Fort Ramon Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija – The whole Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) [SFR(A)] mourns the passing of its founding Commander, former President Fidel V Ramos.
In a statement, SFR(A) Commander Col. Ferdinand Napuli extended his sympathies to the family of President Ramos. “Members of the Special Forces family, active military personnel and retired, are saddened by the passing of its founding Commander. His time on earth might have passed, but he had created something that would forever live. We will always remember and celebrate the life of this great man,” he added.
The Philippine Special Forces was founded on June 25, 1962, with then Cpt Ramos as the Commander of the 1st Special Forces Company (Airborne). Over decades, the unit expanded from one company to a regiment with 20 companies, mostly deployed in Mindanao.
In 1992, President Ramos attended the 30th anniversary of the unit wherein he pledged to attend the anniversary celebration every five years. Per Col Napuli, the former president was supposed to participate in the unit’s diamond anniversary last June but was unable to due to health concerns.
In a coffee table book written for the 50th anniversary of SFR(A), the former commander reminisced on his time in the SFRA the early days of the unit.
“On my ninth year as a Captain, after having undergone intensive training at Fort Bragg with three other Filipinos, I was privileged to lead the newly created 1st Special forces Company (Airborne). Only one of every five candidates passed the rigid physical and psychological fitness tests. We spent months surrounding the mountains of Fort Magsaysay to set up jungle training areas, doing hundreds of kilometers of road runs, and jumping from old but reliable, C-47s into diversely unfamiliar drop zones. We did the first para-drops on Manila Bay, Camp Murphy (before it was renamed Camp Aguinaldo), and Fort Mckinley. In addition to honing our airborne skills, we became highly proficient in jungle survival, escape and evasion techniques, and scuba diving. We functioned as a small, well-oiled team with specialists in intelligence, weapons, demolition, communications, and medical support,” Gen Ramos wrote.
According to Col Napuli, who is the 24th Airborne unit Commander, Gen Ramos’s influence over SFR(A) was vast, and many officers look up to him and find inspiration in continuing the tradition of excellence. “Never did he fall short in expressing his love for the organization. I am certain that Gen Ramos knew he was very dear to us. His legacy will continue to be woven into the lives of every special forces operator.” (VICTOR BALDEMOR)
