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Hanscom officer immersed in language program

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Geoff Buteau
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Senior government officials recently emphasized the importance of military servicemembers having a working knowledge of a foreign language.

Lt. Col. Bob Pagoni is doing his part to become proficient in a foreign language for the Air Force. He recently spent 31 days living in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The colonel, an A-10 Thunderbolt pilot now working for the Air Force Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center, visited Argentina by participating in the Language and Area Studies Immersion program. He called the experience "top shelf," and said it was like being in college, but with money in your pocket.

Colonel Pagoni was able to attend the immersion program because of his expertise in the Spanish language. The minimum score on the Defense Language Proficiency Test for a particular language is a 1/1. The maximum score to attend is a 2+/2+.

The two scores are for listening and reading. Each part of the test is scored separately and those scores are converted into the Levels 0, 0+, 1, 1+, 2, 2+ and 3.

Level 0 and 0+ are no proficiency and memorized proficiency, Level 1 and 1+ are elementary and elementary plus proficiency in the language, Level 2 and 2+ is a limited working proficiency, and Level 3 is considered a general professional proficiency.

With a qualifying score, officers can submit an application through the International Airman Web site.

"You're not just there to learn a language, you're there for cultural immersion," Colonel Pagoni said.

Colonel Pagoni said the program challenged the students to not only learn the lessons taught in their classes, but to apply the cultural skills while immersed.

The students were immersed in the Argentinean daily life by staying with local families.

"Every one of us was with a different family," Colonel Pagoni said.

Other than learning from cultural excursions and residence with a local family, the students attend courses through culture and language programs.

Colonel Pagoni's schedule was to wake up at 6:45 a.m. to attend private language lessons. Four hours of group lessons followed with three to four people in each group. "The teachers made it fun and entertaining," he said.

While Colonel Pagoni describes his experience as fun, entertaining and empowering, he's also adhering to the words of his senior leaders.

"We're an expeditionary force," he said. "When a commander shows up you need somebody who can speak the local lingo."

Colonel Pagoni has been studying Spanish language and culture since his senior year at the University of Connecticut. His depth of knowledge not only earned him a seat in the LASI program, it also earned him an additional Air Force Specialty Code as an International Affairs Specialist with a Latin American expertise.

The IAS designation can help officers get a job as an attaché, a seat on a military advisory group, or involvement in military foreign sales, Colonel Pagoni said.

"If you're looking for some new adventure, I think [learning a foreign] language is a good way to find it," said Colonel Pagoni. "I mean if I was a lieutenant, and I knew what I know now, I would have done this a long time ago."

Interested officers can log on to the Air Force Portal for more information on becoming an International Affairs Specialist or participating in the Language and Area Studies Immersion program.