Blogs from the Afghan frontline

[Tez3]

http://helmandblog.blogspot.com/

Thought you might be interested in this, some amazing photos as well as service personnel, Americans too, telling of their lives out on the frontline. some very funny reports too showing that service people's sense of humour is as sharp as ever!

 

[LoneRider]

Thanks Tez3 for the views of soldiers deployed downrange. I thought that maintaining such blogs was against MoD policy in the UK? After all soldiers such as Sergeant Andy McNab (author of Bravo Two Zero) and Corporal Chris Ryan (author of The One that Got Away) of 22 SAS and Sergeant Dan Mills of Princess of Wales Royal Regiment (author of Sniper One) managed to publish accounts of their wartime services only against stiff opposition from the MoD. A blog like that seems to be an interesting reverse of what I thought was standard policy.

That being said it's a damned good read.

 

[Tez3]

Thanks Tez3 for the views of soldiers deployed downrange. I thought that maintaining such blogs was against MoD policy in the UK? After all soldiers such as Sergeant Andy McNab (author of Bravo Two Zero) and Corporal Chris Ryan (author of The One that Got Away) of 22 SAS and Sergeant Dan Mills of Princess of Wales Royal Regiment (author of Sniper One) managed to publish accounts of their wartime services only against stiff opposition from the MoD. A blog like that seems to be an interesting reverse of what I thought was standard policy.

That being said it's a damned good read.

Well Andy McNab is known here as a bit of a Walt ( Walter Mitty) popular among non military lol. It's more that the MOD doesn't want secrets being given away than anything else. Dan Mills of the Squiggies ( you'll have to look that up it will take too long to explain at the moment lol), well, you're never taken too seriously in that Regt. rofl. Of course 'stiff opposition' makes for better publicity.

 

[LoneRider]

I know that Dan Mills' unit missed out on a lot of deployments due to things such as the fire fighter strike which resulted in the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment being called in to duty to replace the firemen. Why is that that Dan Mills' Regiment is given such a slagging by the rest of the British Army?

I do like McNab's writing, and some advice I was able to glean from it was helpful for basic light infantry training. I've heard a lot of McNab's writing has generated sore spots throughout his former unit, 22 SAS.

That being said a lot of British military memoirs, such as Eight Lives Down by Chris Hunter, an ATO in the British Army were damned good reads for both entertainment and into how an allied Army works.

 

[Tez3]

I know that Dan Mills' unit missed out on a lot of deployments due to things such as the fire fighter strike which resulted in the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment being called in to duty to replace the firemen. Why is that that Dan Mills' Regiment is given such a slagging by the rest of the British Army?

I do like McNab's writing, and some advice I was able to glean from it was helpful for basic light infantry training. I've heard a lot of McNab's writing has generated sore spots throughout his former unit, 22 SAS.

That being said a lot of British military memoirs, such as Eight Lives Down by Chris Hunter, an ATO in the British Army were damned good reads for both entertainment and into how an allied Army works.

Every regiment in its own eyes is the best in the army, the Squidgies (mispelt it this morning due to it being very early, before dawn and in a hurry) had an unfortunate name which due to the squaddie sense of humour gave them that nickname. They are now part of the Yorkshire Regiment. Many units missed deployments because of the firemens strike and the ambulance strike, oh and the dustmen's strike lol.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squidgygate

Andy McNab by all accounts (haven't read his books) has shall we say exaggerated his exploits according to many in the position to know. There are some very good books around, try these. I really do recommend them!
https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/products/Real-Heroes.html

https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/products/Man-Down-Autobiography.html

https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/products/Matt-Croucher-GC-%2d-Bullet-Proof.html

 

[LoneRider]

Every regiment in its own eyes is the best in the army

That's every army. A perfect example is the great 82nd Airborne Division versus 101st Airborne Division divide. I recall stories from an MP friend of mine of the great barfights that resulted in the 80s and 90s when the two units would meet. The antics of fellow soldiers can be amusing if vexing at times.

I wonder why they collapsed the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment into the Yorkshire Regiment?

 

[Tez3]

That's every army. A perfect example is the great 82nd Airborne Division versus 101st Airborne Division divide. I recall stories from an MP friend of mine of the great barfights that resulted in the 80s and 90s when the two units would meet. The antics of fellow soldiers can be amusing if vexing at times.

I wonder why they collapsed the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment into the Yorkshire Regiment?

There was a reorganisation of the army a little while back, a lot of regiments were amalgamated and put into county regiments ie Yorks, Lancs, some went into making up the Rifles which used to be the Light Infantry. The Squidgys are a battalion in the Yorks now, can't remember which tbh.
Yeah but your regiments haven't been squabbling for three centuries or so lol! If the regiments fight each other here they stop if the military police turn up and the all start on them!

 

[LoneRider]

Yeah but your regiments haven't been squabbling for three centuries or so lol! If the regiments fight each other here they stop if the military police turn up and the all start on them!

They may not have been squabbling long (60+ years for the 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne), but boy can those disputes be fairly intense (to a point that during some NCO professional courses the 101st and 82nd students are generally kept apart from one another). And MPs being persona non-grata in the eyes of soldiers be they nicknamed Toms or Joes is certainly a universal thing.

Don't they give MPs in the UK the rank of Lance Corporal after their Advanced Individual Training (or specialty training) so that they have some authority?

 

[Tez3]

They may not have been squabbling long (60+ years for the 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne), but boy can those disputes be fairly intense (to a point that during some NCO professional courses the 101st and 82nd students are generally kept apart from one another). And MPs being persona non-grata in the eyes of soldiers be they nicknamed Toms or Joes is certainly a universal thing.

Don't they give MPs in the UK the rank of Lance Corporal after their Advanced Individual Training (or specialty training) so that they have some authority?

Yeah they get acting Corporal now but everyone knows it's not real lol!
At the moment we only have a few RMPs here as they rest of the compant is in Afghan with the Brigade, what we have left is the newly out of training and the unfit lol. As you'll know you can give people rank but it doesn't confer true authority!

 

[LoneRider]

God yes I know all about that. I've served under a few folks who have rank but definitely no authority that I respect over me over the years. One such individual addressed me as insubordinate but I couldn't respect him no matter how hard I tried.