Lancero
Lancero (English: Spear carrier) is a military course and a denomination within the Colombian Army. The course takes place at the School of Lanceros of Colombia in Tolemaida, Department of Tolima in Colombia.
Overview
The Colombian Army has been in a military conflict with rebel guerrillas for the last four decades. This has led the Colombian Government and its military forces to develop different training courses specifically aimed to the training of both soldiers and officers for this kind of warfare. The term Lancero was chosen as a way to honor a specific unit of fighters (Lanceros)that helped the army of Simon Bolivar in his conflict for the independence of Colombia. This unit showed especial bravery and strength during theVargas Swamp Battle.
History of the Course
The course was created as a result of the reform that took place inside the Colombian Army organization during the early 60s as a way to specialize and refocus the national army towards an irregular conflict with armed peasants in the mountains of Colombia. Inexperienced and with little knowledge of guerrilla warfare the Colombian Army sent its own officers to Fort Benning Base in Georgia, USA so they could take the Ranger Course that takes place there and as a way to apply their acquired knowledge in Colombia's specific situation.
The techniques learned in the American course were modified and taught to Sergeants, lieutenants and some enlisted and ranking officers of the Marine Infantry. This techniques were later spread across all the Colombian military components.
In 1959 the army created companies of Lanceros. This newly created companies were more agile and flexible thus, leading to more successful operations. They were added as supportive personnel for units where the enemy was even more aggressive and active.
In 1966 an outbreak of dispersed bandits called for the creation of even sharper and faster units. This year the Colombian Army's military command put into effect a further training and professionalization of units for reconnaissance and rebel-oriented fighting techniques officially known as Counterguerrillas (Contraguerrillas).
Since this time the Lancero course has focused on the training of Soldiers, Army officers and even Police officers for the needs of a country with an enemy that hides among the civilian population. After more than forty years the course has gained some notoriety among military personnel around the globe largely due to its focusing on guerrilla warfare and not on regular military warfare. [1]
The Lancero and Lanza concept
The term Lancero which can be translated as spear carrier has subsequently led to the use of the term Lanza (spear) as a way to refer to a fellow soldier. In fact the course has emphasized on the importance of cooperative work between two soldiers as a way to accomplish goals (one being the Lanza or spear and the other one being the lancero or spear carrier). Thus, the terms Lanza and Lancero are both colloquial and honoring ways to call a fellow soldier or an officer.[2]