|
American and French Forces make history with Commando School
(severely shortened for brevity, read the whole thing at the site provided)Personnel supporting the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa made history Nov. 20 when they became the first Americans to graduate from the French Commando School here. Twenty Army soldiers and five Marines completed the three-week course and were each awarded the French Commando medal and a certificate of completion. "It was one of the hardest training operations Iâve faced, but at the same time one of the better schools Iâve been through," said Lance Cpl. Bryan Napier, who graduated in the top five of his class. "I feel honored to represent the American platoon in the top five. It will definitely be an experience to remember." Before entering the course, service members were required to take a test ensuring they could meet the physical demands of the commando school. The test involved pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups, squats, an upper-body rope climb and a 200-meter swim with a rifle. Within the first few days, the original 34-member platoon had dropped to 26 due to either failing the test or injury during training. "The reason for attending the French Commando School was to better prepare the soldiers and Marines for nautical and mountain warfare challenges in the terrain of Djibouti," Army Master Sgt. Chris Fields said. "These particular challenges trained each soldier and Marine for a hostile situation if one occurred in an area similar to this region." The American platoon trained alongside a platoon of French Foreign Legionnaires. Both accomplished the same training, but as separate units. The two forces participated in training and exercise that included working with each otherâs equipment and competed in timed races over different courses. Under the supervision of French instructors, trainees were graded on a variety of exercises requiring the nine-man squads use teamwork to successfully complete the tasks. Posted by: Jarhead 2003-12-08 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=22387 |