Reply to: My son Joins up today

[wobbegong]

What do you think about conscription ? is it the magic solution to keep the young lads in line and teach them some good values ?

It'd also be a good indicator as to the loyalties of many members of our society.

Best of luck to your son EO, he's a brave lad.

[Coalman]

Well, we were sitting in the pub near the Apollo last night, and he asked me half a dozen question, typical 18 yr old questions.
How often will i get home
Will I learn to drive
Will I get beaten if I fck up
Will I be able to stay with my mate
Will I learn to fly a helicopter


Then he asked me a Tin Trump/Alf type question.

When I eventually leave, how hard will it be for me to fit back in ?


Totally impressed and gobsmacked, I told him about my experiences. Maybe it will help.

Your son sounds very switched on. I guess he will do well in the Army.
Considered joining the Navy in my youth but did think it was for me in the end.

Good luck to him, as said before - brave lad in the current environment!

[Moscow Mule]

Good luck to him.

If he clever enough to get in the Engineers or is he going to be stuck with infantry (or is he suicidal/homicidal enough to want it)?

[EternalOptimist]

First off, good luck to him. He would have heard enough of your experiences (sentence does continue) to go in with his eyes open. So his reasons for joining will be well judged.

My own view on the services is that much as I respect people who join up, my trust in the decisions of those in the UK goverment who decide where they are deployed has diminished. It was pretty low to start with some 20 years ago, when I was able to easily dismiss the armed srvices as a suitable career path.

As a reader of the Big Issue I'm also aware that ex-forces types are disproprtionately represented amongst the homeless. Whether that's because those who need the structure of institutions are thus more likely to join up etc. I don't know. But to me its another worrying sign that the state fails in its duty to those who've served. Please correct me if this information is wrong.

I am grateful that there are people prepared to do the peacekeeping duties, disaster aid, anti-drug smuggling patrols etc. in a British uniform.

Well, we were sitting in the pub near the Apollo last night, and he asked me half a dozen question, typical 18 yr old questions.
How often will i get home
Will I learn to drive
Will I get beaten if I fck up
Will I be able to stay with my mate
Will I learn to fly a helicopter


Then he asked me a Tin Trump/Alf type question.

When I eventually leave, how hard will it be for me to fit back in ?


Totally impressed and gobsmacked, I told him about my experiences. Maybe it will help.

[TinTrump]

My lad is eighteen and has been working as a builders mate for the last year or so. I went to see the band Yes with him last night and he broke the news to me. He is signing up for the army this morning.

First off, good luck to him. He would have heard enough of your experiences (sentence does continue) to go in with his eyes open. So his reasons for joining will be well judged.

My own view on the services is that much as I respect people who join up, my trust in the decisions of those in the UK goverment who decide where they are deployed has diminished. It was pretty low to start with some 20 years ago, when I was able to easily dismiss the armed srvices as a suitable career path.

As a reader of the Big Issue I'm also aware that ex-forces types are disproportionately represented amongst the homeless. Whether that's because those who need the structure of institutions are thus more likely to join up etc. I don't know. But to me its another worrying sign that the state fails in its duty to those who've served. Please correct me if this information is wrong.

I am grateful that there are people prepared to do the peacekeeping duties, disaster aid, anti-drug smuggling patrols etc. in a British uniform.

[singhr]

Good luck - brave lad.

[Churchill]

I'd bet my bottom dollar you are pretty proud of him already.

I hope it all works out ok for him.

WSS - Which Regiment?

If he tries and fails for a reason he cannot fix, be proud of him for trying.

I agree!

BTW Diestl, <nah fuggit, I can't be arsed>

[RichardCranium]

If he gets through that, then I will be proud of him.

If he tries and fails for a reason he cannot fix, be proud of him for trying.

[cailin maith]

Well it's such a tough thing to accomplish, getting selected, basic training and passing out. There is a very high failure rate. I can't big it up too much because if he fails it would be even more of a disaster.

You can fail the training for many reasons, not all of them bad. If you are too sensible or are a strong individual, or too resistant to brain-washing, you are not much good as a soldier. He might have slight physical defects, that will bar him, he might have secret fears or phobias, he might lack determination.

If he gets through that, then I will be proud of him.

I'd bet my bottom dollar you are pretty proud of him already.

I hope it all works out ok for him.

[EternalOptimist]

A proud day in the Optimist household or mixed emotions?

If it's what the lad wants, best of luck to him.

Has he mentioned it before?

Well it's such a tough thing to accomplish, getting selected, basic training and passing out. There is a very high failure rate. I can't big it up too much because if he fails it would be even more of a disaster.

You can fail the training for many reasons, not all of them bad. If you are too sensible or are a strong individual, or too resistant to brain-washing, you are not much good as a soldier. He might have slight physical defects, that will bar him, he might have secret fears or phobias, he might lack determination.

If he gets through that, then I will be proud of him.

[RichardCranium]

Any one who joins the Army is either stupid or nuts,

You've done that one and it didn't go down too well last time either. But if it must be done again...

He was lucky to have got work as a builder's mate. There is sod all work out there for an 18 year old lad.

Joining the Army will give him a variety of skills, the chance for a damn useful pension, and a very good chance of work after leaving.

If he is going in with his eyes wide open and willing to work hard, there are opportunities for him that us civvies will never get.

And I've got a damn site more respect for him than those tulipes hanging around with nothing to do and no imagination on how to pass the time other than cause trouble for others.

[EternalOptimist]

Any one who joins the Army is either stupid or nuts, for the current war anyway, I could understand if it was WW2.

He already know where he will be this time next year, all thing being equal, he will be in Kosovo, keeping the Serbs from killing..er... the other Serbs.

[Pondlife]

A proud day in the Optimist household or mixed emotions?

If it's what the lad wants, best of luck to him.

Has he mentioned it before?

[Diestl]

Any one who joins the Army is either stupid or nuts, for the current war anyway, I could understand if it was WW2.

[RichardCranium]

My lad is eighteen and is signing up for the army this morning.

Brave lad. Do let us know how he gets on.