G.I. Joe Classic Collection Belgian Para-Commando 12" Action Figure 1997 Hasbro

G.I. Joe Classic Collection Belgian Para-Commando 12" Action Figure 1997 Hasbro Belgium's Para-Commando Brigade has a reputation for being one of the finest airborne units in NATO. The brigade was born in battle' in 1942 when Belgian freedom fighters joined with British paratroopers and special forces to resist Nazi occupation. The Belgians were quick to master British commando skills and by 1945 had their own Belgian special forces regiment. The unit saw action in Germany, Holland, and the Ardennes. Today the regiment has grown into a brigade with combined paratrooper and commando units. The unit is now structured to operate under NATO authority as an intervention and rapid reaction force. Belgian Para- Commandos now turn their military prowess and freedom fighter zeal to a variety of NATO rescue and peace-keeping actions.

The Belgian Para-Commando unit has grown to meet the need for a mobile force that is strategic to eastern Europe. That growth has created some recruitment problems for the Belgian military. The standards of the elite brigade are so high that many fine Belgian soldiers fail to make the grade. Only 50% successfully complete six weeks of grueling commando training and go on to jump school. When a candidate has passed a comprehensive series of training programs he may join the brigade as both a commando and a paratrooper. In the Sixties, Belgian Para-Commandos saw action in Zaire (formerly the Belgian Congo) when they rescued hundreds of civilians from Simba rebels. More recently, the unit served in NATO's Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. When not in action, Belgian Para-Commandos engage in training exercises to maintain their edge. G.I. Joe