Posted on 02/24/2002 8:50:08 PM PST by mdittmar
A Fort Bragg soldier taking part in an exercise off the base was killed and another was injured in a shooting after a sheriff’s deputy stopped them on a rural road, authorities said.
The soldiers were taking part in a role-playing exercise that is part of the Special Forces Qualification Course, according to a statement from the Moore County Sheriff’s Department.
The soldiers were carrying weapons, but they do not carry live ammunition during the exercise, Maj. Richard Patterson of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School told The Fayetteville Observer.
“The two soldiers were not in uniform. For various scenarios within the exercise, that’s not uncommon,” said a Special Forces spokesman. “They were going out to do reconnaissance of a target that was going to be used for a future mission in the exercise,” the spokesman said.
The newspaper reported that the soldiers were in a vehicle that was stopped by Deputy Randall Butler on a rural road northwest of Robbins on Saturday afternoon. Robbins is about 25 miles from the Fort Bragg reservation.
The sheriff’s department would not comment on why Butler stopped the vehicle or why he drew his weapon. No charges had been filed Sunday. Butler was placed on administrative leave with pay.
Sheriff Frank Johnson was out of town and couldn’t be reached by telephone Sunday.
UNDER INVESTIGATION
The soldiers were in a vehicle driven by a civilian who was playing the role of a resident of a fictitious country, Patterson said. He wouldn’t discuss further details of the incident because it was being investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation and the Army.
“It was definitely a misunderstanding, but we’re still looking at the procedures and actions taken. We can’t lay blame on anyone right now,” said the Special Forces spokesman. The exercise, known as “Robin Sage,” is the 19-day final exam of the Special Forces Qualification Course. It tests skills in survival, tactics and dealing with people, as well as judgment, decision-making and ethics.
In previous Robin Sage sessions, law enforcement officials have helped the military by setting up road blocks. There was no immediate indication whether Butler was helping with Saturday’s exercise.
Patterson said the names of the dead and wounded soldiers wouldn’t be released until their relatives were notified.
The wounded soldier was listed in serious condition at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, according to the sheriff’s department.
This is the sort of thing that happens when carrying a firearm becomes uncommon and a cause for instant suspicion and alarm. A fact acknowledged by the very requirement of the NC CHL law requiring notification of any LEO approaching, whatever that might mean, a permitee.
It IS tragic. It's hard to blame either the students or the officer, since both were performing as they had been trained to conduct themselves and react acordingly. Somebody was definitely left out of the loop when it came to passing the word on to the civil authorities. On the whole, I think the Army will have a lot of explaining to do, sadly, since this happened off-post and it was their exercise. Could be the Sherrif's office was notified and forgot to pass the word along, though.
Special Forces play dangerous games-comes with the territory.
I agree, but I can't help but think that there must have been something left out of the situation if had been going on in these counties for so long. Was the Deputy new? Was there a codeword that would let one side or the other know that this was a Robin Sage excercise that was never dropped?
These are CYA weasel words. The sheriff's dept wouldn't be notified of the specifics of ANY operation unless they were taking part in that specific exercise. These teams have been on the ground now for about 2 weeks,and there is no way in hell the Moore County Sheriff's Dept could have not known they were there.
HorseHillary! The civilians in this area have been working with the army ever since PathFinders from the newly-formed 82nd Abn Div ran training operations in that area in WW-2. I PERSONALLY know of one family in that area that has THREE generations who have worked with SF Training Group. Two of these generations went on to become SF soldiers themselves.
The word "unprofessional" comes to mind.
Speaking as one of the civilian resources they have used,I find the "unprofessional" comment incredibally insulting. My job as the guerilla chief had me working 20 hours a day,seven days a week for 19 days to try and make this exercise both challenging and educational. The same goes for EVERY other G-Chief out there,ALL of whom are former active duty SF soldiers themselves. The only exception to this is one retired USMC major from Force Recon who is a graduate of the program himself,and who worked as a liason between the Force Recon and SWC before he retired. Some of those guys are out there climbing the mountains and sleeping on the ground at damn near 70 years of age. People who were deployed on real missions all over the world during their own enlistments which date all the way back to the Korean War. One I know of was already a Master Sgt E-8 when I knew him on Okinawa in 1966. YOU figure out how much experience this man has to pass on,and the dedication it takes to go out there and do this job at his age! They ain't doing it for the money,either. When you figure the hours you work,you don't even make minimum wage. You hope on the best day of your life to be even half as professional as any one of these people.
Soldier killing ‘tragic’ error
‘‘They attacked the deputy with everything they had, and he responded accordingly,’’ [Lane] Carter [chief deputy of the Moore County Sheriff’s Department] said. ‘‘One was trying to get the deputy’s weapon. The other was pulling a weapon out of a bag. They ended up getting shot over it. He reacted as any officer would react.’’The soldiers were not wearing uniforms. One of them carried a bag containing a disassembled M-4 carbine, a standard Special Forces weapon, Army officials said. Participants in the exercise do not carry live ammunition.
The State Bureau of Investigation said Butler stopped what appeared to be a suspicious vehicle.Randy Myers, a criminal specialist in the Fayetteville district office of the SBI, said there was a confrontation and “Deputy Butler felt like his life was in imminent danger.’’
Carter compared the traffic stop to a 1997 incident on Interstate 95 when two law enforcement officers were killed. Cumberland County Deputy David Hathcock and N.C. Highway Patrolman Ed Lowery were shot to death on Sept. 22, 1997, after a routine traffic stop on I-95. Brothers Kevin and Tilmon Golphin of Richmond, Va., have been sentenced to death for the killings.Carter said the situation was similar on Saturday in that one person tried to get the officer’s attention while the other tried to fire a rifle.
Since the object of these games is for the students to work with civilian forces in a civilian area,it can NOT take place on base.
As for the firearms concerns,this may be the only place I know where you can drive through town with a sandbagged M-60 across the cab of your pickup,and have people smile and wave at you.
I didn't realize you are from NC.
You gotta be kiddin'! This bunch of military people are the most professional there are; the deputy may be a suspect!
And him being the shooter raises some flags in my mind!
As the G-Chief,I'd be the one sitting closest to the fire on the stool.(G) I'm not sure that is one of my base camps,but the blue tarp leads me to believe it was. I always used them for a special reason I don't want to discuss,and am not aware of other teams having them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.