A Navy Lieutenant's Mother

 

Oksana Dragan

On this week's edition of New American Voices, we talk with an immigrant mother whose son is returning from duty with the American Armed Forces in Iraq.
Lena Tamakloe's oldest child, Patrick, was born in the United States, grew up in Ghana and Zambia, and returned to America at the age of twenty-one. Shortly thereafter, he joined the U.S. Navy.
“He wanted to be a good citizen. And there were a lot of opportunities in the Navy, where he could go to school and get some kind of pay at the same time. He thought it was good. And it was good to serve his country.”
That was in 1992. Since then, Patrick Tamakloe has earned a degree in speech therapy, advanced to the rank of Lieutenant¹, Junior Grade, and served on a number of navy vessels². He was a crew member on the guided missile destroyer U.S.S. Donald Cook when it was assigned to active duty in Iraq.
“He told me he was going out to sea, but he didn't tell me where he was going. Only I suspected that he might be going that way. And I asked him to be careful, and always to pray, you know, because I have taught him that although he wants to be in the armed forces, he should not strike first. Let somebody get ready to harm him before he does it, to defend himself, you see. Fortunately, he came back. Every day we were praying for him and his fellow navy people and all the people in the armed forces.”
Now that her son's tour of duty in Iraq is over and she knows he's safe, Lena Tamakloe can speak dispassionately about her feelings while he was there.
“I was worried, very worried, because, you know, every time you hear of somebody dying, you say, 'Oh, I hope it's not my son!' you know, and when will this war end? I prefer peace to war. I just pray that one day, which will be soon, there will be no more war.”
In the meantime, however, Lena Tamakloe is distressed³ about the recent news coming out of Iraq.
“Things have gone haywire, and I'm really disappointed. Disappointed in the fact that some members of the armed forces are maltreating the very people they went to help. Oh, I was so disappointed and embarrassed.”
Mrs. Tamakloe says that, knowing her son, she is certain he is also aghast at the abuses some of his colleagues in the armed forces are accused of committing.
“Oh, he's a very loving person, he wouldn't hurt a fly, so I know he would also be disappointed that some of his fellow members were misbehaving like this. I don't know what went into their heads, to go that way. And it's common record, so a lot of people will be discredited⁴.”
On the other hand, she doesn't think the Iraqis are blameless, either.
“There were times when they ambushed⁶ and attacked the Americans, and I said, 'How can it be, people have come to help you, and you turn around and harm them? Because what we saw, the atrocities⁷ that Saddam Hussein was meting⁸ out to his own people, they were just too much, too unbearable⁹. People killed and buried in mass graves and so on. And he and his family amassing¹¹ so much wealth. It wasn't fair to the Iraqis. But then they should know what was being done to them, and if people have come to help them, to cooperate with them."
Lena Tamakloe, a small, middle-aged¹² woman with red-tinted hair, shares a homey apartment in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. with her eighteen-year-old daughter, MamaaAbui, a high school student. Mrs. Tamakloe first came to the United States from Ghana in 1969 to study. She married, had a baby, and eventually returned to Ghana, where she opened a shop specializing in African clothing. In 1996 she decided¹³ to leave Ghana for good and join her son Patrick in the United States. While her older daughter manages the clothing shop in Ghana, Lena Tamakloe works at a job helping¹⁴ elderly people in an assisted living facility.
“My own mother died when I was very young, it was my grandmother who took care of me. And she was such a loving person, and left me some good properties, too, so I said, 'Well, I'll give it back to, you know, older people, helping them. I work with people suffering from Alzheimer's. It's very challenging, but we manage. You know, when I think that they're older, and some of them really appreciate it when you show love and concern toward them. It goes a long way.”
Recently Mrs. Tamakloe passed a major milestone¹⁵ -- she became a U.S. citizen. She says her new status has even affected¹⁶ her feelings about the work she does.
“My becoming a citizen made me feel good, and makes me feel good, and we like it, because I expect to be treated as a citizen, and get all the rights and benefits of a full citizen. And also to contribute to the nation as a citizen. So where I work, for example, it's not like I'm helping strangers. I feel like I'm helping my own people. I'm one of them.”
As an immigrant and a new citizen, Lena Tamakloe says she feels that she should contribute to her adoptive country in any way she can. So as a mother, she is proud of her son Patrick's commitment, as a naval¹⁷ officer, to serve his country.
“Once he has chosen to be an American, he has a duty to perform, you know, so I have no quarrels with that. He's so proud to be doing what he's doing. At a certain point, I was wondering, with the war getting worse, if he had a way out. And he told me he had a mission to, you know, accomplish. So it's like if he's sent out there again, he will go. I am proud of him. I just pray for his safety.”
One immigrant mother's perspective on her son's service in the US armed forces in Iraq.
注释：
immigrant [5imi^rEnt] adj. 移民的，移居的
American Armed Forces 美国海陆空三军
Iraq [i5rB:k] n. [国名]　伊拉克共和国（位于亚州西南部）
Ghana [5^B:nE] n. [国名]　加纳共和国（位于非洲西部）
Zambia [5zAmbiE] n.［国名］赞比亚（位于非洲）
thereafter [TZEr5B:ftE] adv. 其后，从那时以后
U.S. Navy 美国海军
speech therapy正音治疗
advanced to 高于
Lieutenant, Junior Grade  海军中尉
tour of duty 海外服役
dispassionately [dis5pAFEnitli] adv. 冷静地
distressed [dI5strest] adj. 哀伤的
go haywire 杂乱不堪
embarrassed [Im`bArEst] adj. 局促不安的
aghast [E5^B:st] adj. 惊骇的，让人吃惊的
abuse [E5bju:z] n. 虐待
accuse [E5kju:z] vt. 谴责
discredited [dis5kreditid] adj. 不名誉的
blameless [5bleimlis] adj. 无可责备的，无过失的
ambush⁵ [5AmbuF] v. 埋伏
atrocity¹⁸ [E5trCsiti] n. 暴行
amass¹⁰ [E5mAs] vt. 积聚（尤指财富）
red-tinted 染红了的
homey [5hEumi] adj. 舒适的
suburb [5sQbE:b] n. 市郊，郊区
Alzheimer 阿兹海默氏症
milestone [5mailstEun] n. 重要事件
adoptive country 收养国
commitment [kE5mitmEnt] n. 承担义务
mission [5miFEn] n. 使命，任务
perspective [pE5spektiv] n. 观点，看法

1 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

2 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

4 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

5 ambush   

n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击

参考例句：

• Our soldiers lay in ambush in the jungle for the enemy.我方战士埋伏在丛林中等待敌人。
• Four men led by a sergeant lay in ambush at the crossroads.由一名中士率领的四名士兵埋伏在十字路口。

6 ambushed   

v.埋伏( ambush的过去式和过去分词 )；埋伏着

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The military vehicles were ambushed. 军车遭到伏击。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 meting   

v.（对某人）施以，给予（处罚等）( mete的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The manager was strict and fair in meting out rewards and punishments. 经理赏罚严明。 来自互联网
• Doris Crockford. Mr. Potter. I can't believe I'm meting you at last. 我叫桃瑞丝。韦斯莱。波特先生。我真不敢相信，总算见到您了。 来自互联网

9 unbearable   

adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的

参考例句：

• It is unbearable to be always on thorns.老是处于焦虑不安的情况中是受不了的。
• The more he thought of it the more unbearable it became.他越想越觉得无法忍受。

10 amass   

vt.积累，积聚

参考例句：

• How had he amassed his fortune?他是如何积累财富的呢？
• The capitalists amass great wealth by exploiting workers.资本家剥削工人而积累了巨额财富。

11 amassing   

v.积累，积聚( amass的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The study of taxonomy must necessarily involve the amassing of an encyclopaedic knowledge of plants. 分类学研究一定要积累广博的植物知识。 来自辞典例句
• Build your trophy room while amassing awards and accolades. 建立您的奖杯积累奖项和荣誉。 来自互联网

12 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

13 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

14 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

15 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

16 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

17 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

18 atrocity   

n.残暴，暴行

参考例句：

• These people are guilty of acts of great atrocity.这些人犯有令人发指的暴行。
• I am shocked by the atrocity of this man's crimes.这个人行凶手段残忍狠毒使我震惊。