(Military Times) Op-Ed: Interpreter Mask Ban Bogus

[unhappycamper]

Interpreter Mask Ban Bogus
Brandon Friedman | December 02, 2008

If you've served in Iraq, you know how absolutely important a good interpreter is to an American unit. if a platoon or company has a good, trusted interpreter, that Iraqi can sometimes be the most important member of the team. In fact, when I was in Iraq, our interpreters weren't there to simply translate words from Arabic to English: They were the best intelligence gatherers in the battalion; they were deal makers between us and the local community; they cultivated relationships; and sometimes they even provided input during mission planning. And when you're in middle of an insurgency, having a local like that on your side can, indeed, make the difference between mission success and mission failure.

But now the military has made a move that's more than counter-productive: According to The Washington Post on November 16, "the U.S. military has barred Iraqi interpreters working with American troops in Baghdad from wearing ski masks to disguise themselves, prompting some to resign and others to bare their faces even though they fear it could get them killed." One report even described some poor interpreter caking makeup on his face because he was no longer allowed to wear a mask. The only reason given by the military was that "professional units don't conceal their identity by wearing masks."

I understand the intent here, but this policy is both misguided and dangerous. The work of translators is too valuable to risk with a blanket rule such as this. Likewise, it's easy for someone in the rear to complain about the appearance of "professionalism," when, in reality, counterinsurgency operations on the ground simply dictate that interpreters be allowed to do what is necessary to maintain their own safety and that of their families. And that's why this is a decision that should be made at the battalion level or below—not at the Army level.

Fortunately, many in the military, the media, and Congress are starting to take notice of this unwise policy. I first wrote about the backlash at VetVoice only a few days after the Washington Post story broke. One of the pieces I cited was from the New Yorker—in which George Packer called the new mask policy "stupidity and callousness posing as rectitude." He writes:


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,180357,00.html?wh=news