By Spc. Susan Redwine/The Scout
FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. (TRADOC News Service, March 5, 2004) – The man is unassuming. On the outside, 1st Sgt. David R. Powers of the 260th Military Intelligence Battalion – a Florida National Guard unit based in Miami – doesn’t seem like the deadly warfighter he’s trained to be. He just seems like the kind of guy preoccupied with taking his son to soccer practice. Powers doesn’t show off the years of specialized training he’s been through as a Special Forces Soldier; instead, he exudes quiet authority.
“Usually my Soldiers know I’m upset when I raise my voice,” he said.
Powers is part of the program that is training Guardsmen and Reservists in human-intelligence collection at the Military Intelligence Center and School. The Reserve Component Soldiers are compressing an 18-week course into 12 weeks; understandably, Powers said the training is fast and intensive.
Powers said he hopes to take his training in forming tactical human-intelligence teams and put it together with his Special Forces training to target insurgent forces in Iraq. He said he wants to use his newly acquired skills and his 20 years of experience in the Army to foster a good tactical relationship between military intelligence and Special Forces.
“I want to stop insurgent groups from setting off the bombs in Iraq that are killing Soldiers every day,” he said.
Powers said he loves training and leading Soldiers. He was involved in Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Provide Comfort and other assignments he can’t discuss. Because he has had so much experience in the Army, Powers said finds himself in a leadership role in the military intelligence classes he is taking.
“I try to lead as though they’re Special Forces Soldiers,” he said. “I try to instill the core values of the Special Forces in these Soldiers because that will be the difference in some of them coming back alive (or not). I’m passing on knowledge and combat experience because they’re going to get theirs soon.”
Powers stays focused on his training because he takes the Global War on Terrorism personally. He said he knows many Special Forces Soldiers who were killed in action.
“There’s plenty of room to make mistakes now. If you make mistakes later, someone’s going to get killed,” he said.
Although the initiative he’s training under is new, Powers has nothing but positive things to say about the program and training on an active-duty post. He said the MI Center's chain of command has been “unbelievably supportive.”
“Some of the largest groups of boots on the ground are Reservists,” he said. “This program helps the Guard and Reserve show active-duty Soldiers that it’s one team, one fight. We’re working, fighting and dying together; it’s all the same.”
He also said that Guardsmen and Reservists add to the Army because of the real-world experience they bring with them.
“Guard and Reserve Soldiers bring a lot of extra training and skills to the table because we bring civilian skill sets in addition to prior active-duty skills,” he said. “It’s like getting two Soldiers for the price of one. It’s a synergistic effect.”
Powers said the Reserve and National Guard Soldiers he works and trains with come from varied backgrounds. He said these civilian skill sets contribute to the overall mission.
“It’s an extremely diverse group. We have students, police officers, federal agents and business professionals,” he said.
Despite the extensive experience Powers has as a Soldier and a leader, there is little on his exterior that shows just how much experience he has. He looks just like any other Soldier, not one who has been through some of the most intense training there is, the training that makes him a Special Forces Soldier.
“It’s one of the most physically and mentally challenging courses in the world,” he said. “The standards have remained constant since Vietnam. They don’t have any quotas. Those who graduate have earned it. They never look for mass numbers; they look for those who can make it.”
It’s important to take the training seriously because a Special Forces Soldier will find himself in more challenging situations than most other Soldiers.
“They’re looking for older, more mature soldiers. An E-5 is literally making national-security decisions on the ground level,” said Powers.
“Most people don’t know we’re there, and that’s where maturity and judgment comes in. You have to be self-supportive as an individual and as a team,” he said.
The training to become a Special Forces Soldier is extremely challenging, and it takes a very dedicated person to succeed at it. “There are different things (reasons for becoming a Special Forces Soldier), the common thread being that they are true Americans and truly believe in the cause. One of the ultimate challenges is to earn the green beret,” said Powers.
Powers said that Special Forces Soldiers don’t do what they do for recognition.
“The Special Forces Soldier is the quiet professional. As individuals, we’re seldom recognized for our efforts publicly,” he said. “Most people will never know what (we) do.”
Though he will not likely be recognized by very many people as a hero and many of his accomplishments may go unrewarded, Powers keeps his priorities clear.
“What’s most important is the person to the left and right. They risk their life for you every day,” he said.