By Patrick Bray
DLIFLC Public Affairs
The Middle East School II at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center at the Presidio of Monterey held its Third Annual Student Day March 28, which consisted of live performances and presentations of winning essays and videos by students who participated in the contests. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)
MONTEREY, Calif. – The Middle East School II at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center at the Presidio of Monterey held its Third Annual Student Day March 28.
Student Day consisted of live performances and presentations of winning essays and videos by students who participated in the contests, with the overall winners being presented awards by the DLIFLC commandant, Col. Phil Deppert.
Seaman George Bailey, who was the winner of the essay contest, read his essay about his given name and the Arabic name he received in class.
“I love both my names – Arabic and English – George Bailey and Bilal,” said Bailey, explaining that both held historical significance.
Bailey received his name from his paternal ancestor who fought in the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, leading a battalion of black Soldiers. Similarly, Bilal ibn Rabah was freed from slavery and rose to a position of prominence in 632 AD. Both men were liberators, according to Bailey.
The Middle East School II at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center at the Presidio of Monterey held its Third Annual Student Day March 28, which consisted of live performances and presentations of winning essays and videos by students who participated in the contests. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bray/Released)
“I love all the meanings they carry and I love being loyal to their causes,” said Bailey.
Nadir Raffo, the school faculty president, said that instructors from all departments were committed to the students who were interested in participating in the live performances, essay writing or video contests.
“They spent numerous hours in addition to their regular teaching hours and they put forth a great effort to accomplish the planned objective,” said Raffo.
DLIFLC provides resident instruction in 17 languages at the Presidio of Monterey, California, with the capacity to instruct another 65 languages in Washington, D.C. The Institute has graduated more than 220,000 linguists since 1941.
In addition, multiple language training detachments exists at sites in the U.S., Europe, Hawaii and Korea, spanning all the U.S. geographic combatant commands in support of the total force.
