Couldn't agree more re:the professionalism of the Legion Etrangere and certain Para groups of the overseas French military. Excellent troopies; well trained and experienced on the sharp end of the stick. However, your comment re:RANGERS bivvied on the ramp at Hunter Field polishing their boots as if they preferred that to a rescue mission was quite out of line. I was a RANGER in 1978, and while aware, very aware, of the goings on in Africa, we had no orders to put any unit boots on the ground for any reason. Of course there was the odd business in Angola and other parts, things like that. By the by, I found myself in Liberia helping with an evacuation in 1986(5?). Things had gone south there and there were executions on the beach front. Private group I was with evac'ed a number of civilians out of there.
Also wanted to say that the links from yr profile page are most excellent. Where did that last verse of VBL come from? RLTW