| |
The actors endured a grueling two-week boot camp where they learned the basics, from how to wear a uniform and stand at attention, to sophisticated field tactics and parachute jump training.
The average day was 16 hours long, beginning at 5:00 a.m., rain or shine, with strenuous calisthenics and a three-to-five-mile run, followed by hours of tactical training, including weapons handling and jump preparation.
There were night operations, foxhole digs and guard duty; they crawled through mud, slept on cold, wet ground, and had no showers.
The highlight and culmination of boot camp was a trip to the Royal Air Force Base at Brize Norton, the training site for British paratroopers, where each actor jumped from the 40-foot jump tower and earned his wings.
|
|
