MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Marines with 1st Platoon, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Division took notes about the Afghan culture and language May 24 at the Area 25 Combat Town, Camp Pendleton, Ca. as part of their predeployment training.
The class, taught by Veteran Government Services contractor and Middle Eastern expert Kelvin Garvanne, was conducted to prepare the Marines to interact with the local population when they deploy to Afghanistan later this year.
The Marines learned the history, religion, customs, and language of the Afghan people.
“A lot of the Marines don’t really understand how different their culture is and he’s doing a great job to explain their history, their values, their way of life,” said 1st Lt. John P. Yohe the platoon commander for 1st Plt.
The Marines were challenged to put themselves in positions of Afghans who have experienced civil war and foreign occupations since the 1970s. These living conditions make it very easy for an extremist with food or money to persuade an uneducated young man or a poor family into their beliefs, said Garvanne.
He discussed Islam with the Marines and what it means to different followers in different regions. They learned the different beliefs of Sunni’s and Shiites; moderates and extremists; and the ways in which Muslims practice their religion.
“I want the Marines to get an understanding of how Islam is, and how to use that in different places where Islam is being practiced,” explained Garvanne.
Garvanne demonstrated how the Afghans use prayer mats, burkas, and other religious items, and told the Marines the beliefs behind their customs and way of life.
“He covered some bases that I didn’t really know about with Islam and the Pashtun culture,” said Cpl. Christian Harris, a fire team leader with 1st Plt.
Garvin taught the Marines how to learn a few root words in the Pashto language and use them as a template to put together sentences.
“Its about understanding basic grammatical principles and understanding basic jobs that you have, and when you put those together, you come up with a basic system of knowledge,” said Garvanne.
He had the Marines repeat key words and phrases that are foundations of sentences in the Pashto language.
“I like the way he set it up like a template to use and build on,” said Harris, a Kalamazoo, Mich. native.
Most of the Marines, learning about the Afghan culture for the first time, wanted to know more. They crowded around Garvanne during breaks and asked questions about the Afghan way of life. He answered as much as he could and referred the Marines to Websites and books to gain more knowledge about the Afghan society.
Garvannne said his goal for the Marines was to give them the tools to separate the good from the bad, which can be the difference in winning over the local population.