learning to bridge the cultural gap

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Learning to Bridge the Cultural Gap

April 18, 2008
Marine Corps News|by Cpl. Randall A. Clinton

KANDAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Gone are the simplistic battlefields of previous Marine generations where as the classic "Rifleman's Creed" boldly states, "what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count."

 

[A Can of Man]

It's like explaining a tree to someone who's never seen one.

Let me tell you this. It's actually HARDER to get the cultural communication compared to the language communication. You can pick up a basic level of language that can do you good in a matter of months. To pick up a feel for cross-cultural communication... it takes a smart brain, an open mind and years of experience.
If the doctrine asks for every serviceman to be able to get "cultural communication" down, it's about as wishful and unrealistic as hoping every serviceman will get a master's degree before they ship out to their units.
It just ain't gonna happen.

Educating them on the local customs will help a LOT but it won't solve the problem.

About a lot of the Special Forces in Vietnam... many of the first generation SF in the US were actually immigrants from Europe. Having firsthand experience on culture shock, I am pretty sure that helped them deal with various groups in Southeast Asia during the conflict.