By Patrick Bray
DLIFLC Public Affairs
Lt. Col. Daniel Roesch, U.S. Air Force Special Operations School commandant, addressed a class of Japanese language students at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Sept. 2. (Photo by Natela Cutter, DLIFLC Public Affairs)
MONTEREY, Calif. – The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center welcomed Lt. Col. Daniel Roesch, U.S. Air Force Special Operations School commandant, to the Presidio of Monterey, California, Sept. 1.
The Special Operations School, located at Hulbert Field, Florida, consists of four divisions, one being a language center, which shares the mission of DLIFLC – to provide culturally based language education.
Roesch visited DLIFLC to learn how the institute operates and possibly learn new ways to better provide foreign language training to meet the Air Force’s language requirements for special operations forces.
“It’s great to see all of this from the top down. As a Japanese student in 2009-2010 I, of course, was at the bottom looking up,” said Roesch.
Lt. Col. Daniel Roesch (left), U.S. Air Force Special Operations School commandant, speaks with Col. Keith Logeman, the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center assistant commandant, Sept. 1 to learn more about how the institute operates. (Photo by Patrick Bray, DLIFLC Public Affairs)
During his visit senior DLIFLC leadership briefed Roesch on the institute’s goals to reach higher proficiency levels, distance learning capabilities and online learning materials. He also toured the Directorate of Continuing Education and learned about isolation immersion opportunities.
“We had no Japanese immersions in my time here,” said Roesch, who later spent time in Japan after DLIFLC. “Just having that immersion experience brought my (language test) score up a plus, so I know it’s helpful.”
On Sept. 2, Roesch visited his old stomping grounds, the DLIFLC Japanese department where he spoke to several of his instructors and addressed a class of Japanese language students.
“This is a great opportunity for you, take advantage of it, and maintain your language. When you graduate, you will be at the top of your game, and it will be up to you to make sure that you keep yourself from dipping down,” said Roesch referring to the loss of language skills when not being used.
Lt. Col. Daniel Roesch, U.S. Air Force Special Operations School commandant, visited the Japanese language school Sept. 2 at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center where he studied from 2009-2010. (Photo by Natela Cutter, DLIFLC Public Affairs)
DLIFLC is regarded as one of the finest schools for foreign language instruction in the world. The Institute provides resident instruction in 23 languages to approximately 3,500 military service members, five days a week, seven hours per day, with two to three hours of homework each night. Generally, students spend between 26 and 64 weeks at the Presidio, depending on the difficulty of the language.
