As the Operation Allies Welcome mission at Fort McCoy winds down, Task Force McCoy and many Non-Governmental Organizations have been working to place Afghan families in the best possible places to support their needs — some of these needs are more special than others.
During routine checks, interpreters and Civil Affairs Marines with 3d Civil Affairs Group noticed Fatemeh, a 3-year-old girl, was deaf.
“In the villages where we come from there are no schools for unique children, especially in religious areas or small villages,” said Fatemeh’s father. “I think you could only find schools for deaf people in the big cities, but I’m 29 and have never seen it.”
Fatemeh’s father had not previously mentioned he had a deaf child. He didn’t think any services would be available here or where they get resettled, because he had never seen such services or support.
“After hearing that she was deaf I brought up the fact that I speak sign language and would be willing to teach her,” said Sgt. Carlos Munoz, a Civil Affairs Marine assigned to 3d Civil Affairs Group.
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With Fatemeh being so young she hasn’t needed to communicate much, but learning simple things can go a long way.
“It’s good because she cannot speak, for example she can’t say ‘Mommy’ or ‘Daddy’, but now she’s learning to communicate,” said Fatemeh’s father. “However, she is so small she still doesn’t know how difficult things are for her.”
Teaching sign language to an Afghan family is especially challenging and requires a very skilled translator.
“The language barrier between English and Pashto, then to American Sign Language (ASL), is especially challenging,” said Munoz. “With an excellent translator she was able to help convert English words to Pashto and we would all do the sign together, so we all had a mutual understanding of what the sign meant.”
Munoz is also teaching the father ASL. As Fatemeh and her father learn, her siblings should catch on too.
“Our interpreter wrote inside the ASL book we have for them and wrote the words down in Pashto as well,” said Munoz. “Doing that the father would be able to read and practice the signs over and over again.”
Munoz’s ASL lessons with Fatemeh are just the tip of the iceberg, but will pay dividends in the future.
“He is giving her a head start on her ability to communicate with teachers, specialists, and deaf peers once she resettles,” said Dr. Rosana Resende, Education Lead with the Department of State at Fort McCoy. “Hopefully through these sessions, her parents have also been able to learn how to better communicate with their child.”
“Hearing children suffering from speech delays benefit from learning sign language as it helps them express themselves and minimize frustrations, as well as improve parent-child communications,” said Resende. “For deaf children, of course, ASL is even more crucial.”
Overall the resettlement process has been difficult for Fatemeh and her family but they are happy they have had this opportunity.
“The process of coming to America has been difficult, but overall it’s okay because it’s a good thing we get to come here,” said Fatemeh’s father. ”Many of our friends and colleagues are still in Afghanistan and seeing what they’ve been going through we are very happy we got to come to America.”
In Photos: Fort McCoy and Volk Field through the years
Governor Scott McCallum salutes Sergeant First Class Charles Zehner of the Wisconsin National Guard Second battalion 127th infantry based in Appleton, Wis. before presenting him with the Battalion Level Supply Excellence Award 200 during proceedings at the Governor’s Day Review at Fort McCoy.
Soldiers of the 1775th Military Police Company of the Michigan Army National Guard crawl under doors and windows while training at Fort McCoy’s urban warfare complex. PETER THOMSON photo
F-16 fighter jets fly over Fort McCoy during the Governor’s Day Review ceremony.
The annual Red Dragon chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear training excercise was held Saturday, Aug. 10, 2013, at Fort McCoy. Red Dragon is the Army Reserve’s only CBRN training excercise. (Rory O’Driscoll/La Crosse Tribune)
Staff Sgt. Aaron Brown, a member of the 458th Army Reserve Unit visits with his brother, Nick Brown, right, and his nephews, 2-week old Sawyer Brown and 14-month old Spencer Brown, at a send-off ceremony at the National Guard Armory in Onalaska, Wis. The 458th headed to Fort McCoy for training after the ceremony. PETER THOMSON photo
Members of the 32nd Military Police Company are given a send off Tuesday, March 18, 2003 as they move on to Fort McCoy prior to overseas deployment. The noon hour event was at the Wisconsin National Guard Headquarters, 2400 Wright St., in Madison, Wis. Pvt. Courtney Pfad, 19, got support from her stepfather James Tsikretsis, left, and mother Karen Tsikretsis, of Fort Atkinson. WSJ photo/Joseph W. Jackson III PUBLISHED CAPTION 3-19-03 Courtney Pfad, 19, gets hugs Tuesday from her stepfather, James Tsikretsis, and her mother, Karyn Tsikretsis, before leaving Madison for Fort McCoy.
Members of the 37th engineers out of Fort Bragg, N.C., parachute out of a C130 at Fort McCoy, Wis. The division is on it’s way to Nicaragua to build schools and health care clinics in Operation New Horizons. Erik Daily
Soldiers from the 829th Engineer Company listen to speakers during their deployment ceremony at Fort McCoy. The Wisconsin National Guard soldiers were heading to Afganistan to tear down buildings and recover unused equipment from past deployments.
Lt. Colonel Bryan Much, Commander of the Wisconsin National Guard 1st Battalion, 126th Field Artillery gives visitors to Fort McCoy an overview of the base during a tour of annual training exercises Wednesday, Aug. 18, 1999.
A sign warns motorists traveling at Fort McCoy that a tank crossing is approaching, Monday August 12, 2002 at Fort McCoy, Wis.
Sgt. 1st Class Paul Honek, with the 229th Engineer Company, assigns soldiers their stations at the firing range at Fort McCoy. PETER THOMSON photo
Steve McQuaid, Darlington, Wis., and his fiance, Jacque Lauer, Wyocena, are reunited at Volk Field. 150 soldiers from the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 32nd Military Police Company returned from Iraq Friday, July 23, 2004, at Volk Field near Fort McCoy, Wis. WSJ/John Maniaci
Fort McCoy commander Col. Micheal R. Staszak. Dick Riniker photo
Scott Wood, of Madison, kisses his wife, Megan Tellijohn, after being reunited. 150 soldiers from the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 32nd Military Police Company returned from Iraq Friday, July 23, 2004, at Volk Field near Fort McCoy, Wis.
Members of the 147th make their way to waiting families Wednesday September 10, 2003, most of the 205 member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 147 Command Aviation Battalion who deployed to Kuwait in March 2003 returned to Volk Field.
Friends and family wait for soldier from the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 32nd Military Police Company, returning from Iraq Friday, July 23, 2004, at Volk Field.
10-year old Tyler Brudos of DeSoto, Wis., sits atop a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer, complete with his dog tags and camouflaged face, while experiencing Armed Forces Day Open House at Fort McCoy
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