built a strong relationship. Beck has spoken to Ali's family and often joins them in their home for dinner. "He is willing to defend my life with his own," Beck said.
Obviously he's never heard that all Muslims want only to kill and enslave us, also as many Freeper members of the nuke Mecca crowd have pointed out all Muslims lie all the time as the Koran tells them to.
Do I really need to say, sarcasm?
There needs to be more of this kind of thing.
20,000 leagues under the sea...?
That puts him about a quarter of the way to the moon.
Maybe it's 2 pings off geosynronous satellites?
The teacher who advises the newspaper is Lucinda Hogentogler.
Her e-mail should be lhogentogler@cysd.k12.pa.us
The teacher involved in the Current Events class is David Ehrhart.
His e-mail should be dehrhart@cysd.k12.pa.us
School district web site is cysd.k12.pa.us
I'm guessing Central York is in Pa. It's 6137 miles from York, Pa. to Baghdad.
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