Ask a Soldier

[Flying Pig]

when you were in the military, how much time was spent on missions and how much time were you on a base somewhere?

Most of your time is spent somewhere doing something boring (especially in Germany) but being in a fairly elite unit means you spend more time being active than most people.

Have you seen a promoted soldier that was dragged away kicking and screaming because the promotion was devoid of combat? Metaphorically of course.

There's one here - I refused to be made Major for that reason

Care to share some survival tips? (like landing on a roll to cushion one's fall)

Don't join the army . Oh, and always carry a tampon.

Do you agree with the people who are saying that the RA is badly equipped for a situation like Afghanistan? Not having the proper helicopters and so forth?

The army can do its job no matter what it has (when we attacked Goose Green, against heavy artillery fire, we only had men on foot) but I would like to see better kit for the men out there.

Why did you join the army?

See my first post:

I thought it looked like a fun, rewarding job. It was really as simple as looking at my prospects and deciding whether I wanted to stay and run a farm or go off and see the world.

I hope RA doesn't mean Royal Army. Its been the British Army since the English Civil War.

True, but I'll let it slide from a yank

 

[really]

Parachute Regiment 1960 - 1985

Did you serve in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1972 when the Parachute Regiment shot 28 civil rights protesters, killing 14?

 

[Flying Pig]

That was 1 PARA, not me. Bloody Sunday was a mess, and not protocol, and I would prefer to stay off the topic. British soldiers have explicit orders to never open fire on anyone who is not a threat, and that goes right up from the TA to the SAS.

 

[Mowque]

What do you think of the public's view of combat itself?

 

[Flying Pig]

What is it?

EDIT: Who posted Captain Obvious as a tag?

 

[Mowque]

What is what?

 

[Flying Pig]

What is the public opinion towards combat?

 

[Mowque]

Not opinion, its perception of it.

 

[Flying Pig]

I don't know much about how people see it, since I don't generally talk about that with people. The only insight I have is from a cadet who asked me 'how does anyone survive [battle]?' Our tactics are pretty good and I think people probably think that it's a lot more dangerous than it is.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Don't join the army . Oh, and always carry a tampon.

A tampon? Water filtration?

Anyway, what are the most common non-combat army jobs that you know of?

 

[Flying Pig]

Tampons do everything - great for using to make field dressings (BTW, if there's any combat medics around here, I did not just advocate non-standard medical equipment ), starting fires and water storage (as they took particular pleasure in teaching us, when wrapped in a condom).

If you count medics, probably that, followed by engineers and chaplains. The Adjutant General's Corps (basically the paperheads) has 7000

 

[MobBoss]

Tampons do everything - great for using to make field dressings (BTW, if there's any combat medics around here, I did not just advocate non-standard medical equipment ), starting fires and water storage (as they took particular pleasure in teaching us, when wrapped in a condom).

If you count medics, probably that, followed by engineers and chaplains. The Adjutant General's Corps (basically the paperheads) has 7000

Tampons are also great for cleaning weapons.

 

[Flying Pig]

Never heard that one before (although one of my mottos has always been 'killers not drillers' - if it shoots, I'm probably not going to care about the black dust inside it).

 

[MobBoss]

Never heard that one before (although one of my mottos has always been 'killers not drillers' - if it shoots, I'm probably not going to care about the black dust inside it).

Its a piece of cotton. On a string. Thats perfect for cleaning a weapon in a lot of different ways.

Well, if you shoot the M16 (A1 or otherwise) yeah, the black dust inside is kind of important, since its very prone to jamming if you dont keep the weapon as clean as possible. Its not like an AK-47, where you could bury it, dig it back up and have it fire no problem.

 

[Flying Pig]

I've never been in command of men using the M16, but my guideline is that so long as the barrel is clear and the bits are working I don't care for the shine on the metal. We get issued with pull-throughs and flannelettes, which do the same job and are more durable

 

[GoodGame]

Anyway, what are the most common non-combat army jobs that you know of?

I'll jump in---was in the Army. Beyond Chaplains, Engineers, there's all kind of Signal types, Intelligence, Transport pool (truck drivers, etc..), all kinds of Mechanics and Armorers (there's a job just for repairing anti-tank missiles).

Here's a current promo list: http://www.goarmy.com/JobCatList.do?redirect=true

 

[Bigfoot3814]

What made you want to take a dangerous and difficult job like being a soldier and make it more difficult by doing it while jumping out of an airplane?

 

[Flying Pig]

From Wikipedia, the Royal Logistics Corps is the biggest, and so there's your answer - think bus drivers with guns

 

[Eretz Yisrael]

Have you or the unit you led been under sniper fire? If so, what would be the most common type of weapon snipers used according to your experience?

 

[Flying Pig]

I've trained as a sniper and done a few missions; the Irish tended to use the AR-15 but I was trained on a Lee-Enfield called the L42, which has now been replaced with the very nice L96. Sniper fire is scary, but in general after training to lay it down myself I was able to identify enemy marksmen before they could shoot.