BZ to a hero
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BZ to a hero
OK, this guy was now in the French Gendarme but was ex-forces and in 2007 was awarded the French Military Cross. And who selflessly exchanged himself in place of a civilian hostage. I wish I had a tenth of his courage.
RIP chap...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...nch-siege-dies
RIP chap...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...nch-siege-dies
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Brave indeed and will be remembered by the women hostage for the rest of her life.
Just a FWIW from someone who lives quite close to where this all unraveled, .. and apologies before hand for being picky, but the Lt Col Beltrame was not really strictly “ex-forces”...I know the U.K. media uses policeman in referring to him but the Gendarmarie National is a military organisation tasked with civil law and order (unlike the Police Municipal, who are more like the U.K. police)...
Pickyness aside I do agree completely with the sentiments of the OPs post though..we were aware of all this unravelling yesterday via local news, couldn’t help but admire the bravery displayed when we heard he had swopped with the female hostage and were hoping.........maybe once and for all we can put an end to the various flag and reverse gear jokes....one can but hope.
Pickyness aside I do agree completely with the sentiments of the OPs post though..we were aware of all this unravelling yesterday via local news, couldn’t help but admire the bravery displayed when we heard he had swopped with the female hostage and were hoping.........maybe once and for all we can put an end to the various flag and reverse gear jokes....one can but hope.
Top man!
From the BBC:
From the BBC:
He graduated in 1999 from France's leading military academy in Saint Cyr and in 2003 became one of just a handful of candidates chosen to join the gendarmerie's elite security response group GSIGN.
He was deployed to Iraq in 2005 and was later awarded the Cross for Military Valour for his peacekeeping work. On his return to France, Col Beltrame joined the country's Republican Guard and was tasked with protecting the presidential palace.
In 2017, he was named deputy chief of the Gendarmerie Nationale in the French region of Aude, home to the medieval town of Carcassonne, where Lakdim began his deadly shooting spree on Friday.
He was deployed to Iraq in 2005 and was later awarded the Cross for Military Valour for his peacekeeping work. On his return to France, Col Beltrame joined the country's Republican Guard and was tasked with protecting the presidential palace.
In 2017, he was named deputy chief of the Gendarmerie Nationale in the French region of Aude, home to the medieval town of Carcassonne, where Lakdim began his deadly shooting spree on Friday.
Also being discussed on JB where the subject of a medal came up. I would think that a posthumous award of the Legion of Honour would be most likely, although I am not sufficiently familiar with the French system to know if there is perhaps a more appropriate award.
Hear hear.
maybe once and for all we can put an end to the various flag and reverse gear jokes....one can but hope.
Also being discussed on JB where the subject of a medal came up. I would think that a posthumous award of the Legion of Honour would be most likely, although I am not sufficiently familiar with the French system to know if there is perhaps a more appropriate award.
Hear hear.
Hear hear.
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