The Peruvian Air Force was filmed training soldiers by dangling them from a rope, but some mistook it for hazing earlier this week.
Footage of the exercise uploaded to the internet show six soldiers being suspended from a rope outside a helicopter as it hovered over an unidentified beach location.
The Helicopter Rope Suspension Technique (HRST) trains soldiers in methods relating to search and rescue.
Footage of the exercise shows six soldiers being suspended from a rope outside a helicopter as it hovered over an unidentified beach location
The Helicopter Rope Suspension Technique trains soldiers in methods relating to search and rescue
Methods associated (HRST) were first developed to insert and/or extract ground forces for reconnaissance missions.
The training helps individuals perform an array of techniques including Special Patrol Insertion/ Extraction, rappling, fast roping, and Jacob’s Ladder operations.
Jacob’s Ladder operations usually employ a rope ladder to assist individuals in distressed situations.
According to the Defense Department: ‘HRST is designed to be used in situations wherein aircraft landings are impractical due to terrain or tactical situation.’
One witness called the exercise a form of ‘hazing,’ as the soldiers were dangled hundreds of feet above the ground.
One witness called the exercise a form of ‘hazing,’ as the soldiers were dangled hundreds of feet above the ground
It’s unclear if hazing is indeed a problem in the Peru’s military forces, but the United States has taken steps to eradicate the ritual.
The armed services announced in February that a comprehensive report concerning harassment in any form, including ‘sexual harassment, discriminatory harassment, bullying, hazing, retaliation and reprisal’ will be published later this year, according to Military.com.
Military guidelines define hazing as a ‘form of harassment that … physically or psychologically injures, or creates a risk of physical or psychological injury … for the purpose of: initiation into, admission into, affiliation with, change in status or position within, or a condition for continued membership in any military or DoD civilian organization.’
The order was issued to address illegal hazing practices that have led to deaths of multiple service members over the past several years.
In 2011, a Marine stationed in Afghanistan reportedly committed suicide after three of his peers hazed him for sleeping on watch.
Army Pvt. Danny Chen, 19, took his life that same year after being racially harassed and beaten by fellow soldiers, Military.com reported.
More recently, 20-year-old Marine recruit Raheel Siddiqui plummeted to his death after leaping out of a barracks window after being berated and slapped by a drill instructor for collapsing during physical training.