Face of Defense: Officer Uses French-Speaking Skills in Africa

By Air Force Staff Sgt. Heather Stanton
Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa Public Affairs
CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti, Dec. 30, 2010 – An Air Force officer deployed here employs her ability to speak French to communicate with local Djiboutians and with other international partners throughout eastern Africa.

Air Force Capt. Sylvia Kim demonstrates how to splint a broken leg to members of the Burundian National Defense Force during a Tactical Combat Casualty Care course Nov. 8, 2010, in Burundi, Africa. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Heather Stanton   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Capt. Sylvia Kim speaks fluent French, one of the official languages of Djibouti and a dominant language throughout the African continent. Realizing her skill could benefit Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, Kim volunteered for her current position as medical planner for the Joint Operations Directorate with CJTF-HOA.
"The knowledge of the language has been essential [while deployed to CJTF-HOA]," Kim said. "French and Arabic are the official languages in Djibouti, French being the operational language. It's been essential in communicating and networking with the local Djiboutians and the camp staff and also imperative with correspondence with the Djiboutian government."
Kim accomplishes much of the official correspondence translation for the task force commander as well as translating presentations.
Not only does Kim use her talent at work, she also shares her knowledge as a basic French language course instructor on Camp Lemonnier in her free time.
"Captain Kim is well organized, inspirational and a patient teacher," said Navy Lt. Kittima Boonsirisermsook, the camp dental officer and one of Captain Kim's French students. "Most of us [students] had hardly ever spoken a word of French before our first class. We were given a lot of class material, a lot of instruction, repetition and practice."Read More