JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas-- The names of five dignitaries were added to the International Wall of Fame in a ceremony at the Defense Language Institute English Language Center April 29.
“Today’s five inductees built these relationships using their ability to communicate and understand others, and in doing so, they’ve reached positions of senior leadership within their respective nation’s military,” said Col. Joseph Schaefer, DLIELC commandant.
The five honorees joining 43 other previously honored DLIELC graduates are:
Chief Master Sergeant of the Royal Saudi Air Force Mohammed Saud Alosaimi, DLIELC Class of 2011. He is the first person to hold his current position, and only the second enlisted member to be honored on the Wall of Fame.
Lt. Gen. Ganzorig Dovchinsuren, Chief, General Staff of the Mongolian Armed Forces, DLIELC Class of 2001. He was appointed to his position by decree of the Mongolian president in October 2019.
Maj. Gen. Nandor Kilian, Air Chief, Hungarian Air Force, DLIELC Class of 2001. He last visited in August 2021 to tour the DLIELC Aviation Language Training Center. (Story can be found here.)
Lt. Gen. Alcides Valeriano de Faria Jr., Commander, Army 6th Division, Army of Brazil, DLIELC Class of 1999. He previously served as commander of the 5th Armored Cavalry Brigade and the U.S. Army South Deputy Commanding General of Interoperability.
Lt. Col. Kimiya Yui, head of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Japan’s first military astronaut, DLIELC Class of 2006. He is certified as an International Space Station astronaut, and served 142 days on ISS Expedition 44/45.
“Attending DLIELC was a turning point in my personal career. It has opened many doors and career opportunities to include being selected for my position at Ft. Sam Houston as the U.S. Army South deputy commanding general of interoperability,” Faria said via Zoom.
“The U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin consistently talks of alliances and partnerships as an asymmetric advantage the United States has over potential adversaries. Put simply our closest adversaries don’t have the ability nor relationships to align themselves with as many capable partners to the degree the United States does,” Schaefer said.
He added that while some people only think of the sale of U.S. weapons systems as an example of interoperability, it means much more.
“While common weapons and weapon systems do help, without the training to operate and maintain them and the ability to exercise their use together, they are meaningless. Therefore, I hear interoperability and I think relationships,” Schaefer said. “Relationships can only thrive through trust and the trust is only possible with the ability to understand each other. DLI represents the beginning, the foundation for the trust our nations rely upon. This trust is built amongst the students and staff as they toil together to learn and understand a common language while also sharing parts of their culture and daily lives.”
The inductees’ photos were placed upon the Wall of Fame following the ceremony. Alosaimi was the only honoree able to attend in person, while Japan’s Country Liaison Officer, Lt. Col. Shunei Tamura, placed Yui’s photo. The senior DLIELC students representing Mongolia, Lt. Col. Ganzorig Enktaivan; Brazil, CF Pereira Wagner; and Hungary, Maj. Laszlo Attla Klemann; placed their respective honorees’ photos.