FORT LEE, Va. (Aug. 25, 2011) -- A native of Amman, Jordan, who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., is currently enrolled in the Basic Officers Leadership Course at Army Logistics University. Second Lt. Khaled W. Abu-Shattal is a platoon leader in the Royal Guards Regiment, a Jordanian army unit similar to the U.S. Secret Service. His unit protects King Abdullah II, his family and guests.
Abu-Shattal is one of 123 international students from 52 countries now studying at Fort Lee. Most international military students are in the United States for the first - and probably the only -time in their lives. That's not true of Abu-Shattal. However, like most international students, he has an appetite for new places, new activities and new foods.
At 24, he has spent about a third of his life in the U.S. and speaks English and Arabic fluently. While his father, a retired brigadier general in Jordan's air force, was on active duty in the U.S., the family lived in San Antonio, Texas, for two years and Harrisburg, Penn., for several years where the lieutenant graduated from high school.
He then joined the Jordanian army and applied to West Point. He was accepted and majored in systems engineering. He was one of 18 international students in his West Point class that graduated in 2009 and is the third Jordanian to graduate from there.
While at West Point, Abu-Shattal began learning and writing music. The bachelor also attended the U.S. Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga. He considers that "one of the best things that I have done in my life."
He enjoys playing soccer, riding bicycles and swimming. His studies at Fort Lee have left him little time for recreation, however. Abu-Shattal is to complete BOLC in November.
West Point curriculum, not surprisingly, includes a lot of history. Those courses convinced Abu-Shattal that logistics is "a huge factor in whether an army wins or loses." Logistics is also a good fit with his interest in systems engineering.
The actual story can be found in the Fort Lee newspaper, the Traveller, at: http://www.fortleetraveller.com/.
Related Links
Fort Lee Traveler; Jordanian West Pointer at ALU
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