(Interpreter voice-over) Hello, everyone. My name is Keith Nolan. I’m a cadet private. My talk today is on the topic of the military. How many of you out there thought you’d ever like to join the military? I see a number of you nodding. And I thought the same thing ever since I was young.
(口译者声音)大家好,我是基思·诺兰。 我是一名军校学员。 我今天演讲的主题和军队有关。 你们当中有多少人曾想过参军? 我看见有几个人点头了。 从小时候开始我也有同样的念头。
Growing up, I’d always wanted to join the military. I loved military history and I’ve read a great deal on the subject. Also, I have various family members, such as my grandfather and great uncle, who fought in World War II. And like them, I wanted the same thing: to serve my country. So the question is: Can I? No, I can’t. Why? Simply because I’m deaf. Regardless of that fact, I still had that longing to join the military.
在成长的过程中,我也一直憧憬能够参军。 我酷爱军队的历史, 也查阅了很多相关资料。 此外,我的几个家庭成员, 比如我祖父和叔祖父, 他们都参加过二战。 我也想像他们一样为祖国做贡献。 那么问题来了:我能吗? 答案是:不,我不能。 为什么?原因很简单,我是一个聋哑人。 但我没有就此退缩,我仍然渴望加入军队。
For example, after I graduated from high school, three months before 9/11 occurred, I went to a naval recruiting center with high hopes of joining the navy. I went in and a strapping naval man stood up and addressed me. As he was speaking to me, it was impossible for me to read his lips, so I said, “I'm sorry, I’m deaf.” He tore off a little piece of paper and wrote down three words: “Bad ear. Disqual.” He didn't even fully spell out "Disqualified," just: “Bad ear. Disqual.” So I went on my way. I tried various locations a number of different times, trying to join, but over and over again, I got the same response: “Sorry, you’re deaf. We can’t accept you.”
比如,在我高中毕业后的三个月, 911事件发生了, 我前往一个海军招募中心, 满以为能应招入伍。 进去后,一个身材魁梧的海军 起身向我打招呼。 当他对我说话时, 我没办法读懂他的唇语, 所以我说:“对不起,我是聋哑人。” 他撕了一张纸,在上面写了几个字, “耳朵有问题,不。” 他甚至连 “不合格” 都懒得写完整, 就只是写了 “耳朵有问题,不。” 所以我离开了那里。 后来我又去了很多地方,还是想要加入军队, 但每一次,我都得到同样的回应, “对不起,你是聋哑人,我们不接受你。”
So I shifted gears and decided to become a teacher. I completed a master's in deaf education and taught for almost two years, until this past spring, when three things occurred that changed that course, the first of which, while I was teaching a high school history class. I’d lectured on the Mexican-American War. The bell had rung, and I was seated at my desk, when one of my students, who is deaf, approached me and said that he’d like to join the military. I said, “Ah, sorry. You can’t. You're deaf.” Then I caught myself. It struck me that all along I had been told no, I can’t, and now I was perpetuating that same message to the next generation, to my own student. That realization had a large impact that really resonated with me.
所以我只能换一条路走,我决心当一名老师。 在取得聋哑教育专业硕士学位后, 我教了将近两年的书, 直到去年春天,发生了三件事 改变了这一局面。 第一件事发生在我执教的高中历史课上, 我在讲美墨战争, 铃声响了,我坐在我的讲桌前。 这时,我的一个聋哑学生走了过来, 告诉我说,他想要参军。 我说:“唉,对不起,你不能,你是聋哑人。” 紧接着我就发现了我的问题, 我突然意识到,这么长时间以来, 我一直被告知我不能, 以至于现在我也在传递同样的讯息给别人, 传递给下一代,传递给我自己的学生。 这次自省给了我很大的影响,让我感触颇深。
Now, the second thing that happened, my friend had just moved to Israel. Did you know that in Israel they accept deaf people into the military? How can deaf people be in the military, right? Could this really be true? Come on! Well, I went to Israel last summer to see for myself. I interviewed 10 deaf Israeli soldiers, all of those video interviews and questions I’ve compiled, and the findings, I’ll share with you later.
第二件事是,我的一个朋友最近搬到了以色列。 你们知道吗,以色列允许聋哑人参军! 聋哑人怎么能加入军队呢,对吧? 这能是真的吗? 为此,去年夏天,我亲自去以色列一探究竟。 我采访了10位以色列聋哑士兵, 所有采访视频和我汇总的问题, 以及结论,我稍后给你们展示。
Thirdly, CSUN here, my alma mater, had recently started up an Army ROTC program. ROTC, which stands for Reserve Officer Training Corps, allows students working on their college majors to concurrently participate in the ROTC program. Upon graduation, ROTC students have a military career ready and waiting for them. So if one joined the army, one could commission as a second lieutenant. That's generally the ROTC program here at CSUN.
第三件事是,我的母校CSUN (加利福尼亚州立大学北山分校) 最近开展了一个军队ROTC项目, ROTC是预备军官训练团的简称。 它让学生们可以在攻读自己的大学专业的同时, 参加ROTC的项目。 毕业后,ROTC项目的学生会发现, 军旅生涯在等待着他们, 所以如果入伍,他们将会拥有少尉军衔, 这就是CSUN的ROTC项目的大致介绍。
Having learned that, I was intrigued. I already had a profession as a teacher, but I went ahead anyway and sent an email off to the program, explaining that I was a teacher of the deaf, wondering if I could take a few classes with them and perhaps share their lessons with my students. I got an email response back, and surprisingly, it was the first time that I wasn't told, "Sorry, no, you can’t. You’re deaf." It said, "Well, that's interesting. I think maybe we can work something out and you can take a few classes with us." This was unprecedented. So naturally, I was shocked. Although I was teaching, I decided I had to grab the opportunity right away and get my foot in the door. Altogether, that's how it transpired. Now, with all my life experiences, having talked with all the people I had, and given everything I’ve read, I decided to write a research paper called “Deaf in the Military.” I'll share with you what those 98 pages entail.
得知这个以后,我很好奇。 虽然我已经有教师这个工作了, 但我还是决定尝试一下, 并且给项目负责人发了封电子邮件, 我说我是一名聋哑人教师, 我希望能和他们一起上课, 最好能够把我学到的东西跟我的学生们分享。 我得到了邮件回复, 令我惊讶的是,这是第一次,我收到的不是, “对不起,不,你不能。你是聋哑人。” 邮件里写道:“嗯...这很有意思,” “我觉得我们可以协调一下,” ”你可以来上几节课。” 这样史无前例的回复 自然把我惊呆了。 虽然我还在教课, 但我还是觉得我应该立刻抓住这次机会 走出这一步。 总之,这就是这件事的来龙去脉。 现在,基于我所有的经验, 以及我采访过的人,再加上我阅读的相关资料, 我决定写份调查报告,“军队中的聋哑人”。 今天我跟你们分享,这份98页的报告包含的内容。
Here in America, we’ve actually had deaf soldiers serving in the past. In fact, during the Texas War of Independence, there was a key character named Deaf Smith, who made a large contribution to that war effort. For the American Civil War, Gallaudet University actually has archived a list of deaf soldiers in that war from the North and the South, showing that deaf soldiers were even fighting against each other. During World War II, there are a few rare examples of deaf people who made it into the military at that time and were able to serve their country as well. History illustrates the fact that America has had deaf soldiers, in contrast to today.
美国的历史上其实有过聋哑士兵, 事实上,在德州独立战争中, 有一个叫“聋子史密斯”的关键人物 对于那场战争有着很大的贡献。 关于美国内战, 加劳德特大学曾存档过参战聋哑士兵的名单, 从北到南都有。 这表示,聋哑士兵甚至相互打过仗。 在二战中,也有几个罕见的案例, 是关于聋哑人在当时成功入伍, 并且同样能够保家卫国。 历史证明,美国军队中曾有过聋哑士兵, 而现在却没有。
In my paper, I also discuss the deaf Israeli soldiers. I learned that they serve in non-combat roles. The deaf soldiers are not on the front lines engaged in fire, but rather, are behind the lines serving in supportive roles. There are a plethora of various non-combat jobs accessible to the deaf: intelligence, computer technology, map drawing, supply, military dog training -- the list goes on. The communication between deaf Israeli soldiers and other soldiers who are hearing is carried out with the same approaches deaf people in general use with the hearing public on a daily basis. You can use your voice, lip-read, gestures, sometimes another soldier knows sign language and that can be utilized, pen and paper, texts, computers, emails -- seriously, there’s no magic wand necessary. It's the same thing we do every day. Interpreters are used there primarily for boot camp training. For the average work, it’s not necessary to have an interpreter by your side. The Israeli Army is comprised of small groups. Each of these units with deaf soldiers have developed their own way of communicating with each other, so there’s no need for interpreters. The top picture is of one soldier I met. The bottom photo is of Prime Minister Begin with a deaf soldier in Israel.
在我的报告中,我同样提到了以色列的聋哑士兵, 我了解到他们的工作都是非战斗性的。 聋哑士兵不会在第一线与敌人交火, 但他们会在后方承担支援工作, 这里有很多聋哑士兵可以做的工作, 情报工作,电脑技术,绘图,后勤, 军犬训练—— 还有很多其他的工作。 以色列聋哑士兵, 和正常士兵之间的交流方式, 实际上和日常生活中聋哑人 与健全人的交流方式是一样的。 你可以发声,读唇语,打手势, 如果其他士兵会手语的话,沟通将更为顺利。 此外可以利用纸笔,打字,用电脑,电子邮件...... 说真的,不需要什么魔杖, 就跟我们平时做的一样, 在新兵训练时才会用到口译人员。 平常工作,聋哑士兵是不需要口译人员的。 以色列军队由各个小组组成, 每个包含聋哑士兵的小组, 都建立了独特的交流方式, 因此口译人员并非必要。 上面这张图片是我遇到的一个士兵。 下面这张是首相贝京 和一名聋哑士兵在以色列。
Another part of my paper touches on disabled soldiers in the US Military. Obviously, military work can be dangerous and involve injury. One example here is Captain Luckett. Due to an explosion, he lost his leg. He’s recovered and currently has a prosthetic leg. Now that he’s strong, he's back in combat, still fighting in Afghanistan. It’s remarkable. And guess what? He’s not the only one. There are 40 other soldiers like him, amputees who are serving in combat zones. Incredible.
报告的另一部分是关于美国军队中的残疾士兵。 很明显,军队工作很危险,会有人受伤, 卢赛特队长就是一个例子, 他在一次爆炸中失去了一条腿, 他最终恢复了,并且安装了假肢, 现在他很强壮,又回到了第一线,仍然在阿富汗服役。 这真的很非同凡响。 而且你们猜怎么样?他不是唯一一个! 还有40个像他一样的士兵, 40个在前线作战的截肢的士兵们, 真是难以置信。
Also, we have a blind soldier here. While he was in Iraq, an explosion from a suicide car bomber destroyed his eyesight. He’s recovered and hasn’t left the army. The army has retained him on active duty, and he’s currently running a hospital for wounded soldiers. I also found out online about another soldier, who is deaf in one ear. He’s developed civil programs in Iraq, one of which actually started a school for the deaf in Iraq. All of this is incredible. But I am going to ask all of you: If the US Military can retain their disabled soldiers, why can’t they accept disabled citizens as well? Moreover, out of all the US Military jobs, 80% are non-combat positions. There are many jobs that we in the Deaf community can do. If I were to be in the military, I’d like to do intelligence work. But there is an array of other things we can do, such as mechanics, finance, medicine, etc.
另外,还有一个盲人士兵, 当他在伊拉克时, 一辆自杀式汽车里的炸弹爆炸,他因此失明, 他恢复了,并且继续留在了军队, 军队依然保持着他的现役军籍, 而且他现在正运营一家专为伤残士兵开设的医院。 同时,我通过网络找到了另一名士兵, 他有一只耳朵是聋的, 他在伊拉克开发了很多民间项目, 其中有一个项目,在伊拉克建立了一所聋哑人学校, 这些事例多么的惊人啊, 但我想问在座的各位: 如果美国军队可以保留残疾士兵的军籍, 为什么他们不让残疾公民入伍呢? 并且,在所有的美军军队工作中, 百分之八十都是非战斗性的, 有太多工作可以让我们聋哑人去做, 如果我能加入军队,我想做情报工作, 还有这么多其他工作可以让我们来做, 比如技工,财务,医药等等。
So to summarize, I’ve presented three premises to support my argument, the first being, Israeli defense openly accepts deaf soldiers. If you have the qualities and skills required, they’ll take you. Secondly, the US Military has accommodations for retaining their disabled soldiers. And lastly, 80% of occupations in the military are non-combat. Now, can we Deaf Americans serve our country? Yes! Of course! Absolutely, without a doubt!
总结一下,我有三个论据可以支持我的观点, 第一个是以色列军队公开接受聋哑士兵, 如果你能满足相应的能力和技能的要求, 他们就会招你入伍。 第二,美军拥有很多场所, 用于训练他们的残疾士兵。 第三,美军中百分八十的工作是非战斗性的, 所以,我们聋哑人到底能不能为国效力? 能!当然能!毋庸置疑!
Now I’ll explain a bit about my experience in the Army ROTC, which began last fall. I have been involved with that thus far and it’s still going on now. Really, I need to preface this by saying that this is the first time my battalion had ever had a deaf cadet. They had never experienced that before. So of course, they were taken aback, wondering, initially, how I would do this or that, how would we communicate and such, which is a natural reaction, considering that many of them had never interacted with a deaf person prior to me. Plus, I was taken aback by this -- it was the real thing, the army. I had to learn a whole new world, full of military jargon, with its own culture and everything. So we started out slow, getting to know each other and learning how to work together, progressively.
现在我想分享一下我在ROTC中的经历, 我是在去年秋天参加的这个项目。 从那时起我就在这个项目中了,现在还在, 说真的,我必须要声明一下, 我所在的军营第一次有一个聋哑学员, 这是一件从未有过的事情, 军队里的人一开始都特别吃惊, 吃惊我是怎么做到的,或是,我们究竟该如何交流。 这些疑问都很正常, 毕竟他们中的大多数人都没接触过聋哑人, 起码在接触我之前。 另外,我真的加入军队了!这也令我大吃一惊, 我必须去了解一个全新的世界, 一个充满着军事术语的世界, 一个拥有独特文化的世界, 所以我们慢慢起步,一点点地了解对方, 学习如何有效率地共同工作。
For example, on the first day of class, I had no uniform. So I showed up in regular clothes, while the other cadets were all in uniform. I found out that every morning at 5:30, there was physical training, PT. On Fridays, there would be field training -- labs -- off-campus, and occasionally, we would have weekend training at a military base. So I showed up, ready, each morning at 5:30, with all the cadets in uniform and me in civilian clothes. They told me, “Hey, you know, you don't need to work out. You can just simply take classes.” I told them I wanted to, anyway. They acknowledged that, and I continued to show up every morning to train.
举个例子,第一天上课时,我没有军服, 所以我就穿着普通的衣服去上课了, 但其他的学员都穿着他们的军服。 每天早上5:30是体能训练时间,简称体训, 周五则是在校外的实验室实地训练, 时不时的,我们还会在周末时去军事基地训练, 我在每天早上5:30,穿着普通人的衣服, 和那些穿军服学员一起出现。 他们告诉我:“你知道的,你不用训练的,” “你只需要上课就行。” 我告诉他们,不管怎样,我想参加训练。 他们理解了,因此我每天早上都会去训练。
When Friday came, I asked if I could do the field training. I was told no, just stick with class. I insisted that I wanted to try. Somewhat reluctantly, they let me attend the lab, but only as an observer; I would only be allowed to sit and watch, not participate. Alright, so, I showed up on Friday, and watched as the cadets learned marching drill commands, like how to stand at attention, how to properly salute, and all the basics. I had to ask again if I could join. Finally, I got the go-ahead. I went to get in formation. I figured I better stand in the second line, so I could watch what the cadets were doing in the row ahead of me. But the officer who opened the door for me to join the ROTC program spotted me in the back and said, “Hey! Uh-uh. I want you in the front. You want to be a soldier? You've got to learn the commands just like the rest of them. You’re not going to follow other people. Learn it yourself!” I thought, "Wow. He’s viewing me like any person, giving dignity to who I am." I was impressed by that.
当周五到来时,我询问我是否能参加实地训练, 他们说:“不行,你只需要上课就好了。” 我坚持说我想尝试一下。 尽管很不情愿,他们还是让我去了, 但我只能看, 我只被允许坐在那里看,不能参与。 那好吧,于是我就每周五都会出现在那里, 观察那些学员,学习行军训练口令, 比如如何立正,如何规范敬礼, 就是这些基础的东西。 我又问了一次我能不能参与, 他们终于同意了。 我站到了队伍里接受指挥, 我觉得,我最好站在第二排, 这样我就可以先看到第一排的学员是怎么做的。 但那位允许我加入ROTC的长官, 在我背后发现了我并对我说: “嘿,不行,你去站在前面。” “你想要成为一名士兵?” “你需要像其他人一样,理解这些命令。” “你不能去跟着别人做,你得自己学会!” 我心里想:“哇。” “他把我像正常人一样对待,给我应有的尊严。” 我非常地感动。
So as the weeks went by, I still didn’t have a uniform. I asked if it would be possible to get one, but I was told it wasn't. So I continued on that way, until one day, I was informed that I’d be getting a uniform. "Please!" I said, “Really? Why? What changed?” I was told, “We see your motivation, you show up every morning, dedicated, and always gave a 110% effort.” They wanted to give me the uniform. It was remarkable. We went to the warehouse to get my uniform. I assumed I’d just get a uniform and a pair of boots, nothing more. But they filled two duffel bags chock-full of gear: helmet, ammo vest, shovel, sleeping bag -- the whole nine yards. I was astonished. And I have to tell you, each morning that I get up and put on my uniform, I feel privileged. It’s truly an honor to wear the uniform.
好几周过去了,我依然没有军服, 我问过是否能给我一件,但他们拒绝了我。 所以我就继续穿着普通人的衣服, 直到有一天,他们告诉我,我可以有一件军服了。 “天啊!” 我说,“真的吗?为什么?哪里变了?” 他们说:“我们看到了你的积极, 你每天早上都很刻苦地训练, 每次都付出110%的努力。” 他们想要给我一件军服, 真是太棒了。 去仓库拿军服的时候, 我猜我只能拿到一件军服和一双靴子,没别的了。 没想到,他们把两个背包装的满满的,里面全是装备: 头盔,弹药背心,铁铲,睡袋——该有的都有, 我惊呆了。 我必须说, 每天早晨我起床,穿上我的军服, 我觉得自己好像是拥有某种特权一样, 能够穿上军服真的是太荣幸的一件事了。
So, moving along, when it came time to train at the garrison base, at first, I was told I couldn’t go. There was concern on the ROTC's part that if the interpreter were to get injured during the training, it would be a liability issue. So we had to figure out all those issues and confusion, but we worked it out, and in the end, they let me go. That's how events were unfolding; I was permitted to do more and more.
慢慢地, 当需要在要驻防基地训练时, 一开始他们说我不能去, 因为他们担心 口译者会在训练中受伤, 这种担心的确不是多余的。 所以我们必须要考虑到所有的问题和麻烦, 但我们还是解决了问题,最终,他们让我去训练了。 这就是事情变化的经过; 他们允许我去做越来越多的事情。
Once, at the garrison base, during one of the training days, a huge Chinook helicopter with its tandem rotors landed right down to us, forcefully spinning exhilaration in the air. All of us cadets were supposed to be getting on board. Everyone was geared up and ready. However, the cadre had decided I wasn’t going to be able to ride the Chinook. They were afraid if the pilot shouted out orders, how would I be able to follow the instructions? I’d potentially cause a disruption. So I had to stand aside, while the others were filing toward the helicopter. I could see the cadre huddled up, discussing, mulling it over. At the last minute, one of them said, “Come on! Get on the helicopter!” I rushed over and got in. It was such a thrill.
有一次,在驻防基地训练时, 一个巨大的纵列式双旋翼切努克直升机 直直地降落到我们的头顶, 激烈地旋转,搅动着空气。 每位学员都应该登机, 大家都准备好了, 然而,长官认为, 我没有乘坐直升机的能力。 他们担心飞行员下指令时, 我听不到指令, 我很有可能造成一场混乱。 因此,我不得不站在一旁待命。 而其他的学员都冲向直升机, 我能看到长官和其他人聚在一起,商量这件事。 在最后一刻,他们其中一人说:“快点,登上直升机!” 我冲上了直升机,这简直太刺激了。
And that was the spirit of learning about and supporting one another that carried over. And since then, I’ve been involved in everything they do, without any separation. This is where my passion lies. I love them. I’ll show you some pictures here.
这就是学习和直至彼此 的精神。 从那以后,我可以参加他们做的任何事, 没有任何分别, 这就是我的热情所在。 我爱他们。我要向你们展示几张照片。
Bruin Battalion, Bravo Company -- that’s the name of the group I belong to. The cadre are the officers and sergeants who oversee the ROTC program. In the beginning, you can see, it was a bit of an awkward phase. But once they learned more about me and what I’m capable of doing, there's been tremendous support and unity. The cadets, my fellow peers -- well, when you train and sweat together, you feel the bond of camaraderie right away. A brother- or sisterly cohesiveness makes them like family. In training and military science classes, we learn theories of warfare, how to lead soldiers, how to do reconnaissance, strategies, how to knock out a bunker and land navigation, where you’re finding your way out in the mountains. As far as accommodations, I’ve been provided with interpreters through the National Center on Deafness, NCOD, here at CSUN. And I really have to thank them, because it's hard to find interpreters who are willing to wake up at 4:30 in the morning, or sometimes even 3:30 in the morning.
黑熊营-敢死连——这是我所属的小组。 这里的长官是监管ROTC项目的士官。 在刚开始时,你们知道,我深陷难关, 然而他们更了解我后,知道我的能力, 他们就给予了我极大的支持,我们变得非常团结, 无论是长官们还是我的同学们——你看, 当我们一起训练,一起流血流汗时, 我就能感受到友情的纽带, 那种类似兄弟或姐妹一样的凝聚力, 让我们像一个大家庭。 在训练和军事科学课上, 我们学到战争理论知识, 如何领兵,如何侦查, 各种战术,如何端掉一个地堡, 以及如何通过地面导航在丛山之中找到出路。 提到日常起居,在CSUN,NCOD(国家聋哑人中心) 为我提供了翻译人员。 我真的非常感谢他们。 因为很难找到像他们那样, 愿意在早晨4:30起床的翻译人员, 有时候甚至要在凌晨3:30起床。
That's the officer who emailed me back, saying I think you can have a few classes with us. That's Lieutenant Mendoza. That’s my interpreter there, before class starts. This is a picture from last fall, when we were new to training.
这是回复我邮件的长官。 就是他说的,我可以跟他们上几节课。 这是门多萨中尉。 这是我课程开始前的翻译人员。 这个图片展示的是去年秋天,我们开始训练时的场景。
This is Lieutenant Colonel Phelps, this being his name sign. He's the commanding officer of the entire Bruin Battalion. Every time I see him walk by, it’s rather inspiring. I mean, the way he presents himself, you can see he’s the epitome of a soldier. Plus, he doesn't view me as a deaf person. He looks at my skills and capabilities instead. He’s really pushed for me, and I respect him for all that.
这是菲尔普斯中校。 这是他名字的手势。 他是整个黑熊营的长官。 每次看到他从我身边经过,我心中就充满力量。 我想说,他展现出的状态, 会让你知道什么是军人的典范。 此外,他从没有把我当成聋哑人。 他看重我的技巧和能力。 他给了我很大的动力,我非常尊敬他。
That’s me during one of the exercises. This is that Chinook helicopter I almost didn’t get on. Every cadet has a mentor. My mentor is Cinatl. He’s a really sharp soldier. He teaches me all the finer points and how to execute them ideally.
这是我在一次训练中的照片, 就是这架奇努克式直升机,我差点儿没上去。 每个学员都有导师, 我的导师是辛纳特, 他是一个非常专业的军人, 他教会我所有的细节以及如何完美地执行它们。
This top picture is when a group of us went to Las Vegas to compete in a test, to see if we could match the German troops' physical training standards. It involved swimming, timed sprints, marksmanship and numerous fitness events. I passed them and satisfied the requirements to be awarded the gold German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge right here. This is one of the sergeants, Sergeant Richardson. I love this guy. He doesn't take baloney from any of us cadets.
上面的这张照片是 我们当中的一组人前往阿拉斯维加斯, 完成一个测试, 检测我们是否能够达到德国军队的体能训练标准, 项目涉及游泳、定时冲刺、射击以及其他体能考核。 我通过了测试并且完全达标。 这个金色的东西,就是我获得的德国武装技能徽章。 这是这里的中士之一,理查德森中士, 我非常喜欢他,他从来不听任何学员瞎扯。
Here I am one morning, when we trekked seven and a half miles with a 40-pound rucksack in less than two hours. Here are a few of my fellow cadets. I've been with them long enough that I’ve developed name signs for them. On the right, here, is Trinidad. I gave him this name sign because he's always very sarcastic. He's a veteran, having served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The female is Frigo, whose nickname is "Refrigerator," hence her name sign. We’re always competing intellectually in class. The cadet on the end is Jarvy. He's a top athlete. I've given him this sign because of the scar he has here.
这是某天早上的我, 当时我们负重40磅行军7.5英里, 我在两个小时内完成了。 这里是一些我的学员同伴。 我和他们相处很长时间, 我甚至发明了他们名字的手势。 右边的是特立尼达, 我用这样的手势表示他的名字,因为他总是挖苦人, 他是个老兵,在伊拉克和阿富汗服役过。 那个女士是弗里戈,她的昵称是”冰箱“, 因此这是她的姓名手势。 我们经常在课堂上比谁聪明。 最后的学员是贾维,他是个运动健将, 我给了他这样的手势,因为他这里有道伤疤。
Do you know who this is? This is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is the highest-ranking military officer and principal military advisor to President Obama and Secretary of Defense Gates. He gave a talk at UCLA to a full house. Afterwards, I lined up to shake his hand. Having done so, I greeted him, “It’s a great pleasure to meet you.” I signed and my interpreter voiced for me. Admiral Mullen turned to the interpreter and said, “It’s nice to meet you,” addressing the interpreter, who refrained to clarify. He seemed a little confused and just quickly moved on to shake hands with the rest of the soldiers. So I’m not sure whether he really knew that I'm deaf or not.
你们知道这是谁么? 这是参谋长联席会议主席, 他是最高级别的军官, 身兼奥巴马总统和国防部长盖茨 的首席军事顾问。 他在加州大学洛杉矶分校进行了一次座无虚席的演讲。 演讲后,我排队和他握手, 握手后,我向他致意:“见到您非常高兴。” 我打着手势,一旁的翻译人员帮我传话。 穆伦上将跟翻译人员说“很高兴见到你,” 得到回复的翻译人员没来得及澄清。 将军看起来有些困惑,但还是继续 和其他排队的士兵握手, 所以我也不清楚他是否知道我是聋哑人。
So everything’s been moving along, gung-ho, full speed ahead, until two weeks ago, when something occurred. Well, the ROTC has four levels. I’m currently doing the first two levels, which finishes up this May. The third level will begin in the fall. But in order to move up, you need to pass a medical exam. Obviously, I’m deaf, so I’d fail a hearing test. So we sat down, and I was told that if I wanted to continue to the third level, I couldn’t do any of the PT workouts in the morning, nor the Friday lab field trainings, nor the army base trainings. My uniform, I would have to give back as well. I could take the classes, audit them, and that’s all. It really hit me. It was a huge blow.
接着,所有的事情都在全速推进, 直到两星期前, 发生了一些事情。 ROTC有四个等级, 我目前身处前两个等级,今年五月份我就能完成。 第三等级将于今年秋天开始。 但是如果你想要升级,你需要通过体检, 显然,因为我是聋哑人,无法通过听力测试, 所以我们坐下来一起商量, 他们告诉我,如果我想继续完成第三等级, 我就不可以参加早晨的体训, 也不能参加周五的实地训练,还有驻地训练, 我还得归还我的军服, 我只能参加课程,旁听他们, 这对我是一个沉重的打击。
Many of the officers and cadets have empathized with this sudden shock of disappointment, and are wondering why this has to be the case. Colonel Phelps has tried to speak with the higher-ups in the chain of command and explain to them that I’m one of the top cadets, having passed all the events and receiving high marks on my exams. But their response is unwavering: policy is policy, and if you’re deaf, you’re disqualified. I know that the cadre has tried to find various ways. They found out that there's a deaf cadet at The Citadel, a military college in South Carolina. That particular cadet will be completing his fourth year there and graduating this May. Yet, he's in the same predicament that I'm in -- unable to join the army because he’s deaf.
许多军官和学员都对我突然遭遇的失望 表示同情。 他们对当前的情况表示质疑, 菲尔普斯上校尝试过和高层对话, 逐级上报, 向他们报告我是非常优秀的学员, 已经通过很多考核并且在测试中取得了高分, 但是他们的回应却始终如一: 政策就是政策,如果你是聋哑人,你就不合格。 我知道长官已经尝试了各种办法, 他们在Citadel找到了一个聋哑学员, 那是南卡罗来纳州的一所军事学院, 那个特殊的学员将在那里度过第四学年, 并于今年五月毕业。 是的,他和我也面临同样的困境—— 因为聋哑人的身份无法参军。
Yet, all of my fellow cadets and the officers have told me not to give up; the policy must change. I was advised to talk with my congressman. And I've brought this issue to Henry Waxman, the district congressman here in LA, to get the ball rolling with his advocacy for my cause. However, I need your help and support to lobby. All of us, you know?
但是,我身边所有的学员同伴和长官都不断告诉我, 不要放弃,政策肯定会改的。 还有人建议我找国会议员谈谈, 所以我向亨利·韦克斯曼反映了这个问题, 他是洛杉矶区的议员, 我希望他能为我呼吁一下, 不管怎样,我需要你们的帮助和支持。 我们所有人,你知道么?
If you remember back in US history, African-Americans were told they couldn’t join the military, and now they serve. Women as well were banned, but now they've been allowed. The military has and is changing. Today is our time. Now it’s our turn.
如果回顾一下美国历史,非裔美国人曾被告知, 他们不可以参军, 但是他们现在可以了。 女性也曾被禁止参军,但是他们现在也被允许了。 军队已经并且正在发生变化。 今天是我们的时代,现在轮到我们了。
Hooah!
呼啊!
(Applause)
(掌声)