1st Parachute Battalion ( Belgium ) The Belgian 1st Parachute Battalion ( , ) was a military formation of the Belgian Army and part of the Paracommando Brigade from 1946 - 2011 . Its regimental traditions , including its badge and motto , were heavily influenced by the experience of many of its personnel in British SAS during the Second World War . Special Air Service . Many personnel who had served in the Belgian 5th Special Air Service during the Second World War chose to re - enlist in the army following the war . These included the first commander of the unit , Eddy Blondeel , who had served in France and the Ardennes during the war . Major Operations . Congo Crisis . During political instability in the former Belgian colony of the Republic of Congo , soldiers from the 1st Parachute Battalion ( with an attached company from the 2nd Commando and elements of the 3rd Parachute Battalion ) were sent to capture the airfield at Stanleyville . In November 1964 , 299 Belgian paratroopers , under Colonel Charles Laurent jumped on Simi - Simi Airport from USAF C - 130 aircraft . After securing the airfield , the paratroopers made their way to the Victoria Hotel , where several hundred ( mostly Belgian ) civilians were being held by Simba rebels . Though 60 civilians were killed , Belgian paratroopers were still able to evacuate 1 , 800 Europeans and Americans , as well as 400 Congolese during the operation . Rwandan Genocide . In the period leading up the Rwandan Genocide , soldiers from 1st Parachute Battalion formed the Belgian contingent of the United Nations force in the country , known as UNAMIR which was commanded by the Canadian Brigadier - General Roméo Dallaire , from 1993 . UNAMIR was tasked with maintaining the precarious balance between the Hutu - backed Rwandan government and the Tutsi rebels , known as the Rwandan Patriotic Front . As the former colonial power , Belgian forces made up the brunt of UNAMIR ( around 400 men ) , but it also included soldiers from Ghana , Tunisia , Bangladesh , and Canada . In March 1994 , the 1st Parachute Battalion handed over to the 2nd Commando Battalion . In April 1994 , 10 commandos would be murdered by Rwandan soldiers in Kigali - the largest single military loss for Belgium since the Second World War - and all Belgian personnel were controversially withdrawn from the country . Balkans . In February 1992 , the Belgian government decided to actively participate in the United Nations UNPROFOR force . The first Belgian troops ( known as BELBAT 1 ) , including 97 paratroopers , arrived in Croatia in April 1992 . A Belgian battalion , known as BELKOS , also served in the KFOR mission . Between 1999 - 2000 , 87 soldiers of 1st Parachute Battalion formed part of the international peacekeeping mission in Bosnia - Herzegovina . Afghanistan . Since 2007 , Belgian troops have been tasked with defending Kabul International Airport which 1st Parachute Battalion have been actively involved in . Peacekeeping . Somalia . In December 1992 , 1st Parachute Battalion deployed to Somalia as part of US - led United Nations mission Operation Restore Hope . Part of their role involved protecting UN aid distribution , as well as searching out militants . In March 1993 , three Belgians were killed and two wounded when their Jeep was attacked . Lebanon . Soldiers from 1st Parachute Battalion have been deployed to peace - keep in Lebanon as part of the United Nations UNIFIL mission . The Belgian force , known as BELUBAT ( since it is also joint with Luxembourg ) has been made up of soldiers from 1st and 3rd Parachute Battalions . Standard . In a ceremony in Brussels on 22 October 1946 , Prince Charles presented lieutenant - colonel Eddy Blondeel with the standard of the Parachute Regiment , carrying the following citations , inherited from the 5th SAS in the Second World War : The standard also carries the " fourragère " of the Order of Leopold and the French croix de guerre .