Posted on 06/28/2005 8:07:51 PM PDT by SandRat
FORT BRAGG, N.C., June 28, 2005 – "Nowhere do citizens directly contribute so much to the training of military forces as you do here.”
The speaker, Maj. Gen. James W. Parker, was referring to the citizen volunteers who support the culminating event for Special Forces training, the unconventional warfare exercise known as “Robin Sage.”
"To be successful fighting against terrorists takes a different kind of military force with a unique skill set, one schooled in unconventional warfare,” Parker, the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School Commanding General, said, "and each of you directly contributes to the training of this unique force.”
Nearly 200 citizens were recognized for their support during a formal ceremony as part of the first-ever Pinelander Appreciation Day. The event was held June 11 at a farm in Seagrove, N.C. The owner of the farm is one of many landowners who volunteer their property and building for the exercise. The farm in Seagrove is used at the central operations center during the exercise.
Volunteers received a certificate of appreciation and a specially designed dog tag as part of the “America Supports You” campaign by the Department of Defense. The campaign encourages citizens to talk about how they support the U.S. military.
Robin Sage takes place in the fictional country of Pineland and is conducted four times a year in a 15-county area that covers over 8,500-square-miles. In addition to the citizen volunteers, other members of the communities where on hand to include the Mayors of Randleman and Mooresville, several city managers, local law enforcement and a representative from Senator Dole’s office, Ms. Debbie King, the constituent services representative.
One Moore County resident summed up citizen support this way, “we are not doing them a favor, they are doing us a favor allowing us to be a part of this training. All citizens should take every opportunity we have to tell (the Soldiers) how much we appreciate them because they stay between us and the bad guys.”
The general concluded his remarks with telling the volunteers, “We could not do it (Robin Sage) nearly as well without you. I want you to know you are part of the Special Forces family.”
Green Beret PING
I've had the opportunity to do Robin Sage twice -- it's really interesting, and I agree that the civilian role-players do a great job. Everyone in North Carolina seems to be a good sport about this exercise.
"To be successful fighting against terrorists takes a different kind of military force with a unique skill set, one schooled in unconventional warfare,” Parker, the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School Commanding General, said, "and each of you directly contributes to the training of this unique force.”
Thanks for the ping!
Parker's a mercurial flake, but he's right in this instance. The civilian participation in Robin Sage is excellent preparation for unconventional warfare.
The whole program was threatened in (I think) 2002 when a young officer from the 20th Special Forces Group was shot by one of the local cops. Some of the local police are "community policing" types before anyone ever coined that phrase, and some of them are the worst kind of mall-cop wannabees. This cop was one of the latter -- a true-blue scumbag.
The Army and the police work three times as hard to coordinate each Robin Sage and prevent another tragedy.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
That was a bad year for Robin Sage. One soldier was killed and another was badly wounded. The one who was wounded healed but eventually left the military.
I wish we could actually get to participate in the exercise over in the eastern part of Cumberland Co. I would think it would be so cool.
BTTT!!!!!!
BUMP!
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