adminHerald Reporter
Forty-one paratroopers from the Zimbabwe National Army Parachute Regiment have received their coveted paratrooper wings from the Commander Zimbabwe National Army, Lieutenant-General David Sigauke.
Lt-Gen Sigauke conferred wings to the graduates of the basic static line parachuting course at the Parachute Regiment Barracks near Harare last Thursday.
This qualifies them to make combat jumps. Among the graduates were 15 officers and 26 non-commissioned members, all drawn from the special forces regiments.
Speaking at the wings parade, Lt-Gen Sigauke said: “This event signifies yet another milestone achievement by the school in fulfilling its mandate of sharpening the skills of the revered special forces.”
“The graduates went through a gruelling five weeks course to qualify as paratroopers at the Special Forces Training School.
“The course was aimed at training parachuting skills to the selected members from the special forces units in order to effectively carry out their duties within the spectrum of peace and war time.”
Lt-Gen Sigauke challenged the new paratroopers to apply the knowledge gained from the course in order for the ZDF to continue maintaining its acclaimed reputation within the region and beyond.
He said the special forces were the cutting edge of the ZDF.
“It is worth highlighting that the course started with physically demanding ground training sessions followed by a series of parachute jumps that have culminated into your qualifying jumps we have witnessed today,” he said.
“Let me state that parachuting is a force multiplier in the battle theatre as it allows rapid deployment of paratroopers in an environment that restricts freedom of manoeuvre.”
Online Reporter