RLI FireForce - looking back
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 10. 01. 2020
- The Regimental Birthday of the Rhodesian Light Infantry is approaching, so I made this slide show as a tribute to "The Saints". I hope it stirs some forgotten memories and brings a smile to your face and perhaps a tear to your eye. I was in 14 Troop 3 Commando for a relatively short period, but that brief time had a profound impact on the rest of my life. I tried to mainly use my own photos but also used some that are in the public domain on the internet. I salute you my brothers!
Music by Epidemic Sound:
www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
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I was born and raised in Rhodesia, my dad and brother both served in the forces, my children were born there and have grown up in the UK not knowing the land of their birth, I still have pride in my country, God bless us all đ
My first Platoon Sergeant in the US Army's Ranger Regiment was a veteran of the RLI. He had served three years in the unit. He was a consummate professional and we learned loads from him. The man was steady as a rock, never bragged or told war stories unless it was to emphasize a point. He was well read and a student of history, and ... he had ice water running through his veins. He had that same front page of a newspaper in frame in his home, the one on the raid into Mozambique. I recall a radio transmission during the invasion of Panama that went like this "We have five enemy moving to our front, over" and the reply from him was three words "Kill them, out." The next thing you heard was the roar of a M249 and three M4 carbines getting there job done. He retired as a Command Sergeant Major, a great soldier and one of the men who shaped the modern American Ranger Regiment. Thank you and all of the men of the Rhodesian Light Infantry.
Pungwe
I know who you speak of, now hidden...
i think i knew him but danged if i can place a name to him, in my time of US ARMY service i met many from the PROUD RLI !!
A few years ago,on the phone,i was chatting to this American guy who was setting up call centres,and he remarked on my accent.When I said Rhodesian,he said he had been a U.S. Ranger and that the coveted paratroopers wings were Rhodesian,not Israeli,British SAS which i found interesting.
Boomer,you must be talking about CSM Mike Kelso. My Best bud growing up was in 13 Troop, 3 CDO which had a lot of foreign troopers!
There will never be anything like them again! The Incredibles.
There will be a time, not so far from now, when Men and women of value will have to do it again. Lets not forget them. So we can draw inspiration from them.
My claim to fame - at 7.22 the fresh looking kid on the right. 19 going on 30. Looking back on my life the best thing I did was volunteer for RLI during my National Service. Served with 3 Troop, 1 Commando. Respect to all veterans from whichever country who served.
nothing at 7 22
At 2:58 'The faces of boys, yet they fought like Lions' The RAR said that.
âWhat a time it wasâ
RIP to all the brave men who fought and died for Rhodesia. Youâre still in our prayers
It make my heart cry to see these brave men stand up against all odds against tyranny..
I cannot believe we are are all old now. We seemed invincible back then. I think time has proven us right. That which fought for and against unfolded before our very eyes and in our lifetime. History has proven us correct. I salute you all.
Thank you!
These guys are born soldiers! I believe my country (Britain) let these people down big time.
Yes all the behind the scene I often wonder if any of these people are still alive to say we cocked this up all because of politics and said they were sorry, not one I understand bloody snakes in the grass, read some of the books written by these brave sodiers doing their best to keep the place they loved out of the hands of the Marxist powere and still they are there in Africa today, as for getting Mugabe in what a joke he became nothing more than jsut another African dictator like Amin
@@merledoughty5787 Biden is another dirty scoundrel against Rhodies and the boys down South. Check where the dithering old geriatric is today, cocking up big time. Should have got the proverbial third eye in the '60's
My mates were all in 2nd commando. Rhodesia was the best country I ever lived in. So sad to see it go the way it has.
Unfortunately the west is now letting itself go
its a shame i fear the same will happen to the south...well lets be honest pretty much the whole Africa
Thank you RLI. You will never be forgotten. You inspired me to fight communism by joining the US Army. I met some of your Rhodesian Army exiles serving with me. Great soldiers!
Interesting times, I served 12 years in the South Africa airforce but today I will rather serve in the Russian military then the traitor nations of the West.
"Holy Russia" ain't the Russ govt today or society. They play a role of 'conservative' but theyre fully WCC & WEF run (that's church & state there). Fully on board w the technocracy - CV. I say this as western Orthodox. If you want to help Southern Africa, or Russia or the west read them akathists and ask the God & the saints esp Passionbearers Nicholas, Alexandra, Olga, Tatiana, Anastasia, & Alexei & st vladika(father) John Maximovitch of Shanghai & San Francisco. He was very partial to western Orthodoxy. And in addition just continue w/faith "hora et labora" prayer & work. God has plans for the nations in Africa yet I firmly believe.
I had forgotten just how young most of them were. Respect
I am proud to say that my dad was in the RLI, and is still alive, his name is Johnny van der Schyff.
I'm Ex 1RAR (Royal Australian Regt) Inf and my Mentor, who I most respectfully called Uncle, was a former Special branch liaison to the Selous Scouts. He taught me what to expect and how to conduct myself on Operations as well as how to deal with the return to Civvie life post conflict. He was one of the greatest men I ever had the honor of calling a friend. You will all have a place in my heart forever and I send you all a Prayer every ANZAC day. I feel the RLI are kindred spirits with the RAR as our tactics, attitude and professionalism are virtually the same. Much respect to all Bush war Veterans. Long live the spirit of Rhodesia!
In the Rhodesian sense the RAR was the Rhodesian African Rifles (formerly Kings African Rifles) who formed the backbone of the standing army. 75% of the standing army was the RAR. They saw service in WW2 in Burma and later in Malaya with British forces.
Most were soldiers for generations. They were housed in military bases along with their families and didn't really have a home outside the army. When Mugabe came to power they fled and many were fingered as "sell outs" and murdered by Mugabe.
In 1979 we had an insurrection from a group of 1500 Pfumo Revanu (poiltical army) in our area. The military liaison officer there was one of the first African officers in the army. When the insurrection occurred 12 Aerospatiale Allouettes of Fire Force were in the air to sort them out. This group fired on elements of Rhodesian Artillery there killing an officer and wounding 3 others. Fire Force deployed (48 men) and killed plenty and the rest surrendered in a fire fight lasting 20 minutes.
Later that day the African officer came into our hospital having broken his arm. I was chatting to him and he said to me he would give up his commission to become a troopie in the RLI Fire Force.
My partner of 30 years was also both a member of the RAR (although the 2RAR which were second to none till 1 RAR changed the sign!) and RLI.
Bloody legends all!
May our heavenly father bless you all,
Dave
PROUDLY RECLAIMING MY COLONIAL HERITAGE
Incredible soldiers and a fine Army. The fact that such a minority held the communists back for so long is testament to the courage and brilliance of these men.
An amazing visual tribute to one of the greatest counterinsurgency forces the world has ever seen. The Rhodesian Light Infantry. Salute & Respect.
Thank you!
Rhodesians Never Die, as long as men remember the courage and sprite of these men
Brave heroic words but all said and done. The writing was on the wall . War is a numbers game . How can 5 % fight and win against 95 % . Its doesn't matter how great the quality and how brave your soldiers are. A German officer fighting on the eastern front. Said "we are like the elephant fighting against ants , we can kill thousands and thousands eventually the ants will eat us a live. They could have negotiate a way to share power, but instead choice war and lost . Thousands of blacks and whites lost their life's for nought. Mr Smith was like king Canute trying his best too stop the tide from coming a shore .Mr Smith could never have won only delay the evable.
Folks, Russell Phillips, the guy leaning against the tree with his FN, has sadly passed away last week. RIP
One of the few recipients of the silver cross. RIP
Sadly,back then I was too young to be there.Išm still missinšit.Incredible warriors.
Greetings from C Sqn.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge.
Beautiful COUNTRY..and good men what more could one ask for..besides GODS BLESSING TO ALL
More tears and memories here.Many RLI in UK have met some.Great team of soldiers.Be Blessed all.
Never to be forgotten...
That took me back to the last 4 months before mugabe was voted in. I was in 6 South Africa infantry in the gonrezou game reserve fighting incognito
I remember I once landed at Mabalauta airstrip to find guys in Rhodesian camo, but speaking fluent Afrikaans....!!
Gonarezhou** - Elephantâs habitat
Superior in every aspect! Respect from Austria!
An ex RLI turns up at our Remembrance Day parade in Inverness, top man well worth buying him a beer and having a chat.
Respect , somewhere reminds me when I was in French foreign legion back in 1985 , Iâm 55 now but I have never ever forget the discipline.
The Incredibles.
There will never be anyone like this ever again.......there couldn't be!!!
These men were tougher than woodpecker lips! I didn't go into the brush with skivies on! (A little cold in the Afghan mountains!
Thank you men of the RLI = Our first defence = We will never forget you đ
you can not tell me that you dont miss those days
This was the true âSpirit of Rhodesiaâ, a small Nation bravely fighting against the outside World! I was lucky enough to spend some time in Salisbury, in the 70s, and could see - by myself - how deeply proud Rhodesians were concerning their many achievements. As time went by, though, the once prosperous Nation happened to be captured by "The Lancaster-House Agreements", and it meant the 1st step down the hill⊠RIP, Rhodesia!
At 4.48 I saw Bill Metcalf , I served with him in 3 Para . Both of us were wounded in the Falklands War.
Respect!
I just wanted to Thank you personally for putting up this video. â Three Sips of Gyn â , is a book recommended by a former SEAL , Jack Carr.
What happened to your country is criminal. So little is known now As its Not politially correct etc.
You were all so Young , thin and truly Expert light Infantry.
Semper Fidelis ,
Mike
Thanks Mike! Respect to the Marines..
Respect
That's a very good rendition of "Abide with me" - the brass band always gets me...
Every Rhodesian was either a farmer or a soldier or both!
Proud soldiers love of country..... may the Rhodesian legacy live forever
Thank you for video,top notch troops, deep respect from America.
Thanks Joseph
To all the RLI guy's i knew,then and now my sincere thanks and gratitude.Thank God for the RLI.Salute to you all.
Thank you đđŒ
Brings tears to my eyes, those incredible young men. Thank you John
Such an amazing video. I will never forget my time with RLI. What a great experience.
Respect Brother, from a former Aussie Grunt.
Who served in RLI 3 CDO with Charlie Warren? 78-79
Hello sir
You served in the Rhodesian army ?
If you served please consider writing and self-publishing your experiences! I'm a 3rd-year history student and the number of primary resources (aka sources that historians need to write on Rhodesia) is low!
The history of Rhodesia and the experiences you found die with men like you. As does the history. If Historians are ever to set the record straight. We need your stories!
Thanks for reading.
Thanks John!
You did us so proud boys. God bless and good rest to those of you that have already been summoned to the big mess in the sky.
Iv met a few Rhodesians here in New Zealand that served with the RLI ,great men that are still proud of their history and their BBQ meat is amazing and washed down with copious amounts of beer
Thank you my friend some great photographs they nearly got me crying.I'm a British person who understands hello I can't be let you down big time by not giving you more support to have a great Rhodesia which would've helped the black people not for them to be in a quagmire they are today.respect my friend
I have loved that Rhodie cammo pattern since I first saw it in the 80's in Soldier of Fortune Magazine.
I remember reading the Soldier of Fortune mag, wonder if it still being published?
Yeah and the stories on combat and survival mag, about the RLI and Scouts. Inspired me to Join the Army, Absolute Warriors. Rhodesia Lions âïžđȘđźđȘđŽó §ó ąó „ó źó §ó ż
@@useryggfdcc magazine stopped several years back, went to online format only. Don't know if it's still going or not. Still have my copies from late 70s-early 90s.
Our Heroes we never forget. From me 10th Battalion Rhodesia Regiment. .
Our Sergeant at Llewellyn was from the RLI, a great guy and dead serious about training us for the war in the bush. This video was well produced and brought a lump to the throat. Unfortunately when on patrol few of us carried a camera so these pictures are a great reminder of those days. Well done.
My respects. You fought a good fight. Long live all veterans out there.
When I served in the Australian army I served with a ex Rhodesian soldier god he missed his country
But Mugabe was in power then
Thanks for the video. Respects. đŹđ§
Thanks Nick
And you know there's nothing worse,
then doing the assault course,
when the sweat is running free,
and it smells like Chiboolie.
I was at Stellenbosch University with a guy that served in the RLI ...Nigel Payne. He studied forestry. A great soutie. Very quiet and modest. I believe he is a big shot today in Zimbabwe in the forestry service.
Respect to all of You, brave soldiers.
Brave men. Salute.
So young so many of them but really nice young men. A credit to their parents. It was my privilege to serve with them but in a different mob.
Respect to such an elite unit and those who served Rhodesia!, never forgotten!
A friend of mine was a medic with the RLI
Lord do I remember trying for that glass shine on our stick boots at Llewellyn
Kiwi did the trick with wet cotton wool.
I'm extremely proud of my uncle Dave Anderson who served in the RLI and the RAR between 1972 and 1977. R.I.P. Dave.
Thank you
At 2:56 into the video looks like a fireforce call out in progress. Clearly the troopie can be seen gathering his thoughts to the task that lay ahead. Fireforce.... maximum force as ruthlessly quick as possible to get the job done. Sometimes on more than occasion during the duration of, first wave. You get a good idea just how young we were back then.
In the early 1970s there was an RLI recruiter working in Canada. He'd approach people who had just left a combat trade (ie: Infantry, Artillery, Combat Engineers)in the Canadian Army. I've always believed that someone in Canadian Forces HQ was supplying leads. Several Canadians went and served in the RLI, and at least one ended up in Rhodesian Army jail because he felt that he was asked to do things he hadn't signed up for. I chose not to, simply because I didn't want to serve as a mercenary. I think it was the right decision for me, but I have a lot of respect for the Rhodesian soldiers who gave it such a great reputation.
I met him in Buffalo new york, and the rest is history, what a time we had.
I donât believe we employed mercenaries. They joined us as soldiers, on the same payroll, with no, rank & name.
There were no "mercenaries" in the RSF
God bless the Saints!
They were just kids. But they were Heroes
Thanks, Patti and John put together so beautifully for the Anniversary. Young, tough worked and played hard a fighting machine. Salute and Respect such wonderful memories must never be forgotten.
Thank you!
@@fightingmenofrhodesia all good keep safe
Abide with me...so emotional. I am sure I saw some familiar faces. They started as boys and grew up quickly into one of the best anti-terrorist forces the world has known.
Salute you Saints.
Absolutely great tribute to one of the worlds best fighting regiment. So much potential.......
Great chat, thanks Guys. Look forward to conclusion. I was such a tragedy for so many who eventually said thanks world, that enough for me. I know of many who tried in vain to live a good healthy life after the war and failed for no fault of theirs and eventually threw in the towel. God Bless
Cant believe this great nation is now Zimbabwe
Great video and respect for the Rhodesian vets.
Glad there was a happy ending for the guys. Thanks and well done.
So Moving. Best wishes to to these Brave lads, from the UK.
Much appreciated!
@@fightingmenofrhodesia đ
I would love to meet a Rhodie trooper,and buy the pints till dawn. God Bless đ€
Great channel. Thank You
That would be cool
All the best from Germany
Remembering Ronnie Peresov, medic RLI. Great soldier, but a better man. Miss you mate
Great soldiers ! Heroes !
Courageous people, splendid land.
đą
Outstanding men!
SEMPER FI!!
Ads nan aussie I have been touched by what i ahvre Learned. I knew some Rhodesians in the 70s but they left and were not supporters. I have learned alot. May God Bless all those who fell.
"Hmm commandos in hotpants... These must be either Recces or Rhodesians."
đ€Łđ€Ł
a man needs to keep cool in the bush lol :)
just wondering what the females would have worn if they were in the service at that time??
well.. found my new favorite video on youtube. what a brave and tenacious people. while the whole world has you up against a wall, you fought back fiercely.
you never lost a battle and IMO, you didnât lose the war. political crapâŠ.. anyways; troopie, ya won.
For principle we made a stand. Courageous people, splendid land.đđ€
Respect for you guys
Frikken men in boys bodies these lads...Respect!
Gone for ever ...Rhodesia [x] South Africa [ soon] America [coming soon] ....
Respect Guys!!!
Left with memories...đđąđ
I had the pleasure of meeting an ex-RLI trooper several months ago in, of all places, a remote region of Australia where he was prospecting for gold! We had a good conversation and I thanked him for his service in trying to stem the tide of Communism. Unfortunately there were never enough men like him and now Communism is about to overwhelm the entire world (the "Great Reset"). The prospect of a second Trump presidency is the only thing giving us hope. May God have mercy on us.
There were enough like him but there were too many traitors and backstabbers in Government around the west. It is even worse today but because the voices of dissent have been censored and siilenced it appears to be not so.
Was his name "Woods" ?
When I was young I read Soldier of Fortune and there was always articles about Rhodesia. I had a T shirt that said "Be a man umoung men.. The Rhodesian Army"
I think the T shirt rang trueđ
I remember seeing the articles and classified ad for joining the Rhodesian army in Soldier of fortune magazine when I was in ROTC in 1978.
I raise a battered steel helmet to these brave men
Thank God for the RLI and blessings to all the Veterans. With friends like these, who needed enemies
Wow, what a contrast to the ragged bunch in the bush compared to how they looked on the parade ground.
AwesomeâŠ
Rhodesians never die.
Always be our people , I will always be ashamed of how theBritish goverment betrayed you .No way to treat your own GOD BLESS the RHODESIAN PEOPLE Im sure that they could have had a better transfer of power
In 1972 I came out of No.1 Commando of the Citizens Military Forces, today known as Australian Army Reserve. I was in my early 20's and I had my reasons for not going on with military service. But, I overlooked a perfect opportunity to travel to South Africa and enlist in the Rhodesian Forces. I had already trained as an infantryman, radio course, small-craft course, parachute soldier and most importantly I was ready and willing to accept army discipline. Looking back I think that my training was not as deeply ingrained as it should have been, not by a long stretch. Probably that could have been made up over time. I never went to Rhodesia because it never occurred to me to go at the time. I have since wondered how it would have been. Luckily I still have all my bits and pieces and do not need disability support. I find looking back that the radio course was the one segment of training that I enjoyed and could have done more of. The one important thing that I did not think of as being so important as I do now is that there was a very worthy cause to support.
At 18yrs I became a man amongst men in the bush war