Commando training: Green beret quest ends with success

Sapper Ed Joseph with the Parker Trophy

Sapper Ed Joseph is an Army Reserve soldier from 131 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers (131 Indep Cdo Sqn RE), embarking on the Reserve Forces Commando Course (RFCC) at Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM), Lympstone. He has two weeks in which to complete the gruelling course that, if successfully completed, will culminate in him earning the coveted green beret.

Crowning achievement

The story hasn’t quite finished! A ceremony was held the next day for an award called the Parker Trophy. This is presented for the best performance on a course for soldiers attending the Regular AACC. It is something which is not normally awarded to Reserve Forces unless the DS feel there has been a superior effort made.

Now it is hard to say this without sounding boastful, and I must make it clear that this is absolutely not my intent, but I was later to discover that I was to be awarded the Parker Trophy for my efforts. I was truly staggered to receive this prestigious award. While humbled by the recognition, I felt it was an award which could easily have been given to any of the other lads, none more so than Joe Holt, who for me was the real star of the show.

He wasn’t quite there yet though. Friday was to be Joe’s final attempt at the endurance, and he went off with a clear weight on his shoulders. The ‘131’ guys waited, willing Joe to get through, especially as all of us going through together would be our crowning achievement.

A short time later Joe returned with a dejected look on his face. I prepared my words of pity. Without warning, his downcast face broke into the largest of smiles as he took out his green beret. Although limping, he had overcome the endurance course on his third attempt. And let’s not forget the mere 30-miler he also completed in that time. So we’d done it, 131 had finished the course with a 100 per cent pass rate.

The biggest failure you can have on the course is to simply give up. The key to success is maintaining self-belief, remaining steadfast, and being prepared to go beyond the limit that ordinary people set themselves.

Well that’s where this update ends for now; but the fun has only just started. After a short break my next stop is Norway, for the Cold Weather Winter Warfare Course (CWWWC). They say it’ll make the commando course seem easy…

Commando training: Quest for the green beret – Pt1

Commando training: Quest for the green beret – Pt2

Commando training: Quest for the green beret – Pt3

Commando training: Quest for the green beret – Pt4

Commando training: Quest for the green beret – Pt5

Commando training: Quest for the green beret – Pt6

Sapper Joseph