The Army, to find enlisted men for jobs that required a university degree, set up a special classification and assignment unit at Ft. Myer, in Arlington, Va. Towards the end of 1950, orders went out to send all draftees with college degrees to Fort Myer after they finished basic training to be interviewed for possible special assignments. It was through this process that draftees with experience in journalism, radio, advertising and graphic arts found themselves in the 1st RB&L Group. The unit was formed in Ft. Riley, Kan. It was created by Fifth Army General Order #176, April 1951. The first commander was Lieutenant Colonel Homer E. Shields, former Chief of Psywar section of the Sixth Army Group, and later Executive Officer to General McClure, head of the Psychological Warfare Division, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF).

Welcome to the Resettlement Center at Fort Chaffee. Our object is to orient and integrate you into the American way of life and help you find a new home. The task will not be easy but with God’s help and a little patience on your part you will have a new life full of opportunities.

La Vida Nueva

A Spanish language newspaper entitled La Vida Nueva (“The New Life”) was published. Specialist 5 John Mullins was appointed as the newspaper's editor. Its primary purpose was to inform, educate and entertain. The first publication date was on 10 May 1980. There was no formal tasking to publish a camp newspaper. However, there existed an immediate and obvious need which the 1st Battalion's PSYOP detachment was fully prepared to meet when it arrived on the morning of 8 May, 1980. Refugees began arriving by the thousands the very next day. They were confused, frightened and uninformed. They had no idea where they had been brought or what they could expect from the American military. After a brief meeting between the PSYOP detachment commander and the Fort Chaffee Public Affairs Officer the idea for La Vida Nueva (The New Life) was conceived.

There was no formal tasking to publish a camp newspaper. However, there existed an immediate and obvious need which the 1st Battalion's PSYOP detachment was fully prepared to meet when it arrived on the morning of 8 May, 1980. Refugees began arriving by the thousands the very next day. They were confused, frightened and uninformed. They had no idea where they had been brought or what they could expect from the American military. After a brief meeting between the PSYOP detachment commander and the Fort Chaffee Public Affairs Officer the idea for La Vida Nueva (The New Life) was conceived.

Additionally, 500 copies a day of the Diario Las Aroericanas, a Miami Spanish language newspaper, began to arrive. These two publications greatly improved the refugee’s access to information via printed media. An FM radio station was also put into service. A camp Public Announcement system was established.

The organization of the Vida Nueva staff was simple and based on available resources. The staff began with an editor and 3 Operations Detachment members who all wrote, translated, typed and reported. At that time the Operations Detachment Commander, along with the detachment's best linguist, edited. With the recruitment of Cuban staff members, the staff gradually totaled 16 refugees and 5 Operations Detachment members. The five U.S. personnel held the following positions: editor; assistant editor; interpreter; typist and chief reporter. The 16 refugees consisted of 4 typists, 7 translators and 5 reporter/photographers.

A Printing and Graphics Section Poster quoting President Carter

The United States will accept with open arms and an open heart the thousands of Cuban
Refugees who are arriving aboard the Freedom Flotilla -President Jimmy Carter
Welcome to the United States of America

The Printing and Graphics Section printed the newspaper and numerous other items. Their totals for May 1980 are: Printing Projects completed – 250, Items produced - 560,000. Graphics Projects completed – 115, Items produced - 280,000.

There was also an Audio-Visual section. The section initially consisted of one NCOIC and 6 enlisted men. The audio-visual section had three distinct missions: loudspeaker operations, movie projection and recording. Loudspeaker broadcasts comprised 90% of total missions conducted. Vehicular mounted loudspeakers proved especially effective for crowd control.

Due to many serious injuries and assaults in the refugee camp, the decision was made by the Post Commander to conduct a "cordon and search" operation to confiscate concealed weapons and other contraband. The Operational Detachment was tasked to provide two jeeps with mounted speakers and linguists to broadcast instructions to the refugees. The execution of the search was flawless. The loudspeaker jeeps led the way; buses loaded with MPs were ushered to their respective areas. The loudspeaker teams in both areas then broadcasted instructions and procedures for the inspection. The broadcasts were heard, and the instructions were obeyed by the refugees:

Attention, attention. Silence, please, silence. Pay attention to the following instructions: If you do not live on 26 St. "The Boulevard" immediately move towards 3rd Ave. All 26 Street residents return immediately to your respective barracks. This is an inspection for your own health and well-being. It's not done with the intention of arresting someone. We are interested in obtaining and confiscating any illegal or contraband objects in the area. Starting now there will be 10 minutes of amnesty during which you will have the opportunity to get rid of any illegal object in your possession exempting you from any guilt. If you have anything illegal in your possession, drop it on the ground. If you have anything illegal inside the barracks throw it out the window. If you obey these simple instructions no actions will be taken against you.

The 1st PSYOP Battalion also conducted a helicopter mission with one member of the loudspeaker team operating from a UH-1H with a loudspeaker and linguist. The helicopter mission lasted approximately four hours.

One week’s list of loudspeaker missions indicated the following:

11 May - Info, and crowd pacification
12 May - Search for sick women/found
13 May - Crowd control
14 May - Assisted in newspaper distribution
15 May – Assisted Red Cross, locator announcement
16 May - Search for displaced family
17 May - Announcement of recreation activities

Opening ceremonies for Radio Station KNJB (frequency: FM 92.7 mhz.) at Fort Chaffee commenced at 1200 hours, 12 June 1980. Approximately 600 radios were distributed among the Cubans by FEMA: one per barracks floor, one in each recreation room and one to each mess hall. The station was "on the air" from 1200 to 2300 daily.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) obtained, in record time, a license from the FCC. The station ran on 10 watts, which was just enough power for the immediate Fort Chaffee area. The call letters were KNJB and the frequency was FM 92.7 mhz.

The initial mission was to inform, educate and entertain Cubans within the camp. The need to communicate detailed instructions on short notice was critical. Programming involving camp activities and out-processing procedures was given priority. Educational programs included English lessons and programs aimed at familiarizing the Cubans with the American way of life. Entertainment consisted primarily of music and news.

Plumbing leaflet for Cubans

In Cuba toilet paper is not thrown into the toilet because it would stop it up. This leaflet explains that toilet paper goes into the toilet and sanitary napkins go into the trash can.

LESSON LEARNED: A "reeducation" program is necessary to inform refugees of how to use plumbing and general information on sanitation. This can be done through the use of native language posters, signs, etc. In future operations, native language signs and posters should be made up describing use of plumbing and sanitation in advance of their arrival.

A typical educational cartoon

The cartoon is meant to help the Cubans learn English. Three panels depict a friendly Spanish-speaking man Placing a placard that says “tree” on a tree and the text:

Welcome to the United States of America. My name is Cheo.

You will see me and some of my friends here every day.

I'm going to teach you English and talk about some of the North American customs.

Again, welcome and good day. See you tomorrow.

A former member of the unit told me about the radios:

One snafu involved the need for a low-power FM station to call the Cuban refugees to their screening interviews. Washington said that Federal Communications Commission approval was required and would take several weeks. The 1st POB intervened and had an FM station set up in three hours. Then the General Services Administration announced it wanted several weeks to take bids on cheap radio receivers for the barracks. Again the military found a shortcut, but on opening the boxes of radios they found they had been sent AM models only. Said one of the compound’s ranking officers:

This thing is enough to drive anyone absolutely crazy.

On a personal note, as I wrote this article I remembered that I spent some time at Indiantown Gap back in the 1980s. It was not quite as warm and cozy as much of the official after-actions state. I remember that the Cubans were placed at the end of the base in an out-of-the-way area, and there were multiple rows of barbed wire and plenty of MPs. There had been riots and demonstrations and the Army was treating the Cubans, many of which were criminals released from Castro's jails, as dangerous people. There were multiple rings of barbed wire and it looked almost like a high security prison camp. I paid no attention at the time because I was on other business, but I do remember going through checkpoints at that end of the base.

Problems

On 21 May 1980, The Ft. Chafee Commander sent a letter to the Cuban refugees asking for help with certain problems:

The general conduct of Cuban arrivals here at Fort Chaffee has been good. Despite tight and crowded living conditions at Fort Chaffee, you have been patient and understanding when the waiting lines are long. You have realized that we are trying to do our best to make your stay at Fort Chaffee as pleasant as possible under the circumstances.

I solicit your help in two major areas in which problems have arisen:

First, the cleanup of living and camp areas is your responsibility. Do not throw papers and trash on the ground in the area. Pick up papers, milk cartons and paper plates you see lying on the ground and put them in the trash cans or in the plastic bags to be taken away. Keep your new temporary home clean.

Second, some members of your community have been arrested outside of the limits which were established for you. You MUST stay within the roped off area except when escorted to other processing points. This must be made clear to every Cuban arrival. Because of the misconduct of some of your number in leaving this area, you are losing the good will and welcome of the local population. Those who violate the roped-off limits are subject to prosecution in a court of law and your processing and departure from Fort Chaffee will be delayed. For your safety and so that you may become citizens of the United States soon, do not leave the roped off area.

Operations New Life/New Arrivals - Vietnamese

Vietnam refugees arrive at Harrisburg, PA Airport enroute to Fort Indiantown Gap

On an entirely different subject I should mention that the 1st PSYOP Battalion also got involved with the settlement of Vietnam refugees in the U.S. after the Vietnam War in operations called NEW LIFE (Guam and Wake Island) and NEW ARRIVALS (In the continental United States) in 1975 and 1976.

After the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County became a resettlement and processing center for thousands of Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees. In late April 1975, the North Vietnamese Army was approaching Saigon, the capitol of South Vietnam. United States President Gerald Ford ordered all American civilians to evacuate along with South Vietnamese refugees. What followed was a massive airlift with U.S. Marine and Air Force helicopters of about 1,000 American civilians and 7,000 refugees.

The refugees first went to relocation processing centers in Guam, the Philippines, Thailand, Wake Island and Hawaii before being flown to the four resettlement centers in the United States at Camp Pendleton in California, Fort Chafee in Arkansas, Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and Fort Indiantown Gap.

At Indiantown Gap, contractors raced to renovate deteriorating barracks, mess halls and administrative buildings at the Gap that suffered from outdated World War II construction. The base was turned over to the Department of Defense in May of 1975 to support the refugees.

The refugees were given ID and meal cards. They underwent physicals and, the children, immunizations. Families were randomly assigned to barracks, which were outfitted with partitions that were adjusted to fit families of different sizes. The Vietnamese arrived classified as "refugees" and were immediately eligible for Medicare/Medicaid, welfare, and food stamps. They were given this status by the Attorney General under powers granted to him by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. By December, there were 74 weddings, 128 births and 10 deaths. During the day, sewing and craft classes were offered, as were classes that taught English. In the evening, films were screened on a projector outdoors.

The report The Role of the U.S. Army Forces Command in Project New Arrivals - Reception and Care of Refugees from Vietnam mentions the Communication problems:

As one might expect, communication with the refugees soon became a major problem. In view of the fact that most of the American personnel engaged in operating the FORSCOM camps had no knowledge of either the Vietnamese or Cambodian languages and the number of qualified linguists was limited, both Fort Chaffee and Fort Indiantown Gap published national language newspapers to carry announcements and other items of general interest. These newspapers were produced by psychological operations personnel assigned to the centers. In addition, at Fort Chaffee, psychological operations personnel, augmented by Vietnamese volunteer refugee personnel, operated a Vietnamese language radio station. Although both of these imaginative programs were instrumental in improving communication, the language problem continued to cause a general slowdown in out-processing.

Former Staff Sergeant James R Methvin III told me what it was like to work with the Vietnamese refugees in Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, in the seventies:

My military occupational specialty was 71L (Administration) of the Army Security Agency where I was a Vietnamese Voice Intercept Technician – Northern Dialect. I served two tours in Viet Nam, and passed two language courses in Vietnamese, both Basic and Advanced).

Back in 1975 I knew that the Republic of Viet Nam would fall. Once the North Vietnamese Army overran the South Vietnamese Army 5th Division in Quang Tri Province, and the officers and Non-commissioned officers retreated from Ban Me Thout, it was almost over. I was stationed at Aberdeen Proving Ground and plodding through my Army career. We received a message at Aberdeen saying that the Army would be opening refugee camps across the U.S. One of which was to be at Fort Indiantown Gap, PA about 90 minutes from Aberdeen.

I called the point of contact at Fort McPherson, Georgia, and explained my qualifications: Vietnamese language school; two tours in Viet Nam. They immediately accepted me for temporary duty at the Gap. In late May 1975 I drove to the base there and reported for duty.

On arriving at the Gap I found out that I was one of several linguists assigned to the operation. Our Officer-in-charge was a Special Forces Captain by the name of Paul J. Stoner and our Non-commissioned officer in charge was another Special Forces trooper named Master Sergeant Mike Shannon. We were told when the first plane would arrive at Harrisburg International Airport and made arrangements to meet it at the airport. I volunteered to read the Pennsylvania's Governor Shapp's welcoming speech in Vietnamese. Some of the speech was:

“America has become a home for people of every nation, every belief, every race and every color. It can also be a home for you. After the tragic experience of the past year, I hope you find here in America a place of peace, freedom and opportunity.”

During my stay in Pennsylvania I did not take part in much in the way of psychological operations. It was mostly caring for the refugees, making public service announcement, translations and the playing of Vietnamese music over the loudspeakers which always had a calming effect. My duty there came to an end in November, 1975. For my service there I received the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal.

Vietnamese Refugee Resettlement Chart

 

Refugees were given medical exams and vaccinations

Refugee housing at Fort Indiantown Gap

For eight months, more than 32,000 Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees were resettled at Indiantown Gap. The refugees were housed in Army barracks whose interiors have been partitioned to give some measure of privacy to the families. Americans were not allowed in the barracks unless invited by one of the Vietnamese families. The resettlement of the refugees in the United States was handled by eight volunteer agencies. These agencies played a major role in resettling the refugees by matching them with specific sponsors such as churches, individuals, or community groups.

A Fourth of July celebration was held at Fort Indiantown Gap on July 4, 1975,
for the Southeast Asia refugees housed there after the fall of Saigon.

Vietnamese refugees adjusted quickly to American food

The Vietnamese refugee Newspaper Dat Lahn

PSYOP troops printed the newspaper Dat Lanh (“New Land”) daily in Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania and Fort Chaffee, Arkansas in Vietnamese and English. One issue of the newspaper stated that the Vietnamese population of the Pennsylvania camp would end 30 November 1975. A later issue said the camp would not be closed until it reached a zero Vietnamese population. All the refugees at the Gap were to be out-processed through the normal voluntary agencies which would place them with sponsors.

This sign, titled "New Horizon" in front of Fort Chaffee showed the number of Vietnamese and Cambodian Refugees who had lived at the camp and had been subsequently resettled, as well as the number still living there

According to the El Dorado News-Times of 12 June 1975, there was a second 1st PSYOP Battalion newspaper named Tan Dan (The New Arrival). The newspaper debuted on 4 May, the day the first 600 to 700 refugees arrived at Ft. Chafee. The paper was printed on the base by the portable field press unit. They do not have a type setting machine with Vietnamese characters. They set the type in English and then add the phonemes, marks above certain letters that indicate how they are expressed, and which determine the meaning of the words BY HAND.

The Battalion also played a 10-minute radio newscast each morning to tell the Vietnamese the news of the world. Radios were distributed to all Vietnamese families. The radio broadcasts mention local news, local volunteer organizations, the Federal Government’s registration numbers, refugees who have cleared security, and even the local movie schedule. Lieutenant Linda Hurt ran the operation with a dozen PSYOP troops and some Vietnamese volunteers. She added:

We had to tell them the water was good because they were told in Guam not to use certain water. We explain the mess halls, when fresh linen is issued, what a Social Security number means, and how security checks are carried out.

In conclusion, at both Army bases, as well as on Guam and at Eglin Air Force Base, detachments from the Army's 4th Psychological Operations Group from Fort Bragg printed leaflets, signs, and menus for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees and, most importantly, prepared daily newspapers for the evacuees in their vernacular. This action enabled the refugees to be kept current on events in the outside world and supplemented their information within the center.

Operation Urgent Fury, Grenada

It takes a Revolution to make a Solution

The unit next saw action in Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada in 1983. The Grenada story began on 13 March 1979 when Maurice Bishop overthrew the legitimate government and established a communist society. The New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education, and Liberation (New Jewel Movement) ousted Sir Eric Gairy, Grenada's first Prime Minister, and established a people's revolutionary government. Grenada began construction of a 10,000 foot international airport with the help of Cuba. There was speculation that this airfield could be used to land military fighters and transports, threatening South America and the southern United States. President Ronald Reagan accused Grenada of constructing facilities to aid a Soviet and Cuban military build-up in the Caribbean. There was also worry about the large number of weapons flowing into Grenada. One shipment in 1979 contained 3400 rifles and 3 million rounds of ammunition. In addition, there were about 600 American medical students studying in Grenada and another 400 foreign citizens. The safety of these Americans became a factor when Maurice Bishop and several members of his cabinet were murdered by elements of the people's revolutionary army on 13 October 1983. The even more reactionary and violent Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard who led a Marxist-influenced group within the Grenadian Army replaced Bishop. President Reagan called the leaders of the new government "a brutal group of leftist thugs."

The United States reacted to the bloody coup in Grenada within two weeks. On 25 October 1983 American troops landed on the beaches of Grenada. They were assisted in part by members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), specifically Barbados, Jamaica, Antigua, Dominica, St Lucia and St Vincent. They were opposed by Grenadian and Cuban military units and military advisors from the Soviet Union, North Korea, East Germany, Bulgaria, and Libya.

U.S. PSYOP soldier reads off a prepared script in Grenada

The PSYOP campaign was carried out by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Reserve and National Guard. For instance, according to Retired Colonel Alfred H. Paddock, writing in an article entitled “PSYOP: A Historical Perspective,” for Perspectives, Volume 22, Number 5 & 6, 2012:

Working with the 4th Group, the Navy’s Reserve Audiovisual Unit (NARU 186) produced a cassette tape of PSYOP messages and music which the Pennsylvania Air National Guard’s 193d Special Operations Group (then Coronet Solo) broadcast over radio to the Grenadian people concurrent with the landing of U.S. Marines and Army Rangers. The Navy deployed its mobile 10 kilowatt radio station (AN/ULT-3) which, together with Coronet Solo, provided coverage of the island until the Army’s 50 kilowatt set could be installed…The Joint Psychological Operations Task Force electronically transmitted its initial leaflet with directions for its production and dissemination to the aircraft carrier USS Guam. After printing on the Guam, Marine helicopters distributed 50,000 leaflets as Marine forces landed in Grenada. Permanent presses at the 4th Group’s headquarters at Fort Bragg, NC, printed and packaged leaflets targeting both the Grenadian population and Cubans on the island. Air force MC-130 aircraft dropped 300,000 of these in the St. Georges area and along the western coast on the second day of hostilities. Between 25 October and 8 December the PSYOP task force produced and disseminated more than 900,000 leaflets, handbills, and posters.

I note that although the 1st PSYOP Battalion was the Army’s PSYOP proponent in Grenada it is seldom mentioned by name. For the most part we find that its parent organization, the 4th PSYOP Group is mentioned.

There were about a dozen leaflets dropped on Grenada. Here are a few of the more interesting ones:

People of Grenada

The first is found in both a light and dark green text and border. The text is:

People of Grenada. Your Caribbean neighbors with U.S. support have come to Grenada to restore democracy and insure your safety.

Text on the back is:

Remain indoors, avoid conflicts and no harm will come to you. Further emergency information will follow.

Cuban Nationals

This leaflet comes in two slightly different varieties (dark blue and light blue text and border) and is written in English and Spanish. It has the same message on both sides. The English message is:

CUBAN NATIONALS. Your Caribbean neighbors and U.S. Forces have come to Grenada to restore Democracy and evacuate U.S. Citizens. Stay out of the conflict. Remain in your compound or home. Avoid confrontations and do not interfere with on going operations. If you remain out of the way you will not be harmed. (Spanish translation on the other side)

ESTO…O ESTO

A more gruesome poster carried a drawing of a bleeding corpse and a relieved group of soldiers surrendering with the caption:

ESTO…O ESTO
(“THIS…OR THIS”).

The text on the back is:

Your defeat is inevitable. You are facing thousands of troops from six different countries. Cease resistance and return to Cuba with honor where your family awaits you.

We conclude this section with an excerpt from “Historical Perspectives of Psychological Operations,” 1 June 2007, available on the USASOC portal:

During Operation Urgent Fury, the U.S. invasion of Grenada, tactical PSYOP teams played an important role by broadcasting surrender appeals to both Grenadian soldiers and their Cuban advisors. These loudspeaker broadcasts helped lower the number of combatants U.S. forces faced. Leaflets dropped across the island combined with broadcasts from Air Force Volant Solo aircraft and land based radio transmitters lowered the incidents of civilian casualties during the fighting to liberate the island. Eventually PSYOP forces were broadcasting to the island for 11 hours per day. These broadcasts in conjunction with vehicle mounted loudspeakers were used to for consolidation activities.

The History of the 4th Psychological Operations Group [Airborne], adds:

4th PSYOP Group loudspeaker teams attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, in addition to persuading significant numbers of frightened People’s Revolutionary Army (PRA) troops to turn themselves in, confirmed the enemy's low morale as well as the desire of even some of the Cuban "Construction Battalions" to remain on the island with their Grenadian wives and families. The 1983 Grenada operation included PSYOP elements from all the services…Leaflets directing the populace to remain indoors and tune their radios to a specific frequency were designed by the Army and printed aboard Navy ships. Other leaflets produced both at Ft. Bragg and on the island, were effectively used during the consolidation operations to encourage Grenadian civilians to report information concerning People's Revolutionary Army (PRA) and Cuban soldiers.

From October 1984 to July 1993 the 1st PSYOP Battalion was active in conducting Civil Military Operations (CMO) in countries such as El Salvador and Haiti. It provided Peacetime Psychological Operations Programs to the Government of El Salvador during its counterinsurgency effort. It also provided post-war Humanitarian and Civic Assistance to El Salvador, building roads, digging wells and medical readiness training exercises. The Battalion also provided support to Joint Task Force Aguila in its disaster relief efforts during the wake of Hurricane Mitch.

Sergeant J. Scott Bowman

The duty uniform was civilian attire, no uniforms

Specialist Four J. Scott Bowman was a 96B (Intelligence Analyst) and a 96F (Psychological Operations specialist) and a member of the 1st PSYOP Battalion who deployed to Panama, El Salvador and Grenada. He was promoted to sergeant in June 1984. He told me about what he did in Central and South America and I thought I would add some of it here just to show the wide spread of jobs that are available to PSYOP troops.

He joined the Army in 1982 and took Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. He was granted Top Secret security clearance and sent to Ft. Huachuca for Intelligence Analyst (96B) training. He was assigned to the 4th PSYOP Group, 1st PSYOP Battalion at Ft. Bragg, NC. He was sent to Panama in April, 1983 as a Private First Class on a 3-month temporary duty (TDY) assignment which extended into a 6-month tour. He spent most of his time in Panama gathering intelligence for use in Psychological Operations for the Southern Command region.

Coronet Solo

He flew with the crew on Coronet Solo to evaluate dissemination capabilities for the airborne platform. The Coronet Solo was a modified C-130 that the Air Force used for civilian broadcasts in radio and television. The airborne radio and television broadcast mission originated in the mid-1960s with the EC-121 (known as Coronet Solo). The mission later transitioned to the EC-130E (1980). Other variations of the aircraft were Volant Solo and Commando Solo. He flew in the aircraft to see if it could be a platform in Psychological Operations for Southern Command implementation. He later filed a hand-written report on its capabilities and forwarded it to his headquarters.

 

Propaganda T-Shirts in El Salvador

Towards peace – OPSIC - the vital weapon

PSYOP created these for the Department 5 personnel in El Salvador. The idea was to hand them out and spread the word in the Armed Forces that PSYOP was there.

I am one of the 55 – El Salvador

Military involvement in El Salvador was limited by Congress to just 55 advisors on the ground. They didn't want another Vietnam escalation. Of course, there were ways around that. Bowman was never counted as one of the 55 because he was on a TDY assignment and never permanently assigned.

He was sent TDY to El Salvador 3 times during this period and helped to establish a Psychological Warfare branch for the El Salvador Armed Forces (Department 5). He returned to Ft. Bragg in September, 1983. He was promoted to Specialist 4 in October, 1983.

He was promoted to Sergeant in June 1984. Scott was not a collector of propaganda and did not take samples of the work he disseminated. He collected souvenirs from the countries he visited rather than the PSYOP he produced. He donated most of what he had to the General Patton Museum in Chiriaco Summit, California some years ago. He looked through his files and found a few things that he thought the readers might find interesting. He told me:

I was deployed a second time to Panama in April 1984 on a 3-month TDY assignment which extended into a 6-month tour. I continued my assignment of gathering intelligence for use in Psychological Operations for Southern Command. I was also Sent TDY to El Salvador on two month-long deployments. While there I wrote a 34-page Amnesty program outline that was submitted to the EL Salvador Armed Forces for execution. I understand that President Duarte integrated a few of these principles into the Amnesty plan that he implemented.

The El Salvador PSYOP Badge

The badge was designed by U.S. Army Major Howard Anders. He had it officially recognized and wore it on his BDU's. I don't know if he ever had a Class A version authorized. I was assigned to and Graduated from the El Salvador Psychological Operations course. I and Specialist 4 Roberto Reyes were the first two Americans to graduate from this new course and be issued the badge.

Bowman’s Diploma

This diploma from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of El Salvador says that Sergeant J. Scott Bowman has mastered the subjects taught in the course of psychological operations in cooperation with the Army of the United States.

I spent most of my time in El Salvador training civilian personnel on Psychological Warfare practices for the newly established Department 5 of the El Salvador Armed Forces (ESAF). My remaining time In Panama was spent gathering intelligence to be used by Department 5 in El Salvador.

An Anti-American poster

This anti-American poster was found in the field and turned into Department 5. It depicts an American soldier with his hands up and a guerrilla with a gun in his face. The poster is signed by two groups, The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN - Started as a guerrilla movement, became a political party in 1992); and the Farabundo Martí Liberation People's Forces (FPL – One of the earliest guerrilla movements in El Salvador that later joined with the FMLN). The text is:

No Yankee Invader will survive El Salvador

Enemy Graffiti

In 1984, the Defense Intelligence Agency sent unclassified photographs of enemy graffiti to the El Salvador armed forces to study, and from there they were sent to Department 5.This was an efficient way for the enemy to present propaganda to the people; spray paint cans were extremely cheap and effective propaganda tools.

As you can see, the life of a PSYOP trooper is not just drawing leaflets and tossing them out of aircraft. There are a lot of schools to attend and a lot of different missions that require numerous different talents.

PSYOP PRODUCTS FOR LATIN AMERICA

This exhibit produced by the U.S. Army’s 1st PSYOP Battalion to display their products depicts leaflets, posters, books, newspapers, magazines, records, calendars, cups, backpacks, book bags, shopping bags, T-shirts and other items. The nations targeted in this display are Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, Columbia, Peru and Bolivia. Some of the themes are eradication and interdiction of drugs, development of other crops, humanitarian mine assistance, nation building, and human rights.

The entire Southern Command area of responsibility includes the landmass of Latin America south of Mexico; the waters adjacent to Central and South America; the Caribbean Sea, its 12 island nations and European territories; the Gulf of Mexico; and a portion of the Atlantic Ocean. It encompasses 32 countries (19 in Central and South America and 12 in the Caribbean) and covers about 15.6 million square miles.

William Yaworsky mentions the 1st PSYOP Battalion in his article: Like Cassandra, I Speak the Truth: US Army Psychological Operations in Latin America, 1987–89. He says in part:

The 1st PSYOP Battalion had a Forward Support Detachment consisting of 32 soldiers stationed in Panama. Alpha Company of the 1st PSYOP Battalion was subdivided into a Strategic Studies Detachment (SSD); a Propaganda Development Center (PDC); a Printing Press unit; and a tactical Operations Detachment (OpDet). I served for a time in all Alpha Company units except the print plant. The SSD, staffed by approximately 50 soldiers, conducted long-term studies of sensitive foreign countries and deployed primarily to El Salvador to assist the PSYOP effort during that nation’s civil war. With about 40 soldiers, the PDC largely operated in Honduras, trying to influence both Honduran attitudes and nearby events in Nicaragua. The PDC also collaborated in developing propaganda with the Peruvian Armed Forces, although this work was largely undertaken at Fort Bragg itself. By the late 1980s, the battalion was operating in El Salvador, Honduras, Peru and Panama, countries sharing similar histories of military interference in civilian affairs and human rights abuses.

9-1-1

Some of the 1 PSYOP Battalion products for South and Central America can be used in almost any nation. This leaflet depicts an old woman struggling as a man holds her by the throat. The leaflet tells her and her family that the 911 emergency phone number is available around the clock. The text is:

Make good use of

9-1-1

Your 24 hour emergency number

Denounce trafficking, criminal activities, and violations of human rights.

A similar message was placed on billboards. This time the reader is warned to only use the emergency number for true emergencies. Both the leaflet and billboard bore the symbol of the U.S. Homeland Security Department. The text is:

Do not misuse

9-1-1

It puts the lives of others at risk.

Your 24 hour emergency number

The 1st U.S. Army Surf Team Certificate

Speaking of Panama in 1988, SP4 Matt Robbins, a former member of the 1st PSYOP Battalion wrote to me with an interesting anecdote. His detachment was in Panama but keeping a low profile. The troops were told to move about quietly and draw no attention to themselves. So, as a gag, the men decided to become the 1st U.S. Army Surf Team. They made a sign and put on the door of the attic where they were quietly bivouacked. They also printed certificates as souvenirs of the operation. Not exactly a low profile, but close.

Operation Just Cause, Panama

In 1989, the 1st PSYOP Battalion was deployed to Operation Just Cause in Panama.

President Manuel Noriega 1988

In 1983, Manual Noriega became chief of staff to new strongman General Dario Paredes. He later succeeded Paredes and promoted himself to general in that same year. He led Panama from 1983 to 1989. American sources alleged that he had been a paid CIA informant and on the United States Army's payroll from 1955 to 1986. He was also accused of being a double agent who sold American secrets to Cuba. There were strong rumors that Noriega was channeling Columbian cocaine through Panama to the United States. As a result, the United States indicted him on drug-trafficking and racketeering charges in 1988. What is not commonly known about Noriega is that he was a student and graduate of the U.S. Army Psychological Operations School.

According to the authors of Operation Just Cause, Lexington Books, NY, 1991, The U.S. Army Southern Command had logged more than one thousand incidents of harassment by the Panamanian forces since 1998. American newspapers clamored for military action. President George Bush ordered the Joint Chiefs of Staff to prepare for a Panama invasion.

PSYOP Soldiers with captured Panama flag

Operations Just Cause Lessons Learned - Soldiers and Leadership, 90-9, Volume 1, October 1990, says:

The 1st Battalion of the 4th PSYOP Group provided loudspeaker teams to maneuver battalions during D-Day operations. Its mission was to assist maneuver units in convincing the PDF elements to surrender by announcing the conditions of surrender after a show of force by the maneuver unit. Its efforts to convince the PDF to surrender saved American and Panamanian lives. Additionally, PSYOP elements were critical during stability operations by assisting in refugee control, disseminating information, and participating in programs such as money for weapons.

Colonel Dennis P. Walko

Colonel Dennis P. Walko adds in “Psychological Operations in Panama During Operations Just Cause and Promote Liberty:”

The Commander of the 1st PSYOP Battalion, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was the designated commander of the PSYOP Task Force in the eventuality of any Panama contingency. He was responsible for developing detailed contingency PSYOP plans, annexes, and products, and for coordinating all PSYOP relevant details with U.S. Southern Command and XVIII Airborne Corps. Prior to the actual operation, often during routing trips to Panama, the commander and other members of his command visited many of the principal target locations and identified potential production facilities - a precaution against late arrival of PSYOP production equipment.

Facilitating this planning process was the fact that successive 1st PSYOP Battalion commanders served as Commander in Charge South's senior theater PSYOP officer; knew most key players on the staffs and had a small liaison Cell located in the US SOUTHCOM. Furthermore, once the XVIII Airborne Corps commander (General Stiner) was designated Commander of the Joint Task Force for the contingency, coordination between the battalion and that headquarters (including one- on-one meetings with General Stiner) became a frequent affair. General Stiner would later assume overall responsibility for planning and commanding the operation. He took a personal interest in PSYOP, further enhancing their planning, coordination, and execution.

Operations Just Cause Lessons Learned - Operations, 90-9, Volume 2, October 1990, adds:

PSYOP were an integral part of JUST CAUSE. The loudspeaker teams deployed with conventional units proved effective in reducing resistance and controlling the local populace. Integration of major themes below joint task force level was slow at first, but picked up momentum as programs like “money for weapons” began impacting directly on tactical units.

Securing Ft. Amador, an installation shared by the U.S. and Panamian Defense Forces was difficult. American dependents could not be evacuated in advance of the attack. PSYOP loudspeaker teams, from the 1st Battalion, 4th PSYOP Group, were a key asset. When initial appeals failed to persuade the PDF to surrender, the commander modified the broadcasts. The holdouts were warned that resistance was hopeless in the face of overwhelming firepower and a series of demonstrations took place, escalating from small arms to 105mm howitzer rounds. Subsequent broadcasts convinced the PDF to give up.

The tactical loudspeaker teams were issued bilingual booklets entitled Loudspeaker Message Handbook prepared by the 1st PSYOP Battalion and prerecorded tapes. Some of the prerecorded messages are:

Message 1. Phase 1.

Attention, attention, attention. Everyone clear the building. Lay down your weapons. Come out one at a time with your hands on your head and you won't get hurt. The building is surrounded.

Message 1. Phase 2.

Attention, attention, attention. Everyone in the building. You have 5 minutes to lay down your weapons and come out with your hands on your head. We intend to destroy the entire building and kill all of you in it unless you do as you are told. You can't escape. The building is surrounded. Don't die when you don't have to. Your five minutes has started.

Safe Conduct

There were numerous safe conduct passes prepared by American PSYOP troops during Operation Just Cause. Most of them are all in English on one side and Spanish on the other. One large 8 ½ x 5 ½ inch pass is all text:

Safe Conduct

This safe conduct pass is for use by the Dignity Battalions and Codepadi. The bearer of this pass, upon presenting it to any U.S. Military member or Public Panamanian force, will be guaranteed protection, medical attention, food, and shelter.

For more information tune into 1160 AM on your radio.

(Signed) Major General Marc A. Cisneros, Commanding General, U.S. Army South.

Safe Conduct

Author’s note: The Codepadi are “Institutional Committees to Defend the Country.”

The Cisneros safe conduct pass was printed on cheap newsprint paper. The 1st PSYOP Battalion quickly printed 300,000 of them. US helicopter crews could carry 30,000 of them on a mission due to their small size. They were dropped on both specified locations and targets of opportunity.

It is your Duty

One weapons rewards leaflet shows a woman with child pointing out the location of hidden weapons to an American soldier. The text is

It is your duty

What We Will Pay

$25.00 for Information on Munitions. $25.00 for Grenades. $50.00 for RPG Grenades. $100.00 for Pistols. $125.00 for Rifles. $150.00 for Automatic Rifles. $150.00 for Mines. A maximum of $5000 will be paid for the above weapons. Cooperate with us today.

The back is all text.

Maximum payment for warehousing of weapons - $5000. PLACES FOR DELIVERY. Police Department near the back of Albrook fountain. National Gymnasium (front of Ancon Inn). Arms will be accepted only at these places daily from 7am to 5pm. DELIVERY PROCEDURES.

1. Remove the loader and ammunition from the weapon.

2. Attach a white cloth to the weapon.

3. Approach with weapon held high by its barrel.

4. Follow the instructions given by the authorities. Cooperate with your Government and help the American armed forces. United we will have law, order and public security.

In a published U.S. Army after-action report, Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Walko (Commander, 1st PSYOP Battalion) says:

The weapons buy back went very well. One Panamanian civilian actually turned in an armored vehicle. He was paid the top amount for weapon: $150, and seemed pleased enough. No one asked him how he had such an outsized piece of military equipment.

Sergeant (E5) Tim Wallace was a 1st PSYOP Battalion illustrator during the Panama invasion. Because he had a background as an editorial cartoonist he was asked to prepare a series of anti-Noriega cartoons during Operation Just Cause. He believed they were to be used in the newspaper La Prensa. However, when he was called before the Battalion Commander, he was told that the cartoons would be used as “black propaganda.”

Patriots

In this cartoon a caricatured thug with a bag of war booty over his shoulder carries his AK-47 rifle, drags the Panamanian flag and says:

I am a patriot

There are two creatures in the background that look a lot like Toucans. Tim told me that when they were testing the cartoons they found that the Panamanian people really liked the two birds and thought they were funny. So, Tim decided to leave them in his drawings. He named them “Libel” and “Slander,” as a tribute to their unique origin.

The birds say:

Who is that?

The Dignity Battalion.

Tim told me an interesting story one day:

I was an Army illustrator assigned to 1st Psychological Operation BN from 1987-1991. One of my favorite personal stories during my time in 1st POB happened almost 30 years ago during Operation Just Cause. It was during the initial days of the invasion that I was called to the Battalion Commander’s office. He along with the S2 (Intelligence) informed me that they would like me to create a series of art work/cartoons that would be deemed “black propaganda”, i.e. no known source. I had a few questions first, but before I could voice them they said that I would be drawing political cartoons of Noriega to be published in the Panamanian newspapers.

I was ecstatic! I just had to adopt a pen name to sign the work with to avoid any suspicion of the source. Before my enlistment I had put myself through college as a political cartoonist. While in the army I had used my past experience to establish myself as one of the Army’s top cartoonists with a weekly cartoon strip called G.I. Bill which ran in Ft. Bragg’s post newspaper The Paraglide.

So with this type of art background I eagerly threw myself into the “black propaganda” mission and began drawing very unflattering cartoons of Manual Noriega. As a way to hurl even more insults at the dictator, I added two cartoon birds in the compositions of each of the art works. My intent with the two birds was simple… two more bubble captions to throw even more barbed insults at Noriega.

The Battalion Commander seemed pleased with the results, and then 1st POB began to pretest the final art work at a refugee camp before dissemination of the product. The Panamanians liked the cartoons…but they seemed to be more interested in the two birds. Yes, Noriega is a jerk, but they wanted more of the two wisecracking birds.

The cartoons were published in the Panamanian newspapers over the next several weeks, and I heard nothing more about it after that. Eventually, U.S. authorities captured Noriega, the invasion was over, and I was sent back home a few months later with the rest of 1st POB.

It was not long after I returned to Bragg that I started thinking about those two wise-cracking birds again. I began to wonder how these two birds would do with an American audience. So I began to include them in my weekly G.I. Bill cartoon strip in the Paraglide. They turned out to be a big hit with the soldiers on the post.

The Keith L. Ware Award - 1990

Later that year, G.I. Bill, and the two birds from Panama, went on to win the Army’s highest award for military journalism, the Keith L. Ware Award, for best cartoon strip in the Army for 1990. No one was ever the wiser of the black propaganda origins of the two birds, and 30 years ago I made sure I kept it that way.

Historical Perspectives of Psychological Operations, 1 June 2007, adds:

Tactical PSYOP proved to be instrumental in minimizing casualties on both sides. Loudspeaker messages encouraged Panamanian Defense Forces to refrain from resisting U.S. forces, which were there primarily to remove Noriega.

 

Loudspeaker teams took action after Noriega sought sanctuary in the Vatican Embassy

Perhaps the most famous loudspeaker operation of all time occurred when Noriega took sanctuary in a Vatican building A report written at the time of the Noriega surrender stated:

SCN (Southern Command Network) Radio, which had been broadcasting for the Army Broadcasting Service since 1941, increased its FM schedule at the start of the invasion on December 20, 1989. It was primarily on the air to support troop morale by taking requests and playing Armed Forces Radio, CNN, and ABC programming, but on December 27 after Noriega took refuge in the Vatican Embassy, PSYOPS began blaring it through mobile loudspeakers outside of the embassy compound. Noriega was known to love opera and hated rock music with a passion, so U.S. soldiers began making requesting songs that had a “musical message” for (him)... either by the words or the song title. Songs broadcast included such titles as "I Fought the Law and the Law Won," "If I Had a Rocket Launcher," "You're Messin' with a SOB," "Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down," and "Nowhere to Run."

The Operation Just Cause After-action report adds:

When Noriega found his way into the Papal Nunciature, the song requests were almost totally aimed in his direction. Christmas Day, only Christmas music was played, but people still called in asking for musical requests with a message. The following day, the “requests” were played and the phones were constantly ringing with some very imaginative requests.

It is interesting to read all these comments about special music played to drive Noriega out into the open. However, we know that the loud music had nothing to do with harassing or chasing Noriega out of the Embassy. The noise was simply to allow delicate negotiations to continue inside without being overheard by the press, waiting outside by the hundreds with their parabolic microphones and dishes aimed at the embassy windows. In fact, General Marc Cisneros (commander of the U.S. Army South) and the highest-ranking Latino in the Army played a major role in the negotiations and was the man who talked General Manuel Noriega out of the embassy.

History of the 4th Psychological Operations Group adds:

During the spring of 1988, the Commander for the 1st Psychological Operations Battalion, the battalion with area responsibility for Panama, was designated Commander of the PSYOP Task Force in the event hostilities should arise. They didn't have to wait long. On 20 December 1989, Operation Just Cause was executed. The loudspeaker detachment in country fielded 5 loudspeaker teams, which linked up with their designated supported units. Other loudspeaker teams would deploy with their supported combat units (82nd Airborne Division, 1/75th Rangers, US Marines, Navy SEALs, etc).

By January 8, 1990, the PSYOP Task Force had produced and disseminated over one million leaflets and handbills, 50,000 posters, 550,000 newspapers, and 125,000 units of other miscellaneous printed materials. In addition to the Volant Solo television broadcasts, the PSYOP radio stations operated 24 hours a day in an effort to get the word out to the people of Panama. The 1st Battalion of the 4th PSYOP Group provided loudspeaker teams to maneuver battalions during D-Day operations; its mission was to assist maneuver units in convincing the Panamanian Defense Force (PDF) elements to surrender by announcing the conditions of surrender after a show of force by the maneuver unit. Its efforts to convince the PDF to surrender saved American and Panamanian lives. Additionally, PSYOP elements were critical during stability operations by assisting in refugee control, disseminating information, and participating in programs such as money for weapons.

Some Panama Loudspeaker Humor

When old soldiers get together they tend to tell war stories about the crazy stuff they did. My personal best regards a cobra and a whore house, but that is for another article. Talking about loudspeakers, Specialist (E4) William Yaworsky of the 1st PSYOP Battalion told me about some of his stunts:

“Chesty” Puller

Bored to death by routine guard duty, PSYOP soldiers find the attraction of broadcasting unauthorized messages over the loudspeakers irresistible. During the 8 months in 1988-1989 in which I served on a loudspeaker team in Panama, unauthorized messages were not uncommon. In the summer of 1988, two of us were providing loudspeaker support to a Marine unit guarding fuel supplies at the Arraijan Tank Farm, located on the Pacific side of Panama. My teammate got the bright idea to shout “Chesty’s a leg” over the microphone, almost precipitating a small war with the Marines. Now for you civilians, Chesty Puller is a legendary Marine hero and a “leg” is an insult used by airborne troops to demean the infantry that walks to battle. Them are fightin’ words!

Another time we were bored and one PSYOP soldier broadcast “What’s the word?” over the 450-watt loudspeaker system. To our astonishment a distant Marine yelled the correct response: “Thunderbird.” This was directly from an ad for Thunderbird, a cheap whiskey you drank when you were broke.

One time my pals got back at me. Back at the Tank Farm, I was talking to an old friend from the 1/508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He was filling me in with updates when all of a sudden he stopped and said, “Hey, there’s somebody calling you.” Listening to the broadcast being made by another PSYOP team deployed nearby, I heard the following message playing in Spanish: “Yaworsky…Yaworsky! This is a warning for you. We will use deadly force against you…”

One day a Marine tried his hand at PSYOP. Presumably both bored and frustrated, the Marine waited for our PSYOP broadcast to finish. After our message to stay away ceased blaring, the Marine yelled out towards the jungle: “Alright, motherfuckers! If you don’t hit the wire tonight, you’re all a bunch of fucking pussies!” No human wave of Panamanian terrorists assaulted the perimeter that night, and the one authentic attempt at communication that I witnessed between the US Marine Corps and their presumed opponents ended in failure.

On 16 March 1990, the unit was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Psychological Operations Battalion. It took part in several deployments to Haiti in 1991 and 1992, 1994, and 2004.

Shooting the bull with another Specialist (E4) from the 1st Battalion; he told me of a prank his group had played on the engineers in 1994 while at Ft. Bragg:

It was a beautiful Saturday night, probably late summer of 1994. We’d moved from the ratty old barracks to the spiffier, newer apartment style units next to 20th Engineers. There was one problem: the engineers held PT and other formations right outside our windows. Their activities seemed to center around the sort of fancy podium you might expect engineers to make. So, we were sitting around the barracks drinking. And by “we” I mean super troopers from A Company and B Company. We decided we would show those inconsiderate engineers. We were just a tiny bit drunk, and not happy with the engineers, so we snuck down well after dark and disassembled their fancy podium. Having disassembled the fancy podium, we realized we had to do something with all the pieces. The engineers made it out of heavy plywood and 4x4’s, so it wasn’t exactly lightweight. There were 5 or 6 of us all told and we grabbed all the bits and pieces and shuffled off to the woods to dump the components.

Then there was the “piece de resistance.” Gracing the front of the fancy podium was a nifty placard with the engineers’ insignia and slogan and whatever other honors they’d bestowed upon themselves. It was about the right size for a table. We put it on concrete blocks in the common area and played cards on that thing until I was discharged. It even survived inspections. If the Sergeant Major came around we just flipped the top over. Voila. First with the Finest!

***

Sometime the best PSYOP stories are the ones that never happened. An old retired PSYOP officer told me a story that made me laugh. Ghosts are always interesting and during my career I was involved in two such “ghost gags.” Here is his story:

A group of PSYOP officers at the Ft. Bragg Officers Club during the Friday night “happy hour” were talking about a TV news story that said the ghost of a Cavalry officer was wandering up and down the halls of West Point. This was maybe a week before the annual Army-Navy Football game. One officer said: “Wouldn’t it be something if the West Point Ghost was haunting the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.” The magic of “happy hour” then took over.

One officer stated he could probably get a mannequin and Cavalry uniform from the Base Training Aids Office. Or, we could dress someone in the uniform and have them hang below a helicopter in a harness. Another officer who was an Army pilot said he could get a Huey as he needed to fly this month to keep his certification current. We had PSYOP loudspeakers that could be rigged to work on the helicopter and one officer knew some parachute rigger friends who could equip the helicopter with a STABO (Stable Body) harness that we could dangle the mannequin or live volunteer dressed in the old Calvary uniform.What should our ghost say from the loudspeaker-equipped Huey? We decided some eerie creepy Halloween type noises transitioning into sounds of war. Scary music had worked in Vietnam on the Viet Cong. Maybe start with rifle shots gradually increasing in volume to the roar of cannon fire.

Finally, we would turn a spotlight on the flying ghost and have a ghostly sounding voice shout “GO ARMY, BEAT NAVY!” We even discussed dropping “Go Army, Beat Navy” Leaflets from the same helicopter. With our plans written out on bar napkins we agreed to start the ball rolling on Monday morning.

Monday morning came and we were ordered to report to the 4th PSYOP Group Commander’s Office early that Morning. On reporting, we were surprised to see our Battalion Commander already there. The Group Commander informed us that he received a strange call from a friend in the Inspector General’s Office who happened to be visiting the Officers Club during happy hour on Friday. The IG reported that he had overheard an interesting conversation at the table next to him. Apparently some clearly insane officers were planning a ghostly PSYOP air assault on the U.S. Naval Academy.

The Group Commander stated that although he personally thought the idea was brilliant, the backlash on answering and justifying the military resources to the press was not worth the hassle. He admitted with a smile that it would have been an innovative PSYOP training mission.

Operation Uphold Democracy, Haiti

U.S. PSYOP Loudspeaker Team in Haiti

The PSYOP units involved in the Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti were the 2nd and 4th PSYOP Groups, and the 1st and 9th PSYOP Battalions. The 4th PSYOP Group booklet PSYOP Support to Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY adds:

Tactical PSYOP Teams would eventually conduct over 760 ground PSYOP missions covering an area from the northern tip of Haiti near Port-de-Paix to the southwestern city of Jeremie. Aerial loudspeaker teams flew 67 missions in support of ground operations, facilitating PSYOP dissemination in the rugged and mountainous regions bordering the Gulf of Gonave and in other denied areas.

In the Special Operations History magazine Veritas, Volume 11, No. 1, 2015, Dr. Jared Tracy wrote about Haiti in an article entitled “A True Force Multiplier – Psychological Operations in Operation Uphold Democracy, 1994-1995. Some of the loudspeaker messages mentioned by Tracy are:

Encouraged pro-Cedras militants to lay down their arms; Neighborhood crime watch; preventing Haitian-on-Haitian crime violence; political reconciliation; No to violence, no to vengeance, yes to reconciliation; Support Aristide; Turn in you weapons for cash.

The President Aristide Leaflet  [Haiti]

There are only two leaflets that are known to have been dropped before the American intervention into Haiti. The first depicts a formal black and white portrait of President Aristide with a Haitian flag in the background. On 14 September, two million leaflets were dropped over Port-au-Prince and two other cities. The back of this leaflet has five lines of blue text in Creole:

THE SUN OF DEMOCRACY. THE LIGHT OF JUSTICE. THE WARMTH OF RECONCILIATION WITH THE RETURN OF PRESIDENT ARISTIDE.

The Radio Leaflet

The second leaflet depicts a radio at the far right with the frequency of the American-sponsored government station, a map of Haiti and the flags of the United States and Haiti at the left. This leaflet was dropped along with portable radios on 15 September 1994.

The text is:

Help us to help you. Listen to Radio 1080 AM 24 hours a day.

The back is all text,

The American Army has arrived to re-establish democracy. For your own and your family's safety, follow the advice below: Remain calm. Stay indoors. Keep away from windows. Do not form in groups on the street. Leave the American Army alone to work. Do not block traffic. Listen to the radio on 1080 for information. For more information tune your radio to 1080 AM.

A 1st PSYOP Battalion soldiers pastes a poster to a wall in Haiti

The History of the 4th Psychological Operations Group adds

The 1st PSYOP Battalion has been involved in three major deployments revolving around events in Haiti. The refugee exodus of 1991-92 following the September 1991 coup d’état that drove President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from power; Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY that restored Aristide to power and laid the groundwork for the 1995 United Nations (UN) mission that was supported by a Haiti Military Information Support Team; and support to the Multinational Interim Force Haiti Operation in 2004, to restore order to Haiti following Aristide’s resignation and exile.

In this article we mention Tactical PSYOP Teams. This is the makeup of such a team from
the 2005 U.S. Army Field Manual FM 3-05.302

Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Arata adds in an article entitled Psychological Operations in Haiti, Small Wars Journal, April 2005:

PSYOP teams would use their loudspeakers and linguists to communicate the consequences of certain actions. Finally, they would give directions for subsequent actions or movement. Tactical PSYOP teams also helped with the seeking out and capture of several known members of the FRAPH who were wanted by the joint task force headquarters for questioning. In early October, one task force planned a series of raids on suspected locations of members of an activist political organization and other hostile individuals known as attaches. The tactical commander decided to use a graduated response tactic that began with TPTs broadcasting surrender messages, followed by a countdown sequence. Approximately 80% of the individuals at each objective surrendered and the rest offered no resistance when the assault team entered the building. Not a shot was fired during the entire operation. Again, a well-planned and well executed PSYOP campaign, in direct support of the tactical commander’s mission and intent, was invaluable to the successful and safe accomplishment of the mission.

MISSIONS:

The Peacekeeping operations that we conducted in Haiti during which PSOYPS TPTs were used effectively, included the following tasks: 1) Conduct civil-disturbance operations; 2) Conduct Cordon and Search operations; 3) Construct and Man a Checkpoint; 4) Conduct Vehicular and Personnel Searches; 5) Conduct Civil Affairs operations; 6) Conduct non-combatant evacuation operations; 7) Gather Intelligence; and 8) Conduct Humanitarian Relief Operations.

Weapons Receipt

Wherever the Americans go there is always a “money for weapons” program. The quickest way to get weapons off the streets and out of the hands of gunmen is to simply buy them. This 5.5 x 8.5-inch cardboard handout is written in Creole on one side and English on the other. When the civilian brings in a weapon the soldier records the time and place and as you can see the payment was 750 gourdes for a handgun, 1500 gourdes for an automatic rifle, etc. On the Haitian-language side the citizens are told to bring in their weapons from 2 to 24 October 1994, from 0800 to 1600 daily.

Weapons recovered in Haiti
They are old, dirty and rusty...but they can kill

LTC Arata adds:

One of the major programs that the infantry battalions, along with other units, were involved in was a weapons buy-back program. The intent of this program was to remove, voluntarily, dangerous weapons and munitions from the streets of Haiti, in an effort not only to protect the local population, but also to enhance force protection for the soldiers in the multi-national force. Payment price increased according to how dangerous the item was or what operational condition the weapon was in. The better the condition of the weapon, the more money was paid to the Haitian turning it in…It was very important to involve PSYOP teams and products at these turn-in sites. Many Haitians feared what would happen to them if they turned in a weapon. There was also the fear of getting robbed once you left the site. Tactical PSYOP products like pre-recorded messages broadcast in the local community and at the turn in site, along with signs, could help temper these fears. Troops patrolling the area around the weapons buy back site helped reinforce the secure environment that we had created.

Haitians at Sea being rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard

Operation Sea Signal took place in 1994. PSYOP Support to Operation UPHOLD Democracy: A Psychological Victory, says:

PSYOP support to Operation SEA SIGNAL began with the initial planning in late January and early February of 1994. Migrant operations were originally established on the US hospital ship COMFORT in Kingston Harbor, Jamaica. Because of a greater influx of Haitian migrants than was expected, the operation was transferred to the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The PSYOP Support Element (PSE), consisting of the JTF-160 J3 PSYOP Staff Officer and a Military Information Support Team (MIST), deployed to Guantanamo on 14 July, 1994.

A Haitian Migrant Camp on Guantanamo Naval Base, Cuba

The MIST supported Joint Task Group McCalla for the Haitian humanitarian assistance mission through multimedia resources. Every effort was made to provide as much information to the Haitians as possible.

SA K'PASE Newspaper

The MIST produced a Creole language newspaper, SA K'PASE, which presented a balance of news articles on both the positive and negative situation in Haiti. The Psychological Operations Airmobile Dissemination System (PAMDIS) provided a radio station on which news, entertainment, and other broadcasts were presented in Creole over 97.5 FM, "Radio Creole."

By coincidence, Major Melvin E. Shafer mentions the 1st PSOP Battalion MIST in “Attacking through the MIST,” Military Review, March-April 1966:

The 1st PSYOP Battalion MIST Mission Essential Task List

1. Analyses the supported unit’s mission and develops a PSYOP mission.
2. Plans and conducts peacetime military information support operations in support of the host nation.
3. Develops an information campaign plan.
4. Collects information and conducts target analyses.
5. Develops products from selected themes and symbols (print audio and video).
6. Conducts pretesting and obtains product approval.
7. Disseminates products and conducts post-testing.
8. Performs liaison coordination activities.
9. Maintains language proficiency.
   
   Deploys from the Continental United States into theater providing the primary MIST training vehicle to develop, coordinate, integrate and execute implied and specified battalion, theater and country team goals and objectives.
   
   The United States Special Operations Forces Posture Statement 1993 discusses a little about what the PSYOP element did there.
   
   PSYOP personnel used their equipment and interpersonal communications skills to provide current information to the camp populations, to neutralize misinformation and rumors, to enhance law and order within the camps, and to create a more positive atmosphere.

Hurricane Andrew Relief

 

Loudspeaker Teams made public service messages

Hurricane Andrew devastated Florida in 1992. Army PSYOP specialists steered victims of Hurricane Andrew to relief centers throughout southern Dade County with a three-week blitz of public service information - via print products, radio and loudspeakers. The POTF comprised of active-duty soldiers from the 1st PSYOP Battalion and Army Reservists from the 5th PSYOP Group. They initially broadcast from a 400-watt mobile radio station. Later, they operated from a 1,000-watt transmitter. "Recovery Radio" broadcast seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The broadcast content was compiled by the Product Development Center (PDC). They wrote the scripts, and prepared printed products. One staff sergeant told me:

Fliers, posters, instructional wallet-sized cards, maps to relief centers and a newsletter were crafted by teams working around the clock.

A United States Army Southern Command document dated 1 July 1998 justifies the use of psychological operations in cases like Hurricane Andrew.

Psychological Operations (PSYOP) are prohibited by law from targeting U.S. audiences. The National Command Authority has granted exceptions for specific disaster situations, such as Hurricane Andrew. PSYOP is used for the preparation and dissemination of Command Information essential to each phase of the operation. The PSYOP product approval chain may include one or more Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials. PSYOP commanders and personnel must remind civilian agencies and populations continuously that they are only in a supporting role and solely for purposes of communication and information dissemination. At the same time, PSYOP personnel and the US Southern Command staff need to convey the special capabilities PSYOP offers FEMA and other agencies in support of disaster relief.

LSS-40 Loudspeaker

While PDC soldiers worked at their headquarters, eight loudspeaker teams hit the streets as a sort of electric town crier, broadcasting public-service news similar to the radio and print teams, but reaching people whose radios and television were destroyed. The loudspeaker teams used the LSS-40, a 3-by-2-foot box like contraption which can be mounted on a soldier's back with a battery pack or mounted on a Humvee roof.

Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Operations

On 16 November 1995 the Battalion was once again reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Psychological Operations Battalion (with organic elements concurrently constituted and activated with personnel from provisional units). This is the start of the Battalions serious commitment to Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) operations.

Superman and Wonder Woman Comic Book

The History of the 4th Psychological Operations Group says in part:

The 1st Battalion has provided support to mine clearing efforts in Peru and Ecuador for several years following their 1995 border war. Mine clearing missions throughout the mid 1990’s also included Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. Coordination for these missions was conducted by the Inter-American Demining Board, a humanitarian organization formed to eradicate residual anti-personnel and anti-equipment mines from past conflicts throughout Latin America.

My files add that the comic book in Spanish was released for children in Latin America 11 June 1998 at UNICEF House at UN headquarters in New York City. Brian Sheridan, principal deputy to the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, represented the Defense Department at the unveiling ceremony. He called the book a major step forward in the effort to protect children in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras from the threat posed by land mines. The book is 32 pages long, and includes 24 pages of story and eight pages of activities targeting children between 8 and 15.

Soldiers from the 1st PSYOP Battalion conducted assessments in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras, provided background information and photos and recommended a story line to the creative staff at DC Comics. The collaboration ensured accuracy and that Central American children would be able to identify with the villages, countryside and clothing depicted in the new book. Once the story and artwork were completed, the battalion tested the comic book in Central America to see if it conveyed the intended message. Members of the Army’s Special Forces, as well as the staffs of UNICEF, U.S. embassies and local governments, worked together to distribute the book throughout the region.

The comic books were distributed through U.S. embassies, and presented to the Ministries of Education in Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. A U.S. Southern Command Mine Awareness Team assisted the host ministries of education in the distribution. The initial printing was 650,000 copies of the book, 560,000 in Spanish and 90,000 in English. Mine-awareness posters based on the comic book, 170,000 in Spanish and 30,000 in English, were distributed in Latin America.

It is worth mentioning that Wonder Woman was made an honorary United Nations ambassador for the empowerment of women. In another victory for political correctness, she was “fired” from the job in December, 2016, as a “skimpily dressed woman prone to violence.”

 

Two Decades…[South America]

The above poster depicts Colombian forces in a poppy field. In the background an aircraft sprays poison on the poppies. Hopefully it is not Agent Orange. The text is:

Support the Eradication

Two decades engaged in the national fight against drug trafficking

For a country free of drugs

MISTs supported mine clearing programs, but often the 1st POB provided specialized teams that focused only on mine clearing while MISTs continued counter-drug activities. These mine clearing missions drew national attention, allowing the 1st POB the opportunity to work with DC Comics in the production of two Superman Comic books depicting the dangers of un-exploded mines to local children.

The Colombian Soldiers [South America]

The nation-building leaflet depicts a number of Colombian soldiers setting up an observation post on a hilltop while helicopters fly overhead. The text is:

The Colombian Soldiers

Serving his people

The indigenous people and the Colombian Army united!

The 1st POB supported professional development of Latin American militaries and operability with US forces through a series of Field training and Command exercises based on the "Panther" simulation that focused on Low Intensity Conflict (LIC) and the employment of military forces in LIC situations. Exercises were sponsored by the Southern Command as part of Fuerzas Unidas (United Forces), and took place in successive years in various South and Latin American countries.

The 1st POB personnel, including civilian analysts, participated in Fuerzas Unidas war games in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Paraguay, Honduras, and El Salvador. Until recently much of 1st BN’s activities have focused on counter drug operations, humanitarian assistance and de-mining. In January 2003 that mission began to change due to the strengthening and reemergence of several groups classified as terrorists by the National Security Council such as FARC, ELN, ELN-Bolivia, Sendero Luminoso and AUC. The First PSYOP Battalion was tasked with converting their primary mission of Counter Narcotics (CN) to one of Counter-Narco Terrorism (CNT) and to some extent, stabilizing elected governments. This change of mission met with many resounding successes in countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Bolivia.

Camp Delta 1 Maximum Security Facility Guantanamo, Cuba

PSYOP Personnel were called upon to facilitate cooperation amongst detainees

When Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld deemed Guantanamo Bay, Cuba the “Least Worst Place” to establish a US Detention Facility in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in December 2001, the 1st POB began its first mission in support of Global War on Terror. In early January 2002 a two man team from Alpha Company deployed as a PSYOP Assessment Team in support of JTF-160 & later supporting JTF-170 as well. The primary mission of the psychological detachment in Guantanamo Bay was to provide PSYOP support to facilitate cooperation amongst detainees for security purposes as well as intelligence gathering. During this time, the 1st Battalion participated in the interrogation of several hundred suspected terrorists and detainees to provide usable intelligence for the National Security Council and other security agencies. The detachment was also able to conduct pre-testing of PSYOP texts in direct support of the 8th POB and their efforts in Afghanistan and Pacific Command Efforts in the Philippines.

Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan

A Typical Operation Enduring Freedom Leaflet for Afghanistan

I chose this leaflet for the interesting images. It shows four members of al-Qaida or the Taliban. The individual at the far left is identified as "Muttawakil," and is believed to represent the Taliban Foreign Minister Mullah Abdul Wakil Muttawakil. The next figure is Osama bin Laden. The third figure is identified as "Haggani," and would appear to be Jalaluddin Haggani, a senior Taliban commander who was quoted as saying "We are eagerly awaiting the American troops to land on our soil, where we will deal with them in our own way." The fourth individual wears the black Taliban turban, but is otherwise unidentified. Three Afghans are seen hanging from a gallows in the background. The text on the leaflet is:

The Taliban reign of fear...

At the left and right of the leaflet, we can just make out the fearful face of snarling Jinn. The Koran identifies the jinn as creatures created from a smokeless fire. They lie and practice deceit to fulfill their own desire for evil. Showing them with the Taliban implies that the leaders have been deceived and turned toward evil by the supernatural creatures.

When turned over, the back of the leaflet shows the four faces altered slightly to resemble skulls, an American bit of trickery that was practiced during WWII when Adolf Hitler's face was changed to a skull-like countenance in an attempt to say that he represented death. In place of the gallows, an explosion is shown with debris thrown into the air. The text goes on to say:

...is about to end!

As Operation Iraqi Freedom was gearing up in January 2003, the 8th PSYOP Battalion was forced to split its efforts between the war in Afghanistan and the toppling of the Saddam Hussein Regime in Iraq. In order to allow the 8th POB to focus their efforts on Iraq, the 1st POB intervened and functioned as the rear Product Development Detachment (PDD) for the and provided reach-back capabilities for ongoing PSYOP missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

The Peace Newspaper

These duties included the following: developing print, radio, audio-visual and novelty item products derived from the Target Audience Analysis Worksheets sent from the Afghan theater. Products were received in English; translated into target language (Urdu, Pashtu etc.); edited; vetted through the appropriate analysts and pre-tested in preparation for their use in Afghanistan. The 1st PSYOP Battalion also provided direct support in the form of articles and editorials for the “Peace” newspaper currently being disseminated in Afghanistan.This bi-weekly, full-color publication was published in three languages (English, Pashtu, and Dari) and had a distribution of over 110,000 copies. Disseminated by U.S. and Afghan forces, it gave international, national, and regional news to the local populace, emphasizing the US-Afghan partnership in rebuilding the country. The one-page comic insert, Captain Pahlawan, later became a full-fledged comic book for CJTF-76.

1st PSYOP Battalion (-) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan
For the civilians, the (-) means it was less than a full component

In the summer of 2005, after nearly three years of supporting both Afghanistan and Iraq, the 8th Psychological Operations Battalion was refocused solely on Operation Iraqi Freedom. In September 2005, the 1st PSYOP Battalion (-) deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, its first operation outside of the Southern Command area of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990. Over 30 Soldiers took up major positions in Bagram Air Field and the United States Embassy in Kabul.

Bagram Air Field , Afghanistan

The Battalion HQ (-) became the PSYOP Task Force - Afghanistan Headquarters in support of Combined Joint Task Force 76, the primary ground combat unit in Afghanistan and eventually took command and control responsibilities for all PSYOP forces in country. A reinforced PSYOP Support Element became the Product Development Center on Camp Vance. Finally, an eight man Military Information Support Team (MIST) conducted operations in Kabul in support of Combined Forces Command – Afghanistan and the US Embassy Kabul.

The Psychological Operations Task Force- was the nerve center of psychological operations in Afghanistan. It quickly became a crucial member of the CJTF-76 battle staff. Additionally, the task force developed and implemented the Border Region PSYOP plan. This multi-level campaign used radio, television, and newspaper to influence the populations in sixteen provinces along the Afghan – Pakistani border. Their message was to convince the population to resist incursions from the Taliban and other Anti-Coalition Militias.

The task force also contributed to the intelligence effort and was active with the Bagram Detention Facility, interviewing over 50 detainees for PSYOP-relevant information. This information helped to revise Target Audience Analyses allowing the Product Development Center to develop focused and effective products for their area of operation.

Afghan National Army Recruitment Poster

The posters above are a miniature version of the billboard sized ads which can be seen all along Route 1 in Kandahar City. They are part of an Afghan National Army recruiting campaign meant to strengthen the national government. The message is:

Afghan National Army - The True Defenders
Protecting our People is our Duty

The Military Information Support Team (MIST) also began operations in September 2005.

The MIST developed a strong support relationship with the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police. When the MIST passed to the 5th PSYOP Battalion in April 2006, over 1200 former militiamen had turned in their arms and agreed to become peaceful members of society. The MIST support to the ANA and ANP were equally important. The Afghan National Army had become one of the strongest and most capable components of the Afghan government, and the MIST ensured that the country was aware of it.

The Product Development Center consisted of 14 Soldiers who wrote, developed, and distributed nearly 80% of the PSYOP products in Afghanistan produced between October 2005 and April 2006. It became the primary source for print and radio production for US forces in the country, producing over 1500 approved radio, video, and print products in support of CJTF-76 and its subordinate commands.

Staff Sergeant Jesse Wilson

I always enjoy hearing from the people that designed the leaflets. Jesse was a 37F (Psychological Operations Specialist), not an illustrator. However, on his first deployment to Paraguay he crossed-trained on Adobe Photoshop because it gave him more latitude to help and design leaflets when the illustrators were either too busy or did not quite get it right. Several of the leaflets were made into handbills and posters. They were trying to support the new nation and highlight the good that the new Army, Police Force, and President Karzai were doing at the time.

Jesse grew up in Brazil and Mexico, so when he joined the army, he wanted to do something that would use his languages (Portuguese and Spanish). He joined as a Special Forces candidate, so did Infantry One-Station Unit training and airborne school. While he was waiting for Special Forces Assessment and Selection to begin, he blew out his knee so waited for orders from the 101st Airborne Division. He was asked if he wanted to reclass to PSYOP instead; an opportunity that intrigued him. He finished PSYOP Advanced Individual Training and went straight to 1st PSYOP battalion. He remained in the First Battalion for the duration of his career.

He volunteered to be on the PSYOP task force supporting the Combined Joint Task Force 76 (CJTF76) in Afghanistan. He left in October 2005 and came home in March 2006. All the leaflets that we show below are from that deployment.

The Leaflets

We Normally show the actual leaflets which would be in Pashto or Dari. Jesse saved the English-language versions of his leaflets electronically. These will look a bit different, but it is important to show these “Nation Building” and “Consolidation” leaflets so that the reader can see the effort the PSYOP Specialists put in to try and bring the Afghan people behind their new electedovernment.

AFC01aaPS1028

The first leaflet features President Karzai’s image and words. Hamid Karzai is an Afghan politician who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from December 2004 to September 2014. Karzai had been a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency contact, and was well regarded by the CIA. After the 7 October 2001 launch of Operation Enduring Freedom, the United Front (Northern Alliance) worked with teams of U.S. special forces and together they overthrew the Taliban regime and mustered support for a new government in Afghanistan. Notice that all the leaflets use the background of Afghanistan.

No Code

This leaflet was in support of the new Afghan Army. We told the people this was their army, democratically led with nepotism and with a code of morality. We show quite a few of these leaflets and posters in other parts of this article.

The Afghan National Police – AFC01aaPS1026

The leaflet depicts various National Policemen, and of course one holding a child which always indicates honesty, purity, and trustworthiness.

Tarin Kowt Medical Civil Assistance Program - AFA01aaTF1007.

Front 

Back

Wilson said that he did a series of trifolds highlighting the good things that the coalition was doing in certain areas of the country. They were shipped out to the Provincial Reconstruction Teams operating in those respective places. All the trifold leaflets he designed had the same back as this one. 

A Leaflet for those that cannot Read
AFD16G Afghanistan

This leaflet had four cartoons in full color. The first shows an American aircraft dropping humanitarian daily rations (HDR) food packets. The second shows an Afghan picking up one of the packets. When turned over, the leaflet shows the Afghan tearing open the packet. The word "Halal" is at the upper right. This term shows that the food was prepared in accordance with the Koran. The final illustration shows the Afghan sitting with his entire family and enjoying the feast sent by the Americans. The leaflet is clearly designed for illiterate Afghans and shows them what to do with the yellow packets found on the ground.

The literacy level along the border areas was among the lowest in the country, which required a print product that could convey the message with a minimum number of words. The PDC developed a number of regionally specific handbills, posters, and leaflets that were effective with each specific population, disseminating more than 8 million print products throughout the country.

In April 2006, the 315th Tactical PSYOP Company and A Co, 5th PSYOP Battalion, arrived in Afghanistan and relieved the 1st POB. All of the unit’s soldiers returned safely home.

As the Southern Command’s regionally aligned PSYOP Battalion, the 1st has had a long standing relationship supporting defense cooperation in Latin America, Central America and the Caribbean. In January 2003, their mission changed from mostly Counter-Narcotics to one of Counter-Narco Terrorism and to some extent, stabilizing elected governments. Since 2011, the war on terrorism in South America was waged by Psychological Support Elements. With the return of the 1st Battalion the name was changed to Military Information Support Team, (MIST). The MIST’s have been deployed to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Bolivia in support of Global War on Terror.

Historian Philip M. Taylor said about the anti-drug operations:

PSYOP Military Information Support Teams (MISTs) were deployed to Barbados, St. Lucia and Grenada to work with local committees to develop drug awareness campaigns; media ranging from bumper stickers to television commercials were used as part of the fight against narco-terrorism. In Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Jamaica, other MISTs were deployed to work alongside anti-drugs campaigners directed at schoolchildren using coloring books, videos and other media. In Bolivia, they were said to have helped to decrease the numbers of hectares that were used to cultivate coca. In Belize, cholera prevention materials were supplied, and in Venezuela, PSYOP personnel developed information campaigns supporting "democratization, professionalization of the military, civil-military relations, and counter-drug operations.

In more recent years the Battalion has operated in numerous countries of South and Latin America using Military Information Support Teams. The teams produce print products and Radio messages in support of their missions.

Some examples are:

Looking for Drugs in Bolivia

A sampling of the products developed by the 1st PSYOP Bn (A) for Bolivia

Sergeant Tim Wallace of the 1st PSYOP Battalion was sent to Bolivia in 1989 to work on counter-drug propaganda. He told me:

I was sent out to film illegal coca fields to bring back to the unit to be used in future products. I spent most of the trip flying around in a Blackhawk helicopter flown by Bolivian pilots looking for illegal coca crops to film from the air and the ground. Later I found out that someone had snapped our photos while we had lunch with our Bolivian pilots at an airport. They were later published in the local news service in Bolivia where we were described as DEA agents. I heard that the bosses back at Ft. Bragg were not too pleased by that.

MIST Bolivia was primarily a Government Stabilization mission but did contribute to depriving terrorists of external funding sources. The team was able to establish several programs that enhanced the public image of the country’s military and police forces. This in turn led to greater cooperation between the government and its citizens and thereby increased reporting of narco-terrorists.

Sergeant Karen Ketchum in Ecuador just outside of Quito where she met with some local officials in 1991.

The two women were from administration at the Brigada de Caballeria Blindada Numero 11. This translates to “Armored Cavalry Brigade Number 11 Galapagos” which is dedicated to administration and control activities related to the military forces. We had taken a private school bus with several Ecuadorian military to Riobamba, 4 hours south of Quito, and they passed around cups of Sangria to us. We stopped to eat somewhere, and I remembered trying a piece of pork from a whole roasted pig (with the head still on) in front of the restaurant in the open air. I remember visiting some of the rural areas where people had thatched huts and the kids were so amazed by our vehicle as if they had never seen a car before.

Since we are speaking about South America, I should add some comments made by Karen Ketchum, formerly of Company A, 1st PSYOP Battalion:

I oversaw the MIST (Military Information Support Team) housed at the US Military Group in Guatemala City, Guatemala which was right next door to the US Embassy during my last 9 months in the Army (October 1992 to July 1993). I lived in a single apartment while the two men that reported to me were in another apartment close to the US Military group. I oversaw two male subordinates Chris Ruhl, and Martin Acevedo Cruz. I kept up with current affairs on the Prensa Libre (Free Press) newspaper and interacted with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) at the embassy. Even telling them at one point in a meeting of reports that glyphosate (Roundup) that was being used to fumigate the illicit crops was destroying legitimate ones and hurting livestock. I distinctly remember the embassy official saying emphatically in a meeting with many others, “Bullshit!” [Author’s Note] in Vietnam we told the people that our defoliants would not harm them and were safe enough to bathe in.

I gave away the leaflets and a few other photos of the Amapola (opium poppies) from the DEA that would've been nice to share with you. One of the leaflets that we designed was done by a local artist and it was a bright green with black lettering and drawing of a farmer getting handcuffed by the police. The flower of the amapola (opium poppy) was a bright red. The Leaflet’s caption read, No siembra amapola. Es contra la ley. (“Don't plant opium poppy. It's against the law”).

We also worked on a coloring book for kids in Belize with a picture of a Toucan bird about handwashing and boiling water. [Author’s Note] In third world countries the US always produced leaflets and posters telling the people how to eat better, use clean water and wash themselves and some fruits and vegetables, raise children, sanitation, garbage disposal and other tips. It also often provides medical and dental services to the poor.

I went along with a reservist from New York who was from Puerto Rico to film the Joint Medical Task Force that provided health care to rural Guatemala and livestock. I met with officers from different branches that were administering tooth extractions, medications, and other preventative care. I edited the tape at the embassy and then presented it to Guatemalan government contacts.

The one experience that stands out from that tour was being in my first and only car accident in Guatemala. The team was given a rented Land Rover and I was the only one with a driver’s license. Since I was under twenty-five years of age my captain signed off on it but only came around once or twice during the nine or so months I was there. I was lucky that nobody was injured, but it was scary to be surrounded by police and have people coming up to you on the street saying that they are lawyers. 

I celebrated my 21st birthday with three other guys on my team, 1 civilian and 2 military, at a peña where people pass around a bottle of Johnny Walker and a liter of Coca-Cola, recite poems, and sing songs. I got dysentery when I first got there from the water. Never from the Johnny Walker.

Her Army Commendation Certificate 

I did save my Army commendation medal certificate and a letter of recommendation. I served from August 1989 to August 1993. I completed airborne school at Ft. Benning, Georgia after basic in Ft. Dix, New Jersey.  My MOS was 97EL which is an interrogator linguist.  I went to Ft. Huachuca, Arizona for Advanced Individual Training and before that Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California for Spanish.  I earned my Sergeant’s rank in my third year.  

 

Patches of the Units She Worked With 

 

The patches include the NAS (Seccion de Antinarcoticos) Anti-narcotics section, and Guardia de Hacienda, Guatemala's Homeland Security Division.   

The Paraguay Mission

In August of 2009, The 1st PSYOP Battalion was invited by the Ambassador, U.S. Office of Defense Cooperation Paraguay, to deploy a Military Information Support Team (MIST) to Paraguay. The Team was ordered to Asuncion, Paraguay from 1 October 2009 through 30 September 2010, to conduct the approved Trans-Regional PSYOP Program to support stability operations whose purpose is to eliminate internal threats and deny conditions that could be exploited by terrorists, drug trafficking organizations, and their enablers. The MIST programs were to focus on disrupting conditions that could be exploited by violent extremist activities and their enabling networks.

The Special Operations Command South did not have the organic assets to conduct PSYOP planning to support Public Diplomacy so the MIST would align itself with other Department of Defense and inter-agency information operation activities in order to disrupt illegal activities that support transnational narco-terrorism and terrorism operations in Paraguay. These activities would assist and enhance the partner nation in their ability to deter the establishment of illegal institutions.

There were currently no active indigenous terrorist organizations in Paraguay. There were no political groups or parties that were currently active in the country that are specifically targeting U.S. interests. However, given the presence of sympathizers and support for extremist terrorist groups in the border Area of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil, visitors there could not discount the possibility of terrorist activity, to include random acts of anti-American violence. The general threat in the designated training areas in and around Asuncion is low for domestic terrorism and high for crime. The U.S. Ambassador or his/her designated representative had final product approval and dissemination authority of all PSYOP products intended for dissemination during peacetime activities. Personnel were not authorized to deploy with weapons and deployed with organic equipment minus weapons.

Sergeant Victor Washington

U.S. Army Sergeant Victor Washington of A Company, 1st PSYOP Battalion was deployed to Colombia as part of a MIST (Military Information Support Team) in 2008 and 2009 as a multimedia illustrator. This leaflet below was designed by him.

My Daughter…

This leaflet depicts a Colombian mother looking at a photograph of her daughter who has joined the rebels. At the right the mother and daughter are shown together. Half the image is in full color, the other half in black and white. The text is:

My daughter, return home…

Without you my life has is colorless

Guerrilla, return home

In 2009, the 4th PSYOP Group showed off their unique talents and skills to the Fort Bragg community at their annual Regimental Week open house and technology demonstration. Michelle Butzgy discussed the various PSYOP Battalions in an 11 June Paraglide article entitled: “Fort Bragg Soldiers work at winning hearts and minds around the world.” She pointed out that at that time the 1st PSYOP Battalion’s area of operation was the Southern Command or South America. Members of the unit had been deployed to Peru where the team members analyzed information and gave advice to local governments.

In 2014, the U.S. Army tried a new solution to the half-century long violence propelled by Colombia’s insurgent guerrilla group: Soap Operas. The radio soap opera series promoted demobilization, deterred recruitment by the FARC rebel group, as well as tackled cultural issues across the country. The 15-minute long episodes were based on statements from real, demobilized guerrilla fighters. A U.S. MISO team in Colombia implemented the radio novella, which will be divided into two sets of eight episodes and one set of four episodes that will carry out specific objectives. Radio broadcasts have proven to be the most effective means of communication for the MISO team, particularly when their target audience is located in remote areas.

In 2017, Colombian officials began paying farmers who voluntarily pull up their coca and enter a two-year program to transition to legal crops. The government will pay families up to $12,000 over a two-year period. Colombian troops in Blackhawk helicopters scattered PSYOP leaflets into the air, each one printed to resemble high-denomination peso bank notes. On the flip side was a cash offer for confidential information leading to drug busts.

In more recent years the Battalion has operated in numerous countries of South and Latin America using Military Information Support Teams. The teams produce print products and Radio messages in support of their missions.

Some examples are:

MIST Bolivia was primarily a Government Stabilization mission but did contribute to depriving terrorists of external funding sources. The team was able to establish several programs that enhanced the public image of the country’s military and police forces. This in turn led to greater cooperation between the government and its citizens and thereby increased reporting of narco-terrorists.

The MIST Colombia’s mission is to decrease the combat effectiveness of narco-terrorist groups by increasing the number of desertions, defections, and surrenders; increasing the public support for the Government of Colombia institutions and policies that combat terrorism, narco-terrorism and the activities that facilitate them; reducing the financial and cover support for terrorist networks and finally maintaining security forces institutional professionalism, productive civil-military relations, and respect for human rights.

The Hunt for FARC leader Alfonso Cano

The leaflet depicts the FARC leader at the left and piles of cash at the right. The text is:

You keep the reward

Gulliermo Leon Saenz (alias Alfonso Cano)

Report on him and earn a reward of up to 2.500 million

Decisions overcome fear

Janice Burton wrote an article entitled ARSOF in Columbia in 2012. She said in part:

The MIST also works closely with the Government of Colombia in countering recruitment of young children by the FARC. We have worked closely with Colombian forces to determine who the FARC is targeting, what makes them effective and the demographic they are after. They have found that the FARC is currently targeting two groups for recruitment — children ages 6-11 and 12-18.A successful campaign that the MIST supports is the Information Operations’ “YO SOY” or “I AM” campaign which focuses on the hopes and dreams of the families in the community…Also of importance are campaigns against high-value individuals. These campaigns have also proven fairly successful, with the killing of the FARC’s leader Alfonso Cano in November 2011. Information related to Cano’s location was derived from citizens who were influenced by the campaign to report.

The 4th PSYOP Group adds: MIST Colombia consisted of one officer and eight enlisted personnel based out of Bogota, Colombia and one analyst working from both Bogota and Fort Bragg. A primary focus of the team’s mission was to provide PSYOP planning support to the Colombian Military. In addition, the MIST worked closely with Joint Task Force Omega and Task Force South Tolima efforts to pursue and capture or kill top FARC commanders as part of “Defense Support to Public Diplomacy.” An important component of this effort was to convince FARC insurgents to demobilize and provide operational intelligence for Colombian Military Special Forces planners. In 2011 the MIST exploited the successes of numerous Special Operations Forces missions including the death of FARC Secretariat member “Mono Jojoy” and numerous FARC Front commanders. In November this effort culminated in the death of the FARC’s supreme commander, “Alfonso Cano.” The MIST also provided support to the Colombian Navy and counter-narcotics police by developing, and disseminating products in support of a program seeking information on the location of Self-Propelled Semi and Fully-Submersibles used to carry cocaine for eventual entry into the United States. This data led to the location of multiple ship-building locations. The MIST coordinated multiple counter-recruitment efforts to reach youth in high conflict areas.

Medical and Civic Action Day

During the Vietnam War the U.S. Army, in an attempt to win the hearts and minds of the people performed what they called Medcaps and Dentcaps, where Psychological Operations troops and medics went into the field and treated the people with free medical and dental services to show that the Government cared about their welfare. A similar program was sponsored again in Ecuador in 2007 when medical teams went into the countryside to help the poorest people of the country. This poster has seven photographs showing the teams helping the people in various ways. The text is:

Welcome to the Medical and Civic Action Day

Together for a Better Ecuador

1. Please take care of your children.

2. If you are given a number, please be respectful of your turn and wait to be called.

3. Don't leave the line.

4. Be patient.

We will attend to you as quickly as possible! Thank you for your collaboration.

The Military does serve... ... because it is our duty

Welcome

The Ecuadorians also did a stock poster inviting the public to the medical and civic action day with a blank space where the officials could write in the details. Notice that beside the medical activity, a soldier also interacts with school children, perhaps supplying books and needed school materials. The text is:

Welcome to the Medical and Civic Action Day

The Armed Forces invite you and your family to participate in the forthcoming civic action that will be held on the date and place indicated below:

Place:
Date:
Schedule:

The Military serves...Because it is our duty!

The U.S. Army Military Information Support Teams in Ecuador mostly seem to have been involved in the war or drugs. The 1st PSYOP Battalion was responsible for placing anti-drug billboards in many of the major cities in that country in 1970. We depict several below along with where they were placed. Note that instead of attacking the drugs, the billboards often attack the chemicals used to make those drugs.

 

A Laminated anti-drug calling card designed by the 1st Battalion in Ecuador.

The Battalion itself did not design or print the cards. A 4-man Military Information Support Team that was on the ground in Ecuador in 2007 from A Company, 1st PSYOP Battalion, worked on developing and designing the products. We would then contract with local firms in Ecuador to print the cards, as well as print and install the billboard seen below. The calling card is laminated with a front and a back. The front is in full color and depicts various contaminated areas left by the drug traffickers. The text on the front is:

Drug traffickers are polluting our rivers and our jungle with chemical precursors like white petrol

The back of the card is all text and contains a small ruler that might make it more worth keeping. It apologizes for stopping the driver for the anti-drug talk and inspection. The text on the back is:

Remaining silent has increased violence and crime.

That is why our heritage has been affected, especially on our borders

Help us to fight and eradicate this evil of society.

Call 1800 Drugs (376427) or get to the nearest checkpoint for closer control.

Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your attention and understanding