Bridging a Gap and Breaking Bread: U.S. Military Members of Armenian Descent Serve as Translators During Eagle Partner 24

Among the hundreds of Soldiers who participated in the second iteration of Eagle Partner, a bilateral exercise aimed at increasing readiness and interoperability between the U.S. and Armenia, were nine U.S. military members of Armenian descent who volunteered to serve as interpreters.

Exercises like Eagle Partner require extensive preparation, logistics, and resources, which is only possible through significant cross-nation communication. Interpreters bridge the language barrier and make exercises like this possible.

These nine service members came from different places, units, and backgrounds: the Army, Space Force, Marine Corps, and Air Force. There was a combat engineer, a combat medic, an attorney, a cavalry scout, and an electronic warfare officer, to name a few. They all stepped down from their primary jobs to come to Armenia and translate between the U.S. and Armenian troops.

"Originally, I got a call from someone from the Army, and they asked me if I wanted to go on an exercise in Armenia as a translator," said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Hovsep Chaparian. "At first, I thought they were joking, but it was true. So, I followed up, and they said we would be translating in the field. My day-to-day job at USMC is an office one, so any opportunity to go out and see what the military is doing in the field, I'm all about it."

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Andrew Rene Karazi, assigned to the 250th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion, California Army National Guard, said, "I learned about this exercise through Armenian friends online. Before coming here, I was interviewed to verify that I could speak Armenian fluently and later brought onto the mission."

For some translators, this is their second time at Eagle Partner, and for others, this exercise was their first time visiting Armenia; however, their experiences are surprisingly alike.

U.S. Air Force Capt. Alex Gharakanian, a B-52H electronic warfare officer, said, "Being from America, I never visited Armenia. It's amazing just to come out here and share the culture. And it's the same culture that I grew up with in the States."

"Having never seen native Armenians and then interacting with each other and realizing how similar we are was very interesting to me," he continued.

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Tamara Daugherty said, "I grew up in Glendale, California. Glendale has the biggest population of Armenians outside Armenia itself. I visited Armenia for the first time this year. When I got off the plane, and everyone was speaking Armenian, it wasn't unnatural to me; it was something that I'm used to growing up in Glendale."

Eagle Partner is a military exercise, but while troops conduct training, they also learn about each other's cultures.

"Eagle Partner is important because it helps with interoperability with both nations when it comes to peacekeeping, but it also allows us to build partnership through American and Armenian units coming together, getting to know each other, and learning their cultures," said Chaparian. "There has been a lot of cultural growth on both sides, and it is going to aid in interoperability down the line."

Every interpreter has a story to share, from playing soccer and teaching Armenians how to play American football to hiking the mountains, trading patches, or enjoying food together.

U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Ara Melkonian said, "I met another soldier with the same last name, and we joked that we were brothers. Later, another Armenian asked me if I had any friends here, and I said I did not. Then, that person asked, 'What about me? I thought we were brothers!'"

"It's just good human nature; we can still laugh when a serious situation is going on, so it's nice to break down some barriers every now and then," continued Melkonian.

This iteration of the Eagle Partner had a much bigger scale and scope than the last one, and many participants expressed that they hope the exercise continues to grow.

U.S. Space Force 2nd Lt. Benjamin Armen Malian, 319th Combat Operations, said, "This time, I was excited to see the faces that we met last year and see how they have changed, meet new people that have come in and see how far we can go continuing this relationship between America and Armenia."

Exercise Eagle Partner 24 occurred between July 15 to 24, 2024, and focused on improving interoperability between the U.S. and Armenia through training in peacekeeping and stability operations. The exercise was made possible through the nine U.S. interpreters' dedicated efforts.

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