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| Sunday, 15 August 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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From ordinary men to soldiers of steel : Maroon berets make their mark by Rashomi Silva
There is nothing comforting about the campsite. Located in the dry zone portion of the picturesque Uva Province, conditions at the Uva Kuda Oya Training School are hard, hot and tiring. The untamed wilderness surrounding the campground bear distinctive signs of the tropical dry zone forest. Owing to the rich biodiversity of the area, the campsite is often invaded by unwelcome visitors, most of them the slithering sort that could give one the creeps. Hardships at the camp seems to be endless. The tropical mid day sun and the dry air blowing over one's body could absorb all its moisture making one 'dry as a bone'. The dusty air could give one a sore throat that will last for days. Yet the guys calling the campsite their home, have to grin and literally bear it. For this is all part of the intense and exhausting training programme that transfer ordinary soldiers into hard-as-nail, ready-for-any-danger Commandos. The month long training amidst numerous obstacles and hardships literally turns boys into men, toughening them both physically and emotionally and equipping them to handle any and all contingencies that are beyond the ordinary. A batch of ten officers and 246 soldiers, who completed the rigorous training became the most recent additions to the Commando Regiment at the Uva Kuda Oya Training School, last week. Training and selection
Prospective Commandos are selected from the officers who volunteer to join the commandos from the other regiments. The volunteer officers are required to sit for a written exam consisting of an IQ paper and get through a tough physical standard test conducted under extremely difficult circumstances. Their emotional soundness to become a commando is also essayed in different stages throughout the training using various techniques. Other rankers are selected from a special recruitment drive held once or twice every year, depending on the requirement. During their training, candidates are separated from the outside world and are sent through rigorous physical and mental ordeals, under most difficult circumstances. Anti-hijacking and hostage release training, VIP protection training, Long Range Reconnaissance, Patrol and Snipper training are just few specialised areas the Commandos are trained during their ordinary Commando course conducted in Kuda Oya. Advanced training conducted in Diyathalawa. The aim of the training is to give a Commando an exceptional survivability, enabling him to maintain peak physical and mental abilities, even under most exhausting, terrifying and even painful circumstances. "It is aimed at cultivating the soldiers' ability to make accurate and quick decisions under stress and strain," says officials. The completion of the training will qualify a soldier to wear the 'Maroon beret' a special beret worn worldwide by soldiers who have undergone the specialised training. Commanding officer of the Training School Maj. Priyantha Senaratne says, every year officers and soldiers selected for Commando Training are sent to Kuda Oya. "The training is very tough and demanding, those who fail to keep to the expected standard are sent away," he says. The colourful parade The passing out of the Commandos is marked with a colourful parade, that reflects the lessons learnt and the pride of achieving Commando status. The highlight of the event is the descent of a team of parachutists where paratroopers manoeuvre their descent from a hight of 7000ft. The training for such breathtaking feat is given exclusively to the Commandos. "We have officers from other regiments with paratroop experience and training, but they were all trained oversees. Here in Sri Lanka, only the Commandos are trained in para jumping," an official says. Jump Master and the Officer-in-Charge of the paratroopers training unit, Capt. Sumal Wickramasekara sharing his years of experience in skydiving and parachuting says, "All paratroopers are born in mid air, it is similar to giving birth where the umbilical cord is cut off bringing you to a new world," and adds "Similar to a birth, there are risks involved. It is very important to maintain a correct body position as well as to adapt a correct jumping posture. It is also important to maintain the correct balance at the point of landing as the uneven weight distribution at the point of contact with the earth could result in broken legs or damage to the spine". The paratroopers have not been in the war scenario in Sri Lanka so far, he explains. "There are limitations in the war affected areas. We do not have suitable drop zones and the other reason is that historical evidence is not favourable for using paratroopers in the war. Several attempts during the world war and at a later stage proved to be less successful than expected," points out Wickramasekara, adding that, "Despite the drawback, paratroopers are trained in every Army throughout the world to keep the tradition going". The experience is marvellous and you cannot describe the joy you feel when you float in the air, one has to experience and feel it, says Wickramasekara. As the saying goes, 'Only the birds know why they sing while they fly.' |
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