Historic FBR Graduation: First Burman Teams Trained and Largest Graduating Class

3 January 2022

Karen State, Burma

On 3 January 2022, 198 Rangers comprising 32 new Ranger teams and 30 advanced Rangers from nine ethnic groups, graduated the Free Burma Ranger Servant Leadership and Relief Team Training. This is the largest graduating class in FBR history as well as the first time FBR has trained teams of Burman ethnicity from the major cities of Burma. Since the 1 Feb 2021 coup, the Burman people have been standing together with the ethnic groups and against the Burma dictatorship and army.

The men and women Rangers were from the Arakan, Burman, Kachin, Karen, Karenni, Pa-Oh, Po, Shan, and Tavoy areas of Burma. These new Ranger teams will go to help people displaced by new Burma Army attacks in three different areas now. People of different faiths joined the training and all are welcome. Ten of the Rangers became new followers of Jesus and were baptized at the end of the training. The training lasted three months and the first and last lessons are: love God, love and forgive each other, and don’t give up.

Courses taught:
• Ethnic Unity
• Leadership Principles
• Mule and Horse Packing
• Map Reading and Drawing
• Compass Reading
• Land Navigation
• GPS (Global Positioning System)
• Landmine Removal
• Swimming and Lifesaving
• Solar Power and Battery Management
• Human Rights Violations Recording and Reporting
• SALUTE Reporting
• General Reporting
• Video and Photography
• Medical Training
• Five Field Training Exercises
• Physical Training
• Rope Bridge Building
• Poncho Raft Use
• Rappelling
• Good Life Club Training

There are three requirements for FBR team members: 1) They must be literate in at least one language for reporting and medical work. 2) They must have the physical and moral courage to be able to do physically hard and dangerous missions, and cannot run away from the enemy if the villagers they are helping cannot run. 3) They must do this work for love; they are not paid by FBR.

The teams will now be divided into three groups to go give help, hope, and love to people under attack. Once finished with the mission, they will return to their home areas, ready to conduct missions there. They will have learned and practiced many new skills to be able to help their people in any kind of crisis, as well as having gained new relationships of love across ethnic lines. Both these skills and relationships will be of vital importance as the Rangers serve those in need.

Rangers practice rescuing villagers during a village attack simulation exercise

Karen pastor Edmund leads prayer during the final exercise

Rappelling, swimming, and rope bridge training at the river

One of 10 Ranger’s baptized by Karen Pastor Edmund.

Good Life Club program for children during the training

Thanks and God bless you , Dave, family and FBR