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Flag ceremony marks start of 2nd class

by Robby Kennedy, Staff Writer

The red, blue and orange bands of the Armenian flag were posted for the first time along with 26 other nations’ colors during the opening day flag ceremony for the Command and General Staff College class of 2006-2 Monday in Bell Hall’s Eisenhower Auditorium.

The flag ceremony gives international students the opportunity to display the colors and livery of their native nations by posting their flags during what is always a vivid event.

“It is my hope that you will be inspired by the pageantry and color you will see,” said Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth Commander Lt. Gen. David Petraeus at the ceremony. “More importantly, this ceremony should remind all of us of our mutual commitments to cooperation as allies, friends and coalition partners.”

With its colors posted, Armenia became the 149th country to send an officer to CGSC since the inception of the college’s international student program in 1894 – a program dedicated to building international relationships and strengthening friendly ties.

“Allies and friends – these words characterize the officers who will march before you today, and the relationships our respective countries enjoy with each other,” said Petraeus, who is also the CGSC commandant.

While the education the officers will receive at Fort Leavenworth is valuable, Petraeus said the real worth of the international student program comes from the friendships forged that will be carried across oceans when the school year is finished.

“The friendships you develop here will strengthen the alliances and relationships of our nations,” Petraeus said. “Today, in a world full of cultural complexities, I believe the personal relationships you form here will have even a greater importance in our business as military professionals than they were for your predecessors. In fact, based on my experiences, I believe that knowing the cultural terrain is important as, and sometimes even more important than, knowledge of the geographical terrain.”

Petraeus said the presence of the international students and liaison officers makes Fort Leavenworth a diverse international community, and he told the students that they were helping to build understanding and cultural awareness.

“Your presence here helps your fellow students to develop an understanding of your country’s culture and society, an understanding that is so important in our global village,” he said.

While Armenia will be on its maiden CGSC voyage over the next 10 months, every student in class 2 will be in uncharted waters during the first off-cycle Command and General Staff Officer Course in the 125-year history of the college. The 27 new international students and 250 U.S. officers in the new class will be staggered alongside the 799 students already attending CGSOC.

Despite the unprecedented format, U.S. Maj. William Peel anticipates a typical experience during his tenure at Fort Leavenworth and said the transition was going smoothly for his family.

“I think the biggest obstacle for everyone was arriving off-cycle in February,” he said. “We took the kids out of school and put them in a new one half-way through the year … but other than that I think it’ll be the same.”

Peel said the opportunity to study alongside international students at CGSC is what makes the college so unique.

“I think it’s outstanding … I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

The off-cycle CGSOC was instituted to accommodate the current deployment rotation cycle and will continue for at least the next two years, officials said.

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