Lake Neuron

This Associated Press story shows how the U.S. military is trying to help prepare soldiers to be more culturally aware. It’s fascinating — for example, there was outrage in the Arab media over a recent shooting at a mosque in Fallujah, but not for the reasons you might expect. It’s because U.S. soldiers wore their combat boots inside the mosque, which is considered offensive. This story is about a program which uses Iraqi advisors to try to better prepare soldiers so that they are aware of such cultural differences.

I sometimes worry during my mission trips that I will cause offense without realizing it. Gestures, for example, may have quite different meanings from culture to culture. I vaguely remember a U.S. president or vice-president innocently giving a “V-for-victory” sign during a visit to Australia — without realizing that such a gesture, especially given backhanded, is the Aussie equivalent of giving someone the middle finger here in the U.S.

It’s probably impossible to prepare for every such misunderstanding, but in the emotional hotbed of the Middle East I can see why it would be crucial to try to give soldiers as much training as possible.