#Fbi hostage rescue team iraq driver

Then, he comes up out of the bunker and calls 911.'ĭykes informed the police that he had the child, gave them his address and disclosed that he and the child were staying in the underground bunker. Dykes puts him on his shoulder, goes back to his underground bunker,' Vowinkel said. Dykes fires four more shots killing Poland and he takes a five-year-old boy named Ethan Gilman. The children cry and shout for their lives. Poland stands between Dykes and the children blocking access to the aisle.

Come on, I don't have any time, and the goddam law is coming!' Dykes exclaimed. You will not be harmed, I'm telling you.' Dykes demanded. 'You two in the back seat – the girl and the boy right there. They will not be harmed, and you won't be harmed.' Dykes responded.ĭykes scans the bus and points at a boy and girl. He had two choices: give up the children and possibly survive the ordeal or deny Dykes' demands and suffer the consequences. To Poland's right were terrified elementary school children sitting in silence. Standing before Poland was Jimmy Lee Dykes, a deranged 65-year-old Vietnam War veteran, frantically aiming a pistol at him.

#Fbi hostage rescue team iraq driver

He hands a letter to the driver (Charles Poland Jr.), demanding two children.'

'This is a dirt road off the main freeway, and the school bus goes up there in the morning and drops off kids in the afternoon. 25,000 people, and this is our initial event,' Vowinkel said to cadets as he showed the images of the town where the incident occurred. 'We're in Midland (Alabama) city, small community. 29, 2013, Vowinkel participated in one of the FBI's greatest hostage recovery operations, known as 'The Boy in the Bunker.' He would later turn in his weapons to become a hostage negotiator, a much more challenging endeavor Vowinkel admitted, where he would match wits with pirates, terrorists and kidnappers. Army Ranger School during his five-year stint as an Army officer. Housed under CIRG is the Elite Hostage Rescue Team, in which Vowinkel displayed tactical combat skills initially honed at West Point as a cadet and then later at the U.S. Throughout his tenure, he witnessed a spectrum of high-stakes scenarios that demanded the fullest extent of his mental and physical expertise.Įarlier in his career, he served with the Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG), a division in the FBI that provides assistance during a crisis. With a storied career in the FBI that spanned 24 years, Vowinkel is no stranger to adverse situations that demand informed split-second decisions. Preparation for such events is conducted through the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership's P元00 course, Military Leadership, in which cadets participated in the 2023 FBI Negotiations Lecture conducted by Kyle Vowinkel, a senior lecturer at Cornell University, on Nov. Hence, West Point prepares cadets for a future that may involve critical life-threatening scenarios that require psychological finesse before the use of a firearm. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 7 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption –ĭuring a critical hostage negotiation, a misspoken word can mean the difference between saving hostages or endangering their lives. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 6 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 5 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 4 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption –

Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 3 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Cadets gathered in class to participate in the 2023 FBI Negotiations Lecture conducted by Kyle Vowinkel, senior lecturer at Cornell University and former FBI assistant special agent in charge Nov.