**British Armed Forces Discussion Thread**

Soldato
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Wow - that's gone down significantly :eek:

Yep, is has had a massive cut since the SDSR, and even before that, around a 30% reduction or so. Getting a 25% increase from Jan to April to cover Winter costs. Shame I'm on residual LOA at the moment hah.

Agree about the Paras/Marines too hah. Love hanging around with boot necks, Paras on the other hand can be somewhat.. special..
 
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Was on a work night out in Exeter last year and bumped into a bunch of paras in a bar, they did seem special.

All seemed more intent on drinking pint glasses of each others urine and punching each other than other "normal" things.
 
Soldato
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Was on a work night out in Exeter last year and bumped into a bunch of paras in a bar, they did seem special.

All seemed more intent on drinking pint glasses of each others urine and punching each other than other "normal" things.

Pretty much sums up my experiences hah.

Although, I know bootnecks do some gopping things lol.
 
Soldato
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Wow, just been clearing through my grandads old flat today, trying to find his war medals!

Also found out that one of his close friends he used to work with in London Transportation after the War, was this man....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Sparks

One of the Cockleshell Heroes when they launched rowing canoes from a sub, rowed something like 80 something miles to plant bombs on some German ships in a shipping port. Quite moving to think that I watched a documentary about that on BBC the other day "One of the most courageous raids of WW2"
 
Man of Honour
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Wow, just been clearing through my grandads old flat today, trying to find his war medals!

Also found out that one of his close friends he used to work with in London Transportation after the War, was this man....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Sparks

One of the Cockleshell Heroes when they launched rowing canoes from a sub, rowed something like 80 something miles to plant bombs on some German ships in a shipping port. Quite moving to think that I watched a documentary about that on BBC the other day "One of the most courageous raids of WW2"

My Grandad missed out on being one of those as didn't quite pass the selection for the mission.
 
Soldato
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My Grandad missed out on being one of those as didn't quite pass the selection for the mission.

Really? Crazy isnt it when you think about it all, quite emotional. Did your Grandad go on to do anything else?. When I went today he showed me a book about this guy Bill was on, with pictures and clippings, with handwritten opening page addressed to my grandad signed by him
 
Soldato
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Ta for the links :) Have seen the documentary but not the film they made about it.

Need to do abit of digging on the ship my grandad was on, HMS Premier
 
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Telegraph said:
Wounded soldiers face sack under new Army redundancy plans

A classified document, seen by The Daily Telegraph, says 2,500 wounded soldiers, including 350 who have lost limbs, will not be exempt from the extensive cuts.


The internal memo, sent to senior commanders in Afghanistan, also discloses that 16,500 personnel will be made redundant by April 2015 – more than double the number originally proposed. Any decision to sack wounded soldiers is likely to prove highly controversial.


The efficiency drive has been ordered because the Army has so many wounded soldiers that able-bodied recruits are being turned away and its fighting strength is being diminished.


Details of the full scale of the redundancy programme came as millions of people paused to pay a silent tribute to the nation’s war dead yesterday.


The ceremony was particularly poignant at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, where soldiers marked the death of the 385th British serviceman to be killed since 2001.

continued here;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...ace-sack-under-new-Army-redundancy-plans.html

Are the Tory plans to sack those from the army who are injured in action ethical?
 
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continued here;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...ace-sack-under-new-Army-redundancy-plans.html

Are the Tory plans to sack those from the army who are injured in action ethical?

It is pretty much a nonsense though as the MoD have stated that the telegraph story is a distortion of the facts:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15705570

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the memo, written by a junior army officer, was "incorrect".

Labour leader Ed Miliband said it was the government's duty to "do right by our armed forces".

The document is thought to have been distributed to commanders in Afghanistan.

Some 7,000 army troops will be laid off as part of the first tranche of redundancies, which has already begun.

The Army announced in September it would be telling about 920 people they would be made redundant as part of the cuts.

Earlier reports had suggested the second tranche would add 5,000 to that number by April 2015, but the new memo puts the figure much higher.

But Mr Hammond said: "We haven't changed our position, my predecessor announced the reductions in force numbers that the Army will achieve over the remainder of this decade to 2020.

"We have no plans to change those numbers. Anyone who is injured and who is receiving medical treatment will not be considered in any way for inclusion in a redundancy programme until after their treatment is complete."

A Ministry of Defence statement said the Army was "still considering the criteria including size and shape for Tranche 2 and any subsequent redundancy, and nothing has yet been agreed."

The Chief of the General Staff, Sir Peter Wall, said: "The Army is reducing in size over the next few years and a redundancy programme, although deeply regrettable, is unavoidable.

"Those injured on operations will continue to get the best medical treatment and after-care the Army and the nation can provide. There is no question of wounded soldiers being made redundant whilst their recovery is best served by remaining in the Army."

He said the Telegraph story was a "distortion of the facts".

Soldiers 'outraged'
Commodore Clive Walker, joint force support commander in Afghanistan, said the army was "just scoping all of the options that are open".

But the Telegraph reports that the memo has "been seen by soldiers serving on the front line in Afghanistan, who are outraged".

The mother of Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, who lost both legs and suffered brain damage from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2006, said wounded personnel should not be forced out too soon.

"It's very difficult if you are not fit enough to return to your army job but you aren't fit enough to return to a physical career outside of the Army, then what is there for you?" said Diane Dernie.

"And surely in an organisation the size of the MoD, there must be some leeway to employ some of those who are wounded who want to remain in service."

Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said the government's "strategic shrinkage" of the armed forces was "being done by stealth".

He said: "No-one should be sacked because they are seriously injured while defending our country.

"This weekend is about remembrance not argument.

"The government should be doing everything in its power to support people in to new roles in the forces, in the MoD or to a new career outside of defence.

Former Royal Navy officer Lewis Page said other cuts should be made before injured soldiers were Former Royal Navy officer Lewis Page said other cuts should be made before injured soldiers were targeted: "The Royal Navy has enormous numbers of senior officers bluntly sitting around not doing anything that possibly justifies their rank and pay."

The leak came as the government pledges to improve access to housing for ex-services personnel.

Housing minister Grant Shapps told Sky News they should be prioritised on social housing waiting lists and government first-time buyer schemes, and there should be increased funding to adapt homes for wounded personnel and to stop so many ending up sleeping rough.

having been one of the Soldiers unable to fight due to injury sustained in combat I can state that I was given every opportunity to remain, it ultimately proved impossible, but I was treated with respect and at no point have I felt mistreated, forced out or ignored. Quite the contrary, in fact since regaining much of my fitness and health I have been asked if I would be interested in RMR.
 
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It is pretty much a nonsense though as the MoD have stated that the telegraph story is a distortion of the facts:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15705570



having been one of the Soldiers unable to fight due to injury sustained in combat I can state that I was given every opportunity to remain, it ultimately proved impossible, but I was treated with respect and at no point have I felt mistreated, forced out or ignored. Quite the contrary, in fact since regaining much of my fitness and health I have been asked if I would be interested in RMR.

Why are the lads outraged? They admit that they will not be considered for rendundancy while recovering but after that they will probably be included with everyone else.

Which government were you injured under?
 
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Really? Crazy isnt it when you think about it all, quite emotional. Did your Grandad go on to do anything else?. When I went today he showed me a book about this guy Bill was on, with pictures and clippings, with handwritten opening page addressed to my grandad signed by him

It's weird seeing those sorts of things outside of museums isn't it? It makes it all the more real to me.

I don't know the ins and outs of it exactly, but he was involved in the sort of thing you would expect someone in the SBS to be getting up to :p Special ops during the Normandy landings and some very sneaky, hairy stuff in Burma are the two things I know he definitely did. An amazing man to talk to.

After the war he got up to loads of stuff in Malaya and Borneo, too many stories to go in to!
 
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Why are the lads outraged? They admit that they will not be considered for rendundancy while recovering but after that they will probably be included with everyone else.

Which government were you injured under?

I think the issue is if they are targeted for redundancy because of their prior injury, not that they will be considered like everyone else as I think that has always been the case anyway. Royal Marines are generally exempt from redunancy calls, and I think that is still the case today.

It was a Labour Govt, but I don't see what difference that makes tbh.

It is an unfortunate fact of being in the Forces that you must be fit enough to complete your duties and if you cannot and there are no viable options within the Forces then you will be medically discharged, with the relevant pension and AFCS if applicable. It is if they replace this with redundancy that would have me concerned, but I don't see that happening. Again I was a RM, so maybe someone in the Army, RAF or regular Navy would have a better idea whats going on.
 
Soldato
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Wow, just been clearing through my grandads old flat today, trying to find his war medals!

Also found out that one of his close friends he used to work with in London Transportation after the War, was this man....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Sparks

One of the Cockleshell Heroes when they launched rowing canoes from a sub, rowed something like 80 something miles to plant bombs on some German ships in a shipping port. Quite moving to think that I watched a documentary about that on BBC the other day "One of the most courageous raids of WW2"

When I have kids I shall make them read stuff like this. We are so lucky.
 
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As per my earlier posts, my 1.5 mile time is now 10:20, sits 43 in a min and push up 59 in a min.
Gonna phone the admin office tomorrow to see if they'd consider starting my paperwork to join. I've only been training hard for a month so dropping 1.5mins seems fairly good to me.
 
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As per my earlier posts, my 1.5 mile time is now 10:20, sits 43 in a min and push up 59 in a min.
Gonna phone the admin office tomorrow to see if they'd consider starting my paperwork to join. I've only been training hard for a month so dropping 1.5mins seems fairly good to me.

What were your figures a month ago?
 
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11:50 for my run, 20something sit ups and 51 push ups.
Bizarrely despite being able to now do an entire suite of card of push ups (80 odd) they haven't improved that much.
 
Soldato
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Good effort on getting your time down. Don't just aim for 10:30, try and get it to something like 9 minutes, will make you stand out a lot more during selection :).

I'm currently trying to get accustom to running at altitude and in some proper warm conditions. So happy I'm doing a winter tour, think a summer tour would end me lol.
 
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