When military paymasters are in training they are tested in various difficult
situations. Banknotes go missing, soldiers or civilian employees try to pass through the
pay line more than once, people are paid too much or too little and other problems that
their instructors think will be beneficial to the paymaster's career. The notes above are
a front and back of a training banknote series used in Vietnam dated August 1964 to help
train paymasters that might be involved in paying U.S. Troops or Vietnamese guerillas. The
U.S. Army Finance Corps insignia is depicted at the lower right on the one dollar note.
The code to the side of the note indicates: Army Field Printing Plant, work order 974,
August 1964, 15,000 copies.
Another banknote to teach the students at the Army Finance School
how to safely pay troops and assure accuracy when handing out or taking in
cash. Notice the character in the center. That is the famous character “Sad
Sack,” a woeful Army draftee that never did one thing right in his whole
career. Sad Sack is a comic strip and comic book character created by
Sergeant George Baker during World War II. Set in the United States Army,
Sad Sack depicted an otherwise unnamed, lowly private experiencing some of
the absurdities and humiliations of military life. The title was a
euphemistic shortening of the military slang "sad sack of shit", common
during World War II. The phrase has come to mean "an inept person" or "inept
soldier."
The U.S. Army Finance School moved to Ft. Benjamin Harrison,
Indiana, on 1 June 1951. Fort
Benjamin Harrison was closed as part of the 1991 Base Realignment and
Closure Commission.
During the Korean War the Unites States parodied Korean banknotes with safe conduct
messages signed by Ridgway, Van Fleet and Clark. It is interesting to note that long after
the end of the Korean War, American Special Forces were still using the Korean safe
conduct pass format as a training aide. One green safe conduct pass banknote has the
following message in English and Esperanto:
It is doubtful that any of the young soldiers finding the pass knew of its Korean War
origins.
Just as the PSYOP personnel were familiar with Korean War safe conduct passes, they had
also worked on counterfeit money for the Bay of Pigs invasion and probably still had all
the images in their files. As a result, for years afterwards various war game currencies
were prepared using the image of the Cuban 20 peso note. This war game note is similar to
the counterfeit except for all the additional text and the changing of the title from
“Banco Nacional de Cuba” to “Banco Nacional de Red.”
Since much of the American war game training was against Communist nations in South and
Latin America, it was common to use a Cuban currency facsimile. I have at least six
different of this specific image in my files. The banknote is a safe conduct pass from the
Republic of Costa. The war game was usually between the nations of Costa and Ventura. It
is also interesting to point out that a real American propaganda leaflet banknote using
this image was used in Grenada where there were Cuban troops and construction people
building an air field for the Communist nation.
We see that the propagandists liked this 5 peso note and used it over and over with
minor changes to the text on the front and back.
This safe conduct pass is party a reproduction of the 25 Cents U.S.
Military Payment Certificate, Series 692. These were first introduced into
circulation on 7 October 1970 and withdrawn on 15 March 1973. These notes
were therefore in use at the end of the Vietnam War. This is the last
official series of military payment certificates ever issued by the United
States and used only in Vietnam. We don’t know who reproduced this note as a
safe conduct pass, but we assume it was either for training purposes or for
use in a war game.
Curiously, the blue back of the safe conduct pass is a perfect
replica of the real note.
Exercise ROBIN SAGE
8th PSYOP Battalion Exercise Robin Sage - Pineland Cartoon
Pineland is a fictitious country located in North Carolina, developed by
the United States Army Special Forces Command to train Special Forces, PSYOP and Civil
Affairs in unconventional warfare. The basic scenario of Pineland is that the government
has been overthrown through a violent coup and US forces are now assisting a guerrilla
force that aim to overthrow the de facto government and restore order to the nation.
Around eight times a year Special Forces soldier infiltrate into Pineland via parachute,
vehicle, helicopter and foot and link up with their guerrilla forces. The guerrilla forces
are comprised primarily of Active Duty soldiers and volunteer civilians who participate in
the exercise often referred to as Robin Sage.
Robin Sage, derives its name from the town of Robbins, N.C., a central area of
operations for the exercise, and former Army Colonel Jerry Sage, a World War II veteran
and an Office of Strategic Services, or OSS officer who taught unconventional warfare
tactics. Steve McQueen’s character Hilts in the film “The Great Escape” was
based off Sage.
Fun in the woods - Need we say more?
The guerrilla forces are comprised primarily of Active Duty soldiers and volunteer
civilians who participate in the exercise often referred to as Robin Sage. There is a fake
currency known as Don which can be used to pay guerrilla forces, transportation and even
food in some of the participating restaurants. This is excellent training in how to manage
and safeguard funds used to pay guerrillas.
Pineland Resistance Forces Flag
Thousands of residents in North Carolina have participated in Robin Sage for years
acting in various roles from town mayors to CIA contacts all designed to help train the
Special Forces soldiers. There are a great number of documents and printed material that
have been prepared for this exercise.
The Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) wrote about the operation
in an article titled Role Players Teach Lessons in PSYOP Exercise. The article says
in part:
On the continent of Atlantica, between Europe and America, lies the rural village of
Pine Branch, in the northern part of the Republic of Pineland. The villagers were in the
middle of “a little civil war” and the U. S. Army had arrived to stabilize the
region. Pastor Bowen Scott was on hand to mediate and counsel. Scott had settled in Pine
Branch from Franklin, Tennessee, was set apart from the locals by his southern accent and
black cowboy hat. But that’s not the least of his differences. He’s also
been a terrorist and a mullah.
“He” is actually Edward Hudson, the man who pretends to be Pastor Scott.
Hudson is a civilian role player, hired by the Valbin Corporation, to provide realistic
training for the Psychological Operations students taking the class offered by the 80th
Training Command several times a year. Hudson is actually from the town of Lockwood, and
Pine Branch is in a Fort Hunter Liggett training area.
At least a dozen other role players, most from the local area, took on personas of
villagers in order to challenge the Soldiers with situations they may encounter on real
missions…
Pineland Government Flag
The missions that take place within Pineland include everything from hostage rescue to
building a bridge for the local populace. Special Forces soldiers conduct raids on bridges
and emplace fake explosive charges after killing or capturing UPA (Unified Provinces of
Atlantica) or they meet with underground forces to gather intelligence on enemy movements
and operations. The goal of the exercise is to train the resistance forces to a point
where they can successfully overthrow the UPA government and restore order. This is done
through ongoing training of the resistance forces while in Pineland and an operations plan
where the SF soldiers gradually pass the responsibility of training and operations to the
forces to the point where they can operate unilaterally. This is designed to train Special
Forces, PSYOP and Civil Affairs soldiers for real world scenarios such as Afghanistan
where they are conducting similar operations. In many ways the Special Forces
soldier’s job is to train themselves out of a job and leave behind a fully
operational force that can conduct ongoing operations without the help of US personnel.
My pal Ray Ambrozak mentioned Pineland in a recent email:
The Pineland Exercise happened at the end of the PSYOP and Special
Forces courses. It took place in
the small towns, farms, and countryside near Ft. Bragg. The PSYOP students were the Pineland government. Special Forces students were an insurgent force trying to overthrow
that government (and made a jump into the local territory). The 82nd
Airborne provided the government army, and the exercise citizens were for
the most part the folks who lived there. Some of the locals supported the Pineland government, others the
insurgent Special Forces teams.
A minister let his church be used for secret meetings. Farmers housed the insurgents in their barns. Public gatherings in
the town squares were attended mostly by townsfolk and tourists who listened
attentively to the speeches of Pineland government officials (played by
PSYOP students).
Ray found out quite by accident that the Special Forces play for
real, even if it is a game:
As an instructor, my function in the exercise was that of a
controller. Generally, this
meant you kept the exercise moving, but contained within parameters that
would steer the students towards confronting problems that helped achieve
teaching objectives. On one of
the exercises, I inserted myself into a problem as a local insurgent leader. It seemed just some harmless role playing to add some realism at a
critical point in the exercise.
This did not go unnoticed by the 82nd Airborne troops who raided our
meeting, taking me prisoner and spiriting me off to Headquarters. for
further questioning. I decided
to continue to role play under questioning from the 82nd lads as there were
two Special Forces students in the room. Since I was not being cooperative, they said I was forcing them to
use stronger methods of interrogation. At the time, I did not know what water boarding was, but I soon found
out. I was on my back on a table
with my head hanging back over the edge. Two of the 82nd’s finest sitting on each arm. My loudest protests and telling them I was an instructor, fell on
deaf ears. A wet washcloth was
placed over my face which made breathing a struggle. Each intake of breath caused the wet cloth to be plastered to my
face, further restricting air flow. As suffocation became a thought, they began pouring water over the
washcloth which I was not prepared for, so the water went up my nose, down
my throat and now the thought was about drowning. Eventually, someone called
an end to it, and I went back to controller status. When asked about this later I managed enough bravado to say, “It was
damn fine training.” I did not do any more role playing in future exercises.
It is a fact that to some people a game is a game and to others it
is dead serious. I told my buddy retired Major Ed Rouse about a war game
where they put a prisoner in a big 20-gallon drum, filled it with water
right up to his nose, put the lid on and then banged it with batons until he
spilled his guts.
He told me about a Pineland he attended, and a guerrilla shown a
big 6-foot diamondback rattlesnake in a glass aquarium tank. The prisoner
was blindfolded and questioned. When he refused, the interrogator said, “Get
out the rattler” and then took a big friendly black snake out of a gunny bag
and put it on the guerrilla while shaking a rattler on a stick he bought
from a roadside tourist store. Ed said that the guerrilla would have
confessed to killing John F. Kennedy once that snake started crawling over
him. Wargames can really be fun!
Pineland Currency
The Anthem of Pineland is as follows:
This is the Land of the of the Tall Pine Tree
Where All of Us used to Live so Free
THIS IS PINELAND
A Place to Live and a Place to Play
But the UPA took it all away
THIS IS PINELAND
A Place where we are all free to Work Together
Where our Crops can Grow and the Sun will Shine Forever
A Beautiful Land with Much to Give
This is where we’ll Always Live
THIS IS PINELAND
Before we end this discussion of Robin
Sage and Pineland, we should remind the readers that although these are
called exercises and war games, they can be deadly.
In February 2002, as part of Robin Sage,
two soldiers were on a reconnaissance mission when Deputy Randall Butler
pulled them over in a traffic stop. The soldiers were driving in an unmarked
vehicle and dressed in civilian clothing. Butler was unaware of the military
exercise, while the soldiers believed the deputy was part of the training
exercise. One soldier, believing the officer was playing the part of
policeman, attempted to disarm him, while the other attempted to draw his
military weapon. Local civilians are enlisted in role-playing, as are
non-special operations soldiers from the U.S. Army base. All ammunition used
in the exercise is blank, so there was no safety risk to civilians or their
property. The deputy believed that the two individuals intended to kill him.
The soldiers thought he was putting up a mock resistance. The deputy shot
both suspects in self-defense, killing one and seriously wounding the other.
The Sheriffs’ Office said:
Moore County had never participated in such an exercise and was
never told of any such training scenarios. This is a tragic incident, and
our heart-felt prayers go out to the families of all involved.
The Army later said:
It's clear that it was a breakdown in communications between the
deputy sheriff and the soldiers involved.
Students and Cadre of the Psychological Operations Qualification Course
Class conduct a nighttime combat equipment airborne infiltration operation to kick off
their culmination exercise (CULEX). The exercise tests the students in their ability to
apply their skills and knowledge they have gained during the MOS Phase of their training
in the Pineland scenario.
Joint Training Exercise Solid Shield 1977
Why Risk Needless Injury…
This handsome leaflet was prepared by the 6th PSYOP Battalion based at Ft. Bragg, North
Carolina. The back warns of increased military activity in the area and asks the families
to stay inside their home for their safety.
U.S. and Blue Allied for Victory
Armored Soldiers of Red
Although I have about a dozen leaflets from this exercise, most are in black and white.
I add two that were printed in color here.
Identification Card from the Civil Affairs Battalion
There are many similarities between a PSYOP and a Civil Affairs Battalion. Sometimes
their duties can get confused. In the simplest terms the PSYOP unit has to do with battle,
lowering the morale of the enemy and raising the morale of the friendly peoples, and
sometimes helping in relief operations. The Civil Affairs is more in line with peace
operations, getting the people food, water, a stabile system and generally raising their
standard of living. In some areas one can move slightly into the area of authority of the
other. In the case above we have an identification card designed and requested by the 96th
Civil Affairs Battalion, printed by the 6th PSYOP Battalion. The term “DPRE” on
the card usually means “Displaced Persons, Refugees, and Evacuees.” [Note: Both
the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion and the 6th PSYOP Battalion were part of the 4th PSYOP
Group at that time.]
Solid Shield was an annual massive military exercise that lasted one week each year. It
emphasized command and control in a unified environment. More than 50,000 personnel from
the U.S. Army's Forces Command, the Navy's Atlantic Fleet, the Marine Corps' Fleet Marine
Force Atlantic, TAC MAC and the Coast Guard joined in the massive exercise.
Will you Ever Return to Her?
This Solid Shield leaflet depicts a lonely woman thinking of her man. It is the kind of
leaflets that is always used in every war. The back is also interesting since it shows the
insignia of the American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions.
Speaking of the 82nd Airborne Division, these two interesting leaflets were dropped
during an early exercise using U.S. Army Special Forces. The local clans and families in
Southwestern North Carolina were considered similar to the indigenous peoples of the
Vietnam highlands, very tight-knit, and the Special Forces hoped to use them to test their
strategy in building and training a guerrilla movement. They built relationships by
helping the locals and working on their farms, “fish in the ocean” as Mao wrote.
Then, the United States sent the 82nd Airborne Division in to root the insurgents out.
WHY ARE YOU HERE?
This is an interesting training leaflet. It was used as a reference and a training aid
in the 1962 class for Psychological Operations students at Ft. Bragg. The front is fairly
standard showing an unhappy G.I. and the text:
WHY ARE YOU HERE?
The back is more interesting. It is designed to destroy the morale of the soldier at
the front. In a clever way, it never mentions promiscuity of infidelity but it hints at it
in such a way that the soldier is led to believe that his wife or girlfriend (she is never
actually identified) is about to cheat on him. She explains that she has been lonely and a
male friend down the street has taken her to dinner and now a movie. What is next? It
appears that sex is on the horizon. One wonders if his name is Jody? I think the message
is cleverly written and could be effective on the right person.
Ray and Ann Ambrozak
A member of the Psychological Operations Veterans Association told me that this leaflet
was the product of the 1st L&L Company in support of 82nd Airborne Division and
Special Forces at a field Exercise Ft. Bragg, N.C. The young lady was the wife of the
publications platoon leader 2nd Lieutenant Ray Ambrozak, and 60 years later she still is,
and is still supporting that lucky retired platoon leader in PSYOP efforts through the
Psychological Operations Veterans Association. Her name is Ann Ambrozak. I asked for a
picture of her today (in 2019) and she was kind enough to send me one.
Various Leaflets...
Speaking of 1962, that same year the 3rd PSYWAR Detachment of the 1st PSYWAR
Battalion, (Broadcasting & Leaflet) produced a booklet entitled The
Pictorial Story of the Psychological Warfare Soldier. There were about a
dozen images of PSYOP soldiers at work. The one above was captioned:
Various types of leaflets produced by Psychological Warfare sections are
designed
to gain sympathy toward our cause.
Four leaflets were displayed with the titles:
Danger – Fallout
Danger! your water is contaminated
Cease Resistance – Cross to Safety
Arise Loyal Citizens – Take up arms against the Aggressor – Help Yourself by
Helping Us.
The booklet does not mention the fact that these were clearly training
leaflets. We recognize that fact because the images were very basic, and the
language was English in every case.
VIP Visit Leaflets
The John F. Kennedy “visit” leaflet
One of the traditions at Ft. Bragg is when a particularly important person
visits the post, the PSYOP unit photographs him, usually upon entering, and
then prepares leaflets while that individual tours the base. At some point
aircraft fly overhead, usually while the visitor is giving a speech, and
drop leaflets depicting the VIP, showing the ability that PSYOP units have
of reacting to an important event quickly.
A Film made During the Visit depicts the Leaflet Drop
I believe the first time was when President Kennedy visited Ft. Bragg on 12
October 1961 and the president made his vision for a dedicated
counter-insurgency force clear in a letter penned to the school’s commander,
then Brigadier General William Yarborough. The photo above depicts the
leaflets from an L-19 “Bird Dog” dropping commemorative leaflets upon the
assembled caravan of cars. Specialist Four Bruce R. Armstrong, 3rd PSYWAR
Detachment (Reproduction) of the 1st PSYWAR Battalion (Broadcast & Leaflet)
did the artwork on the leaflet dropped during President John F. Kennedy’s
visit.
The Chief of Staff General Harold K. Johnson Visit
On 9 January 1965, Chief of Staff General Harold K. Johnson visited Ft.
Bragg and once again a leaflet was made and dropped to show him what the
PSYOP Unit could do on short notice. Once again, the 1st PSYWAR Battalion
produced the leaflet.Talking to other soldiers after I first wrote this, I was told that one day
a week back about 1968-1969, there were tours and a display at the Ft. Bragg
Gabriel Demonstration Area. Photos of the crowd in the grandstands were
taken by members of the 1st PSYOP Battalion, the negatives forwarded to a
mobile printing van and quickly turned into a leaflet. At the end of each
demonstration, the leaflets were disseminated to amaze the visitors. It
would appear these visitor leaflets are not as rare as I believed.
Major Ed Rouse, the webmaster of
this site told me that in the early 1970s when he was a member of the 1st
PSYOP Battalion they were still doing these demonstrations. By the
way, the Gabriel Demonstration Area was featured at the start of the John
Wayne movie, The Green Berets.
The Only Way a Leg…
Leg is an insulting term used by airborne troops for any soldier that is not airborne.
The Airborne trooper can blouse his Class A pants inside his jump boots while the
non-airborne qualified soldier cannot. I found these training leaflets in a file from
Okinawa and I thought they were for a war game at first, but I now believe they were being
used as a recruitment tool by the 7th PSYOP Group headquartered there. There are four
different backs. The messages are mixed, some pro-Special Forces, others anti-Special
Forces. In order of length of message the first is:
LEGS ARE ALWAYS LOSERS
JOIN THE WINNERS – THE GREEN BERETS
The second message is:
As wise investors, we would sure like to buy several Special Forces soldiers for
what they are really worth and then be able to sell them for what they think they are
worth.
The third message is in the form of a safe conduct pass.
SAFE CONDUCT PASS
ARE YOU –
Working more but enjoying it less? Misunderstood? Understood? Underfed? Overfed?
Treated unfairly? Treated fairly? (But who wants to be treated fairly? You deserve a head
start, right?
If so, come over to our side where you will be treated as you desire and deserve.
All are welcomed except Special Forces types. We are all out of peanuts.
The 7th PSYOP Group
The final message is rather long and basically congratulates soldiers for their high
scores in the PT tests and in an IRONMAN contest.
We Are Your FRIENDS
These leaflets were produced by the 1st PSYWAR Battalion for the 82nd Airborne in an
attempt to gain the locals trust. We know the 1st PSYWAR Battalion existed from 1960 to
1965 so that dates the leaflets. The first leaflet depicts a member of the Airborne
Division shaking hands with a local. The text on the front is:
We Are Your FRIENDS
The back is a text message that says in part:
CITIZENS of FONTANA
The men of the 82nd Airborne Division, America’s Guard of Honor, have come to
your great nation as friends and protectors. We ask that you cooperate with us in every
way possible to put down the guerrilla movement in your land…Please help us to help
you. Each piece of information you supply to the 82nd Airborne brings you one step closer
to that peace which we all so dearly seek.
We Are YOUR Friends!
The second leaflet bears the “All American” patch of the 82nd Airborne and
depicts paratroopers dropping from the skies. The text on the front is:
We Are YOUR Friends!
The back is a long text message that says in part:
People of Fontana:
The 82nd Airborne is capable of handling any situation which it might face, but
there are two ways of executing any job. There’s the hard way and the easy way. We
think you will agree people choose the easy way whenever possible. That is why we are
making this appeal to you. We are seeking your help so that our job of freeing your
country of subversive elements will be swifter and less painful for all concerned…If
you hear of a planned raid or something of that nature, don’t hesitate to tell us
about it. It may quicken the enemy’s downfall. It is your patriotic duty as loyal
Fontana citizens to assist the 82nd Airborne, your friend in time of need, just as soon as
you gain any information which may be of value to us.
The 82nd Airborne Division
Looking at this article today there are 17 mentions of the 82nd
Airborne Division. Since they were part of the war games on so many
occasions, I thought I might add some of the tactics that the PSYOP units
used against them. All of these are comments directly from PSYOP troops. It
just shows how serious their efforts were, and curiously, also shows that
some members of the enemy forces gave them information to see how it would
work on their own people:
My favorite mission against the 82nd on Bragg: their Company
Commanders and Personnel Section (S-1) gave us detailed personal
information. We got some amazing feedback because one of our troops happened
to get separated from us and ended up in the middle of their movement and
radioed back the reaction to the personal tidbits we used. It was highly
effective, and they sent people to try and stop the broadcasts by catching
us. We managed a high-speed exit without getting detected or stopped.
On a few training missions we went through their dumpster down in
the 82nd to get Intelligence on the unit we were to aggress against. Other
times we would try to get close to their encampment and glean intelligence
that way. The senior Non-Commissioned Officers loved it but the officers and
lower enlisted hated it. In fact, during the run up to operations and during
planning, it was the senior NCO's from the 82nd that provided valuable
information that we could use during our broadcasts while keeping a not so
comfortable distance. We did the same sort of stuff to Ranger students
during techniques training (swamp phase) down in Florida.
On one mission a radio telephone operator fell off the back of a
truck with a full CEOI (Communications-Electronics Operation Instructions –
“Code book”). We hit them by loudspeaker and on their secure nets. It
stymied them for days. Our vehicles with the full list of Passwords and
challenges walked right in the front door and we were able to broadcast and
wreak havoc in their perimeters.
I never took part in such high-tech operations. I go back to the
50s, where you lined up against each other and fired blanks or sometimes
just said “bang.” There were cases when the two sides would argue about who
fired first and who was dead and that might lead to a fistfight on the
battlefield. When in the Headquarters tent, I saw bird colonel told his unit
was destroyed and throw a hissy fit with “I did not move my unit 2000 miles
to be told I was decimated on day 2 of this wargame,” win the argument, and
his unit returned to the battle. When I was training troops and acting as
the aggressor, I pulled some little tricks on them. American kids are not
born killers and rather than pull the trigger immediately, will sometimes
argue. When asked a password, I would give a false one and when challenged
tell the sentry that he should have been told it was changed an hour ago. I
“killed” many a kid while he argued. Once I did a cartoon trick when we got
them to pop up and defend their location on a pitch-black night. You
literally could not see your hand in front of your face. I backed into their
formation as they returned to the foxholes walking backwards, I was just
another defender. When everyone was settled down, I popped a “Flashbang”
grenade in the middle of them and wiped them out. The oddest thing we did as
aggressors was drive out in the dark in a truck marked with a big Russian
star and call “chow.” A bunch of the kids learning infantry tactics came out
of their holes to get fed. We killed them all of course. One kid said, “I
would have come out if you had yelled “pizza.” I remind the readers, these
were young soldiers just learning their trade, not hardened veterans.
Too Hot?
Another leaflet that mentions the airborne troops is aimed at the 325th Airborne
Infantry Regiment of the United States Army, part of the 82nd Airborne Division. Its
subordinate units currently constitute the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. This
leaflet actually uses a little humor on the front, something not often seen. A trooper
tries a taste from a boiling pot made by the mess sergeant and his face explodes. The
sergeant innocently asks:
Too Hot?
The back of the leaflet discusses the next few days of the maneuvers and how boring
they will be. The PSYOP unit promises to send “reading matter from out of the blue
and voices in the wind.” The unit that prepared this war game leaflet is the 3rd
Reproduction Company of the 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Battalion based at Ft.
Bragg, NC.
This is what your life can be like…
Leaflets that promise sex and good treatment are always popular. One war game leaflet
that just barely uses a sexual theme is coded “Army Ft. McPherson Ga 1277 / 51.”
It depicts a young man in a swimming pool talking to a pretty girl on a diving board. The
text on front is:
This is what your life can be like in an Aggressor Rest Camp. It's up
to you.
The back is all text and tells the American troops how to defect to the aggressor side
where they will be sent to a "rest camp" to meet young women. One of the more
interesting lines of text is:
How about a Holiday?
This hand sign [Two hands up in surrender] is your “ticket” to an
Aggressor Rest Camp.
And don’t forget to bring some ready cash. Remember, you can buy beer, cokes,
cookies and other snacks at an Aggressor Rest Camp…
While you could be enjoying a holiday
A similar leaflet obviously made by the same unit using some of the same people is
“Army Ft. McPherson Ga 1277/51” in that it shows the same pool on one side but
with two men and two women sitting under an umbrella and the test:
You could be enjoying a holiday…like this…at the Aggressor Rest Camp. How
about it Soldier? The choice is yours.
The back depicts a tired and dirty soldier in the field with the text:
Why sweat your guts out day after day under a burning sun – crawling through
the brush and sand and dirt…
Vacation on Vieques
Another war game leaflet that uses sex as a theme was prepared for use on the Puerto
Rican island of Vieques. This island was used for naval training for several decades since
about 1941 and the eastern end of the island was used for live training exercises,
ship-to-shore gunfire, air-to-ground bombing and US Marine amphibious landings. There is a
roughly 11,000-acre Eastern Maneuver Area for Marine Corps ground exercises. Puerto Rican
nationalists demanded that the U.S. Navy stop using the island for live firing exercises
and the Navy agreed.
The front of the leaflet is coded “TID 3- 2” (Tactical Information Detachment
3, leaflet 2?) and depicts two beautiful girls in bathing suits. The text is:
Vacation on Vieques
Beautiful Caribbean isle but…
The back of the leaflet is all text and says:
Not for you soldier. Only heat, barracuda, sharks, bad chow, mosquitoes, poison
cactus and Aggressor, a first class fighting man. Remember – aggressor treats
prisoners right!
Instructional Leaflets
Sabotage
Sometimes leaflets can be used to train the troops on various survival methods and
military knowledge. This training leaflet depicts a Special Forces Staff Sergeant on the
front wearing his Green Beret with a belt of ammo and a rappelling rope over his shoulder.
He points at the leaflet reader and says: WATCH OUT. The back of the leaflet is a
discussion of sabotage with information on Molotov Cocktails, arson and hand grenades.
We're Getting Combat Ready Too
This training leaflet is instructional and tells the soldier about the Field Service
organization designed to make life in the field just a bit easier. It doesn't hurt that
the leaflet shows a pretty blond girl in a jeep on the front. The text on the back
explains that the teams will go into the field to help run "rest camps" so that
the men need not be sent back hundreds of miles. The teams need training too so they are
taking part in the maneuvers. Each unit has books and magazines, a snack bar, beer, and
when weather permits will sponsor dances for the troops. I have never heard of this
organization so am not sure if this is propaganda or legitimate. I have my doubts…
Atomics
Not many of the training leaflets use the atomic bombs as a threat. This one does. It
shows what appears to be a mushroom cloud on one side and the other is all text. The
leaflet was printed on very thin paper so the text bleeds through the picture. We
don’t know who prepared this leaflet, but the code is FPP-USARAL-761-53-(C). We have
no idea what that means but it seem to be an Army Reserve unit in 1953. Some of the text
on the other side mentions “Cease resistance” and that is interesting because it
seems to be using WWII American leaflets for Japan as inspiration. The mention of secret
weapons seems inspired by German WWII propaganda. The text is:
REMAINING RESISTERS –
We have bad news for you today. A large number of our secret weapons have arrived.
We have tried to point out that your lives will be forfeited if you did not cease
resistance. You have not heeded our words.
SURRENDER OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES.
You are probably saying, “What are the consequences.” That, only we know.
We control your destiny. We will not tell you if death will come fast or slow and
agonizing. But, come it shall if you do not
CEASE RESISTANCE.
Cold Pine 1
Red Liberation
This 6th PSYOP Battalion leaflet depicts a prison camp and a graveyard. On the back the
text is:
RESIST
You have nothing to loose. This is what the red liberators have in
mind for you.
There is one error in the spelling that makes the leaflet virtually worthless.
Propaganda language should be perfect, but this one uses the word “loose”
instead of Lose.”
Soldiers of the Red Army
This sort of leaflet has been very popular among military forces for decades, I call
them “death and disfigurement” leaflets, and they are generally considered to be
ineffective because the people that study the field claim that it appears to the enemy
that the maker is bragging and shows no mercy toward his foes. I have seen them in every
war and usually they look worse than this with the dead soldier horribly burnt or scared.
Military field manuals warn against their use, but the PSYOP troops just love to make
them.
The back of this leaflet warns that the enemy is facing an elite U.S. Division and they
are dying for nothing:
How can you continue to fight for leaders who consider you expendable? Give up this
needless bloodshed; sling your weapons muzzle down and resist this incompetent leadership.
I have a large group of leaflets prepared for Cold Pine 1, but I am unable to find any
data on the exercise. I do see that one leaflet is addressed to the citizens of
Charleston, so I assume this game was played in South Carolina. If any reader can tell me
more, I encourage you to write.
Leave…before it’s too late
This 9th PSYOP Battalion training leaflet is from the early 1980s. The message is very
modern and warns the enemy that aircraft can follow the radar beams right back to the
source and send rockets to destroy them all.
Iraqi Freedom Leaflet IZD-1006
During Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 the Iraqis were warned about
turning on their radar. The leaflet depicts a Coalition aircraft attacking a radar
position. The text is:
Before you engage coalition aircraft, think about the consequences.
Bright Star
Bright Star 1977
Operation Bright Star started about 1981; a biannual 10-day war game with the United
States and Egypt working together. This went on until 1991 when Operation Desert Storm
occurred and there was no need to play at war. The war games returned after the end of the
Persian Gulf War. The leaflet depicts a face in the clouds blowing against Soviet tanks
and aircraft and protecting Allied tanks and aircraft. The text on the front and back is:
The Bulletin of Bright Star 1977: With the strength of the Khamsin winds. The Allies
of the Green Country have arrived in Egypt.
The International Alliance promises to end the aggression of the Orange country. You
are now about to meet the strongest military in the world. You will surely suffer defeat.
6,000 American troops took part in this exercise with the Egyptians, Italians, French,
Kuwaitis, British and United Arab Emirates. The Khamsin is a hot, dry, dusty wind in North
Africa and the Arabian Peninsula that blows from the south or southeast in late winter and
early spring. It often reaches temperatures above 104° F, and it may blow continuously
for three or four days at a time
A Vietnam Practice Leaflet
As I said above, PSYOP troops believed that leaflets showing dead enemy would destroy
their morale while psychologists believed it would make the enemy fight more intensely.
Here is a practice leaflet drawn during the Vietnam War. This particular leaflet was never
perfected and disseminated, but a dozen others very similar were prepared and airdropped
over the Viet Cong. The artist also drew a leaflet with rats eating a freshly killed
corpse but it was considered too controversial to be placed on a leaflet.
Without seeing them Again
The training leaflet was prepared by the 1st Leaflet and Loudspeaker Company, probably
in Korea. It depicts a dead American soldier bleeding from the head on the ground. Near
him is his M1 carbine. The back of the leaflet depicts a mother with two young children.
The 1st Loudspeaker and leaflet company was sent to Korea in 1950 and officially
authorized in January 1951. The M1 carbine was an issue weapon during the Korean War. The
language is in English. The only logical reason would seem to be that it was prepared by
our own people prior to or during the Korean War as a training exercise. Perhaps at some
later date the text would have been translated into the Korean or Chinese language and the
dead soldier would be dressed in a Communist uniform with a Russian or Chinese-made
weapon.
Surrender and Stay Alive
This training leaflet was prepared in Korea, I believe as a training exercise for the
Eighth Air Force. It is a standard surrender leaflet with the offer of good treatment and
food. It is odd that the text is in both English and Korean, but perhaps the English
writers were being graded as were the Korean translators.
Don’t worry about it, Pal…
This training leaflet was prepared by the 15th Psychological Operations printing branch
on Okinawa in 1966. We can tell that although it targets U.S. Forces, it was used in South
Korea because there is a line of text in Korean at the bottom. It attempts to divide the
clerical and non-combat troops from the infantry and other combat specialties by pointing
out that this is not their job and they should just relax and wait for it to end. We could
call it a malingering leaflet. Such were printed and disseminated by the Germans in WWII.
Feasting with la’Femme
The 1st Leaflet and Loudspeaker Company also prepared this training leaflet that
depicts a Leader of a mythical foreign country having a feast with a beautiful woman. The
text on the back is in the form of a poem. It says:
Your Commander’s chow is caviar with wine,
While upon cold chow you dine.
He’ll commit you to slaughter make no mistake.
Join Blue forces and of freedom partake.
SURRENDER NOW!!
Curiously, in 1990 when Saddam Hussein attacked the rulers of Kuwait he
disseminated similar leaflets of their royal family in Europe drinking with western women.
WARNING
This leaflet was prepared by the 6th Battalion for Practice ARTEP III. In the military
an ARTEP is an “Army Training and Evaluation Program.” The front depicts a
family being marched away by armed soldiers. The back is all text and says in part:
WARNING
Repressed citizens of White! Leave this area immediately. Do
not let yourself be used as a human shield behind which the cowardly capitalist forces
will hide themselves in the struggle for liberation.
Cortina
Handshake of Freedom
The Island of Aragon is roughly six hundred miles east of Atlantica, and is divided
into three distinct nations: People’s Democratic Republic of Acadia, the Republic of
Cortina, and the Republic of Victoria. Cortina is rich in natural resources and vital to
U.S. interests, but is highly unstable due to political corruption, ethnic strife, and
right wing insurgencies. The Cortina Liberation Front, a domestic terrorist organization,
is supported by the PDRA and has recently stepped up its violence. Their goal is to
overthrow the Cortina government. The United States isn’t going to let that happen.
Joint Task Force Cortina, comprised of conventional land, air, and sea elements, as well
as special operations forces, has been sent to the area. They’ve been ordered to help
with the counterinsurgency, provide security, and offer humanitarian aid where it’s
needed. This simulated invasion is one scenario used during the three-week field training
exercise at the U.S. Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
The large poster-leaflet (8 x 10-inches) was printed by the 745th PSYOP Company from
Dallas Texas. It depicts the friendship between U.S. forces and the Government of Cortina.
You Choose
The above leaflet depicts a family with the option of following the path to democracy
and peace, or death and the grave. Text on the back is:
You choose, the enemy is death and the Government is Democracy and
Liberty
Attention U.S. Soldiers
Two more colorful leaflets were dropped on U. S. Army basic training recruits at Ft.
Stewart, Georgia, in 1971. They were dropped from a helicopter during a mock war game. The
leaflet above and below were both printed by the 92nd PSYOP Company, based on Ft. Stewart.
The above leaflet is very colorful and depicts the flag of the Aggressor (enemy) force.
The short text is:
ATTENTION U.S. SOLDIERS
SAFE CONDUCT PASS
The back is all text and addressed to soldiers of the 30th Infantry Division. It tells
the finder that he can defect to the enemy and will receive a one-day pass to Savannah,
Georgia. Upon his return he will be allowed to play tennis, swim at the pools and go to
the movies. He will get full credit for his basic training. There will be no harassment or
details. This has all been approved by the 3rd Army and even if his commander denies it,
he knows he must follow the rules.
Did you enjoy being gassed?
The second Ft. Stewart leaflet is more comical. Every recruit goes through the gas
chamber where he gets to know what it is like to be tear-gassed for a few minutes before
being allowed to put on his mask. There are lots of funny stories of recruits standing in
the tear gas and singing the Marine hymn or the Ballad of the Green Berets. The idea is to
have the men confident in their masks and understanding that tear gas will not kill, it
will simply make you really uncomfortable. This leaflet depicts several recruits probably
just leaving the gas chamber and they are suffering. The text is:
AMERICANS: Did you enjoy being gassed? Did all of your masks work? Don’t worry,
there’s more to come.
In general the masks always work, but sometimes in haste to put on the mask the recruit
will not get a tight fit and then the gas will seep into the mask. That is why you drill
on getting the mask on quickly and properly.
The text on the back is:
GAS!! Compliments of the Circle Trigon [the Aggressor symbol of a triangle
within a circle] and there’s more to come.
I am old enough to remember training with the old MSA chemical masks. They had the
chemical in a canister at the bottom of the mask and since dampness would harden the
chemicals, you had to remember to pull off a piece of tape that covered the air holes and
kept the interior dry or you could not breathe. There were always a few people that
forgot.
I can remember a particularly cruel lieutenant that loved to squeeze the rubber hose
going down to the canister and once said to me “Can’t breathe, can you
Johnny?”
My pal Major Ed told me another story:
My father told me about his worst gas experience. He was a judge during an exercise
conducted after WWII. The exercise included a CS tear gas attack. My dad positioned
himself where he could best observe the attack yet have minimal exposure to the gas.
Although he would still be exposed to a little gas my father believed that putting up with
a minor irritation would still let him see better than restricting his vision with the
protective gas mask. As the first whiffs of gas came his way he realized something was
horribly wrong. He quickly put his mask on only to vomit into his mask all the way to his
eyeballs. Someone either unknowingly or intentionally had substituted vomiting gas for the
tear gas. That was the first and last time my father opted not to use his gas mask.
Team Spirit – 1990 – South Korea
ROK/US Team Spirit
Team Spirit was a joint military training exercise of United States Forces Korea and
the Military of South Korea held between 1976 and 1993. The exercise was scheduled from
1994 to 1996 but cancelled as part of diplomacy to encourage the Government of North Korea
to disable the North Korean nuclear weapons program.
The above leaflet bears the flags of the United States and the Republic of Korea. It
depicts troops on parade. The back of the leaflet used cartoon characters and symbols of
the United States and Korea inside designs. The text is:
Strengthen Cooperation
This exercise will help maintain peace by building the strength of
ROK/US combined Forces
Exercise leaflet
Blue Forces are Invincible
This leaflet is more in the form of a tactical leaflet and depicts Jet planes,
helicopters, rockets, tanks and fighting men and the text in English:
Blue forces are invincible through ROK/US partnership
The back of the leaflet depicts various Korean troops in action and the Korean language
text:
Sky and Land, ever victorious invincible Blue Force.
Orange/Brown forces, you have been surrounded. Any futile resistance against Blue
Force would mean nothing but death. You have one chance...
Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm)
Cooking Saddam
During the First Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) the United States
produced about 29 million leaflets. As always, there were many practice and test leaflets
prepared and evaluated by the PSYOP units as they prepared for war. These are called
“Developmental artwork.” The leaflet above did not make the cut. I have copies
of about 100 of these early drafts of leaflets. Here is a very early sketch one artist
drew of Saddam holding his soldiers over a fire which certainly is meant to represent the
Coalition forces.
Death from Strafing
This leaflet did not quite make the cut but it is pretty good. A U.S. fighter strafes,
bombs and virtually annihilates an Iraqi soldier. No text needed. Notice the developmental
art is signed at the bottom right and dated 14 December 1990 at Al Jubayl, Saudi Arabia.
Desert Fox
Coalition Forces bombing Iraqi Tanks
American Air Force, Naval, and Marine aircraft, the British RAF, and Tomahawk cruise
missiles were launched against military targets in Iraq from 16 to 19 December 1998. The
official explanation for this four-day attack was that it was retaliation for Iraq's
refusal to allow the inspection of sites as stated in the United Nations Security Council
Resolution 687, agreed upon at the end of the Persian Gulf War. The name of this operation
was Desert Fox. Four leaflets were prepared early, then another four. Of the eight, only
four were actually dropped. We show one of the non-disseminated leaflets which we will
call developmental art.
The front of this leaflet depicts three A-10 Warthog fighters flying over a pair of
burning Iraqi tanks. The text is:
Iraqi Soldiers. Go back or face your destruction.
The back of the leaflets depicts two A-10 Warthog fighters being directed to an Iraqi
tank by U. S. satellites. The text is:
Iraqi Soldiers. We are watching you.
Hungry Warthogs
Here is another early leaflet prepared before the actual shooting phase of the war that
did make the cut. However, the artist was one of the Army's best so very similar leaflets
depicting Coalition aircraft attacking Iraqi tanks were prepared and dropped and this is
clearly a precursor to those leaflets.
People who Co-operate
Four years after Desert Storm in 1994, The United States entered Haiti as part of a
military campaign named Operation Uphold Democracy aimed at returning President Aristide
to power. A number of propaganda leaflets were prepared and disseminated. At least six
were prepared and not approved for distribution. I show one here. It depicts a Haitian
solder throwing his rifle away at the left and shaking hands with a U.S. soldier at the
right. I suspect the leaflet was disapproved because an almost identical leaflet was used
during Desert Storm, except it was reversed because Arabic is read from right to left.
Text on the back is:
People who cooperate will be paid. People who cooperate will have jobs. People who
cooperate will be part of Haiti's future.
Russian Training Propaganda Messages for Interoperability 2016
Many of the leaflets above mention radio broadcast and tell the enemy what stations to
listen to. In 2016, the Russians held a war game where they broadcast anti-NATO messages.
I thought it might be interesting to add their training broadcasts here. The training
exercise was called “Interoperability 2016” and combined the forces of Russia
and its old colonies; Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The message
was transmitted in several languages, including Russian, German and English:
NATO soldiers! You are being deceived! You are not peacekeepers! Lay down your
weapons! You are fighting on the foreign territory. With your treacherous invasion, you
have interrupted the peaceful life of an innocent country. You will be brought down by a
just revenge and an anger of the people that have never been defeated in war. Drop your
weapons and stop being puppets in the hands of your leaders!”
Mistakes
The Gray Wolf
Loudspeaker operations can sometime go wrong. In August 2020, the Canadian
Army’s 36th Canadian Brigade Group was training when their Reserve PSYOP
people thought up a wonderful plan that could be used to demoralize and
frighten an enemy force. Such things had been done in other wars, most
notably the sound of tigers recorded and played against the Communist forces
during the Vietnam War. The Canadian plan used loud recordings of WOLVES
howling in the woods through a loudspeaker. To make the campaign more
realistic and forceful, they also prepared a leaflet in the form of a forged letter that appeared to be from a government ministry. The
letter used a forged logo of the province’s wildlife division and was signed
be an official of that division. The letter
stated in part:
On the 3rd of August 2020, the Department of Lands and Forestry of
Nova Scotia in conjunction with the Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment
and Climate Change Canada untook
[sic] the significant act to reintroduce the Gray Wolf to the
forests of Nova Scotia, Unfortunately, the ‘pack’ has migrated to the
Annapolis Valley floor in search of easy pray [sic] and livestock…If
a Gray Wolf is encountered, do not provoke, engage, or feed the animal. Back
away slowly while remaining calm—do not turn and run.”
That is a common leaflet used in such operations and I have seen training
leaflets that mentioned disease, spiders, ticks, poisonous snakes, and
similar creatures meant to scare the enemy. Of course, the PSYOP specialists
edit the text carefully to be sure it is correct. Misspelled words
immediately point it out as a fake and the PSYOP unit producing such an item
loses all creditability.
The letter somehow got out into the public who flooded the ministry
with question which led to the Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry
stating on Twitter:
Alert: This letter has been showing up in some mailboxes. It’s
fake. We do not know who circulated it or why. There have been no Gray
wolves released anywhere in Nova Scotia by any government agencies.
In this case, Reserve troops put together a campaign that
embarrassed the Canadian Army and the PSYOP unit.
The Canadian Army’s 36th Canadian Brigade
Group apologized for the fake letter. The entire operation was investigated
by the government to make sure such a panic was not created again.
Training Leaflets used for Recruitment
Try a Real World Mission
Tired of the Same Old Thing?
I had no intention of adding these two leaflets because they are clearly recruitment
tools. But, I looked at my old notes from about 1998 and although it was a recruitment
drive, it was used as a training exercise for the 6th PSYOP Battalion. I wrote at the
time:
The leaflets were targeted at all the soldiers at Ft. Bragg, NC, who were coming to
the end of their first enlistment. It was a training exercise, with target audience
analysis and pre and post dissemination testing. The leaflets were issued as a
“boarding pass” for the aircraft at a Saturday fun jump [Only paratroopers
can jump out of perfectly good airplanes and call it “fun”] run by the 4th
PSYOP Group. Posters were also printed and placed on manned sandwich boards along the
route of the 82nd Airborne Division Run during All American Week in 1998. One of those was
a photo of a division run with the term "Step out from the group.” Some of the
PSYOP troops were “called out” by senior Airborne Division NCO's who didn't take
kindly to the poaching attempts.
Memories of War Games
A Wartime Postcard features Maneuvers
I always like to add a little personal touch to these stories. Way back when, about six
decades ago, when you took part in a war-game, if you saw an enemy you literally called
out: “Bang! You are dead!” Sometimes the enemy would agree and sometimes he
would argue that he was not dead. If there was an umpire he would decide, if not, it got
interesting. I recall one pitch black night when we were protecting an installation and
spotted some enemy troops. One of our guys shouted: “Bang, you are dead” and the
enemy shouted back “F-you!” That meant war. There were no umpires, so our guys
rushed out and immediately there was a brawl and members from both sides decided to solve
the problem with fisticuffs. The good old days!
MILES
Soldier outfitted with MILES equipment
Years later, to solve just such problems, the multiple integrated laser engagement
system, or MILES was invented. Both sides had attachments to their rifles that only shot a
laser when the weapon was fired, and both sides wore multiple sensors on the uniform and
helmet so that if he was hit, a bell rang until an umpire came and shut it off. If you
shot him, everyone within a city block would know it and there was no argument. This was
an excellent training tool and ended a lot of late night brawls. Also, since the laser
only worked when the blank rounds in the rifle were fired, it required the soldiers to
keep the weapon clean and in good condition and use good firing discipline. No ammo, no
MILES.
MILES "God Gun"
Decades later, when I acted as a judge, I had a God Gun. That was a hand-held
laser that shot out a wide beam that covered a large area. If I wanted to check and see
that all the soldiers had batteries in their MILES (Yes, soldiers have been known to
cheat,) I could just pull the trigger and they all would go off. If I did not get a loud
ringing from every single soldier, somebody was in deep doo-doo.
I should also mention that the God Gun was a great training tool. I could tell my squad
to totally camouflage themselves and make sure that no part of their head or body was
exposed to the enemy. Once they were ready and thought they were invisible in the
vegetation I could use the god gun to see if they were vulnerable. There were always one
or two squeaks or whistles that told me that although there was not enough exposure to set
off the alarm, the sensors had picked up the waves coming close. That was such a valuable
teaching tool because it showed the soldier that part of his body was exposed and taught
him to really use cover and concealment. After a while I could shoot the gun at them all
day and not a peep from the brush. They were truly invisible.
I was thinking of all the funny things that happen during a war game and another
situation came to mind. It was 60 years ago and I am probably a private First Class up on
the Canadian border. It is about zero degrees and freezing cold and it is maybe 0200. We
are all suffering from the cold with just fatigue jackets. Your nose runs to the knot that
holds the hood closed and freezes and you need a screw driver to chip the ice and untie
the knot. I discover there is a heated latrine just behind our defensive position. I go
and in find this wonderful warmth, sit down on the toilet and promptly fall asleep. I
awake about 0400 and look down and there are heads all around my feet. I carefully open
the door and there are bodies all over the floor, maybe as many as 20, some heads
practically in the urinals. Apparently, I was not the only person to discover that a
heated latrine is a nice place for a quick nap on a bitter cold night. Americans will find
a way to adapt, adjust, and persevere.
This has been just a very brief look at some of the early leaflets drawn by artists who
were being training to work in PSYOP and those leaflets produced in the field for war
games or as developmental art. This story could be 10,000 words long, but most of the
leaflets are not very good because of the experience of the artists and the conditions
they worked under. The leaflets would get much better as they learned their trade and were
placed in an organization that had the finest papers, pens, inks and cultural experts.
We invite anyone who cares to comment on this story to write to the author at sgmbert@hotmail.com.
