VOA标准英语2009年-US Army Troops Ready for Afghanistan D

News of the Afghanistan buildup comes less than a month after a deadly shooting incident at Fort Hood¹ that left 13 people dead and created additional grief.

Greg Flakus | Fort Hood, Texas 03 December 2009

Soldiers in formation at Fort Hood in Texas

Sometime next year US Marines and soldiers will begin deployments to Afghanistan aimed at meeting President Obama's call for an additional 30,000 U.S. troops in that embattled nation. One place from which soldiers are likely to deploy² is Fort Hood, in central Texas, the largest domestic US Army base.

It is often said that the army is a family and here at Fort Hood it is easy to see that it is also made up of families. Deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan have put a burden on many soldiers and their families and that burden will increase next year with the plan to send more troops to Afghanistan.

Specialist Angela Zollicoffer's husband is in Afghanistan now, leaving her to care for their three daughters alone.

"I am just ready for the soldiers to come back, not just my husband, but all of them to come back and I wish that we did not have to go over there to Afghanistan," she said.

Her friend and fellow soldier Sherri Coons is more enthusiastic about the president's plan.

"Let's get it straight, let's get the Afghani people on their own two feet, just like we are doing with Iraq, get them up and going and on their feet and then let's pull out like he had planned," said Coons.

But some soldiers worry that the circumstances of the Afghan war may make their job there even more difficult and dangerous than Iraq.

Twenty-one-year-old Specialist Lamont Wright is one of them.

"They have more mountains in Afghanistan. This is a whole different kind of war, this is a whole different kind of terrain³. When we were in Iraq it was flat land, we could see what was going on, but soldiers were still getting killed and wounded and families were worried about us," he said.  "Now, going to Afghanistan, this is a whole other ball game."

But Captain Chris Kelshaw has served in Afghanistan and he thinks the army can carry out President Obama's plan.

"The terrain - hey, I am an infantry⁴ officer. We get paid to move through rugged⁵ terrain," said Kelshaw.  "It is just a matter of adapting the way that you fight."

Some soldiers are also skeptical⁶ about President Obama's idea of setting a timetable for withdrawal⁷ in 18 months, but Captain Kelshaw says they misunderstand the plan.

"Eighteen months will begin a phased withdrawal, as I understand it, it is not that everbody will be gone. I am certain there is going to be a lingering advisory⁸ effort there," he said.  It is a journey, not a destination, is the best way of putting it."

The news of the Afghanistan buildup comes less than a month after the deadly shooting incident here at Fort Hood that left 13 people dead  and created additional grief. Army chaplain Ira Houck, who coordinates⁹ activities for all religious groups at Fort Hood, says soldiers are resilient, but they sometimes need support.

"We are consciously aware of the needs of our soldiers in this time of grief, having recovered from this November 5 shooting, but also the continuing demand on our soldiers to deploy and fulfill¹⁰ our obligation to this great nation," said Houck.

Houck says the army has resources to help soldiers and their families as they are separated by deployments.

"They have on-site counseling and counselors¹¹ here we can refer to and network with, so there is a whole vast array of resources that our families have now,' he added.

This week several units returned from overseas deployments, much to the joy of their friends and families. But joyous¹² as the returns might be,the soldiers know they may soon have to deploy again, leaving behind loved ones as they carry out their duty to the commander in chief and the nation.

 

1 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

2 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

3 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

4 infantry   

n.[总称]步兵(部队)

参考例句：

• The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。
• We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。

5 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

6 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

7 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

8 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

9 coordinates   

n.相配之衣物；坐标( coordinate的名词复数 )；（颜色协调的）配套服装；[复数]女套服；同等重要的人（或物）v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的第三人称单数 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• The town coordinates on this map are 695037. 该镇在这幅地图上的坐标是695037。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

11 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

12 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。