November 16, 2007

BEACON: Local hero prepares for another Middle East tour of duty

By Bill Highlander
Editor

In a remote training area an hour north of Ft. Bliss, Texas, soldiers of the 300th Military Police Brigade are getting ready for deployment to Iraq. Several have been there before. The stark facility replicates the environs of Iraq. The commanding officer, Brig. Gen. Robert Hipwell, has served five tours in Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq since the 9/11 attack on the United States.

Brig. Gen. Robert Hipwell

Hipwell, an Evergreen resident, has led this military police unit since 2006. Commissioned through Officer Candidate School more than 30 years ago, he served on active duty for three years. In Vietnam, he was with the 101st Airborne.

The Evergreen Times reported on Hipwell in 2004 when he returned for the holidays from Afghanistan with a Bronze Star for Valor and a Purple Heart.

He has risen through the ranks of the U.S. Army Reserve. A highly decorated soldier, a successful businessman with a Ph.D.in business, Hipwell also completed the U.S. Army War College where he earned a master’s of strategic studies.
Hipwell, 57, was born in England and moved to San Diego with his parents at the age of 9. His home now is near Evergreen Valley High School where a son and daughter attend. He calls his family a blended one of “mine, yours, ours and others”. A total of nine children – six from a first marriage, one step-child, one with his wife Cindy and one adopted son.

A friend, Brig. Gen. Eldon Regua, commanding general, 104th Division, says Hipwell is “a good soldier, a quiet man who is very knowledgeable.” His commitment to military service stems from a strong belief in family, community, God and country. Hipwell says his contribution is to help ensure America stays free and to”keep the bad guys away from our shores.”

Five of his sons carry on the military tradition and three are still on active duty. One son is in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne, and another one is a combat medic at Ft. Bragg. Hipwell recently was able to travel to Afghanistan to reenlist his son for six more years of service.

Legislation limits deployment of reserve units to one year. Hipwell doesn’t know yet when the unit will depart for Iraq, but the clock started Oct. 1, so the unit will be back home in September 2008.

Designed to process and safeguard detainees, the unit is now undergoing a 2½-month training cycle that includes combat training, weapons familiarization, chemical warfare protection, and extensive life saving training beyond usual first aid. Each soldier carries a kit with medical supplies to treat the wounded immediately.

The general is proud of his volunteer soldiers. Some of his soldiers have been to the Middle East before. Morale is high, he says, and “all want to be here.” He cited the incident of a young soldier who sprained his ankle during a 5-mile march. The next day, he discarded his crutches to drive a truck during exercises. On the third day, he bandaged his ankle and endured the pain during a challenging land navigation course.

The past several years, especially since being promoted to general officer, have required much time away from home. His family understands and supports Hipwell as he performs his military duties. Mrs. Hipwell manages the household and is a real estate agent.

Brigadier general is a BEACON in the community due to his continuing service to the nation. The Evergreen community appreciates his commitment and wishes him and his soldiers a safe tour in their mission.

BEACON

A country song says “you can’t be a beacon if your light don’t shine.”

The Evergreen Times would like for the lights of interesting Evergreen residents to shine through a profile on such persons. Our community has educators, activists, business people, inventors, sportsmen, hobbyists, public safety persons – a plethora of fascinating people who should be recognized by their neighbors as a beacon for community involvement. If you know a person who should be recognized as a BEACON, contact highlander@timesmediainc.com and they will be considered for future issues.