[speaking foreign language] it is a long way from iran to fort bragg, north carolina. Halfway around the world, you might say. But that is where the story begins. It is my story, but it could be the story of a great number of other u. S. Army advisors. Who served in nearly 50 countries overseas. My name is captain paul weinman. My assignment with the military Assistance Advisory Group in iran is as an advisor to the Imperial Iranian Army special forces group. But before you teach, you have to learn the hard way. At fort bragg, we learned our special forces lessons well. Lessons that would make us into tough, welltrained soldiers able to handle any situation in some faroff land. North carolina, or north iran. A jump is a jump. The same intention as you go out the airplane door. The same big lift in your chest as you see that parachute billowing out. When you land, it may be the safe ending to a flight, but your job is just beginning. Your five students know your part in this exercise. You have been dropped presumably into enemy held territory where guerrillas friendly to us are operating. You are to link up with the Guerrilla Force in your area, train them in the tactics we have been teaching you and follow through on a bridge destruction mission with them. Lets synchronize our watches. The time is now 08 21. Lieutenant weinman . Yes sir. You will be met by guides and from your guerrilla bands, move to your Mission Support site where you have the balance of today and tonight to organize your guerrillas, make your reconnaissance, and prepare for the attack. Your guerrillas will hit the bridge tomorrow morning prior to daylight. My job was to direct the guerrillas, the special forces man fights in the action as a matter of self defense. The exercise appeared to be going well. My instructions on the approach seem to have paid off. Quickly, the sleeping guards were taken care of. [explosion] [explosion] it was all right, but you made a couple of bad mistakes. Any idea what they were . For one thing, we made way too much noise coming up the bridge. Right, too much wrecking. You sounded like a herd of elephants. And another thing, your guerrillas spent too much time in the target area to blow the bridge effectively. You could eliminate this problem by preparing more thoroughly. Remember, in this business of special forces, there is no room for mistakes. It was not all muscle work. You have got a head on your shoulders, and you are expected to use it. Psychological operations is one of three related activities. The others are counterinsurgency operations and unconventional warfare. Name two prerequisites for guerrilla warfare. Lieutenant weinman . And inaccessible area of operations and communications. Thank you. Captain wilford . Captain, i rarely saw a guerrilla radio. Guerrilla communications was normally done by messenger. Thank you, captain wilford. This is not to say that communications are not desirable for successful guerrilla warfare. It is just that as a special warfare man, you must know how to make do without. As you well know, gentlemen, here at the school we stress communications. They stressed communications at the school, all right. Like putting up a 30 foot bamboo pole as an antenna. It does not require a requisition to supply, but it can extend the range of a radio set by four times. Because an infinite variety of daily challenges and tasks may lie ahead, the man who wears the green beret must master what seems like an infinite variety of skills. Such as a 100 foot descent down a wind swirled rope. He learns techniques to sustain himself in distant reaches of the jungle, or an arctic wasteland. Above all, he knows the ultimate alternative faced by the special forces men in action, adjust or die. So, he has learned to adjust, to live off the land, and on and off the water. For he may someday have to infiltrate the area from the water. Or a target may be on a waterway. That is why Amphibious Training is necessary. As a sport, scuba diving is popular. But for us, scuba is not a sport. It is an essential skill of special forces operations. Again, it is not a matter of learning from a lecture or from charts or books. We learn by doing. Our Graduation Party wasnt exactly the senior prom. But a realistically staged ambush exercise. [explosions] a few minutes after the simulated ambush was started, it was over. Swiftly, the guerrillas stripped the aggressives and their vehicles of guns, ammo, food, and gasoline. Then, back into the wooded country that was our protection. A simulated attack, yes. But realistic practice for the real thing. If it ever comes. With the end of the field exercise, and the return to fort bragg, my course at the special forces school was over. After many months of hard work, my class was given the right to wear the coveted special forces beret that the late president kennedy described as a mark of excellence. My next stop on my journey to iran was in the opposite direction. The Army Language school at monterey, california to learn farsi, the language of the country. Welcome to the persian department. You are beginning a year intensive study of farsi, persian. A language spoken by 35 million people. Salam means hello. Our first achievement in the adventure that was the learning of a new language. From the beginning, all communication was conducted in farsi. Salam. Salam. Salam. Salam. [speaking farsi] at first, the repetition seemed endless. A language like farsi comes hard. Learning a new language makes you feel like a child, drifting in a world of strange, baffling sounds that always seem just beyond your comprehension. [speaking farsi] there were times when you felt it was too much, that you would never achieve the point of being able to communicate with fluency, accuracy, or speed. The goal seemed unreachable. But, you plugged away. Not only in the formal classes, but in the Language Laboratory as well. [speaking farsi] then, in your room too. Often far into the night. We learned not only the language, but also the history, geography, and customs of iran. And always practice. You listen, then you repeat. Listen, then repeat. Listen, repeat. We spoke farsi amongst ourselves and probably even in our sleep. I had the good fortune to meet and become friends with a young iranian student studying in a nearby university. Saturday afternoons, we often walked together. However, sightseeing was not the object. [speaking farsi] it was starting to come a little easier, but i knew i had not yet acquired the language skill i needed for my next assignment. Then, one day it happened. An incident in a judo class showed me that at last i was thinking in the language. While working out with my friend, he had the bad luck not to fall right. [speaking farsi] in the excitement of the moment, wanting to communicate immediately to my persian friend, i answered him, but not in english. In farsi. I had reached the turning point of thinking in the language and from then on, it seemed that i made rapid progress. [speaking farsi] my promotion came through very close to graduation day. Understandably, a happy day for me. After the graduation ceremony, the faculty gave us a small party. A toast was proposed. [speaking farsi] [speaking farsi] i had been chosen to answer for the group. [speaking farsi] i said, i am amazed that after one year of listening to our farsi, you still remember your farsi. I, and the rest of the students, thank you. Because of your understanding and patience, we have achieved our goal. We hope to get acquainted with the iranian people and the iranian culture so that we can repay you for some of your hard work. Again, we thank you. [speaking farsi] now i was in iran as an army advisor. How strange it all seemed at first. [speaking farsi] i had been trained for over a year and brought halfway around the world to serve for two years as a member of the military Assistance Advisory Group in iran. U. S. Army special forces mobile training teams during the course of the next two years will visit for short periods to instruct in specific subjects to help the iranian army train as special forces groups. Being able to speak the language and participating in the activities of the unit helped to bridge the gap that many times separates a stranger from the people of the country he is in. My counterpart, the commander of the Iranian Special forces group, proved to be a good leader with a keen understanding of an advisors problem. As the american advisor to the Iranian Special forces group, i participated in the units training in order to pass on those techniques i felt were most important. [speaking farsi] [speaking farsi] [speaking farsi] [gunshot] [gunshot] [speaking farsi] but somehow, the most important thing is not what i taught, but what i learned from people like lieutenant jalil, one of the fine officers of the units. I was learning from my students even as i was teaching them. For example, in the english class i taught at the military academy, the west point of iran, i felt that i was not only their teacher, but also their friend. In our country, especially in iran, the southern part, we have very little rain. Because of our geographical conditions, because of our climate, we have much rain in many parts of the united states. [speaking farsi] the greatest thrill for any advisor is when the men that he advises perform a successful maneuver. With the officers of the special forces unit, we planned on an exercise to parachute drop into a particular area to test internal security. Flying at night over a training area, simulated as being in enemy hands, we prepared to make our jump in order to rendezvous with a Guerrilla Force waiting below on the improvised drop zone. In order to be influential, and effective in the eyes of his iranian counterparts, an advisor must show his point as well as talk about it. The guerrillas moved out to meet us. A prearranged password was exchanged. [speaking farsi] then, we moved with the guerrillas off the drop zone and disappeared into the interior. After weeks of training, the guerrillas were finally ready for an attack against simulated forces. An effective advisor learns how to influence and guide, by interjecting his advice in support of the units mission. And by letting his iranian counterpart take the lead in all action. The attack over, the signal was given to move out. The mission had been accomplished. The men had done well. Very well. [speaking farsi] as they say in farsi. The unit had performed perfectly, led by their own officers. I have confidence in these men as a fighting unit and as friends. I think the units overall spirit was best expressed by one young soldier when he said, whatever the job, i want to do my best. Announcer this weekend on American History tv on cspan3, tonight at 8 00 eastern, Depaul University professor on abraham lincolns for trail in art. Mr. Lincoln, give me back my 500,000 sons. The soldiers lost in the civil war. 1864. The darkest hours. Lincoln, who the artist shows with his legs thrown over his chair like he is a country bonk and, his reputation for being crude. , by the way that reminds me of a story. That was another part of his reputation. Always telling tall tales and jokes and stories to an irritating extent. Announcer at 10 30 p. M. From the american historical meeting, a discussion of free speech on college campuses. Announcer intellectual diversity, is healthier than many people suspect. That doesnt mean there is not an issue. Views andtudents certain groups have felt they had received less active attention from the faculty and administration. I include conservative students in that group. They have received less public attention. I think we need to meet those students where they are, to help them to develop, a place in our public conversation where they feel more included. Announcer sunday at 4 p. M. Eastern on railamerica, the 1987 film, drug abuse, meeting the challenge. You likeou do cocaine, yourself about being in control. Cocaine is not hip, its hype. Anyone who tells you it is ok is a liar. Announcer watch American History tv every weekend on cspan3. During the early colonization of america, newport became a major hub in the slave trade, learn how that happened and how the enslaved people learned to adapt to their new world