Hi Your Shield!
Thought you might be interested in reading this story from the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
http://santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/June/26/local/stories/02local.htmRegards
USAKIA
June 26, 2006
DLI mourns fallen soldierBy Donna Jones
Sentinel Staff Writer
MONTEREY - Laurent Paget, a French instructor at the Defense Language Institute, unfolded a printout of an e-mail he had sent May 29 to one of his former students stationed in Afghanistan.
Paget said he and Cpl. Bernard Corpuz had become friends during six months of intense instruction, sharing, in addition to an interest in French, their Roman Catholic faith.
The two men corresponded after the 28-year-old completed his course in April 2005, and Corpuz once had written that he hoped to visit his former teacher, to share a meal and conversation when he returned to the states.
Paget, writing on Memorial Day, said he told Corpuz he understood that his duty was difficult, and that he prayed for him.
"I told him 'bon courage,' " Paget said. "It means 'have courage.' "
The e-mail would be Paget's last to Corpuz, who was killed June 11 when his convoy was attacked by small arms fire and an improvised explosive device in Ghanzi, Afghanistan.
Some 150 people packed a memorial service for Corpuz at the institute's chapel Thursday. About half the attendees were family and friends, many of them young people. Soldiers lined the back wall and spilled into the entrance.
Corpuz will be buried Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery.
The day after they learned of Corpuz's death, Paget and two other French instructors who knew the soldier shared their memories during an interview at DLI's French school. Corpuz was an enthusiastic student, a deeply religious man and a loyal soldier and friend, they said.
At one point, Paget, who was closest to Corpuz, got up from his chair and briefly left the room to gain control of his emotions.
"It just hits you harder than I thought," Paget said.
Intense connectionsAt any one time, some 3,000 soldiers and sailors are taking the crash courses taught at the Defense Language Institute.
Students, who range from high-ranking officers to privates fresh from boot camp, come from all four military branches: the Navy, Air Force, Army and Marine Corps.
Most of the 1,200 instructors are civilians, native speakers of the language they teach.
By the time students leave DLI after six to 18 months of instruction, they are expected to be proficient in Arabic, French, Chinese, Serbo-Croatian or another of the 22 languages taught at the school.
That means studying seven hours a day, five days a week, speaking only what is called in school parlance the "target language" in class from Day One. It's a demanding schedule that puts teachers and students in close contact.
Personal stories are revealed on both sides in classroom conversations, and younger soldiers often look up to their teachers as mentors.
The three French teachers said their students come to them to talk about girlfriends and boyfriends, their difficulties keeping up with both military duties and studies, their struggles to figure out life far from their hometowns.
"You can feel they need guidance," Paget said. "Sometimes we are teachers. Sometimes we are human beings."
Standout studentIn his five years as a DLI instructor, Paget has worked with about 200 students.
"We don't always keep in touch, but some really give you a special impression," Paget said. "Bernard was like that."
Valerie Bhojwani, a Santa Cruz resident who originally hails from south of France, and Chans Jandali, whose French comes from her Tunisian heritage, agreed. The two women worked with Paget as part of a team instructing 20 students. Corpuz, who had joined the Army in July 2004 and was being trained for intelligence work, was among them.
Bhojwani recalled a gregarious, friendly, respectful man. Corpuz liked heavy metal music and was deeply religious, she said. He corresponded with a Catholic nun in France who was filling him in on the saint he was named for and he hoped on day to visit the monastery Saint Bernard founded in the Champagne region of France.
Jandali said he was a good student. The hard work he put in learning French paid off with an above-average fluency by school standards.
"He would often see one of us and try to converse in French," said Jandali. "He was wanting to learn. He wanted to be good at it."
Paget said he was always positive and happy to be at school. He made an impact on everyone he met. To prove his point, Paget pulled out an e-mail he had received from a soldier Corpuz had met in Afghanistan.
The writer he identified only as "Liz" said that Corpuz was special, that she was honored to have served with him, and the news of his death was "very depressing" and hit his friends "like a ton of bricks."
She told Paget that they planned a memorial service for Corpuz in Afghanistan, a fact he found consoling.
"I feel good that he'll be remembered," Paget said.
For a man whose job is to teach spoken language, Paget said one of his most vivid memories is of Corpuz telling a story without words.
Corpuz had approached him excited about a boxing match he had seen. Though Paget said he "had no clue" about boxing, he listened to show respect for his student. Corpuz's French vocabulary was limited at the time, and he started mimicking the fighters' moves.
"He did this. He did that," Paget said, throwing punches into the air to demonstrate Corpuz's gestures. "He conveyed the enthusiasm he had watching the match."
Contact Donna Jones at mailto:djones@santacruzsentinel.com?subject=DLI.
DLI's fallenIn a corridor in the headquarters of the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, the names of graduates who have died as a result of hostile action in the war on terror are inscribed on a plaque.
With the death of Cpl. Bernard Corpuz of Watsonville on June 11, the list has grown to 14. The first, David A. DeFeo, 37, died Sept. 11 at the World Trade Center.
Also remembered are:
Spc. Alyssa Renee Peterson, 27.
Petty Officer, 1st Class Brian Joseph Ouellette, 37.
Sgt. Cari Anne Gasiewicz, 28.
Chief Warrant Officer Christopher Gregg Nason, 29.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel Richard Healy, 36.
Petty Officer, 1st Class David Martin Tapper, 32.
SSG. Gene Arden Vance Jr., 38.
James M. Michalsky, 24.
Sgt. Joseph Michael Nolan, 27.
Chief Warrant Officer Mark Steven Osteen, 43.
Sgt. Myla Lumayag Maravillosa, 24.
Gunnery Sgt. Ronald Eric Baum, 38.
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