English for Tae Kwon Do: A Fair Trade

In a joint task force environment, American soldiers have the benefit of working side by side with armed forces from other countries. This benefit becomes even more rewarding when each force can bring a different learning experience to the table.

The Korean and American forces here have found a way to not only work together but to benefit from each other’s knowledge. As the Korean soldiers work on the Americans’ endurance and physical fitness through tae kwon do training, the U.S. soldiers stimulate their Korean instructors’ minds with the fundamentals of the English language.

“We hold Tae Kwon Do classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 6 to 7 a.m. at the old Viper City dining facility for Americans and all other forces who want to learn,” said 1st Lt. JaeNeung Lee, a platoon leader with an infantry platoon in the Korean Marine Corps. “In return, our American students hold English classes for us here (the Korean clinic) and at our engineer compound throughout the week. It’s a working relationship.”

“At first the Korean soldiers were shy and a little apprehensive, but now they are very open and willing to learn English,” said Capt. Monica Sneed, an English class instructor, Detachment A, 126th Finance Battalion, deployed from Fort Bragg, N.C. “We have beginner, intermediate and advanced classes with about 10 students from the clinic and 24 students from the engineer’s compound in each class. It’s a good turnout and they always do their homework.”

Even though difficulties as well as rewards come with both the Tae Kwon Do and English classes, the Korean instructors think their American counterparts get the better end of the deal.

“When we began the classes in March, we issued all of our American students free karate uniforms which usually cost about $30 each,” Lee said. “We also have about 10 instructors for our beginner and advanced classes, four of which are 4th degree black belts.”