(NAPSA)—Recognized as the catalyst in defeating the Taliban and playing a vital role in the continuing hunt for Osama bin Laden, U.S. Army Special Forces Soldiers are among the best and brightest troops in the world. In Afghanistan, Iraq and northwest Pakistan, where the U.S. intelligence believes Osama bin Laden is operating, Special Forces Soldiers serve as the tip of America’s military spear. Using their minds as often as they apply their elite physical conditioning and the equipment they have in their hands, Green Berets are trained to adapt, remain flexible and function in any situation and environment. Known as quiet professionals, Green Berets are skilled negotiators and trainers who form 12man A-Teams with functional expertise in engineering, medicine, communications and weapons. They execute their missions across cultural and linguistic boundaries—training and advising indigenous groups on military techniques, combat technology and ethical conduct in the most adverse and ambiguous conditions. “A Special Forces Soldier is a jack of all trades,” said Captain Brian Wilber, Detachment Commander, Special Forces Qualification Course. “He is able to go in theater, meet and work with indigenous personnel, train them up and prepare to fight alongside of them.” Before soldiers become Green Berets, they must complete a demanding multi-phase curricu- Photo Credit: Matt Monroe At Robin Sage, Green Beret candidates face the challenges of combatscenarios. lum, where highly experienced instructors and veterans push candidates to their limits, introducing real-world dilemmas that troops must overcomein thefield. A key proving ground is during the fourth phase of Special Forces training—an elaborate 19-day field training exercise nicknamed Robin Sage. Covering 8,500 square miles of North Carolina woodlands, Robin Sage challenges more than 20 A-Teams to think through and thrive in high-stress scenarios complete with counterinsurgents, guerrillas and a legion of civilian auxiliary volunteers. During this unconventional warfare exercise, students are required to apply the lessons learned from previous months of Special Forces military occupational specialty (MOS) training and field training. The scenarios stress realism as students train mock guerrilla forces in hostile environments and usecivilians in the surrounding communities as the auxiliary. “The dilemmas and situations that you face at Robin Sage are common everywhere you go,” said Specialist Matthew Summers, Special Forces Engineer. “Everyone needs money, everyone needs food and medical aid, but guerrilla forces don’t always have the supplies to facilitate that. As a Special Forces Soldier, you learn to work around the problems; adapt, improvise and overcome, that’s what we do.” Whether it is training indigenous forces to resist enemy aggression or providing medical aid to guerrilla personnel, Special Forces Soldiers bring a variety of knowledge to theater and are equipped and ready to function at any given moment. More importantly, Special Forces Soldiers continue to be cognizant of how teamwork applies during missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Pakistan as the hunt for Osama bin Laden heightens. “We're regular team guys with an extra functional specialty,” said Staff Sergeant Brian Bowlin, Medical Specialist. “But first and foremost, you’re going to make sure bullets are getting down range and you're pulling cover for you’re buddies; then when the time calls for you to be a medic, that’s when you're going to be a medic.” More information on the Special Forces can be found at www.sf.goarmy.com. For information about careers in the U.S. Army, visit www.GoArmy.com.
