Robin Sage - Any Special Memories
 

My son begins Robin Sage this weekend. He's a 20 year-old 18 X candidate who has successfully completed the other SFQC training modules. He's under the "older" training schedule so will not learn his language school until (and if)he succesfully completes Robin Sage. I've read most anything I can on the Robin Sage training exercise. Just wondering if any of QP's on board would share any non-classified stories or memories of Robin Sage. Again, thanks to all of you have served or are serving our country. I'm hopeful that one day my son may too bear title: Quiet Professional. God Bless!

I remember running through the woods a lot with a horde of those damn CAPs from the 82nd Airplane Gang hot on heels.

Flushed like Quail
 

As a student our G band had a fairly even mix of SF guys and coscomites. We got flushed out of our base camp by a platoon + from the 82nd. As all the confusion started a couple of the Gs (team guys) grabed about four of us students and yelled "follow us". The six of us twisted and turned through the woods and after a while we stopped and sat down. The two SF guys informed us students that "This was the place". Within a few hours most of the students and SF Gs showed up. The coscomites got bagged almost to a man.

I was able to return the favor years later when our team was detailed to be Gs, all in the same band. Almost in the same way.

Students are so focused on the school solution and passing that they lose a bit of the feeling of whats going on around them. That old SA thing again.

Extended Remarks
 

Blanks don't kill anybody.

In the 70s and 80s it was quite common for a number of troopers in the 82nd to drop weapons at the first contact with students and Gs during Robin Sage and give chase. It would develope into a foot race and many arguments.

Site selection is very important when all you have is blanks. Working wire fences, ditches and streams into your plans can greatly improve the "kill zone" and impede the bad guys. A squad of Infantry who drops their weapons and charges into your force looks real funny hung up on a three strand barbed wire fence. And after that one they were real slow in chasing us anywhere at night.:cool:

If you know where they are at, fences are your friends.

I remember the food poisoning I acquired from the communal pot of mystery goulash in the G-base. :(

Jumping in at midnight from a 141 and all of us in the trees. Some all night !!

Launching a Star Cluster horizontally, skipping it down the road and onto the Bridge that the 82nd was defending, where it did it's Star Cluster Thing !!!:D

Also sleeping up in the rafters of the tobacco drying barns.

An exercise where I was involved, we are doing a very close recce of an enemy location. One guard was slumped & and not paying much attention, behind a tree to my left sector and I had initially missed him going forward.

Once we were retreating from the particular direction, he popped up, with his jacked hood covering his head.

His rifle was against the tree and the sight of three camoed and armed men training their weapons on him, I think he was startled a bit.

He looked at his weapon, at us, back at his weapon....and went for it. After a few bursts of blanks, we were well away before they got anyone mobilized.

Pardon me if I am intruding, but what is a "coscomite"?

Respectfully,
Aric

Cosmonite (cos-mo-nit) n. - 1. Dirty leg soldier assigned to 1st COSCOM. Frequently assigned to role play as G's during Robin Sage. 2. Any REMF. (see Pogue).

TR

Nice. :D

Thanks TR.

--Aric

That would be a member of Corps Support Commant (COSCOM) of which there was none in '63. In fact there was no "Robin Sage" for the EM. It was the FTX for the Officers in the SFOC, not SFQC. There was no SFQC as such. I believe our FTX's were named Cherokee Trail and Gobbler's Woods (Knob) I'm a big help aren't I.:D

We enlisted commo swine generally got to go on two or three FTX's. We had our own commo FTX, the Branch final FYX and we "got" to support the Officers in their FTX.

LOL. Nice work TR.

Actually yes. It's fascinating to see the progression that the training pipeline has made over the years. Thanks for the response.

--Aric

Robin Sage compared to SERE
 

Thanks to all the QP's who have responded - it's some great information. I remember picking up my 18 X son from the airport four days after SERE and he was thin, his face was a mess and he had the "deer in the headlights" look which lasted for about a week. Does Robin Sage produce a similar reaction? Just curious. It's going to be a hard couple more weeks waiting to hear from him and find out if he passed Robin Sage. Thanks for all the responses. This is a great site.

It's hardly the same emotional and humbling experience as SERE. Take him to Texas Roadhouse, buy him a beer, and enjoy his stories!

longtab- glad to hear that information from you. I'm not familiar with the Texas Roadhouse. I assume it's a bar in Fort Bragg? We have not been to Bragg yet, only to Ft. Benning for our son's Turning of the Blue ceremony. I look forward to seeing my son again and hearing his stories. In the meantime, I appreciate all of the QP such as you who are willing to share information with Dads like me. Take care.

Texas Roadhouse.
 

The Texas Roadhouse is one of the better places to get a steak and cold beer in Fayetteville. While everybody has their place of choice to eat, it's mine.

It's on Sycamore Dairy Road extension between Mcpherson Church road and the All American Expressway.

The place fills up quickly after 5:10PM. You get the fastest seating at about 4:50-5:00PM. After that it's standing room only and up to a 30 minute wait.

Coscomite Gs
 

I really must add an addendum on the G force from COSCOM. At the time I had any dealings with Robin Sage the G Force was a detail from post units.

You had two types of Gs - those that hated the detail and being in the field - and those that loved it and volunteered for it to get out of the BS at main post.

The repeat Gs came out every chance they got. They were very good in the field, knew "the game" very well and loved being Gs. They also knew the students were under the gun for grades and the 82nd troops got "good deals" for running down the students. If a small patrol was jumped they would throw themselves into the 82nd allowing the students to escape.

The deadbeats would sit down and moan every chance they got.

There is a trick to whipping a bunch of unmotivated coscomite type Gs into a band of whup-ass Gs. Takes a little more work and a few mind games but the transformation can be remarkable. The Remington Raiders ride again. Thats Remington as in typewriter.

In conjunction with another thread I always loved it when I heard the G-Chief had the TL taken out and shot because he was a Richard Head. This was at the direction of the Umpire. You don't have to go native but I believe to "establish rapport" was the next step after making contact.:D :

Fantastic posts; really enjoy reading them--

hell, our G-chief was named Rikard Kopf...:eek:

Colonel Jack Meoff.

It was pronounced, "May Hoff".

And you better not laugh when you said it.

TR

I was a G Chief once. I got the impression the TL didn't care much for me. WO Ian C was the Team Sergeant. One of his troops KIAd a box turtle. Seems they didn't realize that that particular species holds a very special place in the hearts of PL nationals. Ian came up with some rather innovative ways of expressing his remorse. The funeral was beautiful - full military honors. I thought them charging over the hill screaming "Viva La Tortuga" at the top of their lungs was a nice touch as well...

Good News from Pineland
 

Hello All,

I just received a call from my son from somewhere in Pineland. He successfully passed the Robin Sage portion of the pipeline should return to Ft. Bragg on Monday. He thinks he will find out his language on Tuesday. Note to the other dads on the forum: I don't have much information yet on his Robin Sage experience as we didn't have much time to talk. He did say that the peer review was very tough and he almost did not make it based on that. Don't have anymore particulars but my son is sometimes a little too serious and intense so that may be part of it. I'll follow up again once we learn his language. Thanks for the support of the QP and others on the PS forum.

Michael

Robin Sage
 

My G-chief was J. Anderson from 7th SFG. He was a proud Texan. Every morning he raised the Texas flag over the G-Base and made us all sing the Texas national Anthem.

Congratulations 18XDad and continued good fortune to your son!

Way to go 18XDad! The pride of a father runs deep.

Congradulations 18x dad. I think you'll find your son's experience in Robin Sage was much different than phase II etc.

By my calculations, based on Tom Clancy's book,.........my son should have parachuted or helicoptered into Pineland early this AM. This is like knowing your son is competing at the State Wrestling tournament, or the BIG football game.........unable to watch! How miserable!:(

Keepin him in my thoughts as well K. I'm sure he's doin fine...albeit tired, pissed off and hungry. He'll do fine!

D

It's Hard to Wait
 

Co Lawman,

I know your anxiety level is running high. I was very emotional when I got the call from our son that he had passed Robin Sage. It's great to hear that your son is continuing toward his goal. Based on what I've heard of him, he will successfully complete Robin Sage. At this point in the training pipeline it seems that the focus is on working to get our young men toward the goal and not so much weeding them out, though that still can and does happen.

My son is two months into his six month Korean Language School and I still have anxiety about that. He seems to be taking it all in stride but only time will tell.

Thinking positively now: when your son completes his training, when will he graduate? Has he already done the language training?

Take care and let us know the outcome.

With respect and admiration,

18 X Dad

Sometimes I wonder if the pipeline has a peripheral goal of preparing us parents for all the times ahead where our sons are going to be off somewhere doing important things and we won't be able to contact them to ask how they are doing.

My thoughts are with you CoLawman. I hope he passes with flying colors. :)
How long until you find out?

--Aric

Robin Sage is scheduled to end on the 26th of this month. He is then starting Arabic. Counting down the days.

My G Chief
 

I was in SFOC 78-1 and had the pleasure to winter in the Carolina wilderness. His G Chief name was Juajolote Gordo (you 7th SFGA guys can translate). Wally was an incredile role player (if he was doing that), he knew all the locals and really gave the students leaders a going over. Thanks, Wally!

It was HOT!!
 

I did robin Sage in August somewhere near Troy. We had heat category 5 every day. We still trained but the G's that were in the base camp were allowed to lay up sorry and eat watermelons from a nearby watermelon patch all day. After about two days, we made sure the missions left the base camp early and all the gs went out! I also learned just how wild the summer thunderstorms can be here in NC. I was in a hammock about 50 feet from a longleaf pine that had the top blown off of it. I learned a new respect for lightning that day!
Your son is getting the best instruction from the best soldiers in the Army so he is in very capable hands. You should be very proud that your son decided to serve this country during a time of war and that he chose Special Forces.
Good Luck Sir!!

And even prouder that Special Forces chose him. You raised him right.

Finally The Call!
 

Got the call this morning! :lifter The son is back from Robin Sage and sounded great. He stated that without a doubt it was the most effective training he had experienced to date. He was extremely impressed with the cadre and the exercises. He has not learned his Group assignment yet, but believes he might learn it before the week is out. Arabic starts next Monday. They get a four day weekend so he has his girlfriend flying in for the R&R.

Congratulations, that is awesome!

Thank you for raising him so well, and thank him from me for serving.

Martin

Congrats
 

So happy to hear that your son passed and is continuing on the journey. Please tell him congrats from 18 X Dad. Look forward to hearing more updates.