Fort Bragg Soldiers Develop Leaflets Used In Afghanistan

The leaflets were likely made and distributed by Special Operations forces. They are commonly produced by soldiers in the 4th Psychological Operation group based at Fort Bragg.

Overseas, soldiers use broadcast, radio and the leaflets to spread information to the country's people.

Veteran R.G. Heckerman now volunteers at Fayetteville's Airborne and Special Operations museum. In Vietnam, he was a Special Forces pilot who dropped surrender leaflets.

"If you can communicate with guys on his level, it's more believable and you are trusted a lot more. If you go to the trouble to learn their language, they figure you can't be that bad," Heckerman says.

Special Forces veteran Chuck Brandon says it is vital to get accurate information across to the common people, like farmers and those living in remote areas.

"Vietnam is the proving ground of this. We have to get to the people to let them know who we are and what we are doing," he says. "Without it, the only thing they're going to hear is what our adversaries want them to hear."

The 4th Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg is the only active Army psychological operations unit. Two other units, the 2nd and 7th Psychological Operations Group, are in the Army Reserves.