Cadet Shoenhoft Trains With Morroccan Cadets
I had the opportunity to experience the effervescent culture of Morocco first hand in a military environment (Royal Military Academy). I will convey the spicy and abundant personality of The Kingdom of Morocco in the next few paragraphs.
The first thing I would like to share is the way female cadets were treated in the Moroccan Army; as it was the first overwhelming change of culture. The female cadets were separated-women are slowly trickling into the military and are still commonly not approached in public or allowed to show much skin. We were treated like princesses. We had twin sized beds lined along a gorgeously tiled room with above the ground toilets, individual showers and a lounge area (However, the Moroccan cadets came to realize that women are accepted in the Army and are held to the many of the same standards, they learned about us as well).
I learned that American military trains like no other and has organization that (most of the time) makes sense for more efficiency. I was lucky enough to experience some training out in the Ain Kahla Mountains with the Moroccan military. Our group camped out a week in tents learning about various helicopter, tank and jeep maneuvers. We had the opportunity to shoot off 120 mm mortars, 12 mm mount guns, receive equestrian training (they still have a cavalry!), ride in French Puma helicopters, perform a combined mock mission with mechanized, motorized and heliportage combined, and more.
Our group had the opportunity of working with huge sand tables to learn the tactics of maneuvers and missions, a different approach opposed to talking and drawing things out. We also had the chance to taste the European MRE (canned rabbit included!) and were pleasantly surprised with the change and variety. The American cadets were all thrilled to experience more hands-on training instead of talking about it; we were able to ride over to the objective in a helicopter, jeep or tank. It was amazing and surreal to actually see these things take place. We also got to ride military style (in uniform) in a C130 plane to the Ouarzazate desert and camp out in the heat for a few days. This is what an Army is all about!
As much as we trained with the Moroccan cadets, we got to play a little too. My group of cadets got to explore medinas and museums in Fes, Marrakech, Agadir, and Meknes. We got a chance to barter with shopkeepers, wear snakes around our necks, receive henna from local women, and sample authentic cuisine from vendors.
A few Berber women actually prepared traditional cuisine (eggs, milluie-traditional bread, and mint tea) on a hillside in the High Atlas Mountains for hungry cadets after training. A few days of touring were devoted to visit an English speaking university, CLA studios and sand dunes (riding camels too!). We observed the Muslim religion first-hand by peeking into mosques, listening to the adhan (the call for prayer) five times each day, and watching our counterparts pray on their own rugs.
The deliberate cognizance of the various cultures and languages is a beautiful thing to experience. As a cadet training to commission as an officer, this cultural immersion trip utilized leadership skills I have learned in ROTC. I was assigned a platoon leader and was held accountable for the twenty-three individuals in my group.
I learned how to delegate tasks, and hit hard-times for specific training events. I learned how to deal with culture-shock in a training environment and will help develop mental agility in the future. This trip, along with other military training opportunities like Airborne school and being a part of the Ranger challenge team, will coalesce to prepare me for the adventures that lay ahead.
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Mar 15 Sep 2009 - 21:48
non sous officier
