After five years of war, at least one mid-level Army commander finally has realized what should have been obvious from the beginning: that winning the war in Iraq requires soldiers that understand Iraq's culture, customs ... and language.

Two groups of soldiers at Ft. Lewis, Washington – home of two Stryker brigades – already have graduated from a class that teaches basic Arabic. "Graduates typically have the verbal and written skills of a fourth- or fifth-grade Arab child." The program at Ft. Lewis was pioneered by the 4th Stryker Brigade, which has 80 Arabic speakers, according to the newspaper.

But Col. Harry Tunnell, commander of the year-old 5th Stryker

Brigade, took the idea to the next level. ... It was Tunnell's goal to make sure each company within the brigade had at least one soldier — and as many as four — who could help American forces bridge the language and culture gap with Iraqi citizens.

The major tool for testing these new "soldier-interpreters" is a mock meeting with Arabic-speaking actors in a new movie-style set at Ft. Lewis. As novel as it sounds, that kind of training is nothing new. For at least four years, the British Army has hosted the same kind of staged "cultural encounters" at Catterick, a training facility dressed up to look like Iraq. And the Joint Readiness Training Center at Ft. Polk, Louisiana, built a similar set in 2006 (pictured).

(Photo: me)