The Incredible Story Of A U.S. Army Translator

U.S. Army Spc. Wilson Alnar, an Arabic translator with the Multinational Division Center Public Affairs Office and a native of Sudan, speaks with an Iraqi policeman while on a mission in Kut, Iraq, Oct. 3, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Maj. Tommy Spagel

Face of Defense: Translator Assists Iraqis, Soldiers
-- U.S. Department Of Defense

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Oct. 27, 2008 – Army Spc. Wilson Alnar does a lot of talking. That’s because he’s a translator with the Multinational Division Center Public Affairs Office.

“It’s my job to be that bridge between the Iraqi people and the coalition forces,” said Alnar, an Atlanta resident and native of Sudan who speaks Arabic fluently.

When the Army first arrived in Iraq in 2003, the communication barrier between Iraqis and soldiers was a big issue. In February 2003, the Army Reserve came up with a positive solution with adaptation of the “translator aide” military occupational specialty. Native speakers of Arabic, Dari and Pashto were recruited and inserted into the Individual Ready Reserve. In 2005, a report was submitted to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and then in February 2006, the program became official and was expanded to all components of the Army.

Soldiers in this specialty read, write and understand foreign languages, and they interpret for troops operating on the streets of foreign countries. Alnar, who had been working as a custodian at an Atlanta school since 2002, learned of the program after talking with a friend who was serving in the Army.

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