Who is MG (ret) Bernard Loeffke?
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Background of the Friendship Award
The Friendship Fund was created in 1992 by Major General (ret) Bernard Loeffke in memory of Sergeant Larry Morford, a young NCO who sought ways to build friendships between nations during the Vietnam War until his untimely death. Each year, the Friendship Fund makes it possible for fourth-year Russian and Chinese majors at the United States Military Academy to participate in an academic competition called the Friendship Award.
The Friendship Award seeks to inspire future American soldier-statesmen (cadets) to increase their understanding of their Russian and Chinese colleagues, and vice versa. MG Loeffke believes that one way to strengthen peace is to encourage West Point cadets to establish friendships with the junior military leaders of other nations. He strongly believes that these long-term personal relationships have the potential to foster peaceful engagement between countries in the future.
To this end, MG Loeffke's vision is that American cadets write -- in Russian or Chinese -- about ways to improve Russian / Chinese-US national security relations, while Russian and Chinese cadets write -- in English -- about the same topic. Written submissions may be in any form -- a true story, a work of fiction, a poem, an essay, a song -- that demonstrates understanding and creative thinking about ways to bridge differences and bring peace. The annual Friendship Award is presented to those whose written expression makes evident a dedication to the ideals of building friendships between peoples.
The first Friendship Award was presented to a Russian junior officer in Moscow in May, 1994, for his essay on the importance and role of religion in the United States Army. The second award was given to a West Point cadet whose essay, written in Chinese, discussed the importance of language in establishing friendship and understanding.
This year's theme was "Be a Peacemaker." Cadets wrote short essays to answer the question, "Why do you feel it is important for future military officers to study _________ (Russian or Chinese)?" In answering the question, cadets were asked to consider MG Loeffke's Four Ds:
Democracy - the Friendship Award supports the advancement of democracy because history reveals that no two freely elected democratic nations have fought each other. Development - without development, democracies will not survive. It has been said that simply providing the Three Ts gets one elected: techo (roof), trabajo (work) and tortillas (food). Dissatisfaction will force people to choose other forms of governments. Defense - democracies tend to have small militaries and need strong alliances to survive. Dialogue -- ironically, in many languages the words "stranger" and "enemy" are the same. The Friendship Award supports dialogue with anyone, anytime, anywhere, if it will advance peace.
Two short essays follow. The first essay, written in both English and Russian versions by Jay Ortegon, was selected as the 2006 winner of the Friendship Award. Jay's essays are accompanied by Dias Asanov's perspectives about the importance of language and cultural study. Dias is an exchange cadet from the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Be a Peacemaker 2006 Friendship Award Winner By Cadet Jay Ortegon
Cadet Ortegon's English Version
The world of today is shaped by many different events, ideas, and beliefs. All over the world there are countries striving to achieve what is in their best interests. At times, however, a country cannot achieve what is best without another country losing something. As a result, international politics is the key to the world's stability. Because each country is unique, it is imperative that there be some common form of international currency for politics -- a form of currency that allows for communication, as opposed to just talk. That currency is language and cultural understanding. Thus, it is important to learn the language and gain an understanding of the culture of others in order to communicate effectively and bridge the gaps that divide countries on the international scale.
The realization of the importance of language led me to choose the path to learn a language and ascertain cultural understanding in order to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. I wanted to be one of the bridge builders and not a bystander watching the construction. Therefore, I chose Russian.
Although the Cold War is long over there is still lingering mutual suspicion between Russia and the United States. Whether it be Russia's role in negotiations over Iran's alleged nuclear arms program, or in its role as a mediator with Hamas, Russia's influence in the world is on the rise. It is a kind of counter-balance to the United States hegemony. Clearly, the United States and Russia have mutual issues on the table that need to be addressed. Additionally, with the knowledge on both sides that the United States could strike Russia with little or no counter-strike adds to the uneasiness of Russians and the anti-American attitudes. Naturally, these are perpetuated by post Cold War era feelings. Russia views the United States as a threat trying to hold them at bay, which is very similar to the Cold War. Who could blame them for feeling this way? That is why it is important to understand their language and culture in order to ease these tensions and address these issues.
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Clearly, studying Russian allowed me to influence how other people view Americans. I am not advocating that everyone should study Russian. I am merely pointing out that everyone should strive to bridge together the people of the world by studying the languages and cultures of other countries. I chose this path because it interested me most, and I felt it was important, but all paths need to be covered. All countries play a role in international politics, and they are each important. So, in this realm of international politics that is so vital today, are you helping to build bridges or just watching the construction?
Cadet Ortegon's Russian Version
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Be a Peacemaker
A Kazakh Cadet's Perspective
By Cadet Dias Assanov
The end of the Cold War marked the beginning of a new era in world history. International relations on a global scale were no longer dominated by a fierce competition between two ideological centers. Instead, the collapse of the socialist system and triumph of the ideas of democratic development and self-determination resulted in the emergence of fifteen new republics that had been part of the Soviet Union for seventy years. Such a major structural shift on the international arena laid the foundation for possible cooperation between the United States and the newly independent states of the post-Soviet space in all areas, including cultural exchange. Jay Ortegon astutely noted in his essay that language is an important tool in bridging the gap between different cultures. As a cadet from Kazakhstan, I fully agree with his assessment of the role of language in building friendly relations and further opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries. The purpose of this essay is, therefore, to provide my perspective on this topic.
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As a future officer in the army of the Republic of Kazakhstan I realize how important it is for American cadets to study Russian. Russian is still used very commonly in Kazakhstan, despite the fact that the Kazakh language was given an official status. Undoubtedly, an American officer speaking Russian would be able to communicate with people effectively almost anywhere in Kazakhstan.
Neverthel ess, it is important to note that mere knowledge of Russian language does not suffice for successful understanding of various cultures of the nations of the Former Soviet Union, including Kazakhstan. I believe knowledge of Russian is only a starting point. Unfortunately, some Americans tend to narrow the richness and authenticity of all these different cultures and lump them together as part of the Russian culture. Despite having Russian as an official language for about seventy years, the Kazakh people take great pride in their authentic language and culture, which was formed throughout the centuries as a mix of traditional nomadic cultures of Turkic tribes under Mongol, Persian, Arab and Russian influences. Therefore, future American officers must do their best to explore and learn about the traditions and ways of life in other countries in order to be better prepared for the potential challenges of tomorrow's combat environment.
As a Kazakh citizen and officer, I would be happy to communicate with my American colleagues in both English and Russian during any future joint combat or peacekeeping missions. My fellow officers, soldiers, and Kazakh civilians who do not speak English would certainly be willing to work with Russian-speaking American military personnel. However, the effectiveness and success of such cooperation will improve exponentially if American soldiers demonstrate their awareness of the differences between cultures and languages. Fortunately, throughout my three years at West Point, many American cadets have shown their willingness to learn more about Kazakh language and culture in addition to being interested in learning Russian. Such positive examples solidify my belief that American officers will be able to establish a constructive dialogue not only with Russia, but with other post-Soviet nations including my country -- Kazakhstan.
Cadet Dias Assanov is an exchange cadet from the Republic of Kazakhstan and member of the Class of 2007. He is majoring in International Relations with Honors, and is one of the cadet leaders for West Point's world-class championship Model United Nations Team. Upon graduation, Dias will serve as an Infantry officer in the Kazakh Armed Forces.