Truth elusive in Pineland
Saturday, November 9, 2002 12:00AM EST
Robin Sage incident
By DENNIS ROGERS, Staff Writer
Officials use sympathetic words such as
"tragedy" and "misunderstanding" when discussing the killing of Army 1st Lt. Tallas Tomeny near Robbins last February.
They're right. But it is also obvious that, after two investigations into Tomeny's death -- one state, one federal -- there remain more troubling questions than reassuring answers.
The story gets no easier to understand no matter how often it is told. Two Fort Bragg soldiers, Lt. Tomeny and Sgt. Stephen Phelps, were taking part in a 19-day Special Forces training exercise called Robin Sage. The exercise requires students to organize civilian volunteers, which often include cooperative law enforcement officers, to fight against the government of a mock nation called "Pineland."
The war game turned deadly on Feb. 23 when Moore County deputy Randall Butler stopped a pickup driven by civilian volunteer Charles Leiber. Both the newly released Army report, and one completed by the State Bureau of Investigation within 48 hours of the event, agree that Butler was not part of the exercise when he killed Tomeny and wounded Phelps.
What is less clear is what caused the traffic stop to turn deadly. The SBI said that Deputy Butler did not know Tomeny, Phelps and Leiber were taking part in Robin Sage and that he felt his life was in immediate danger from heavily armed men when he opened fire.
The Army admits that much of the problem was caused by its failure to notify all law enforcement that troops would be conducting training maneuvers.
But once the situation developed, the facts become murky. Leiber and Phelps told Army investigators that Butler shot the two soldiers without sufficient provocation. The Army report draws no conclusions and, officially, supports the SBI finding that the event was an accident.
The problem is, the two versions of what happened that bloody afternoon are so diametrically opposed that it is clear somebody, intentionally or not, is not telling the whole truth. Perhaps, because of time and trauma, no one really knows the truth anymore. Perhaps, as in the classic Japanese film "Rashomon," the participants are telling a version of the truth that will make them look good.
It is important for continuing good relations between the civilian and military communities, as well the future of Robin Sage, that the truth -- good or bad -- be told and nagging suspicions and rumors put to rest. Downplaying military-civilian conflict is good, but if mistrust is allowed to take hold among cops or Special Forces, there could be more such tragic misunderstandings.
Or, as some suspect, do the Army and civilian law enforcement already know the truth of what happened, and are they keeping quiet to keep the peace?
Paul Campbell served with Special Forces from 1953 to 1970 before spending 23 years in civilian law enforcement. He is also active in the retired Special Forces community. While he stresses that his is a personal opinion, it is one worth considering.
"Special Forces needs Robin Sage, and it needs rapport with local people to make it work," he said. "When you consider how important the training is, what's a little cover-up?"
