If you've served in Iraq, you know how absolutely important a good interpreter is to an American unit.  if a platoon or company has a good, trusted interpreter, that Iraqi can sometimes be the most important member of the team.  In fact, when I was in Iraq, our interpreters weren't there to simply translate words from Arabic to English: They were the best intelligence gatherers in the battalion; they were deal makers between us and the local community; they cultivated relationships; and sometimes they even provided input during mission planning.  And when you're in middle of an insurgency, having a local like that on your side can, indeed, make the difference between mission success and mission failure.
 
But now the military has made a move that's more than counter-productive: According to The Washington Post on November 16, "the U.S. military has barred Iraqi interpreters working with American troops in Baghdad from wearing ski masks to disguise themselves, prompting some to resign and others to bare their faces even though they fear it could get them killed."  One report even described some poor interpreter caking makeup on his face because he was no longer allowed to wear a mask.  The only reason given by the military was that "professional units don't conceal their identity by wearing masks."
 
I understand the intent here, but this policy is both misguided and dangerous.  The work of translators is too valuable to risk with a blanket rule such as this.  Likewise, it's easy for someone in the rear to complain about the appearance of "professionalism," when, in reality, counterinsurgency operations on the ground simply dictate that interpreters be allowed to do what is necessary to maintain their own safety and that of their families.  And that's why this is a decision that should be made at the battalion level or below—not at the Army level.
 
Fortunately, many in the military, the media, and Congress are starting to take notice of this unwise policy.  I first wrote about the backlash at VetVoice only a few days after the Washington Post story broke.  One of the pieces I cited was from the New Yorker—in which George Packer called the new mask policy "stupidity and callousness posing as rectitude."  He writes:

For years, Iraqis working with American units were allowed to hide their faces so that they could keep their heads on their necks. The new order has already led to firings and a significant number of resignations, as well as desperate measures--one interpreter smearing his face with mascara, another hoping that a new beard will keep his identity secret. This is the kind of order that headquarters dreams up and combat troops detest.

Exactly what code of conduct is being maintained here? Iraqis aren't in the American chain of command. They don't take an oath; they don't fall under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. If they did, they would be given regulation uniforms. They wouldn't be allowed to use aliases. They would be housed on bases rather than obliged to make the dangerous trip home every night. They would receive pensions, health insurance, and death benefits. When one of them gets killed, the military would hold a ceremony. The widow would receive a flag. A grateful nation would remember.

The good news, however, is that on November 22, The Washington Post reported that 13 members of Congress and an association of interpreters had written a letter urging the Pentagon to rescind its policy.  Leading the charge, Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said, "Members of Congress were dumbfounded.  The Pentagon's position defies common sense."
 
I don't know yet whether or not this pressure will result in a change of policy.  But I do know that many of us have depended on the hard work and dedication or our Iraqi interpreters for nearly six years now.  A good number of us probably even owe our lives to their actions on the streets and battlefields of Iraq.  So we should be doing everything in our power to ensure, at the very least, that they're allowed to protect themselves and their families.  To do otherwise is shameful.  The military needs to rescind this ban on interpreter masks in Iraq.