Re: Fighting for your country
 

Can you join as a General?

Otherwise I would recommend the Air Force or the Navy, both unlikely to be involved, well not to any great individual risk.

The thing to avoid is the Army - Grunt.

I think the ratio in WW2 was 7 support to 1 at the sharp end, probably greater now.

Perhaps a Cooking qualification would be a good investment?

Re: Fighting for your country
 

Bonkers. Chalk and cheese. After a 15 year military career, my observations:

Comparing a draft (ie conscription) with going home to volunteer is not a fair comparison. In one you have a choice, in the other you do not.

In any case, if war was that imminent, then we would be in the Transition To War (TTW) phase of operations. Unlikely that BA, AA, Delta and co would have flights to even enable one to go home to enlist.

A general war of the likes of WW2 is unlikely to ever happen again. There will be no five year all encompassing wars. Weapons have moved on.

During the cold war, NATO's doctrine was defensive. We would never have attacked the Warsaw Pact. However, had Ivan come over the wall, we would have defended up to the river Weser in West Germany. Not many combat units were stationed west of the Weser. That is a fairly big clue as to what would have happened had the Soviets crossed the Weser. From the Inner German Border (IGB) to the Weser is no more than a couple of hundred kilometres. A couple of months, more likely weeks, and the whole thing would be a glass car park with extra sunshine everywhere. So no point in volunteering (or even being drafted), because you would have been vapourised on the parade square of the training school.

Sorry to be negative, I guess the thrust of the thread is loyalty to the US or the UK, but as for volunteering or being drafted, neither are going to occur. BTW, the third poll option isn't an option!

Re: Fighting for your country
 

In today's UK "Sunday Times" there is a report that "War Blamed as 6,000 Quit Territorial Army":

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...849461,00.html

Re: Fighting for your country
 

I would say "Bring back national Service' but I don't think even the British Army would want the useless teenagers of today dumped on them.

Re: Fighting for your country
 

Unless they'd attacked on a weekend, when 2/3rds of BAOR was either pissed or in Amsterdam, I'm sure they must have known that though :D

Re: Fighting for your country
 

Only on a weekend? LOL

Happy hour after work, yellow handbags etc. The Army did some really stupid things in the Cold War. Like in Germany, every married quarter comes with a fridge. No, you can't give it back (and therefore not pay rent on it). Well since in the UK, NO married quarter comes with a fridge, everyone had their own. So what was the Army one for.... Beer fridge. Net result, 50% of the Army (the married half) absolutely blotto every night. The other 50% was leathered every night in the bar/mess, because of the other mistake.....

.....tax free everything. Because of the hangover from occupation days, BAOR did not pay tax on anything. So the MOD requires large numbers of fit healthy young men, but makes it ridiculously cheap for them to smoke and drink themselves to death. I seem to remember that shots of spirits were only sold as doubles, and even then were only 20 pfennigs. i.e. a few cents in US money. Beer cost less than bottled water and of a legally enforced high quality.

The other side of the coin, is that I was in Moscow a few years back, and had my credit card stolen, so had to make a police report. ALL the uniformed coppers were drunk on Vodka (swigging from bottle in view of public). Not sure if there had been a party or something, but it didnt seem like it. Just plain drunk on duty. I sincerely hope the Red Army was the same!

Unfortunately, even though I have been away from Germany for years, old habits die hard, and I still have a beer every night when I get home form work, and it's still Beck's!

Re: Fighting for your country
 

On my bandwagon now! I wholeheartedly agree, however the Army would view it as an unmitigated disaster.

In the bigger picture though, it would fix certain attitudes. Put simply, "Yoof culture" = jail. After a few hours polishing the ceilings of the guardhouse with a heavy iron bumper, it does tend to instill the ability to shut one's trap and conform.

"Who the f*** do you think you are, shouting at me like that?" is a common error amongst new recruits, and one that is likely to be made only once. You either make the error yourself, or witness another hapless fool committing this faux pas (preferable!), and it tends to have a lasting impression. Doubling round the parade square carrying a rifle over your head is hard work for 10 minutes. An hour later and you are in serious trouble. Scraping the paint off your deodorant tin and polishing the metal so it gleams is one of life's joys that every "chav" ought to go through.

The basic ability to be punctual, smartly dressed and polite is one that is missing in today's society. National Service would bring about a rapid change.

Militarily undesirable, but the name National Service says it all for me.

Soap box away, unless someone picks up the gauntlet.......

Re: Fighting for your country
 

You'll get no arguement from me whatsoever. Something needs to be done and done quick. I think that National Service would also discourage a lot of those economic migrants to Britain if they made it compulsory for ALL residents and not just citizens.

Re: Fighting for your country
 

I can't really complain about economic migration, after all, I am part of the "brain drain". I got a good pay increase to transfer here. The difference is that I would be willing to undergo US military training as a consequence of my voluntary decision to move here.

As was said to me by my (US) friends here, before I applied for the L1 visa, "you aren't the problem, it's the hordes of Mexicans and Indians here illegally". It's the same for the UK. The hordes of Eastern Europeans, "Asylum (more properly "Benefit") Seekers" and Asians are the UK's Mexicans.

I need to chill out, a feel a Beck's coming on before the coronary does!

Re: Fighting for your country
 

Hypothetical question, mate. Don't worry, be happy.

Re: Fighting for your country
 

Interesting results! Its nice to see so many who would be on the plane with me to Aldershot or Catterick. I was a little surprised to see so many hippies (just kidding). Interesting stuff :)

Re: Fighting for your country
 

Hippies isn't a very politically correct term. I believe they like to be called 'conscientious objectors' :p

Re: Fighting for your country
 

Not me mate, I'd be going back to Poole!

Re: Fighting for your country
 

I just came from there! Shhhh - the Poole Yacht Club is a very secretive thing

Re: Fighting for your country
 

I cant divulge any secrets I was only a worker in the trophy room that polished up the brass