Sergeant Quentin Szumski has been a member of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal regiment since
A reservist in the heart of the jungle
Arrival in French Guiana and beginning of exercises
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Sergeant Quentin Szumski, Fusiliers Mont-Royal and Servir
N.D.L.R. Last winter, Sergeant Quentin Szumski spent eight weeks in French Guiana to complete the Jaguar course, a platoon commander course (PON) in an equatorial environment. Conducted by the 3 e Régiment étranger d’infanterie (3 REI) of the French Foreign Legion, this course ranks among the toughest in the world. Servir publishes here the first in a series of four articles.
The Jaguar is comparable to the training given in Manaus, Brazil, or Lanceros, Colombia. It consists of eight weeks' training under the guidance of instructors from the Centre d'entraînement en forêt équatoriale (CEFE). The course is divided into four phases, of unequal length.
T0: Acclimatization week
In Kourou, we acclimatize to the 3 REI. We learn about the weapons systems we'll be using, navigation, communications and medical evacuation, mainly by stretcher. Conditioning was immediate and Legion-style: we were on our feet from 4:30 a.m. to midnight, in excessive heat. Nights are difficult. We wake up constantly in a sweat, our cot soaked through. Facilities are rustic, with a 100-litre garbage can used as a toilet flush. Breakfast consists of a piece of bread, a pastry and a glass of water. Every trip is an opportunity to run the perimeter of the base.
T1: Battle inoculation
This is the best known and most publicized phase, and the hardest both physically and mentally. It begins at 7 p.m. on Sunday evening. Until the early hours of the morning, we hear bugle calls. Each time, we have to assemble at the other end of the base in less than two minutes and carry out a task. If we're late or fail to comply, we're punished.
After the initial blasts, undressing and lying on our beds was no longer an option. We lay on the floor waiting for the next blow of fate. At around 4 a.m., a fast 8 km run in combat gear, but without a shirt, saw us finish dry as raisins because of the temperature and humidity. This was followed by a swim test on the spot, wearing combat gear and weapons, and two laps in the pool. A dozen people failed due to lack of training or exhaustion.
We then left for the CEFE. Two hours on the bus, during which no sleep was allowed. The instructor used his sense of honour and creativity to keep us awake. The shoulder of my partner, an Indian commander of a company of Gurkhas, suffered my blows for over an hour due to his poor resistance to fatigue! The instructor made us shout our candidate numbers out loud, in chronological order and backwards, for over 90 minutes. I've never felt so stupid!
At our destination, we discovered Guyana's elevation curves for a good 4 km before arriving at the centre. At jungle level, the curves are very sharp over short distances. At the halfway point, a small station for crawling through liquid orange mud awaited us. Once each person, their equipment and weaponry had been properly coloured, we set off again on an interminable climb of several hundred metres. At the very top, arrived at the centre, we dropped our bags and began physical tests such as push-ups, pull-ups, set-ups, footless rope climbs and more!
Knowledge adds up
We had lessons on animals, plants and survival (fire, hunting, fishing, etc.). After this phase and at the end of the combat phase, we will have experienced survival periods and different obstacle courses. We'll also have learned how to cross a wet cutting with a rope (river crossing with ropes and carabiners), how to use a water stretcher or how to swim commando in the current. We will also have learned to tie around 15 knots, useful for moving around in the water, securing our weapons or making stretchers.
During this phase, every evening was the same routine: laundry and personal washing in the river, cleaning of weapons and collective equipment, supper, treatment of wounds, foot care and bivouacs (non-tactical), followed by rest until 4:30. By 5:30 a.m., we had to have breakfast, shaved and ready for inspection!
In the next issue of Servir: the second part of the battle inoculation
Who is Quentin Szumski?
Sergeant Quentin Szumski joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 2015. At the time, his goal was to have a student job while he completed his university studies. He chose to become an infantryman with the Fusiliers Mont-Royal.
He enjoyed the experience so much that, nine years later, he is still a member of the Montreal reserve unit. A full-time member of the regiment since graduating, he has been assigned to the regimental operations cell for the past 5 years.
Since the beginning of his military career, he has participated in a national deployment during the COVID-19 pandemic (Operation LASER) and an overseas deployment (Operation IMPACT Roto 6, in Lebanon). He also had the opportunity to take part in the Canadian Patrol Concentration international reconnaissance competition as a section assistant.
The Jaguar course is an achievement of which he is particularly proud, and an experience from which he says he has come away changed. Nunquam Retrorsum is the motto of the Fusiliers Mont-Royal. Sergeant Quentin Szumski embodies it: he never backs down.
A reservist in the heart of the jungle
The
battle inoculation phase continues
| Sergeant Quentin Szumski, Fusiliers Mont-Royal, and Servir
Editor’s note. Last winter, Sergeant Quentin Szumski spent eight weeks in French Guiana on the Jaguar course, a platoon commander course in an equatorial environment. Conducted by the 3 e Régiment étranger d’infanterie (3 REI) of the French Foreign Legion, this course ranks among the toughest in the world. Servir publishes the second part of his story here.
The battle inoculation phase of the Jaguar course is the best known, the most publicized and the toughest, both physically and mentally. It takes place at the Centre d'entraînement en forêt équatoriale (CEFE).
We began our second survival phase with a two-hour warm-up where we emptied our bags and presented each item to the instructor. This was a full search where we removed one item at a time from our person, tactical vest
and backpack, doing pushups or the prisoner's walk while waiting for the others during two hours. Once all the gear had been checked, we only had access to certain survival items. It ended with a run in short, with laceless boots, down to the river where we removed our last piece of clothing to make sure no one would cheat during survival.
Photos: 3 REI
Battle inoculation phase – the search before the survival period: trainees had to remove every last item. After two hours of physical conditioning, the water was pleasant and everyone enjoyed a moment's respite. A fond memory for Sergeant Quentin Szumski.
We'll be starving for the next three days
We deployed, lightened up, with a survival kit, boots without laces, a machete, an empty water bottle and plenty of dehydration! This phase lasted three days. We were assessed on our ability to build a platoon shelter, a raft and a smoking table, as well as a signal fire and trapping. Not easy to accomplish with little water and no food!
Reconnaissance patrols brought back very little fruit. No gain from fishing and trapping. On the last day, in exchange for a promise of an Interac transfer, some fishermen bequeathed us three fish and a caiman. I'd never gutted a fish in my life, or even a caiman (!), but I did for dinner before our extraction. Once the instructors arrived, we had to swim for an hour with our raft. Then we hit the Pécari obstacle course to get us back in shape.
The Jaguar obstacle course was a tough one. Each obstacle is a puzzle where, in turn, candidates are evaluated as group leaders. The track is completed with a patrol bag containing a can of water and a blue dummy weapon. For most of the obstacles, we're immersed in waist-deep mud, or we're up in the trees. We suffer for 5-6 hours, wondering if we'll ever get to the end. Unfortunately, we exceeded the time limit for completing all the obstacles. Our group therefore failed due to penalties.
The ultimate test was the Stretcher track, where we carried a 70 kg stretcher for 400 metres, with a ruck sack filled with water and mud up to our navels. Some said it was the hardest challenge of their lives, as they felt they were going to die stuck in the mud. It was so dense and deep that no technique would work. You had to work hard to take each small step and be lucky enough to stumble across a root. After two hours of struggling, we still had about 100 metres to go. Our group failed the test.
Battle inoculation phase – the Jaguar obstacle course. The event consists of a series of puzzle and command obstacles.
Battle inoculation phase – Stretcher track: Sgt Quentin Szumski's group in action. A great moment of self-examination!
Battle inoculation phase – Stretcher track: in waist-deep mud, members of Sgt Quentin Szumski's group carried a 70 kg stretcher over a distance of 400 metres with their ruck sack s. The mud was dense and deep. After two hours of struggling, they still had 100 metres to go. They failed the test.
Battle inoculation phase – the Stretcher track. A photo that testifies to the suffering and resilience felt by the trainees.
Sergeant Quentin Szumski
October 23, 2024
The battle inoculation phase comes to an end
This phase came to a close with the final day of training, exclusive to the Jaguar course. At dawn, we began with the timed combined trail evaluation: swim across the river, run uphill to reach the Liane track, execute the Liane track, run downhill to the Pécari track and execute it. No lunch and we continue with assessments: identify plants, light fires in light rain, cross a wet cut. We are then provided with a GPS and a rally point, the latter being a two-hour pirogue ride away! This was followed by a two-hour ruck sack walk through swamps and contours, against the current and with paddles. We finally arrived at CEFE after a 90-minute climb through the forest, during which we stretchered off a colleague.
After a long day without a caloric supply, we discovered we discovered that the supposed barbecue at the end of the phase was just a false rumor. We returned to reality with rations and weapons cleaning until 3 a.m.
At this point in my experience, my observations were as follows:
• The environment is extremely aggressive.
• We suffer from several infections during this phase.
• Hygiene is more important than anything else.
• The humidity is extreme; we're always wet and sweaty.
• As soon as I drink, the water immediately comes out in sweat.
In the next issue of Servir: the combat phase
The instructors
“In order to constantly put trainees under mental and physical pressure, the instructors are very demanding and rough,” explains Sergeant Quentin Szumski. “The Legion method for Jaguar course is 'we show you once and that's it'. After that, you're supposed to have acquired the skill and rendered it without error”. The reservist goes on to point out that the instructors, especially the chief warrant officers, are physical and mental war machines. “It's a more rustic army where the priorities are skill excellence and destroying the enemy. Everything else seems to be secondary.”
Battle inoculation phase – summary day: the final stretcher test with casualty simulations.
Battle inoculation phase – inspection of group survival facilities by instructors: in the foreground, a hardy fishing trap.
A reservist in the heart of the jungle
The beginning of evaluated
missions
| Sergeant Quentin Szumski, Fusiliers Mont-Royal, Servir Editor’s note. Last winter, Sergeant Quentin Szumski spent eight weeks in French Guiana to complete the Jaguar course, a platoon commander course in an equatorial environment. Conducted by the 3 e Régiment étranger d’infanterie (3 REI) of the French Foreign Legion, this course ranks among the toughest in the world. Servir publishes here the third part of his story.
We start T2, the combat phase. With our classrooms right on the edge of the jungle, we began with lessons on tactical maneuvers, followed by live practice. Almost daily, we had Legion-flavoured C4 classes. Two hours of training to wake up to, nothing better to start a good day after a night spent in rough condition!
Photos: 3 REI
Sergeant Quentin Szumski (left) and his partner, after the unarmed combat summing-up test. “We had to fight each other in the last two rounds of combat. Over the weeks of the course, we developed a very strong friendship.”
Sergeant Quentin Szumski
Once the lesson was over, the assessed missions began under the same battle procedure format as during our career courses. The only difference: there are no specific blocks of hours allocated to each candidate. You can have a half-day or full-day mission, depending on the mission plan and the travel involved. Because of the language barrier, only the French-speakers (the French, myself and the Belgian) acted as platoon commanders, with the exception of the two Spanish special forces officers who were able to carry out their mission in their own language.
I passed my command evaluation on a deliberate ambush of an enemy platoon patrolling a trail. We also did progressive bushlanes live firing ranges with targets similar to our Lockheed Martins, and night shooting with night vision goggles. Gradually, we started them in triads and reached a level with several sections including casualty simulations and booby traps.
The combat phase: almost every day, the trainees had unarmed combat lessons.
a pirogue insertion, followed by a long run and a pirogue extraction under contact with our live-fire response. At no time were we to find ourselves with a jam caused by an empty magazine. We always had to do a magazine check or transition to the 9 mm with a live-fire response.
We're going to take a lot of abuse from our enemy
The next big block was the SERE Bravo module (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape). This was a simulation of a patrol lost in enemy territory. The exercise began with a battle procedure (a mission order), followed by deployment by pirogues. Then the instructors inspected us and left us with the minimum equipment: an empty water bottle, a lighter, a survival kit, a tactical hammock, a machete, a survival ration and our weapons. Once out, we were ambushed on the pirogues. Each section had to reach several extraction points, scattered over long distances, which were compromised and guarded by the enemy for three days.
During this time, we ate bits of our survival ration, in soup, which we shared in the evening. On the second day, we came across a turtle. It brings a little comfort, but it's not much to eat for a dozen people. Not to mention the less-than-stellar taste. On the third day, we found a packet of garlic semolina, an onion and sugar sachets in an instructional shelter in the middle of the jungle. Luck brought us a makeshift snack. At the last extraction point, in an “abandoned” village used for food trafficking by gold miners, we managed to blackmail the janitor for a tin of lentils and some rice. That was the end of the survival part. Now came the capture part of the exercise!
The combat phase: the SERE Bravo module (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Extraction) lasted three days, during which the candidates jumped off a bridge.
The combat phase: during an evaluated mission, trainees had to shoot from a pirogue.
We followed NATO capture procedures and were put back into the container.
About an hour or two later, we were moved up onto the camp. We were made to do tricks, take uncomfortable positions and were quickly seen by the doctor for a quick check on our state of health after the three days of survival. Next, we were taken to a garage to experiment with the position I christened the dead dolphin. We lay with our arm and hip on the same side, our body making an arc with the other arm behind our back. This lasted long enough for us to wonder if our arm would survive! Finally, we were placed in a sitting position, unsupported and handcuffed to a colleague. I estimate we stayed like that for a minimum of six hours. To keep us awake, our beloved captors poured glasses of cold water over us or hosed us down.
My lack of flexibility further amplified the pain in my legs, buttocks and lower back. The skin on my hands was completely crumpled, and I had the beginnings of a mycosis on my posterior. The enemy offered us a sip of water twice during the night and a small cookie for breakfast. At 5:30 a.m., we heard recorded music, legionnaire songs, coming from the centre. Thanks for the cue! About an hour later, we were crammed into a troop truck. An enemy told us that he was going to release us and that we were to undo our handcuffs at his signal.
The final unarmed combat summing-up test
Immediately after the final extraction of SERE Bravo, we returned to the Centre d’entraînement en forêt équatoriale (CEFE). We nibbled on what we had in our bags while we geared up for the final C4 synthesis (unarmed combat) with rucksack, which corresponds to day 4 of the scenario. It all started with a run from the beach up the steep slope to the centre, followed by exercise stations, role-playing and the final fights. At some stations, a few of the staff had fun giving us full-power blows to try and knock us out. Personally, as I didn't have a mouthguard, I stayed on my feet, but my teeth hurt.
Once the exercise was over, it was time for comfort: for supper, the instructors brought us homemade soup and fruit juice.
In the next edition of Servir: the final stage of the Jaguar training course.
A few observations:
Not all countries invest in their officers’ basic soldiering skills. It's hard to keep your cool with some of the candidates on the course, who are unaware that they are dangerous with the bows on their weapons.
This phase is all about leadership, command and taking the initiative. Most foreigners who don't understand the language hardly get involved.
Fatigue starts to become chronic.
Meals are often skipped because of the missions, and we become completely addicted to sugary foods in the rations.
To read the first two chapters of Sergeant Szumski's story
Unarmed combat summing-up test: Sergeant Quentin Szumski (left, with a backpack and a knife) responds to a surprise attack.
The combat phase: trainees take part in a platoon crossing of wet sections (the water crossing).
A reservist in the heart of the jungle
The course comes to an end
| Sergeant Quentin Szumski, Fusiliers Mont-Royal, and Servir
Editor’s note. Last winter, Sergeant Quentin Szumski spent eight weeks in French Guiana to complete the Jaguar course, a platoon commander course (PON) in an equatorial environment. Conducted by the 3 e Régiment étranger d’infanterie (3 REI) of the French Foreign Legion, this course ranks among the toughest in the world. Servir publishes the last part of his story.
We have now reached the synthesis phase of our course, T3. It consists of a five-day exercise in Martinique, followed by a four-day regimental exercise in Cacao, French Guiana. For the first part, preparation and the set of orders were given at the 3 REI's Centre d'entraînement en forêt
équatoriale (CEFE) in Kourou, French Guiana. This meant that we could start issuing mission orders as soon as we left the airport in Martinique.
We travelled by military aircraft. Over the five days, we didn't come across any environments comparable to those we'd experienced in French Guiana. It was more like a dry, impenetrable savannah, with constant, very steep elevation curves. We had to move around in civilian sectors, on trails and roads. The main challenge, apart from the non-stop missions, was access to water. On a few occasions, we had to ration the water in our jerrycans. It was so hot and dry that our sweat and wet clothes dried immediately.
Sergeant Quentin Szumski
The synthesis phase: Sergeant Quentin Szumski, Fusiliers Mont-Royal, with Colonel Jean-Pierre Royet, commander of the 3 e Régiment étranger d’infanterie. A friendly exchange after the end-of-course ceremony in Kourou on the final day.
Photos: 3 REI
The synthesis phase: during the regimental exercise in Cacao, trainees had access to the high-mobility vehicle and troop transports.
End-of-course ceremony in Kourou, on the parade ground of the 33 Régiment étranger d’infanterie. Sergeant Quentin Szumski is seen wearing his Canadian uniform (second to last in the row).
One mission followed another as we took control of large-scale civilian targets. We finished with a defensive phase at the Centre nautique d'entraînement en forêt (CNEF), part of the 33e Régiment d’infanterie de marine. I acted as platoon assistant. We rationed ammunition, as we could only rely on the initial supplies we received on the plane. We couldn't get any supplies for five days.
Back in Guiana for the final confrontation
Once the exercise in Martinique was over, we flew back to French Guiana in military aircraft to deploy immediately to Cacao for the regimental exercise.
This was a Force on Force type exercise involving the Jaguar platoon against a company from the 3 Régiment étranger de d’infanterie. A multitude of offensive and defensive maneuvers ensued. Although the members of the 3 REI were the good guys in the scenario, and therefore the default winners, we were beaten quite easily. Their cohesion and skill earned our respect.
In the final days, we had access to their high-mobility vehicle and troop transports. After the last mission, at around 1 a.m., we had a fire ceremony and received our course T-shirts. However, this was no guarantee that we'd get our certificate. There was a final instructor meeting on the last day, to update each candidate's scores and performances by phase, throughout the entire course.
Once the ceremony was over, we had a short cohesion time with the instructors (beers and cigarettes). Unsurprisingly, the course wasn't over yet. At 3 a.m. we washed up in the lake (well deserved!) and by 6 a.m. we were up and about to start the day, which would end with the regimental dinner in Cacao. Back in Kourou, we began cleaning the weapons, handing over the equipment and then the brevet ceremony has been help.
At the end of this long experience, four candidates did not receive the brevet, one withdrew voluntarily and another had to withdraw for medical reasons.
! Selva!
A few observations:
• 8 weeks is a long time!
• A whole life experience.
• You come back with infections and injuries.
• You keep in touch with your best buddies.
At the end-of-course parade, one of the instructors attaches the jaguar badge to Sergeant Quentin Szumski's uniform.
"I felt joy and a certain pride at having finished the course, but above all a great deal of respect for this instructor, who was responsible for the combat phase. All the instructors are chief warrant officers, and he was the one who gave us the tactical lessons. He's an outstanding tactician and instructor, who commands respect with his experience, presence and aura."
Many thanks to you!
If I've succeeded in the Jaguar course, it's thanks to several people:
• Maël Belcourt, fitness and sports instructor with Personnel Support Programs. He trained me in swimming at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean. For two months, once or twice a week, he put me through tough training sessions in the pool. He's a very competent coach. I was one of the best swimmers on the course, and my level of preparation was well above that required for this iteration.
• Warrant Officer Benoit Toillon, Operations Warrant Officer and RSS, Fusiliers Mont-Royal. As a Jaguar course certificate holder, he did everything he could to get me selected, and succeeded in securing the position. Afterwards, he offered me follow-up and his time. He gave me advice and guidance to get me through.
• My chain of command at the moment, the Fusiliers Mont-Royal commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Dominique Pilon, and the deputy commanding officer, Major Serge Turcotte. They accepted this opportunity and supported my candidacy.
• The 3 REI instructors. They passed on to me their knowledge and their unfailing warrior spirit. I'd also like to thank them for pushing us to the limit like no one had ever done before.
To read the complete story of Sergeant Szumski