Online edition of Sunday Observer

"It was a very difficult road to get this far. I know that having gone through it myself. We have in our country a temporary peace now. As soldiers it is easy for us to want to break this peace as we are the ones who have felt the steel blade of the war. It has a sharp edge. However this peace is precious. It is important to preserve it. To protect it, for as soldiers of our country it is our duty to protect our countrymen. So safeguard this peace and be alert to any sign of danger. You as commandos must be ready to face anything at any time".
-Chief Guest, Brigadier P.Chandrawangsha's.

A mother breaks down as she embraces her son...God knows how she must be feeling as she pins the badge of honour on the uniform of the soldier son who is about to join the elite brigade of Sri Lanka's commandos. Fathers, siblings and girl friends wait in anticipatory silence to see their beloved, become a member of the army's most lethel unit.

Fifth October 2002... a hot and sunny Saturday morning at the Army training school in Kuda Oya. The place looks quite a snarl despite the torrid sun. It is the passing out ceremony of 189 soldiers and seven officers who have undergone a rigorous, yet adventurous, training of 27 weeks to become commandos.

`Nothing ventured nothing gained', goes the famous saying, and subscribing to that, the infantrymen are considerably reassured to receive the credentials for enduring the tough seasoning.Chief Guest Brigadier P.Chandrawansha, arrives in time to catch the pre-event tension. In the scorching sun, the soldiers stand still and the parade starts on time... Brigadier Chandrawansha steps down from the podium to hand over the maroon berets to the new commandos. They give their oath to defend the country at all times. And then the show begins.

Four Officers, Captain J.D.Samarasekara, Sumal Wickramasekara, G.A.K. Gamarachchi, Gnanathillake and Sergeant Perera do the breath-taking free fall from a 10,000 ft height and pride is all theirs when they come down safely to hand over the flags of each regiment. The next event is the eye catching `Dog show' where three trained dogs show off their incredible skills of jumping through burning loops. Here obedience is the key verb.

Pinning the badge of honour

After a gone-to-the-dogs show, the military men snatch the attention of the spellbound crowd with an awe-inspiring descent, in an event called `rappelling' where men in black absail from a high tower to demonstrate a segment of a high adrinalin rescue operation. As if on cue, the next action show is orchestrated by the anti-hijack team who appear from the top of the tower with a victim they had rescued. It really is a sight to behold; the team descending or rather `walking down' the tower, as the rescuer and the rescued emerge from behind.This high action drama makes way for an adventure of another sort..the `Sniper' show.

An unquestionably hair-raising event, it is all about accuracy and sneaky precision that brings up goose bumps.

High drama, high adventure and high excitement...the passing out ceremony of the commandos had it all, making one both curious and fascinated with this special unit of the army. So what exactly does the commando unit do, and how does one become a commando? According to army officials, civilians recruited into the Army, under commando regiment training, are given basic military training to be a soldier. This training is conducted in army recruiting centres, in Ampara, Minneriya and Mardhuruoya, where after four months they pass out as soldiers. Those who wish to become Commandos are sent to Uva-Kudaoya, where they are given a two months orientation training to prepare them for the selection commando course.

Receiving the Maroon Beret

A twenty four hour continuous course which lasts for thirty seven days, recruits are given vigorous training, which is physically and mentally draining. They are trained to sustain themselves on a diet of dog meat and snails and get only fifteen minutes of sleep per day. After much endurance training they are sent to a pitch at about 1:00 pm, where they engage in unarmed combact, training themselves in various martial arts for about an hour.

Each recruit is given 1500 marks at the beginning of the course and the marks are deducted according to their failings. The idea in it is to choose only the best. The training is therefore tough. The would be commandos are trained to be able to take up any problem in the battlefield; to make decisions under stress and fatigue; to make the proper decisions; and to be self confident. Commandos have no room for emotions, leniency and mercy, and have to fight for their country and protect its people.Battle is a do or die situation, where kill or be killed is the motto.

Those who pass the commando selection course undergo the commando training course which is of a six-and-a-half months duration. There are four modules in it. Weapon training, tactical training, endurance training and navigation training.

After this commando training course a parade is held in which the soldiers are given medals and a maroon beret, officially recognising them as commandos. In this year's parade 189 of the 600 recruits passed as commandos and 7 passed out as Second Lieutenants, having obtained best results. Second Lieutenant W.K.R.N.Munasingha was awarded the best commando cup and Second Lieutenant P.S.B.Pitunugama was awarded the best shooter dagger.

During the war commandos who pass out are sent to the battle field for five years. Those who are good are afterwards given advanced training and then sent for special operations. Here a team of about eight commandos are sent to make a reconnaissance, which sometimes last for months in which commandos have to undergo many hardships.

During the temporary peace which has been achieved at present, those who have passed the commando course can either join a regiment, do a sniper course, a parachuting course, or join the anti hijacking and hostage release operations.

It is of great importance to mention that the commandos serving in various capacities as officers or men of other ranks, are devoted and dedicated to their duty at all times. On many occasions they have sacrificed their lives and limbs for the betterment of the country and its people. Many have lost their eyesight while on operational duties. It must not be forgotten that these young men have often lost the prime of their youth in the service of their country.

(information from Major Chrishantha Gnanaratne-Chief Instructor of the Commando Training School and Major Rohitha Wijepala-Commanding officer of the commando regiment)

It had become necessary to form a special unit in the Army, to counter the unconventional threat that developed in the late 70's. With the support given to this necessity by the then Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General J.E.D.Perera ndc psc, it was decided to form a specialised unit which could be deployed on special operations.

Arrangements were made to provide a special commando training course in February 1978. The initial training was held at the Diyatalawa Ella Army Camp. The officers and other ranks who voluntarily participated and successfully completed the hard and tough training course came from the infantry, support and service units of the Army. Those who completed the training successfully were selected as instructors for the subsequent courses. The first ever commando squadron was formed on March 15, 1980 and was located at Diyatalawa under the supervision of Major SD Peiris, the first Officer Commanding the Squadron.

This became the 1st Commando Regiment subsequently. Some selected commandos of the Squadron underwent another serious session of training conducted by British instructors on Anti hijacking and hostage release operations. Some of them followed an airborne course at the Indian Airforce Parachute Training School. On December 4, 1980 the commando squadron was re-established at Ganemulla where the Commando Regimental Headquarters is located at present.

The commandos were thus engaged in operational duties in the North and East and also played a major role in all operations from the inception.On March 15, 1988, the Commando Regiment Training School which was mostly required to groom the future commandos, was established in order to give more impetus to carry out specialised duties more progressively and successfully. Due to the unstable security situation prevalent in the country a 2nd Commando Regiment was also formed at Ganemulla on March 1, 1993. The Commando Regiment Training School which was at Ganemulla was also shifted to Wellawaya-Uva kudaoya.

After the Parade the newly appointed Commandos got together with their families. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles and girl friends. Little groups of families could be seen surrounding a commando or two, food being shared and news exchanged.

Here two brothers who passed out as commandos together and family members of some of the Commandos talk about beins in the forces. "Our cousin Francis Embirrissa joined the Commando force. In 1989-1991 he took part in operation Lightning, in which he lost a leg in a land mine in Wellioya. Next, our eldest brother joined the army. In 1995 he lost his left eye in Jaffna when a bullet went through it and came out of the left side of his head. We wanted to join the commando force because of this."

T.B.Adhikari, 54- a father of a new commando, from Anamaduwa "I have a son and daughter. My one and only son ran away from home to join the army, we never liked the idea though. We have no choice but it's all right I guess.. we've adjusted and have got used to the idea. In fact, we are proud to have a son who serves the motherland".

Lakmali Munasinghe, 20 (sister) "When my brother said he wanted to join the forces, for the first time, we panicked. That was the last thing we wanted for him. The war was on at that time. But he wouldn't stop his plea so my parents gave their blessings but I know they were shattered deep inside. But we are happy today, especially when I remind myself that I have a brother in the forces".