I went to PLDC at Ft. Benning and saw alot of Central American SOA students at Land nav, Chow, PT etc.
I've always wondered exactly what kind of training they were getting. I'm sure its a little of everything, but what is the primary mission on such a school? I was in LRS for a few years at Hood and we had a few courses (E&E, LRS tactics, more E&E) that were instructed by SOA cadre.


SOA sure has some folks who think they are doing bad things....
www.addictedtowar.com/fdorrel-ftbenning.html

What's SOA?  

School of the Americas

When I was there for Basic and Jump School, many many years ago, there were a lot of Central American soldiers at Benning for SOA.

They changed the name.

Since then they may have closed it.

I remember a nun being sent to prison for protesting there. There was a good bit of evidence that they were training people who went on to do some pretty bad stuff.

ETA: I'm not saying they were trained to do that stuff at Benning, but there were some that were accused of running death squads and such in their home countries.

Quoted: When I was there for Basic and Jump School, many many years ago, there were a lot of Central American soldiers at Benning for SOA.

yep.

Its still open as far as I know.

And all they are doing is teaching them to be better soldiers

Dont listen to all the protesting idiots.


What they do with this knowlege is total up to them and their goverment.

FREE

Quoted: They changed the name. Since then they may have closed it. I remember a nun being sent to prison for protesting there. There was a good bit of evidence that they were training people who went on to do some pretty bad stuff.

                                  escuala de los julios's...the school of the julio's

  the us army teaches basic soldiers tasks there leadership, patrolling, how to use all the equipment we give them. It is a lot cheaper than sending US SF to every country to train every officer and NCO

  Liberals think we teach torture there, I find this particularly ammusing. as if the us army officer corp could teach torture to officers in the mexican/guatamalan/el salvadoran army... They do just fine at torture and have done quite well at it for a few hundred years.

Quoted:                                   escuala de los julios's...the school of the julio's   the us army teaches basic soldiers tasks there leadership, patrolling, how to use all the equipment we give them. It is a lot cheaper than sending US SF to every country to train every officer and NCO   Liberals think we teach torture there, I find this particularly ammusing. as if the us army officer corp could teach torture to officers in the mexican/guatamalan/el salvadoran army... They do just fine at torture and have done quite well at it for a few hundred years.

It didn't help that a manual  from the school got leaked  a few years ago that discussed the best torture techniques. Thats what got the liberals all in an uproar. Theres a local contingent that goes down every year and gets themselves arrested.

It was right on main post, just across the stree from the barracks at jump school, wasn't it?

I thought it was a bit furhter away... just across the street from the Book Mark.

The former 'School of the Americas' (now called the 'Institute for Western Hemispheric Security Cooperation' or something like that) is housed in the old Infantry School (the one Building 4/Infantry Hall replaced), on main post, right across from Doughboy Stadium...


Basically, the place was set up to help teach south/central american nations with anti-communist/pro-US governments how to defeat Communist insurgencies & control the drug trade... It's still in operation, with the same purpose, under a different name... Basically, it's a chance for our southern friends to come up here and get some decent military training from folks who actually know what they're doing...

Since many of the regimes that get US support are 'anti-liberation' or whatever in the mind of the libbies, they hate the place... They're more concerned with the fact that alot of these folks stay in power by the barrel of a gun, than that the regimes in question are in power because it's in our best interest (for now) that they stay there...

That's a catchy name! It even lends itself to a memorable acronym, the IWHSC or eye whiz sick.  
Actually, its the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC).

Probably developed because while School of the Americas is quick and catchy, most Americans eyes would glaze over at a news report that started with, "Today at Ft. Benning, home to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, some C grade former child stars complained that meat was served in the chow hall.  Blah, blah, blah."

I worked SOA issues part time (read other duties as assigned)  for 16 years as a clean up man and it was one issue after another. We do some good work training south of the Rio Grande soldiers about human rights and being a soldier. It is a program conducted under the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. The program belongs to the Department of State and is executed by the US Army. Now you know more than most flag rank officers in the Pentagon. The issue about teaching torture was BS. Two smart-ass SF types found a FM dated 1944 and worked some items into a class. The left got hold of that and used it to hammer us for years. Much of the issue went away when they changed the name of the school and the DOD Inspector general report put the kabash on their accusations. Took years but I think it ended. Thank God.

I hear dthe chow hall was outstanding. Also hear the school is closed now.

Didnt Noriega go there?