美国国家公共电台 NPR--U.S. Marines are set to have the first Black 4-star general in their 246-year history

U.S. Marines are set to have the first Black 4-star general in their 246-year history

Transcript²

The Senate will make military history if it votes to confirm Gen. Michael E. Langley to command U.S. forces in Africa. He'll be the first Black four-star general in the Marine¹ Corps³' history.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The U.S. Senate is expected to make history when it votes to confirm General Michael E. Langley to command U.S. forces in Africa. He'll be the first Black four-star general in the Marine Corps' history. That's 246 years. That milestone⁴ is being celebrated⁵ but also held up as a sign of how slow the military has been to change - 70 years after U.S. armed forces were officially desegregated. Here's NPR's Quil Lawrence.

QUIL LAWRENCE, BYLINE⁶: Senators on the Armed Services Committee made clear they intend to confirm Langley at his hearing. They asked polite, deferential⁷ questions. In classic Marine Corps style, Langley gave direct, concise⁸ answers.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MICHAEL E LANGLEY: The global security environment we're witnessing today is the most challenging I've seen throughout my 37 years. These challenges cannot be solved by military power alone. They require an integration⁹ of diplomatic efforts and comprehensive strategies from other allies and partners.

LAWRENCE: Langley is from Shreveport, La., the son of an Air Force master sergeant¹⁰.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LANGLEY: My father dedicated¹¹ 25 years to the defense¹² of our nation, and my stepmother is a retired¹³ front-line supervisor¹⁴ at our U.S. post office. Without their support, I would not be here today.

LAWRENCE: Langley has led from the platoon level all the way up to commanding Marine forces in all of Europe and Africa. He's deployed¹⁵ to Somalia and Afghanistan, where he led a team advising Afghan troops in Helmand Province. The Marines saw heavy combat there. He's got graduate degrees from the Army and Navy war colleges. So for some, it's more a question of why it's taken so long.

JEREMY BUTLER: It's great to see him getting this long overdue¹⁶ recognition. It's a great move for the Marine Corps.

LAWRENCE: Jeremy Butler with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America says the military has diversity, just not among the senior officers, which makes it hard to persuade the best and brightest young Americans that the military should be their career.

BUTLER: The other headlines that we're seeing today is how all the services are having an incredibly troubling time meeting their recruiting goals. And if we don't have a military that's reflective of the values that our country is striving to maintain and to achieve, we're going to continue to see a decline in enlistments.

LAWRENCE: The Marine Corps command lags behind even other military branches in diversity. Langley is one of just half a dozen Black Marine generals. He will now be the first four-star.

Quil Lawrence, NPR News.

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

4 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。

5 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 deferential   

adj. 敬意的，恭敬的

参考例句：

• They like five-star hotels and deferential treatment.他们喜欢五星级的宾馆和毕恭毕敬的接待。
• I am deferential and respectful in the presence of artists.我一向恭敬、尊重艺术家。

8 concise   

adj.简洁的，简明的

参考例句：

• The explanation in this dictionary is concise and to the point.这部词典里的释义简明扼要。
• I gave a concise answer about this.我对于此事给了一个简要的答复。

9 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

10 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

11 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

12 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

13 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

14 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

15 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

16 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。