Bring-Backs from Zaire Deployment

[bryang]

In 1987 I was deployed to Zaire (central Africa), where we worked with their 31st Parachute Brigade. We flew from Pope AFB, NC to Kinshasa, Zaire and spent a few days at the 31st Para HQ, then made the long flight into southern central Zaire, where we performed am equipment drop with the Zaire troops onto the airfield at Kamina.

 

For the next couple weeks, we worked with our Zairian counterparts - trained, jumped, dined with them and lived in their huts. It was an incredible journey and we got along very well. One of the primary reasons we got along was that the Zairian paratroopers and we shared a general dislike for the French - The 31st Parachute Brigade was advised by French officers, and was actu]ally commanded by an active duty French Colonel (common in the Zairian military ... Belgians ran the Commando school; Chinese advised the Commando Brigade; Israelis and Germans advised and ran training for Presidential Special Division and Police, etc ...).

 

As all Soldiers are wont to do, we swapped uniform items.

 

Here are a couple uniforms I brought back.

 

 

This first one was commonly worn by the Paratroopers:

 

 

[bryang]

Hat and Insignias:

 

[bryang]

Here I am as a young SP/4 in Zaire:

 

 

I'm in front wearing glasses

 

 

My certificate awarding the Zaire Parachutist Badge:

 

[bryang]

Second type of uniform was more commonly worn by the French and some of the more seasoned Zairian Paratroopers:

 

 

Two types of caps ... the bottom one we simply referred to as "lizard" hat:

[bryang]

Although authorized to wear a few different foreign badges, I spent most of my Army career wearing the Zairian Parachutist Badge on my dress uniform. Only a handful of Americans can claim it, and Zaire as I knew it is no more ... Its now the Democratic Republic of Congo and - like many third-world countries - it is fractured by civil war and corruption (much as it was when I was there 27 year ago!)

 

 

Some of the 'old hands' among the Zairian Paratroopers wore an older version of their Parachutist Badge, which looked a hell of a lot cooler than the current version at that time. Several of us were able to trade for these versions ... an old, dented copy of which I broke the pin & bar backing off of the back and super glued a PFC rank on so that I could pin it to my uniform!

 

As you can see, this looks pretty cool - uniquely African (photo is from my old dress green uniform which has been stored in my bedroom closet since I retired seven years ago):

 

[Patchcollector]

Interesting stuff!Thanks for posting

[manayunkman]

In the early 1960's my next door neighbor in Brussels, Belgium was a Belgian paratrooper and served in the Congo.

 

They went in to rescue some hostages.

 

Merci bien pour votre service.

 

Very interesting dynamics with so many countries playing different roles in Zaire.

[Nkomo]

As an African militaria collector, I really like seeing these rare uniforms. Thanks for posting!

[ColdWarRules]

This is so cool!

[BOLO]

this reminds me of the movie the Dogs of War , very cool bring backs with some very interesting stories of your service in Africa

[bryang]

this reminds me of the movie the Dogs of War , very cool bring backs with some very interesting stories of your service in Africa

 

Funny that you mention "The Dogs of War" ... Zaire was spot on exactly like the movie's fictitious African country of 'Zangaro.'

 

So much so that we occasionally muttered to each other "welcome to Zangaro!"

 

Mud and grass huts; abject poverty; dogs fighting in the streets; chickens wandering everywhere; armed Zairian troops and police manning checkpoints everyplace you go; giant posters and billboards of Zairian president/dictator Mobutu Sese Seko (his face was on the pin among the insignia posted above) ... "Leader of the Revolution!" "Savior of the Nation!" "President for Life!" "Recently declared to be immortal!"

 

 

What was funny was that the state-run television station's nightly news began with image of the sky ... angelic voices in the background as the clouds slowly part to reveal the face of Mobutu Sese Seko looking down upon the world. That is no poppycock, either! EXACTLY like the opening of "The Simpsons"

 

[KurtA]

I'll bet you rarely wore those Zaire wings where somebody didn't ask "what country are those from?" Your outstanding collection is even more so, being that you obtained it all yourself. You'll never have to worry if any of it is "fake."

[jgawne]

Join the Army and see the world!

[doyler]

Great post Bryan.I had a collection of foreign jump wings once and the ones from Zaire were one of my favorites.Many of the African badges were my favorites as they were based inv design on the French wings.

 

I still have a set of Iranian wings from a former SF man who was part of a depdeployment who trained parachutists for the Shah of Iran.

[bryang]

Found a box in the closet with yet more of my deployment junk.

 

A few more items from my Zaire deployment. I swapped and brought home some t-shirts from the Zairian Paratroops I worked with.

 

The Zairian Army saw occasional combat against rebels in Zaire's Shaba province (where we conducted our exercise), around Lake Tanganyika between 1984 and 1986. This t-shirt was worn by paratroopers from the battalion we were working with (313th Parachute Bn, 31st Parachute Brigade).

 

 

 

This wife-beater was worn by the troops in the battalion (there was once a time that I actually was thin enough to wear it!)

 

 

This shirt was for troops who were part of the Special Presidential Division (president Mobutu's personal guard).

 

 

Finally, here are a couple small posters produced by the PSYOP element which accompanied us:

 

 

Back of the posters