Real-world: Special Forces leaders rescue man from pond during Robin Sage exercise

JULIAN — The latest round of the Special Forces training exercise, Robin Sage, ended Thursday, with instructors springing into action the week before when an unidentified civilian drove into a pond.

Robin Sage is a quarterly unconventional warfare exercise that is the final test for candidates in the Special Forces Qualification Course, spanning multiple North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee counties.

Organized by the Fort Liberty-based Special Warfare Center and School, the exercise involves veterans, volunteers and law enforcement from the communities where the training is held, while candidates are placed in a simulated environment of “political instability characterized by armed conflict,” for “real-world training,” a SWC news release stated last month.

However, members of the cadre, who are instructors and leaders of the course, were faced with a real-world scenario mid-morning Aug. 28 in the Guilford County community of Julian.

Julian resident Mickey Keck, who volunteered his land to be used on the exercise, rapidly approached the cadre of the 1st Special Warfare Training Group on his all-terrain vehicle to tell them the exercise transportation agent was tending to a civilian whose vehicle became submerged in Keck’s pond, an Aug. 28 SWC news release stated.

Sgt. 1st Class John, whose last name can’t be used because of the nature of his job, said he noticed the transportation agent holding a man above the water while trying to row a boat to shore.

The news release stated that the instructors jumped into the water and pulled the boat and men to shore.

Sgt. 1st Class Nicolas, whose last name also can’t be used because of the nature of the job, said he assessed the man, who was unresponsive, not breathing and had no pulse.

“I immediately began doing chest compressions while Sgt. 1st Class John ran to direct the ambulance,” Nicolas said in the media advisory.

Nicholas said that while John provided details to Julian Fire Department Chief Cameron Shepard, he finally felt a “weak, thready pulse momentarily,” from the man.

“Once EMS arrived, I continued compressions until the first responder was ready to take over … Shortly after, we left the scene and continued training,” he said.

The unidentified man was later rushed to a medical facility.

Officials with SWC credited the “quick thinking and actions” of the Robin Sage members and first responders for “saving a life,” while also thanking community partners for providing SWC the space and opportunity to develop future Special Forces soldiers.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Real-world: Special Forces leaders rescue man from pond during Robin Sage exercise