Thursday, May 12, 2005, By KEN THORBOURNE, JERSEYJOURNAL STAFF WRITER

For the past two days, 19 fatigue-clad cadets from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point have roamed Journal Square, asking locals about their culture and habits—all part of an exercise to teach the cadets how to quickly build relationships with diverse populations.

"The unique thing in Jersey City is all the cultures coming together and getting along," said Army Major Matt Abbruzzese, explaining why Jersey City was picked for the hands-on workshop, held Tuesday and yesterday. "This is how different communities get things done was the point."

And with the majority of West Point's 1,000 graduates likely to serve in Iraq, Afghanistan or some other overseas hot spot, the importance of learning to mix cannot be over-stressed, Abbruzzese said.

"These skills are invaluable." he said. "The thing is to have cultural awareness."

Cadet Sara Tracy, 22, visited a Hindu temple, took in a lecture on Coptic Christian history and slept overnight - along with several colleagues—at an Islamic center.

"They are very hospitable and open," said Tracy, a native of Albuquerque, N.M., about the Copts she encountered. "I didn't know they had their own structure (religious hierarchy) dating back to 451 A.D. in Egypt."

[see photos below]

Tenting on Newark Avenue

Ali Shakeri, CPT Abi Linnington, and other participants await the start of the exercise

The group assigned to the Hindu communtiy meets community leader Raju Patel

The Hindu community group speaks with a local resident

Hindu guide Bharat Patel

Boots and shoes left respectably outside a Hindu store

Muslim community group with their guide

Muslim community group shares a BIG Egyptian lunch