By Natela Cutter
DLIFLC Public Affairs
The commander of the Air Education and Training Command, Lt. Gen Darryl Roberson and Command Chief Master Sergeant David Staton visited Airmen at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center as a part of a tour of one of the 10 major installations that he oversees in five states. The AETC is the equivalent to the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command, responsible for the education of 660,000 Airmen. (Photo by Amber K. Whittington)
MONTEREY, Calif. – The commander of the Air Education and Training Command visited Airmen at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center March 29, as a part of a tour of one of the 23 major units he oversees in 14 states.
“I am very impressed with what you are doing here with these young Airmen,” said Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson, AETC commander, to Air Force leaders of the 517th Training Group at the Presidio of Monterey. There are currently more than 1,000 Airmen studying at DLIFLC, many of whom are first-term Airmen.
Roberson, accompanied by his wife, Cheryl and Chief Master Sgt. David Staton received a command brief from DLIFLC Assistant Commandant Col. Keith Logeman. He gave details of the type and rigor of foreign language training Airmen receive in the 26 to 64 week courses, depending on the difficulty of the foreign language. “Our goal is to have motivated Airmen and give them the language of their choice (whenever possible),” he said.
“Currently, we have eight undergraduate schools and our instructors are mainly foreign-born,” said Logeman. He explained that more than 60 percent of the Airmen go through a military headstart program upon arrival, that refreshes their English grammar, teaches them study techniques, and offers an introduction of culture for the language they will learn.
The commander of the Air Education and Training Command, Lt. Gen Darryl Roberson gives Staff Sgt. Ryan Best, 314 TRS / Chinese Military Language Instructor, a coin for a job well done. (Photo by Amber K. Whittington)
Roberson had the opportunity to visit with the 311th and 314th Training Squadrons where he met with essential staff and presented several Airmen with coins. Staff Sgt. Ryan Best, a Chinese Military Language Instructor, Staff Sgt. Donisha Lewis, a logistics specialist, and Capt. Kamisha Reeb, associate dean of the European and Latin American School, all received recognition by receiving a commander’s coin.
In an All Call, Roberson had the opportunity to compare the significance of the military cryptologic linguists to the symbolic monument of the Berlin Wall, three pieces of which adorn the central campus area.
“You will find ways to fill in the gaps, like the wall, to deliver that vital intelligence to the rest of the Air Force,” said Roberson, referring to the spaces between the Berlin panels on display at the Presidio. “I love the history of the Berlin Wall. It is inspiring to me and represents what you do for us and the nation.”
The commander of the Air Education and Training Command’s, Lt. Gen Darryl Roberson salutes after presenting his commander’s coin to Staff Sgt. Donisha Lewis, a logistic specialist, with the 311th Training Squadron at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center while her eight year old daughter, Zuriel Lewis, tightly hugs her mothers arm. (Photo by Amber K. Whittington)
