FORT SILL, Okla. -- When he was an instructor at the Fort Sill Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Ploynice and his wife, Michelle, would invite his foreign military students to attend church with them and to participate in community activities.
"It was easy to incorporate them," Michelle said. "If we were going somewhere, or doing something, we would invite them just like family."
The Polynices didn't realize it, but they were informally serving as a host family. When the International Student Division here asked them if they would be an official host family, Tracy, now retired, said "Sure because we were already doing it."
The ISD is seeking families, individuals and civic organizations to serve as sponsors in its volunteer Host Family Program, said Quendresenia Mejia, International Military Student Program coordinator.
Host families serve as American culture liaisons for the hundreds of foreign students who attend training at Fort Sill throughout the year.
"It's all about friendship," Mejia said. "We're looking for everyday people to be hosts. You don't have to be a saint."
Hosts take the students to venues such as outdoor activities, sporting events, sightseeing, as well as family outings including barbecues, graduations and weddings.
There are about 35 families now who sponsor on average of nine students each. Mejia wants to get the ratio down where each family sponsors about two to three students, or ideally a ratio of 1-to-1.
The ISD provides volunteer orientations and cultural programs about countries to host families.
"We can do as much or as little training as a host family is inclined," she said. And she is always available to work with a family.
International soldiers come from 56 countries, with around 130 students from about 30 different countries at any given time here, Mejia said. Students are at Fort Sill anywhere from four days to several months, depending on the course they are taking. Having a host family is optional for students; not a program requirment.
Many of them are single, or geographic bachelors, who could not bring their families with them so that makes them extra homesick, she said. Some of the students live on post. For those who do not, host families often help them find an apartment. Also some students want to drive so families might help them find transportation.
Friends for life
Widow Regina Bennett, of Lawton, has been a sponsor since 2011. She is currently sponsoring 11 students.
"I love it because it gets me out of the house, and I learn so much from different cultures," Bennett said.
She said she also likes how hosting foreign students exposes her seventh-grade daughter Samantha, 12, to other cultures.
"She's learned people live differently from us. There are poor countries with a lot of trouble. She's also learned about different foods," Bennett said. "Some of her friends in school have no idea how these other people live."
Some of the students Bennett has sponsored have been from Switzerland, Canada, Mexico, Slovenia, Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador.
One of the challenges of being a host is the language barrier, Bennett said. Still students must be proficient enough in English to pass the military training here some of which is advanced and technical.
Bennett said she has made friends for life through the program. She recently returned from a three-week visit to Colombia, where she stayed with a former student's family.
Mexican Army Capt. Luis Saavedra said his sponsor, Bennett, helped him and his family adjust when he first arrived here.
"She showed me the apartment where I'm living now and showed me the town," said Saavedra, who is in the Field Artillery Captains Career Course. "She's wonderful."
Most recently, Bennett took the Saavedras to the Military Appreciation Day at Lake Elmer Thomas Recreation Area.
"We liked that a lot," the captain said.
Pay it forward
Tracy Polynice said he knows what it is like to be a Soldier in a foreign land having to deal with the language, customs and culture.
He recalled that when he was assigned to Germany, there was a sponsor program for U.S. Soldiers by U.S. Soldiers to acclimate them to Germany.
"It was a good thing; a helping hand to Soldiers so they wouldn't be lost," Tracy said.
The Polynices recommend the ISD Host Family program.
"It's rewarding because you learn about other cultures," Michelle said, and Tracy added: "You develop friends."
After they complete their courses, the ISD honors the foreign students at a cresting and farewell ceremony. Students are invited to speak and almost always mention their host families, Mejia said.
"They say things like: 'this was my home away from home,' or 'when I missed my children, I was able to interact with my host family and that gave me comfort,'' she said.
To become a host family, call the International Student Division at 580-442-3689 or stop by the ISD office weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in Bldg. 5690, Geronimo Road.
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