|
TOLEMAIDA, Colombia - Special Forces, SEAL, Ranger, paratrooper
are all titles and terms that tend to garner respect and admiration
from U.S. military personnel and civilians alike because of the
physical and mental strength it takes to earn them.
In the
country of Colombia and throughout much of Central and South
America, the title of “Lancero” is viewed with the same admiration
because it takes a certain amount of dedication to become one.
|
Brig. Gen. Sean P. Mulholland, the commander of Special Operations
Command South and Lancero graduate, congratulates Staff Sgt. Jose
Centeno, Sgt. 1st Class Aledaine Lugo Garcia, Capt. Richard Franko,
and Staff Sgt. Michael Hayden for earning the title of Lancero
before their graduation ceremony at the Escuela de Lanceros located
at the Colombian military's National Training Center in Tolemaida on
Dec. 3, 2013. The school is designed to develop its students into
experts in small-unit tactics and irregular warfare. (U.S. Army
Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Alex Licea, Special Operations Command South
Public Affairs)
|
On a hot and humid afternoon at the Escuela de Lanceros
or Lancero School, a gold and red badge with the title “Lancero”
was presented to four U.S. soldiers during a ceremony at the
Colombian military's National Training Center in Tolemaida,
Colombia, Dec. 3.
Capt. Richard Franko, Sgt. 1st
Class Aledaine Lugo Garcia, Staff Sgt. Jose Centeno and
Staff Sgt. Michael Hayden stood proud during the symbolic
graduation ceremony as they were officially made part of a
unique and multicultural brotherhood, the band of Lanceros.
Despite the pageantry, flare and colorfulness of the
ceremony, the event was the culmination of 73 days of
intense physically arduous and mentally grueling training
described as intense and downright brutal by the U.S. Army's
newest Lanceros.
“I would say this was one of the
toughest courses if not the toughest course I will ever be a
part of,” said Centeno, who is assigned to 2nd Battalion,
7th Special Forces Group, based at Eglin Air Force Base,
Fla. “We were put through sleepless days and nights, lack of
food and intense physical training every day.”
Rightly so, the Lancero course has earned the reputation of
being one of the hardest military courses around the world.
The Lancero program was established in 1955, and its
core system was founded after members of the Colombian
National Army went through U.S. Army Ranger school at Fort
Benning, Ga., and used what they learned to form their own
special operations school in Colombia.
The Escuela
de Lanceros is designed to develop its students into experts
in small-unit tactics and irregular warfare. The school
helps prepare the Colombian military's best warriors to
combat hostile organizations such as the insurgency of the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC,
who the Colombian government has been in armed conflict
since 1964, although the Colombian government has engaged in
peace talks with the FARC over the past year in order to
seek an end to the conflict.
The
two-and-a-half-month course is broken up into several phases
and students learn several skills such as irregular and
urban warfare in both mountain and jungle terrain; water
survival; air assault procedures; Survival, Evasion,
Resistance, and Escape training, commonly referred to as
SERE; and basic medical and human rights training.
The course is as much physical as it is culture-based, and
the four U.S. troops gained a better understanding of the
Colombian culture and forged a bond with their Colombian and
international counterparts.
Like Centeno, Franko and
Hayden are assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces
Group at Eglin. For them, earning the title of Lancero gives
them instant respect with their regional partners. As
members of 7th Group, these Green Berets specialize in
working and building military capacity and lasting
partnerships throughout U.S. Southern Command area of
responsibility, which geographical landscape spans from the
Caribbean and across Central and South America.
“The
language barrier was a bit challenging in the beginning but
as the course went on, I really applied all of my training
to get me through the course,” said Hayden, a native of
Phoenix. “Despite the physical demands of the course, the
best part was the friends made. There is a special bond that
is formed with guys from different nations because we are
all going through the same hardships of the course.”
Along with the four U.S. soldiers, international
military members from Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, and for the first time Paraguay attended the
course. No matter what flag is on their uniform, everyone in
the course has something interesting and unique to share
with their fellow Lanceros.
For most of the new
Lanceros, they described the mountain and jungle warfare
portion of the course as the most challenging. From long
hikes, various road marches ranging from 10-30 kilometers
and various other physical and mental draining events, the
training took its toll.
“I can tell you that the
jungle phase of this course was very hard,” said Lugo
Garcia, a New York City native. “Rucking in the jungle was
definitely the most difficult part of the course because the
terrain is rough, the weather is hot and humid as we carried
70 pounds of gear walking up and down mountains and through
the jungle.”
Franko, a native of North Judson, Ind.,
added that this school was just as tough and at times harder
than the U.S. Army Ranger School.
With training like
this, it's no surprise each Soldier lost an average of 30-40
pounds during their time in the Lancero course. For Lugo
Garcia, a graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger School, assigned
as an operations noncommissioned officer at the National
Training Center based in Fort Irwin, Calif., the course was
unlike anything he had done in the past.
He also
said that he is proud and grateful for the opportunity to
attend this course, which is rare for anyone outside of the
special operations community.
“This experience was
certainly something I will never forget, and I am very proud
I was given this opportunity since I am not assigned in
special operations,” he said. “I hope more Soldiers in the
“regular” Army get a chance to attend this course.”
Colombian Maj. Gen. Juan Pablo Rodriguez Barragan, the
commander of the Colombian National Army, presided over the
graduation ceremony and spoke to the graduates about the
significance of being a Lancero.
“Lanceros hold a
very special place in our nation,” he said. “Being a Lancero
is something that is recognized around the world and nations
send its best soldiers and leaders to this course. I salute
you for earning this accomplishment and you are forever a
part of our family.”
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Sean P.
Mulholland, the commander of Special Operations Command
South, based at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., was the
senior U.S. official at the ceremony.
As a Theater
Special Operations component under the guidance of the U.S.
Special Operations Command and U.S. Southern Command,
SOCSOUTH is responsible for all U.S. special operations
training and personnel in the Caribbean, Central and South
America.
During the official presentation of the
Lancero badges, Mulholland and other senior Colombian
military officials were invited by Rodriguez Barragan to
“pin” and congratulate each Lancero.
Mulholland, a
Lancero himself and former instructor at the school,
presented each of the American Lanceros with the badge and
congratulated them for the well-earned achievement.
In true Lancero fashion, the ceremony ended with all the
graduating students doing pushups before marching off the
parade field.
Centeno, a Cuban-American from
Kissimmee, Fla., placed second overall in his graduating
class, and said the physical hardships over the past 73 days
and lack of sleep and food was worth it because he truly has
a new found respect for his fellow American soldiers and his
international brothers-in-arms.
“As members of 7th
Group and always working in this region, it gives us
creditability with our Colombian partners,” he said. “Being
a Lancero is a way of life and I can't be prouder of this
achievement.”
By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Alex Licea
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
Comment on this article |
