In addition to the Honduran paras from the El Segundo Batallon de Infanteria Aerotransportada exists a special operations group. This group is described by the U.S. forces stationed nearby as "akin to the U.S. Army Rangers." The unit specializes in jungle and Night Operations and is known as the --

Tropas Especiales de Selva y Operaciones Nocturnas

The TESON trainee Is required to complete a training program which parallels that of the course conducted by the U. S. Army for the Ranger Department. Thus training facilities were constructed to meet the U.S. Army standards at the Tamara base which is located in a valley flanked by mountains not far from the city of Tegucigalpa. U.S. Army Rangers from Ft Benning initially served as instructors for the TESON trainees. In time, training was assumed in part by the Honduran military. TESON training involves incredible physical and mental stress, and those selected for training are the highly motivated and the elite of the Honduran military.

The red flash on the black berets worn by the TESON Rangers is shown in the picture to the right.

The specialized training is given in the dense in the primal wilderness of La Mosquitia jungle located along the coast to the northeast near the Nicaraguan border. It is full of swamp, lagoons, and a tropical rainforest. A remote area, it is only accessible by air, sea, and river. As a corridor for drugs moving from the south to north, it is an ideal route for the the drug cartels to pass through with their cargo en route from Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.

The training in La Mosquita involves jungle warfare and night operations and is conducted under the most demanding of conditions. Trainees are subjected to a collage of nonstop operations in jungle warfare and survival skills. Only after months of such arduous training, those graduating are awarded the coveted TESON badge.

Click on each Picture below to view training videos

With a ceremonial waste of good cerveza, the Teson Badge is awarded to a drenched group.

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Song playing is "from the film, A Bridge Too Far"

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