NY National Guard Cpl Dakoatah Miller, a Cortland resident, will train at Brazilian Jungle Warfare Training Center

Army National Guard Soldier will attend world-famous jungle training center as part of New York's State Partnership Program with Brazil

Latham, NY (09/20/2021) — New York Army National Guard Corporal Dakoatah Miller, a Cortland resident who finished second in the Army National Guard's nationwide Best Warrior competition in July, is now heading to Brazil to attend the Brazilian Army's world-standard jungle warfare training school.

Miller, a member of the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry, will spend six weeks at the Brazilian Jungle Warfare Training Center in Manas, the capitol of Brazil's Amazonas state. The course begins at the end of September.

The school, known as CIGS, the acronym for its Portuguese name -- Centro de Instrucao de Guerra na Selva-was founded in 1964, and is considered the top jungle training center in the world.

The school runs a six-week long international course for Soldiers from other countries. Highly trained special operations Soldiers typically attend this class.

The classes focus on navigating in the jungle, jungle tactics, and lots of swimming while learning to use rivers as travel routes in the jungle.

Those who pass the course are awarded a special knife called the "facao, de mateo" a Brazilian version of the Bowie knife with a jaguar headed handle made specifically for the jungle warfare center.

"I have prepared as best as I can for the school," Miller said. "I am going to go down and give it my best."

He has been making an effort to do more swimming, Miller said. Previous New York National Guard attendees he spoke with emphasized what a big part swimming plays during the training, he explained.

Miller is attending the course as part of the New York National Guard's State Partnership Program with the Brazilian military.

The partnership programs pairs state National Guard's with the militaries of around the globe in developing training partnerships.

New York has had a partnership with Brazil since 2019. In August, Air National Guard rescue teams from the 106th Rescue Wing based in Westhampton Beach, took part in a Brazilian Air Force exercise called Exercise Tapio.

New York sent an Army National Guard Soldier to the tough, demanding class in 2019, and an Air Guardsman completed course in 2020.

This year, two New York National Guard members will participate in the training. New York Air National Guard Technical Sgt. Paul Cange, from Syracuse, N.Y. and a member of the 274th Air Support Operations Squadron, will also be attending the school.

Miller was selected for this opportunity because of his demonstrated capabilities already displayed in regional and national Best Warrior events, according to Command Sgt. Major David Piwowarski, the senior enlisted leader in the New York Army National Guard.

"The preparation and dedication it takes to consistently win, demonstrates his ability to stay mission focused despite distractions like fatigue and hunger," Piwowarski said.

"All of this, plus his infantry training at his unit as well as his personal mental toughness will ensure that he not only completes the Brazilian jungle warfare course, but that he excels there," he added.

Miller said he expects the biggest challenge in the jungle will be the humidity. The Army National Guard Best Warrior competition took place in Arizona so the Amazon jungle is about as different as you can get, Miller said.

He and Tech. Sgt. Canga plan to get together before the course starts so they can compare notes, Miller said.

When he returns from the Brazilian school he plans to attend the Army's Ranger School in January, Miller said.

The two month course involves training at Fort Benning, Georgia; military mountaineering in northern Georgia, and operations in Florida's swamps.

He also hopes to attend the Army's Mountain Warfare School in Vermont next year, Miller said.

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