"Armed Forces" Topic

Just wandering? Out of interest how many guys or ladies out there are serving in the armed forces still cause I haven't met many ! I understand if people don't want to say.
Thanks

I don't think any current TMPer served in armed forces during Napoleonic wars.

(John the OFM might be an exception, though.)

I'm still fighting the ACW, does that count?

Lots of us retired guys around.

There has been a thread on this before<

Tally Ho!

There are a bunch of us vets here … from all over. Lots of Brits and Yanks … I served '79-'90, US ARMY, Infantry Officer, in 4 INF Bns, a CBT SPT Bn and Bde HQ … In Panama CZ, ROK/DMZ, and (West) Germany … Well as an Intel Officer in a Reserve QM Bn in '91 … As Nick said, there is a thread here on TMP about this before … somewhere …

30 years in the Women's Auxiliary Balloon Corps, Man and Boy (and Woman). 90 missions over occupied territory in bra and panties. After that I flew submarines for the SAS.

Swiss Navy, commanded an aircraft carrier.

My kids believe I fought in the ACW. I didn't though. 20+ years in the USAF. Big missiles,GLCM,and comm.

Count yourself lucky. My 5 year old daughter asked me if I knew Julius Caesar 'in the olden days'.
And does the Army Cadets count?

Favorite cadence:
1 – 2 – 3 – 4
Reserve Office Training Corps!

6 years USMC.
18 years USA.

Retired grandfather now. Best job I ever had.

5 years USN, hiding with pride doing 4 knots to nowhere. (That means submarines of a rather large size, walking very, very softly and carrying very, very, big sticks)

So I'm a mite opinionated about certain things naval…

1ST CHAIRBORNE COMMANDOS. Lifer.

Never had what it takes to be any use in the military.
I am grateful for the sacrifices those who are serving or have done make or are prepared to make on our behalf. That doesn't entitle them to any special treatment – but they SHOULD be treated better by their governments than they are in practice. [We all should actually but it's especially infuriating when servicemen/women are treated as expendable once they are no longer needed/wanted/useful.]

Playing games about and studying war/combat for decades has I think given me slightly more insight into the issues than the general public who never give it a moment's thought or are woefully misled about what is involved.

33 years service in the Royal Canadian Navy and still serving today – 18 months as a Rocky Mountain Ranger (Canadian Militia Regiment) all four of my brothers served, my mom and my dad, all my uncles and my grand father (moms side) was awarded a DCM in 1918.

It is alleged I served in 49 PARA…

There has been a thread on this before<

Tally Ho!

Yup. Three that I could find with a quick search:
2013: TMP link
2008: TMP link
2005: TMP link

Lifelong civilian, excused service on religious grounds (devout coward).

Mine is the first generation of my family since the Crimean War that did not have to send men off to fight, either through poverty, psychotic dad of pregnant girlfriend, or Act of Parliament. And to those previous generations whose success and sacrifice made this possible – ta very much.

Think he was asking for those presently serving, but, yeah, I'm a vet: USAF personnel officer, 1962-8, including 1 year in Thailand.

30 years in British Army but now retired. I did wargame whilst serving, but it was a bit intermittent, some postings quite a lot, others none at all. I had several colleagues also wargaming whilst serving. I tended to keep painting figures, even if not actually wargaming..

Rod

Yeah serving was my question I understand that this kind of question was asked before so I apologize for that

Ben, were you on the balcony?!!

Tally Ho!

I never served in the armed forces, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express. Does that count?

The ARRSE entry that started it all.

That brings back memories. The good old boys of 49 Para, fifty of us jumping out of a Gazelle at 75 feet. We were stationed at Oberammergurgl in Germany. The barracks was a former SS headquarters, there were still bodies in the cellars and we ruled the town. Isandhlwana Barracks was close to a girl's school and we shagged everything in sight, even the caretaker and the headmistress at the same time.

My regimental number was 4, it would have been 3 but my mate Clubber beat me to it. The laughs we had on the range firing the Hepppler and Kopp fully automatic sniper rifles the army used. Our bright red berets on our heads, we knew that one day, we would tell some stories. How we won the first Gulf War even though we were still in Oberammergurgl, the Iraqis just crapped themselves and surrendered. They know real men when they see them or even just hear about them.

Every now and then we get a chance to relive our memories. Paintball can be a real tactical challenge but it really hurts when you get hit. But real men like 49 Para don't care about paint even though it leaves a nasty stain. I'd just like to apologise to all lesser mortals who just wouldn't have handled 49 Para. We could pish it up all night, complete the 160 mile run in full kit and still have time for a sports afternoon and then in the evening, shag all the local females into orgasmic submission.

Coming soon, the 49 Para Reunion (weather permitting), tickets from the secretary:

St John Walter (Corporal Retired)
Walter House
Walt-on-Thames
England

16 years USMC Force Recon and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Recon Battalions.

"Ben, were you on the balcony?!!

Tally Ho!"

If I told you, I would have to….

22 years Royal Navy, 3 years with the Royal Marines attached, 12 months other. 9 years on Project SLAM for the M.O.D building new accommodation link

Get this….ex forces guys, a single rooms, ensuite, phone lines, data cables and own built in wardrobes plush own cupboard for beer fridge and dryer plus a bergan or two.

ON the balcony?! That were nothing – I was doing covert recce, disguised as the balcony balustrade.

So that's who I accidentally cacked on. Sorry, I had to make the pigeon disguise real. By the way, that was one hell of a balcony, the regimental conga line stretched all the way down Princes Gate…

I stayed at some of the best RAF hotels while the army were digging latrines near their tents…..

Balcony hmm so last centaury, I would have been there of course, but aged 12, my Mum made me come home for tea.

However I was on secondment to walrus team 8 (49 have an exchange policy with them) when the stealth helicopter hit the wall. Talk about the hitting the fan, this was the fan hitting the cow dung walls

I've had a bad back ever since you leapfrogged over me…

I stayed at some of the best RAF hotels while the army were digging latrines near their tents…..

Digging – check.
Tents – err, which army was this then?

Sally?

Actually "Janner", I spent several of my 22 years in the RAF also digging in, when not watching sheep in our chosen field through the nightscope, or whilst wielding spanners with good old Walter Wessex.
But I thought some people on this forum would expect me to default to the accommodation style of the better-known Brylcreemed stereotype!

21 years USAF 68-89

"Tent" – Could of course be the Scorpion tent or the penthouse on the ARV!!!

Tally Ho!

Had to keep them Harriers safe from irate sheep, General Jumbo ;-)

Ah, the joys of then crew shelter, Nick, as long as people remembered which side to drive down the line in the BG leaguer :-0

Wessex helicopters, not Harriers!

… which Army was I in again?

Amazing how many folk I have met over the years who claim to have served in units they simply could not discuss….and yet knew surprisingly little about military matters.

I hasten to add I have never deliberately killed anyone (I am a recently retired, now part time, surgeon though, so…..) and only been shot at once. (missed)

Huge respect for those who do the shooting and who do not sit in the hole like I did.

I've met a few of those, deadhead…

I also met a guy who claimed that he had been in my unit during a disatrous raid on a drug cartel compound in Mexico in 1986. When I pressed him, he gave a mid-May date, but nothing else, beyond that they used Pave Lows and Spectres on the raid – which had resulted in 30 Navy Seals being KIA, as well as the crews of two of the Pave Lows and one of the Spectres.

Amazingly, I couldn't remember hearing about the loss of three of our aircraft in that time frame. I checked with some of my friends and none of them could dig out any confirming info.

So, I branded him a poser and have ignored him ever since. I've not had the displeasure of being in the same room with him in a long time, too, so that's a positive note.

What a great tale…….I love it.

Let's just say a chap I met repeatedly claimed to have served in a well known UK SF unit and knew sweet FA about it. I advised my wife to tell her best friend to drop him…she did…….

Also occurs to me, if half the folk who claimed to have been on that balcony had been there, bloody thing would have collapsed.

Funny how they always pick exotic units. If they chose to play an ex-chef in the RLC, no one would blink an eye – as long as they could make scrambled egg for fifty at a time.

As an aside, apparently it was a very long balcony ;-)

Standing room only… Now then, what colour is the boathouse at Hereford?

Ben,

Ha – that's Ronin – great movie! Walts are everywhere, but I'm sure most real gamers on TMP have plenty to be proud about too. A grateful dead loving surgeon, now that's rock n' roll!

James

How was the visit to Devil's Island, James?

Janner,

Fantastic, you were right about the snow… I followed the guard around town on Thursday as they played the "British Grenadiers" on fife and drum in a snowstorm – very atmospheric – and then went to the armory museum, which was excellent. I stayed at a little hotel, Christian IV, downtown, and went out for a smorg and ordered a small beer with it, and was surprised when they gave me a pint (being used to small European beers when traveling)… I thought I was lost in translation, so when I was asked again on Friday, I said no give me a large beer… The waitress then gave me a 2 pint glass and laughed when I raised my eyebrows. It appears there is no such thing as a small beer in Denmark! Great country, excellent people.

As a teenager turned down by the Royal Navy due to wonky eyes. 25 years selling rubbish to people who didn't need it. Now wander about with my Guide Dog Thomas.

I'm a former U.S. Marine as is my oldest son but my youngest son is an active duty Marine. I'm posting on the thread for him as he sometimes visits TMP without signing in. He's an avid gamer with a sizable figure collection, although not as numerous as his old man.