[INTERVIEW] Iraq War veteran set to row solo across Pacific

Gwenael Breton takes a selfie with his specially designed bike in Oktyabrsky Urban Settlement in Russia, October 2021. Facebook page of Rien que du bonheur

French Special Forces officer survives ordeal after ordeal, now spreads hope throughout world

By Ko Dong-hwan

Breton on his boat in Busan / Courtesy of Gwenael Breton

In 2012, Gwenael Breton lost control in the middle of a night helicopter jump training operation in the Sahel, a semi-arid region stretching across western and north-central Africa. In pitch black and with no visibility, Breton and a fellow soldier freefell, eventually landing face-first on a rock. The impact shattered the maxilla bone on both sides of Breton's nose and destroyed four vertebrae in his spine.

Ten years later, the French Iraq War veteran is now in Busan. Breton, fully recovered from his injuries after successful reconstruction surgeries, believes he can achieve anything he wants.

And now he is putting that belief to the test. He will depart Korea's southeastern port city in an 8-meter-long, 2-meter-wide rowing boat and will attempt to cross the Pacific Ocean to get to San Francisco in five months using only his arms. There are no guarantees he will make it.

His frequent smiles during his interview with The Korea Times suggest he is far from feeling skittish ahead of the adventure. While two rowers have crossed the Pacific Ocean from Japan to the U.S., no one has ever done it starting from Korea.

Breton has already become used to extreme challenges. Before arriving in Busan in April this year, he had already accomplished crossing Europe and Russia on a specially designed bike. He left his hometown of Bayonne, France, in January 2021 and rode over 12,800 kilometers until he arrived in Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East.

Breton, 43, invested 22 years of his life in the French military, half of which was spent in the French Special Forces. Having been on tour in the Iraq War, he served as a Chief Warrant Officer and a commando instructor but his military career was halted after the unlucky incident. And yet, after his miraculous recovery, he embarked on a challenge that is probably more dangerous and less predictable than what he had gone through as a soldier.

Hasn't he had enough?

"Other war veterans with disfigured faces and disabled bodies whom I saw were living with depression, like they dropped to rock bottom," Breton told The Korea Times. "And their lives ended very miserably."

Breton's boat is designed to keep him alive and connected online while rowing across the Pacific Ocean for five months. Courtesy of Gwenael Breton

But even considering what Breton went through physically he had far greater personal issues come to terms with. His mother took her own life, his stepfather died and he went through two divorces ― all heart wrenching experiences for him. He said he was physically and mentally devastated by those events.

However, realizing that his heart wouldn't so easily let him finish up his life like the veterans who had gone before him, he came to a resolution. "Although I kept tripping on traumatic experiences again, again and again, I didn't want to fall, didn't want to drop to hell. So, I decided to challenge myself in adventure not only to give a message of hope for the poor war veterans but also to save myself and my soul."

In 2015 he founded the Rien que du bonheur, an association meaning "nothing but happiness," to support injured people by carrying out committed sports adventures. In its latest undertaking, Breton launched Operation Garder Le Cap (Operation Stay the Course), his ongoing world tour to promote "our beautiful values of the heart, mutual aid and solidarity."

"I believe that I must stay on course and maintain my direction forward during my journey," Breton said. "I want to maintain that direction, even if I don't have anything to ride on. I will wear roller skates if I have to."

After finishing the first part of his journey to Vladivostok, Breton asked his friends to send his bike to the United States so that he can use it for a follow-up journey crossing the country all the way to Boston. Then, he will row back from there to Bayonne, completing his journey around the world.

Breton made the bike with his friends who are engineers. This bespoke, one-of-a-kind three-wheeler weighs about 120 kilograms and is equipped with a solar panel that produces just enough power to charge his mobile devices. His legs do all the work moving the vehicle. It can also be transformed into a temporary tent in case he cannot find any shelter.

Breton, second from right, joins a ceremony at Busan Metropolitan Government's Office commemorating the veterans of the Korean War, June 25. Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan Government

For the ocean crossing, his boat weighs 600 kilograms ― 1,300 kilograms when fully loaded ― and has more features than any small-sized boat, Breton said. It's designed so that it stays afloat at all times even under heavy swell conditions. Its entry is sealed by a door that shuts watertight. He can fly a drone from the boat, use the internet and stream himself online, and generate and store power with solar panels. It has three specially designed phones and four computer navigation systems, one of which he had used in the Special Forces. A first aid kit with an adrenaline injector, self-suturing supplies, two specially designed fishing rods and utensils to prepare and cook caught fish. Breton calls the boat a "high-end luxury survival boat."

"This boat is one of the ten same boats in the world right now. There used to be 30 of them," said Breton. "I purchased it and customized it. I crossed the Atlantic Ocean on it from Senegal to Guyana in 2017 to test it. It was a successful dry run. I believe Korea has never seen a boat like this before."

Breton, who promoted his word tour on his homepage, received 100,000 euros as a donation from Les Gueules Cassees, a foundation that began as a philanthropic association of French war veterans who had their faces disfigured from combat injuries. Inmarsat, a British satellite telecommunication company, is allowing him to send or stream videos or other data online from the middle of the Pacific for free ― which usually costs thousands of dollars. Panasonic also provided him with digital devices and Lions Club also contributed to sponsoring his journey.

While in Busan, Breton attended a ceremony to commemorate the veterans of the Korean War on June 25. He asked the city government if he could join the event as a guest and was accepted.

Busan Mayor Park Hyeong-joon introduced him during the event in front of some 500 attendees, including war veterans, family members of deceased veterans and public officials from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. "We wish a safe trip to the United States for Gwenael Breton, who is touring the world on a bike and a boat to send hopeful messages to injured war veterans across the world," said the mayor as he applauded him.