MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- “I am a Flight Sergeant in the 569th United States Forces Police Squadron in Vogelweh Air Base, Germany. I was accepted into the Language Enabled Airman Program in 2020 during my tenure as an Enlisted Professional Military Instructor at the German Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer School located in Appen, Germany. I have been stationed in Germany, Turkey, England, South Carolina, Washington D.C., and lastly in Germany again.
“I grew up in Mexico, so my native language is Spanish. I learned English in an ‘English as a Second Language’ class in Texas. I then applied for a special duty assignment as a German EPM Instructor and was accepted. After that, I was sent to learn German. I was accepted into LEAP after a year at my special duty assignment.
“I heard about LEAP from my predecessor at the German Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer School, now Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Long. He told me it was a great opportunity to get more training in the language. I was interested in joining the program because of all the amazing training the members of LEAP get and the ability to meet new people.
“I think one of the best parts of my experience in LEAP thus far was working with my eMentor instructor, Birgit Kral. Every language has things that can perplex and confuse its learners. For me, it was the ‘I’ and ‘E’ in German and how it sounds when you add them together. She helped me overcome that deficiency, and it has helped me be more outgoing and more outspoken in German. I have also just finished a three-week, 120-hour Language Intensive Training Event.
“As a Flight Sergeant stationed in Germany, I get to use my LEAP training and German language every day, as we work hand in hand with German Civilian Police within our Unit. Having been able to take part in the German LITE has furthered my understanding of the German culture and how German people interact with each other. Our LITE had soldiers from all over Germany who brought their own cultural norms with them and shared them with the class.
“LEAP has impacted my personal life by deepening my language abilities and expanding my awareness of the German culture. Being stationed in Germany does not feel like I am stationed in a foreign land; instead, it feels like I am home. LEAP has been a great tool and program to keep my language skills sharp.
“I would advise any Airmen who are interested in LEAP to read up on the program and to see how they can fit it into their careers. LEAP is one of the Air Force’s secrets that needs to be pushed out to more members so that we can use their language skills as a force multiplier.”
- German LEAP Scholar Tech. Sgt. Emmanuel Villasenor