1. On the nightof December22, 1972 an AmericanF-111 streakedthroughthe skiesnearHanoi,
NorthVietnamwhenitwashitby enemyfire. The bothcrewmembersejectedsafely fromthe stricken
aircraft. Withindays, they were inthe infamousHanoi Hiltonandthe wreckage wasonthe wayto the
SovietUnion.
One of the pilot’s interrogationsessionswasattendedbyaCaucasian,whom he tookto be
Soviet. Whenthe NorthVietnamese interrogatorleftthe roomfora moment,the Sovietofficeroffered
the POW some waterpurification tablets.
Fortyyears later,I was able to talkto both
men. The Sovietofficer,VladimirGomozov is
wheelchairbound andlives inKharkiv,Ukraine.
We hadbrought Mr. Gomozova new lighter
wheelchairdonatedbythe VietnamVeteransof
America. Hissimple actof kindnessin North
Vietnamhadcome full circle. Thiswasmade
possible bythe intermediationof USmilitarylinguists. Forovera decade,military linguistshave
facilitatedrelationsbetweenSovietandAmericanveterans’groupsandcompiledhundredsof pagesof
informationon Sovietactivitiesduringthe ColdWar andknowledge of missingAmericanairmen.
Throughthe mediumof interpretersatall levelsof oursociety,we canunderstandothersfrom
distantlands,mediate conflicts,andbuildpartnershipsthatimprove livesandreduce international
strife.
As a military linguistIhave workedasa treatyverification teaminterpreterparticipatingin26
international armscontrol inspections. Ihave taughtRussian,helpingotherlinguistsbetterunderstand
the language andculture of those theyworkedwith. Ispenta total of sevenmonthsinRussiaand

2. Ukraine researchinginarchivesandinterviewingveteransof 20th
centurywarsto supportthe US/Russia
JointCommissiononPOW/MIAs. Iinterpreted forhigh-levelnegotiations toestablishjointtrainingfor
RussianandAmerican peacekeepingcontingentsinBosniaandKosovo, maintainingpeace inthese war-
torn countries.
Communication hasgreatpowerin bringingformeradversaries together. Thisisevidentwhen
formeradversariessitaroundadinnertable tobreakbreadand talk. The stereotype of the vicious
adversaryfallsawayrevealinginsteadahusband,father,son, andoften,anew-foundfriend. Thisisonly
possible withthe helpof the interpreters amongthem.
Whetheraroundthe banquettable,inaSenator’soffice,
at a jazzclub,or interpreting Russiandelegations’ speeches to
Americanveterans’conventions,Ihave personallywitnessedthe
ability of the interpretertobringformeradversariestogetherand
engenderaspiritof trust, dialingdownthe likelihoodof conflict
and misunderstanding. Ihope tocontinue thisworkintothe
future,firstinmynextassignment asIreturn to armscontrol,and
thereafterinacivilianbusinesscareer.
Afterthe military,Iwill pursue acareerininternational business. Middleburybuildsonmy
Global MBA and cross-cultural background inachievingthisgoal. Asa global businessman,Iwill blend
my managementexperiencefromthe militaryandmycultural andlinguisticunderstandingfrommy
educationtoforge cross-borderbusinesstiesthatwill buildcooperation.
WilliamSchurz,ThunderbirdSchool of Global Management’s secondpresident, said,“Borders
frequentedbytrade seldomneedsoldiers.” Bygainingnotonlylinguistic,butcultural fluency,Iam

3. betterequippedtobuildprosperityandavestedinterestinpeaceful commerce throughoutthe world.
These accumulatingdividendsof peace will reduce the needforsoldiers andwar.
Overthe last twentyyears,military linguistsinthe NationalSecurityAgencywere calledforth,
not to prepare forwar, butto facilitate peace. Iamhonoredto have been amongthose chosen and
hope to continue thisbridge-buildingworkintomypost-military career.