stating the Gurkhas were training in the desert and getting ready to go into Afghanistan. That report really lifted my spirits. God love them, Gurkhas are among the finest and most feared warriors on Earth. Ask anyone who has studied military history and you'll hear nothing but praise for the Gurkhas. They're literally the stuff of legend and in many cases, the legends are true. When the British deployed Gurkhas into the Falkland Islands back during that bloody little conflict, the Argentine troops promptly surrendered, much to the Gurhkas' disappointment.

Here's a story about the Gurkhas that I heard years ago. I don't know if it's true or not but it serves to illustrate my point about them.

All British Gurkha units are commanded by British officers. Back in WWII, the CO of a unit called his Gurkha NCOs together to discuss an upcoming mission. They were to jump into the enemy's rear area and disrupt the supply lines. The CO said, "We'll be jumping in from 300 feet..."

The NCOs were uneasy. "No, sir", one of them said, "We should jump in at 100 feet." The other NCOs nodded agreement.

At that, the British officer said, "But man, your parachute won't have time to open from 100 feet!"

"Ah, we get to use parachutes!" With that announcement, all of them were satisfied with the battle plan. For the record, 300 feet is a _very_ low altitude to jump with a parachute! Your chute will barely open before you hit the ground.

The point to the story was that they were willing to jump from a plane at 100 feet without the chutes. They figured they could handle that. Say whatever you want about them, no one _ever_ questioned their bravery.

Their motto sums up their history, "Better to die than be a coward."

Here's a good article about their deployment to Kosovo in 1999.

Royal Gurkha Rifles