Monroe High grad helps Afghans in air force learn English

Published 12:01 am Monday, October 10, 2011

The 22 Afghan lieutenants only speak English in Thunder Lab.

It’s an immersion program in Kabul, Afghanistan, created so that the Afghans can practice their English skills while waiting for visas to come to America, where they will be taught how to fly helicopters for their country’s air force.

One of the instructors in the program is U.S. Air Force Capt. Jamie Humphries, a 1993 Monroe High School graduate who is in his third deployment to the Middle East.

“The lab aims at providing a full English environment so the students can catch on quickly so they may achieve their ultimate goals of becoming Afghan pilots,” Humphries wrote in an email.

Humphries is one of eight full- and part-time mentors who spend their days with members of the Afghan air force based at the Kabul International Airport. The instructors come from the U.S. Air Force and British forces.

Thunder Lab generally lasts six months but students can stay longer if they still need help speaking English, Humphries said.

Pilots in the Afghan air force have been studying English so they can take helicopter flight training at Fort Rucker, Ala. They train in Mi-17s and Mi-35s helicopters which are used in transport, medical and evacuation missions. The Mi-35 also serves as an attack helicopter and has been featured in movies such as “Rambo” and “Red Dawn,” Humphries said.

A gap existed between English classes in Afghanistan and language classes at a base in San Antonio, Texas, Humphries said.

“They were not engaged in speaking English and reverted back to their native languages,” he said.

So in May 2010, the Thunder Lab was created.

“Thunder Lab offers that relaxed environment where Afghan Air Force lieutenants feel comfortable, which encourages them to be more willing to practice their English conversation,” said Maj. Anthony Graham, a part-time mentor and program supervisor.

Mentors and students share facilities and generally do everything together, such as eating and watching movies.

Thunder Lab also teaches them leadership and teamwork.

“I help them with their English speaking skills, geography and culture. We talk about all sorts of things,” Humphries said. “You’d be amazed.”

Since the program’s creation, participants have decreased the time it takes to become proficient enough in English to be trained on helicopters, said Lt. Col. Daryl Sassaman, officer in charge of Thunder Lab.

Before Thunder Lab, the average time was 18 months. That’s now down to seven months.

“The first 11 students to go through the program finished their English training program in six months,” Sassaman said.

Thunder Lab also is breaking gender barriers by having female Afghan soldiers in the program.

Five women now in the program are treated equally because there’s no tolerance for gender bias, Humphries said.

He describes the women as trailblazers.

“Occasionally, they get ridiculed by folks outside the lab or even threatened, but they keep moving forward,” Humphries said.

One student, 2nd Lt. Fatema Abteen, said the lab has helped improve her confidence.

“Talking a foreign language during the first week, it was difficult,” she wrote in an email.

Currently, there is only one female pilot in the force. The first four women who graduated from the Thunder Lab are continuing their studies in the United States. Of the five currently in the lab, only two have the qualifications to become a helicopter pilot, Humphries said. The rest will have other jobs in their country’s air force.

He enjoys that he is making a difference in the lives of young people in Afghanistan.

“Some of these folks will be my friends for life,” he said.

Alejandro Dominguez: 425-339-3422; adominguez@ heraldnet.com.