Quiet warrior; remarkable career

02.07.2007

Courtesy Story

U.S. Army Central   

By Sgt. Carlos M. Burger II
Third Army/U.S. Army Central Public Affairs Office

FORT MCPHERSON (Feb.1, 2007) – "I can't tell everything."
These were the first words Lt. Col. Robert E. Quinn, human intelligence and counterintelligence operations officer for Third Army/U.S. Army Central, said when he learned his story would be showcased in the Fort McPherson Sentinel.

Indeed, much of the career of a counterintelligence Soldier can't be discussed due to the classification of the material. However, when the Alpharetta, Ga., resident sat down and began speaking, what generated was an amazing career of more than 23 years by a man who calls himself "the Quiet Warrior."

His career began in August 1984 when he joined the Army as an enlisted Soldier. After serving in the infantry for two years, Quinn attended Officer Candidate School. He received his commission in the Infantry, and his first assignment was in Germany where he served in the 1st Armored Division, watching first hand the Reunification of Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall. He was branch detailed Military Intelligence and, following his return from Germany in 1990, attended the Military Intelligence Officer Advanced Course and the Counterintelligence Agents Course at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

Upon his completion of training, he was selected to command the 902nd Military Intelligence Detachment at Fort Monmouth, N.J., conducting counterintelligence and SAEDA (Subversion and Espionage Directed against the U.S. Army) investigations. While there, he developed a program that later became known as the Acquisition Systems Protection Program. This program specialized in the safeguarding of U.S. Army special programs and other DOD technologies.

In April 1993, the first World Trade Center bombing occurred and the Newark FBI requested military support. Quinn volunteered and he was one of the Army's lead investigators supporting source protection for the incident. In October of that year, he deployed in support of Task Force Ranger and supported special operations teams that conducted the U.S. raid in Somalia, more commonly known as the "Blackhawk Down" incident. Following this operation, he relocated to Fort Campbell, Ky., where he worked as an intelligence plans officer for the 101st Airborne Division.

In 1996, Quinn became the commander of an MI company within the 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Campbell, Ky. There he deployed to Kenya and Saudi Arabia; working on terrorist operations in direct support of the Saudi government enjoined with the FBI and CIA following the Khobar Tower Bombing.

At age 36, Quinn was selected to be a member of the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment, Delta, at Fort Bragg, N.C. He served there for 18 months as the chief of counterintelligence and operational support.

"What I did in Delta is classified, but I can say that I did my job honorably and successfully," Quinn said.

After Delta Force, he remained at Fort Bragg where he was selected as the intelligence chief of the 1st Corps Support Command. He supported "Operation Provide Refuge", the Kosovo-Albanian refugee camp at Fort Dix, N.J., and he also deployed to Nicaragua, Kuwait, and the Sinai for other host-nation support operations.

It was at Bragg that an event happened which would forever change Quinn's life. His son, Trey, was born with cerebral palsy, a result of medical error. Quinn is still rectifying this situation today, 7 years after his son's birth and over 5 years since a legal claim was put into the Army.

"The medical treatment of Soldiers at home and returning from war is great, but the care of dependants just isn't enough," he said. "We've spent millions training forces in Iraq, but it's tough to get a $2,000 wheelchair for my son."

The next couple of years that followed were tough on Quinn and his family. In Korea, his commands did very little to help support his family's special needs, he said. Following the outbreak of war in Iraq, he attended the Continental United States (CONUS) Replacement Center, or CRC at Fort Benning, Ga. He was set to deploy to Iraq, but his original orders were changed to meet the needs of the Army. He was instead sent to 3rd Army and deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, where he learned that there were people who cared about him and his family's needs.

Col. Kevin G. Fagedes, the current 3rd Army inspector general was one such person. During his time in Kuwait, Fagedes, then also part of the G-3, served as Quinn's supervisor. He was able to offer much needed support at a critical time in Quinn's life.

"During his deployment, his son had a complication that required hospitalization and I helped him out by supporting him and his family, which was very little considering what his family had to go through," Fagedes said. Although it seemed like a small gesture, it was just what Quinn needed to see from his leadership.

"Third Army made every effort to support me and my family while I was deployed to the Middle East, and that gesture and leadership is what the Army should be about," Quinn said.

"Our jobs as leaders isn't just to accomplish the mission, it's about taking care of Soldiers because they're the ones who are accomplishing the mission. The families here at ARCENT (Army Central Command) are just as important; they're part of what makes our mission successful," Fagedes added.

Since he has been in the Atlanta area, things have improved for Quinn and his family. He became a key volunteer at the North Metro Miracle League, a non-profit organization in Atlanta that provides adapted sports programs for children and adults with disabilities.

John P. McLaughlin, executive director of the NMML, said stories like Quinn and his family are stories of strength, determination and perseverance. When Quinn returned from his tour in Kuwait, the special needs children of the NMML and Mimosa Elementary School, where his son attends, met him at the airport to a standing ovation. He then went to Mimosa Elementary school for a show executed by the entire school and filmed by Channel 5 News.

The constant travels of his job and its effect on his family is what led Quinn to retire. The path the "Quiet Warrior" has walked during his career will leave a lasting impression on those who worked with him.

"I don't know an officer more dedicated to the mission, the Soldiers or the families than Lieutenant Colonel Quinn. His commitment to the war on terrorism, his selfless service; he was a Soldier committed to defending the United States," said Fagedes.

Although Quinn will be retiring from the Army in March, his life is by no means slowing down. He will remain in the north metro Atlanta area where he will be a contractor for a major international firm doing a similar job that he did as a member of the ASPP. He continues to be a key member of the NMML. He has a book deal in the works, telling his Army story and he is also a weekly commentator on Iraq for the Martha Zoller Show, and other conservative AM morning talk shows.

Despite making his plans for the future, he has advice for Soldiers still walking the path his boots once walked. He said that Soldiers should utilize Army resources, such as education and savings programs, to better prepare themselves for success when it's their time to hang up the boots.

• Date Taken: 02.07.2007
• Date Posted: 02.07.2007 15:56
• Story ID: 9086