FORT BENNING, Ga., (Oct. 28, 2015) -- More than 500 officers and NCOs, representing over 100 countries, pass through the Maneuver Center of Excellence each year to attend schools and participate in training.
For some it is their first time in the United States, and for others it is their sixth. But for all of them, it is a time where they are away from their families, culture and country.
The Fort Benning International Military Student Office works to provide support for international military students as they learn to operate in a new environment, specifically within the Maneuver Captains Career Course.
A big part of that support is providing each student with a military sponsor who works to smooth assimilation into both the U.S. Military training environment and American Family life, said Capt. Justin Middleton, a company commander with the IMSO.
Originally, an in-class sponsor was responsible for driving an IMS student around and helping with homework, Middleton said. But the IMSO is working to change that.
"We are trying to put an added emphasis on the in-class sponsorship program," Middleton said. "Because we want to show the international students so much more than just the inside of a car.
"Now, when we have volunteers, we want them to show their counterparts our community and our culture, introduce them to our Families and help them understand what America is really like."
Capt. Greg Scheffler, MCCC student, is one of the current in-class sponsors who volunteered to help show a visiting student around.
"It's been a great experience," Scheffler said. "I've taken Vladimir to visit my brother in Savannah, to a Braves game, around town just for food and we've learned about sports and language from each other."
Schefffler and his IMS counterpart, Capt. Vegim Krelani, have a unique connection because of Scheffler's background.
"Scheffler has actually served in my country (Kosovo) and just last year he got back," Krelani said. "We didn't know each other at the time, but we sometimes talk about events and places from back home. There was an event that he was the commander of last year that captured my attention for two days, and then when I got here, I found out he was the one running that show.
"And I thought, what a small world."
The MCCC sponsors get to choose the students they assist, and Scheffler said as soon as he heard there would be a student from Kosovo he immediately signed up.
"I spent six months in Kosovo - before leaving I read book after book, had all this professional development, but talking to him for a couple hours the first few days, I learned more than just being there for six months," Scheffler said. "You get a better handle on the world and learn things you didn't even know you needed to know."
Many of the in-class sponsors are taking on an international student for the first time, and they agree that is has been a unique and rewarding experience.
"It's been a learning experience on how to communicate with someone who doesn't immediately understand me," said Capt. Rob Bailey, MCCC student, who is sponsoring a student from Djibouti. "And I think the biggest thing we get from each other is the small interpersonal communication that is different from culture to culture."
"I got lucky with my IMS because we have very similar senses of humor," said Capt. Andrew Loflin, MCCC student, who is sponsoring a student from Lebanon. "He's really shy, and was tricky to crack open, but over time he came around to me. I took him to a soul food restaurant, and forced him to eat something fried, and he ended up enjoying it.
"We also both have German shepherds and he misses his dog, so he gets to surrogate with mine which is fun for both of us.
"He likes to hunt as well, and will be going with me to my Family's farm in Alabama to go bird hunting. We are both very excited," Loflin said.
After building relationships with each other, both the American and international students say that they would participate in such a program again.
"If you have the interest, just do it,' Bailey said. "I know a lot of people are skeptical because you don't know what you're getting yourself into at first, but you're just going to gain a new friend and learn a lot in the process."
"Tareq is the first student I've sponsored, and it's absolutely something I would do again," Loflin said.
"I would definitely suggest that only guys who are really willing to show people what America is really about should do it, because most of the guys who are here don't have their families with them," Krenlin said. "And if you don't have to study on the weekends, you're looking for something to do. America has a lot to offer, and you really need someone who is willing to show an international partner all of those things."
In an effort to boost in-class volunteer sponsors, the IMSO will host a Military Sponsor Luncheon for incoming MCCC students Nov. 6. The luncheon will serve as a place for MCCC and international students to cultivate relationships and offer a better understanding of how sponsorship will work for the class.
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