thedrifter
02-06-07, 07:22 AM
Veteran uses training to help security forces
February 06,2007
ANNE CLARK
Daily News Staff
It was a mild, sunny day in September and Sgt. Maj. Michael Cline was visiting with his troops on Camp Lejeune.
The buzz on his cellphone was relentless, and with startling news: Get to a television.
It was, of course, the beginning of a grim day that would forever link the Twin Towers with the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville.
"I was in disbelief; I thought, 'We need to go get who did this,'" Cline remembered.
As part of the Pentagon wall collapsed, Cline was able to make out a Marine Corps flag, defiant in its stand, in what was left of someone's office.
"I knew then that it would be the Marines who would be called," Cline said. "We are the 911 force."
Cline retired in 2004, after a distinguished career in the Corps that spanned 30 years and took him to the top enlisted rank.
But even today he's still in the fight against terrorism.
Cline is an instructor with Homeland Security Solutions, Inc., a Virginia-based company that provides security consulting, public safety training and electronic security systems design and implementation.
He joined Homeland Security Solutions about a year ago, and is part of the mobile tactical teams that train the Naval Auxiliary Security Forces, which augment security at U.S. naval bases.
First he took a four-week training course, becoming an NRA-certified weapons instructor.
"There are some weapons we teach them (to fire safely and correctly) that they've never fired before," Cline said.
The Homeland Security Solutions teams also teach the auxiliary forces anti-terrorism strategies, defensive tactics and how to secure a threat - none of which Cline is at liberty to describe.
He'll say that the teams put together training scenarios on ships or in buildings or in the field, day or night.
"Anyone who ever thought the younger generation isn't up to par with the older - they can rest assured they're ready to follow the legacy," Cline said.
He loves being around young troops once again, many of whom mistake him for being 10 years younger.
"The best way to inspire them is to show them you're been in their boots before," Cline said.
He joined the Corps right out of high school, eager to fight for his country in Vietnam. His career would take him on numerous deployments and tours as a drill instructor. He earned three different college degrees.
"The Marine Corps helped me flourish," Cline said. "It was my parent all those years."
On the day he retired, a violent thunderstorm forced the festivities inside, mid-ceremony. But it was then, inside the staff club on base, that Cline was able to get a real sense of the sizable crowd that had come to send him off.
He tried a few things afterward, running for city council and becoming active on different boards and commissions.
Cline spent more time developing his company, Cleintell Entertainment, which manages artists and provides live entertainment for area events. His offices include a recording studio as well.
Then came the Homeland Security Solutions job, which has taken him to Europe and across the U.S., and back to being a leader of troops.
"My heart bleeds scarlet and gold," Cline said. "I wish I could stand shoulder to shoulder with them."
One might say he still does.
To learn more, go to www.cleintellentertainment.com.
Ellie
February 06,2007
ANNE CLARK
Daily News Staff
It was a mild, sunny day in September and Sgt. Maj. Michael Cline was visiting with his troops on Camp Lejeune.
The buzz on his cellphone was relentless, and with startling news: Get to a television.
It was, of course, the beginning of a grim day that would forever link the Twin Towers with the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville.
"I was in disbelief; I thought, 'We need to go get who did this,'" Cline remembered.
As part of the Pentagon wall collapsed, Cline was able to make out a Marine Corps flag, defiant in its stand, in what was left of someone's office.
"I knew then that it would be the Marines who would be called," Cline said. "We are the 911 force."
Cline retired in 2004, after a distinguished career in the Corps that spanned 30 years and took him to the top enlisted rank.
But even today he's still in the fight against terrorism.
Cline is an instructor with Homeland Security Solutions, Inc., a Virginia-based company that provides security consulting, public safety training and electronic security systems design and implementation.
He joined Homeland Security Solutions about a year ago, and is part of the mobile tactical teams that train the Naval Auxiliary Security Forces, which augment security at U.S. naval bases.
First he took a four-week training course, becoming an NRA-certified weapons instructor.
"There are some weapons we teach them (to fire safely and correctly) that they've never fired before," Cline said.
The Homeland Security Solutions teams also teach the auxiliary forces anti-terrorism strategies, defensive tactics and how to secure a threat - none of which Cline is at liberty to describe.
He'll say that the teams put together training scenarios on ships or in buildings or in the field, day or night.
"Anyone who ever thought the younger generation isn't up to par with the older - they can rest assured they're ready to follow the legacy," Cline said.
He loves being around young troops once again, many of whom mistake him for being 10 years younger.
"The best way to inspire them is to show them you're been in their boots before," Cline said.
He joined the Corps right out of high school, eager to fight for his country in Vietnam. His career would take him on numerous deployments and tours as a drill instructor. He earned three different college degrees.
"The Marine Corps helped me flourish," Cline said. "It was my parent all those years."
On the day he retired, a violent thunderstorm forced the festivities inside, mid-ceremony. But it was then, inside the staff club on base, that Cline was able to get a real sense of the sizable crowd that had come to send him off.
He tried a few things afterward, running for city council and becoming active on different boards and commissions.
Cline spent more time developing his company, Cleintell Entertainment, which manages artists and provides live entertainment for area events. His offices include a recording studio as well.
Then came the Homeland Security Solutions job, which has taken him to Europe and across the U.S., and back to being a leader of troops.
"My heart bleeds scarlet and gold," Cline said. "I wish I could stand shoulder to shoulder with them."
One might say he still does.
To learn more, go to www.cleintellentertainment.com.
Ellie