European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 24, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Stars and stripes for i daily gazing a,.r. Ricondo students train in Viet Cong infested Jungle learn Trade the hard Way. A imm Jbv imm Mai volunteers undergo 18 hour a Day of intensive training Over three week period. The school is relentless almost half of trainees fail to Complete the course. You spell it by t. Jeff Williams a staff writer the Young Soldier wearing a heavy pack leaned into space from the top of the 40-foot rappelling Tower. His legs were shaking As he let the rope slip slowly through the steel link clipped to his Waist. As he toppled into the void the Gravelly voiced instructor beside him said hey. Where do you think you re going 1 Ain t through talk ing to youth checked his slide and the pack slowly tilted him upside Down 35 feet instructor a special forces ser Geant barked again a non troop you d better shape Soldier started his slow slide to Earth again his legs flailing the air As he tried to right himself. As he untangled himself at the Bottom another instructor snapped an order let Down and give me 10 pushups. And one for r e c o n d o reconnaissance com Mando doughboy. It s one of the Tough est schools in the army. For three weeks men in this Volunteer unit take up to 18 hours a Day of intensive training tomake them some of the finest recon Naissance squads in the world. From the Day they arrive it s up at 4 in the morning for hard runs that progressively lengthen to 8 Miles. Phys Cal training is important for the me but More so Are the hours of map read ing medical training handling prison ers and North vietnamese military tac tics and use of communist weapons. Augu. 24, 1968 the stars and the men Are taken from a wide Vari Ety of units in South Vietnam and trained to become the eyes and ears of their training is carried on in the Steep Hills that Rise directly behind the Seaside base of Nha Trang. 200 Miles Northeast of Saigon. The men had better know what they Are doing Viet Cong still move in the area and the trainees sometimes run into them. The commander of the Recondo school maj. Robert l. Stevens of Biloxi .miss., recalled How one team recently had Tobe evacuated by helicopter As Viet Cong forces moved in on them. Al he men Are taught to outfit them selves with great care. Seemingly simple things Are drummed into them like never removing their equipment even while sleeping. Their m16 rifles Are taped to prevent the slightest rattle. Extra tape on the stocks can be used to cover the Mouth of a prisoner. Medical supplies include pills to Stop coughing and a serum that will expand a Man s blood if he i wounded and losing blood As he flees an school is relentless. We Don t want half trained men out there that could jeopardize a whole Mission Stev ens . Those who make it through the school there is a 43 per cent washout rate will be among the world s toughest scouts. Page 11
