Tagalog-fluent US female soldier charms Maguindanao villagers

BARIRA, Maguindanao — Thanks to her fluency in Tagalog, a 22-year-old female US Army soldier became an instant celebrity in a humanitarian mission of American and Filipino soldiers for Muslim villagers here the other day.

Residents of Barangay Marang, many of them dependents of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels, were delighted to hear Sgt. Kimberly Lasser, of Fort Bragg, converse with her counterparts in the Army’s 6th Infantry Division in fluent Tagalog while she helped unload two tons of medical and relief supplies from a military truck.

American and Filipino soldiers treated more than a thousand medical and dental patients in their joint civic action for poor residents of Barangay Marang, one of the known gateways to Camp Abubakar, a former bastion of the MILF.

Lasser amazed villagers when she greeted them "Magandang umaga (Good morning)," and subsequently gave them instructions on how to avail themselves of the free medical services and relief goods from her government.

"Hindi ako takot dahil alam kong safe ako dito (I’m not afraid because I know I’m safe here)," Lasser replied when she was asked if she was worried about her safety in an isolated village in a former MILF stronghold.

"Wala naman akong asawa o boyfriend kaya hindi ako takot magtrabaho dito (I don’t have a husband or a boyfriend so I don’t fear working here)," added Lasser, who has been in the US Army for five years now.

She said she learned Tagalog in a special language school for members of the US Armed Forces.

US Army Capt. Leo Leibreich, Maj. Gen. Agustin Dema-ala, 6th ID commander, and Col. Edgardo Gurrea, of the 603rd Infantry Brigade, jointly supervised the humanitarian mission, which was participated in by more than 20 US soldiers.

A US naval officer, Lt. Kevin Jane, who has been documenting joint Philippine-US medical and dental missions, said that apart from medical supplies, they also brought umbrellas, school bags and shirts for the school children of Barangay Marang.

According to Jane, there are many other American soldiers who can speak foreign languages, which they learned at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California.

Barangay Marang used to be a stronghold of the MILF, but was declared a peace zone after soldiers liberated it from the control of separatist rebels in 2000. — John Unson