Re: Mail on Sunday
 

Both armies in Canada and the UK rely upon voluntary recruitment and those that volunteer should surely know that they won't be able to choose what wars they get to fight in. That's the choice of the government in power and subsequently the voting public at election time. Goal posts are going to be moved and that I'm afraid is the soldiers lot in having to accept that. I can't believe that people join up without realizing that any subsequent political/military agenda will be out of their control. They certainly deserve our respect though. I couldn't do their job.

Re: Mail on Sunday
 

Please (which is the correct spelling) read my previous post and try to comprehend what I said there, but I'll spell it out again in small words: I don't support war. But I do support soldiers.

Marines are but one branch by the way.

And I respect live soldiers too. I don't reserve respect strictly for the dead as you obviously do.

Re: Mail on Sunday
 

Have you ever actually met a squaddie? I think if you asked one about a "political/military agenda" you'd be met with little more than a confused grunt (hey, that works on two levels).

Re: Mail on Sunday
 

What a load of B******. :curse: I have spent more than 20 years as a squaddie and almost all officers and an increasing amount of NCOs have degree level qualifications. To get into many arms and corps within the British Army you need a minimum of 5 O levels. We are not mindless morons we know exactly what we are getting into and that we are political porn’s.
Like many on here, we may not support the political thinking that sends us into an operation but we took the Queens Shilling and are paid to carryout the whims of the government of the day. All we ask is a little recognition for the ultimate sacrifice many of our comrades have given.

Please do not insult my intellect by assuming that I joined up to serve my country just to play with big guns and kill people. Perhaps if you came out of the closet and stood side by side the Grunting Squaddie you imagine we are, your eyes may become a little clearer and less rose tinted.

Re: Mail on Sunday
 

I think Hillier's announcement can be taken at face value. I know for a fact that he went on a house hunting trip nearly a year ago. He wouldn't have done that unless he'd already decided to retire.

Re: Mail on Sunday
 

Yeah, yeah. Tell that to the civilian residents of any town near an army base. I'm sure they'd be fascinated to learn about this group of cultured young men you describe.

My dad was in the army for a few years as he had nothing better to do. As far as I can tell he spent most of the time either playing football or pissed. Of course, he had the good sense to get the hell out of there when he found out they were going to post him in Northern Ireland.

Re: Mail on Sunday
 

ive edited this three times now its just gonna read "im not biting" :blink:

Re: Mail on Sunday
 

I cannot believe you typed that.>>>> Your dad was in the army for 5 minutes and that makes you some sort of a expert on squaddies. :rofl::rofl::rofl:. You might consider a career in comedy because you have us all laughing here in our squaddie town.

As your dad will also have told you, we work hard and play hard that is how we keep our sanity, you might try it before the men in white coats come for you. I did not claim we were all saints just patriotic young men willing to serve our country.

Still your posts are the best works of fiction I have read in ages, I will give you that. Perhaps if you walk past a recruitment office you could claim you have been in the forces as well as you dad. :thumbsup:

Re: Mail on Sunday
 

My dad spent two years in the RAF doing not much more that playing bridge....but todays armed forces are rather different to the days of national service I suspect.

I suspect that (as usual) the truth is somewhere in the middle, some sign up to serve, some sign up for adventure, and some sign up cos what else can you do with limited intelectual resources that will offer the same career prospects. There are certainly at least some mindless idiots in the forces, but there is no reason to think there are any more then any other walk of life.

Re: Mail on Sunday
 

Was he afraid to come to Northern Ireland as there was such a high chance he would have went back home in a body bag, if there were enough bits of his body left to put in one.

Re: Mail on Sunday
 

I do like that Canada shows respect for its soldiers. I also think Remembrance Day in Canada is moving and thought provoking. Many of those photos are a powerful tribute.

However, I assume the PowerPoint presentation was put together in the UK. At least, I hope so, because it does great dishonor to the sacrifice our Canadian soldiers have made to use their death to peddle the racist sh*t contained in the last slide.

Re: Mail on Sunday
 

If its a statement of fact how is it racist?

Now, I dont know if its fact or not, but it wouldnt altogether surprise me if some P.C. idiot had come up with that... on the other hand it also wouldnt suprise me if some racist idiot had just made it up too....:unsure:

Re: Mail on Sunday
 

Just seems like common sense to me, but then Im not a macho military type. Im just suprised he was able to bail out at the sign of trouble...I would have thought there were rules to cover that kind of thing. Maybe it was just coincidence that his tour was done at that point.

Re: Mail on Sunday
 

For those of us who don't do PowerPoint, what does it say?

Re: Mail on Sunday
 

Something along the lines of get yourself a real computer, not a Mac.....


Oh no, that was a different one. It says that in the UK they ask service people to change into civies at the hospital so as not to offend (some) muslims (Im paraphrasing slightly, but not much)
Given that its mostly in french except the last part, my guess is it was originally made in Canada, but was edited upon arrival in the UK for its own ends...

Is "hiros" a french spelling?....I hope so:unsure: