The World's Armed Forces Discussion Thread

DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
edited July 2018 in General Discussion Posts: 17,727
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This is the thread to discuss the British Armed Forces past and present and the issues that face servicemen and women in theatres of war or at home. The British Armed Forces includes the British Army, the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy, the Special Forces like the Special Air Service (SAS) and the Special Boat Service (SBS), the Royal Marines, Military Intelligence, Naval Intelligence, the Sappers, the Gurkhas, the Parachute Regiment, Defence Intelligence and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) and any other general or specific British military topic such as the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and their legal and political and indeed human aftermath.

May 2016 Thread EDIT: I've now expanded the thread to include Armed Forces from around the world more generally as well.

I feel we need a thread like this here as of course the new James Bond of the reboot has a more Special Forces background than he perhaps had in the original Ian Fleming spy novel series (although he was involved in the fight against the German High Command's Ardennes Offensive of 1944-45, see Dr. No)*. James Bond can of course come into this discussion too - perhaps a discussion on James Bond and heavy artillery weapons is in order for example?

So please feel free to discuss any aspects of the world's Armed Forces past or present in this thread.


* And see here for more on James Bond and World War II:

http://thebondologistblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/james-bond-in-contemporary-world-war-ii.html

This is my opening shot as it were. :)
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Comments

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    I want to try and get this thread running this time as it bombed (if you'll pardon the pun!) last time.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Hey, nobody served in the army?
    I would be very interested to hear about the British Armed Forces from people who served there.
    Are there any Marines here from the US?
    Also I couldn't find a general army thread :(

    Jason and his weapon of choice SIG550 in 2007
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  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I do think We all owe a bebt of gratitude to all those brave men and women,
    Who have or are serving. Keeping the rest of us safe, during these uncertain
    Times. =D>
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    Thank you for reviving this old thread of mine. I'd been thinking of posting about a few subjects in it as for some strange reason it never really seemed to take flight as a thread either here or on the AJB007 Forum. Hopefully it will now get a second wind...
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I know one guy on AJB who told me, he didn't post too often any more becaues he
    had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress ( Over his years of service, in many
    war fronts ) and the chat always got round to guns, techniqhes etc, which depressed
    him a little.
    So perhaps @Dragonpol , some ex service personnel, might be reluctant to post
    about their experiences etc. Which I think is understandable.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited December 2017 Posts: 17,727
    I know one guy on AJB who told me, he didn't post too often any more becaues he
    had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress ( Over his years of service, in many
    war fronts ) and the chat always got round to guns, techniqhes etc, which depressed
    him a little.
    So perhaps @Dragonpol , some ex service personnel, might be reluctant to post
    about their experiences etc. Which I think is understandable.

    Yes, of course such ex-personnel have my deepest sympathies. When I created the thread back in 2014 I intended it more as a general thread not specifically for those who had served in one of the forces but for anyone with an interest in British military affairs. My interest stems from my love of history (I have a degree in the subject) and also because for my 20,000 word dissertation in 2009 for my Law Masters degree I wrote about the royal prerogative power to commit the UK Armed Forces abroad (in the wake of the 2003 Iraq War).

    So, the interest in the British Armed Forces and the welfare of its personnel has pretty much always been there. Their scarifies, bravery and general public service is something I greatly respect them all for. That's where I'm coming from with this thread.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    Just a little note to say that I've changed the title of the thread, after reading Jason's post to make it more inclusive of the experiences of armed forces around the world.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    edited May 2016 Posts: 9,020
    Maybe all the James Bond fans are pacifists :P

    @Dragonpol
    Thanks man, very nice :)
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    Maybe all the James Bond fans are pacifists :P

    Could be, though I'm certainly not. I'm a realist, not an idealist.

  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    ..... Or their work is covered by the official secrets act ! ;)
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    ..... Or their work is covered by the official secrets act ! ;)

    Though that would apply more to the Secret Intelligence Service rather than the purely military unless we're talking about the Special Forces I guess... :)
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    If you were in the SAS that's Super Army Soldiers, according to Ross Kemp ! :D
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    If you were in the SAS that's Super Army Soldiers, according to Ross Kemp ! :D

    Yes, though Vinnie Jones put him right in the end! :))
  • Posts: 5,772
    There's no mystery in my life : I did the mandatory one year of military service in a transmission regiement based in Trier (Germany) between 1981 and 1982 (well, one regiement for my formation, and one for the rest of the service. Nothing distinguished about it, I stayed a private the whole time, and handled a broom more often than a rifle or a SMG. I did a lot of maneuvers, though.

    200px-Insigne_r%C3%A9gimentaire_du_51e_R%C3%A9giment_de_Transmissions_%28Tissu%29.jpg

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  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    In my teenage days ( everything was in Black and white ) I sent off for information
    on joining The Royal Marines. In the end I got a job, so took the esay route and didn't
    Pursue it.
    Looking back, Trust me to pick one of the toughest Regiments, .... The training
    Would have killed me. :))
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    I served for three years in total, first year as private, then one year as squad leader (Gruppenführer), then one year as platoon commander (Zugführer).
    I spent 5 weeks every year after that additionally in the army, I retired in 2014.

    Para-Scout Badge
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    The "bomb" branded in my upper arm (right side)
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    Uniform Badges:
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  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    In my teenage days ( everything was in Black and white ) I sent off for information
    on joining The Royal Marines. In the end I got a job, so took the esay route and didn't
    Pursue it.
    Looking back, Trust me to pick one of the toughest Regiments, .... The training
    Would have killed me. :))

    We were close to 700 youths at the beginning (first selection with 17).
    In the end after 2 years of various selection processes (physical, health, behaviour) and successfully doing an Ironman (in the army) I finally made it, we were 19 privates left in the end.
    Believe me, there were many moments when I thought I am not strong enough physically or mentally. Willpower is everything, I made it.

    You could have too :) I'm sure.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    edited May 2016 Posts: 13,384
    You're very kind @BondJasonBond006 :)
    Would you encourage anyone to join up.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Bumping this up, as I am serving again, and this time it's for good. Full-time professional now. Never saw it coming and a couple of years ago I thought I am done with the army.

    Anyway, maybe there are some members here that did serve too?

    Not going to bore you to tears with a lot of stories or pictures. I still will share something every now and then.

    Switzerland is a militia and every young male has to go to the army (if physically able) Young woman can voluntarily enlist, not many do though. In 2016: 1'117 did.

    The Swiss Army is a part of our tradition and way of life even. With a population of "only" 8 million, there are 130'000 actives at any time. 14'000 are officers like I am. The rest are lower ranks and soldiers. There are an additional 42'000 soldiers/officers on reserve.

    There are almost 10'000 full-time professional officers. I am one of them as of last week.
    But I still will have to go to the military academy for 20 months before it is final.

    5'918'334 - that's the amount of days of service in 2016 in the Swiss Army.

    Switzerland has an Air Force and a Navy @Thunderfinger because we have many big lakes and a lot of them are bordering our neighbouring countries, Italy, Germany, France.
    Next week I will visit the Navy actually. Para-scouts get to work with the Air Force and the Navy regularly.

    You'll get to see soldiers every day on the streets in Switzerland. Especially between Friday afternoon and Monday morning as in that period of time leave from the Army takes place.
    Most get one day and night over the weekend, but not every weekend. It depends on your rank and where you are located.

    Soldiers travel by train and bus and we do have to wear our uniforms, our assault rifle and the backpack. We only are allowed into civilian clothing once we reach home and have to leave home again in uniform and gear.
    Naturally, the assault rifles are secured when we are outside the army base and territory.

    This is an official 11 minute film about para-scouts, it was produced a couple of years ago and is quite good if somewhat like an advertisement. Still it shows very well what para-scouts are about.
    I went that route as well as the two guys in the film.


  • Andi1996RueggAndi1996Ruegg Hello. It's me, Evelyn Tremble.
    Posts: 2,005
    Interesting thread @Dragonpol @Thunderpussy @Jase

    You'd think there's a couple more veterans or actives that are JB fans and willing to share experiences ;)

    Usually we don't post clips on the internet of what we do, unless it's sites that are for our (Grenadier) eyes only. No worries in uploading this though, so I did.

    This is us Grenadiers showing off our hand-to-hand combat skills to the public.
    As you can see we already got snow a couple of weeks ago in late November.
    No problem in uploading this so I did.

    ...and you will be so pleased by the music I've chosen for this!

  • BennyBenny In the shadowsAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 14,811
    When do we get to see you both in your army uniform @Andi1996Ruegg and @BondJasonBond006
  • Andi1996RueggAndi1996Ruegg Hello. It's me, Evelyn Tremble.
    Posts: 2,005
    I won't post pics of Jase without his consent. I have given a new pic (in uniform) to some of Jase's MI6 friends though.
    When the time is right, there will be pictures on the -show your pic- thread.

    So you are a veteran then?
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited December 2017 Posts: 17,727
    Nice to see this thread of mine get a new lease of life. For some unknown reason it's always been a slow-burn thread.
  • Andi1996RueggAndi1996Ruegg Hello. It's me, Evelyn Tremble.
    edited February 2018 Posts: 2,005
    @Benny
    Here you go in the mean time : )

    deleted for privacy reasons
  • BennyBenny In the shadowsAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 14,811
    @Benny
    Here you go in the mean time : )

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    Is that you @Andi1996Ruegg ?
    Are you also part of the medical crew?

    I am a veteran. But not in the military ;)
  • Andi1996RueggAndi1996Ruegg Hello. It's me, Evelyn Tremble.
    Posts: 2,005
    I was designated medic in that training mission.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    You certainly look the part. Thank you for your service and that of your comrades.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
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  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Does anyone here know what kind of officers had red jackets with gold buttons, and carried a sword?
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    Does anyone here know what kind of officers had red jackets with gold buttons, and carried a sword?

    The British Army up until the 19th Century I believe.
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