FORT BRAGG, N.C. - A trusting smile and some eye contact can help you ace a job interview, get a date, or even tell a convincing lie. Now, the military is hoping the interpersonal skills of almost 3,000 Illinois National Guard soldiers can help the U.S. regain its footing in an increasingly violent Afghanistan. | VIDEO: Training in Freedom City | Photo gallery | Reporter's photo diary | U.S. plans troop buildup in Afghanistan

The soldiers, including some from Bloomington and Pontiac-based units, will deploy to Afghanistan by early December for a 10-month mission to help train and mentor Afghan army and police. The buildup of Afghan security forces is increasingly seen as surest path for long-term U.S. troop reduction.

But there's more to it than just showing Afghans how to point an M-16 rifle. As part of their training, which concludes with elaborate "theater immersion" exercises here at Fort Bragg, the soldiers take a class on how to use interpreters, for example. The Cliffs Notes: Don't break eye contact with the Afghan you're speaking with as the interpreter translates; that can be insulting and counter-productive.

"It takes the role out of your hands and places it in the interpreter's hands," said Staff Sgt. Brian Hempstead of Bloomington. His work with psychological operations in the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team will include helping fellow soldiers communicate effectively with influential Afghans once they arrive.

The 57-day Fort Bragg training now concluding culminates more than a year of preparation for the brigade, in the largest call-up of the Illinois Guard since World War II. And it wasn't all Afghan Culture 101; the soldiers spent three weeks at Fort Chaffee, Ark., in June, qualifying on multiple weapon systems and combat lifesaver training.

Soldiers' final exam

But part of their final exam at Fort Bragg is Mission Rehearsal Exercises, a complex test of both weapons expertise and cultural knowledge, of knowing when to raise one's voice (and weapon) and knowing when to diffuse a situation by finding an interpreter and the Afghan village elder.

The military flew media to Fort Bragg to witness one of these MRXs last week. This one tested about 120 brigade soldiers, including some from a Pontiac-based unit, who visited a simulated Afghan village called Freedom City so the company commander could hear some of the village elder's concerns about the Taliban.

The villagers were trained, costumed roleplayers - some volunteers, some paid about $13 an hour. There were fake sheep and realistic-sounding gunfire and explosions, the general thinking that the more convincing the environment the less time will be needed to adjust once soldiers arrive in Afghanistan.

The roleplayers have a general outline of how the brigade's trainers want the exercise to unfold, but the soldiers' response largely dictates the outcome. During this MRX, gunfire broke out in the village midway through the elder meeting, and angry villagers confronted troops after a member of the Afghan National Army was injured but left untreated by American forces for about 30 minutes.

"Is there always a right or wrong answer? Sometimes there's not," said Col. John L. Smith, commander of the eighth and latest installment of Task Force Phoenix, the ongoing Afghan army and police training mission. (The Illinois soldiers will be relieving a New York National Guard brigade.)

Sgt. Milo Wurth

Sgt. Milo Wurth of McLean, who participated in the MRX, said he's becoming more aware of the cultural differences between Afghanistan and Iraq, where he served previously. With Afghans, he said, Americans learn to be more hands-off in dealing with women.

"It's a lot like Iraq, but then again it's not," said Wurth.

Building relationships

There are obstacles to building both the size and skills of the Afghan army, now at 68,000 - such as the deaths of Afghan civilians. On a smaller scale, Spc. Elizabeth Hempstead, Brian Hempstead's wife, who works in legal affairs with the brigade's headquarters unit, said she'd help coordinate compensation if a U.S. military vehicle runs over an Afghan's goat. "The whole mission is to win hearts and minds and get it through that we're here to help them build confidence in us, and in their own government," she said.

But soldiers should avoid revealing too much personal information in efforts to build rapport with their trainees. "You have to be careful with what you throw out there, especially religion and politics," said Maj. Robert Petrosky, part of the Army training team at Fort Bragg.

In July, an attack on a U.S. outpost in eastern Afghanistan killed nine U.S. troops and injured 27 other soldiers. Now, the military believes local police and government leaders colluded in the attack, the latest example of challenges to building a cohesive security force in a largely splintered country.

For the deploying soldiers, the answer will be to strike a balance between being observant and still giving the Afghan police and soldiers a chance to win their trust, said Petrosky.

"If you go in with distrust toward everyone, you're going to alienate the ones that aren't (dangerous) and reinforce the ones that are," said Petrosky, who's been to Iraq twice.

As commanders plan for a significant increase in the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2009 - something President-elect Barack Obama has signaled support for - the Illinoisans have a tall order: Stabilize an increasingly deadly war zone, while showing the Afghans how to do that themselves.

"Getting them the turn that corner … that's the cornerstone of this mission," Petrosky said.

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