Ask a military guy...

[Sabinfrost]

Good ol' conditioning. I have a good friend who is Australian SAS, some of the stories... That is harsh.

 

[Dectomax]

Firstly I'd like to thank you for this thread, this has been fascinating. I don't plan to join the military since I'm the worst form of pacifist (I won't fight but if someone else wants to fight good on them) but I still have major respect for you guys, hell of a lot braver than me XD. My question is:
If there was a war that you thought immoral would you still fight in it?

It's our job. When you sign your life away on that dotted line, you better mean it. I'm not really in a position to decide whether or not to fight. If we're told to go there, we go.

Ah well said :>

Was boot camp as gruelling as in the movies?

No and yes. The training is hard, for obvious reasons. You just have to keep going. The training team though, are decent blokes. They help you and they want you pass. If you fuck up you get beasted and you don't do it again. ( Trust me, being made to do 50 press-ups in full gear, in mud is enough to keep everyone on form. )

Hmm, very interesting answer. I suspect this is just more proof that I'd be a sucky soldier, I couldn't do the sign your life away on the dotted line thing.

It's pretty clear from the start what you'll be doing. The barracks are covered in posters and news of your unit. So, you get it drilled into your head from the start. If you don't wish to continue, you normally have to complete at least 4 weeks before you are allowed to quit. Though in some cases, you can leave before then.

 

[Sarcastic_Applause]

what are the fitness requirements for the royal marines?
i have a few friends who were marines but were medically discharged (something about the tarzan assault course)

What is the 'sheep dip'?
its one of the things they told me a little about

While out on operations, whats a typical day for a Marine in places like Camp Bastion or on more frontline camps?
im just curious as at the moment im torn between Para or the 'Rock Apes' (Gunners). However ive still got Marines on my mind; if im going to make a career out of this then i'll train to be the best or die trying... also its nice bit of ground to get better at Muay Thai

 

[FuzzyRaccoon]

Oh really? Well that's not as bad as I was thinking then. Still, boot camp'd kick my butt.
O:

Yeah, I was thinking it must suck. I have a friend who recently broke her foot in two places. Because she needs help getting down the stairs in our dorm and things like that she rarely goes out. It's clearly frustrating for her when we have to leave her behind to do something.
I'm sure your friends miss you a lot. And just think, when you get back they can tease you all they like about how you managed to get yourself hurt right away.
x3.

It'll be easier to not get so frustrated if you get yourself something to do or have someone to hang out with often in the meantime. I may not know what it's exactly like but after making a friend in college who's closer to me than my family is and not being able to see her over a whole summer, I can say it doesn't get any easier not hanging out with someone you'd previously spent every minute with.

 

[FuzzyRaccoon]

-Whoops double post-

 

[Wadders]

What is the perception of junior officers among enlisted men? Are they often incompetent, or do they do their job well? I'm guessing despite their training, it's pretty tricky jumping right in and taking command?

 

[Dectomax]

what are the fitness requirements for the royal marines?
i have a few friends who were marines but were medically discharged (something about the tarzan assault course)

What is the 'sheep dip'?
its one of the things they told me a little about

While out on operations, whats a typical day for a Marine in places like Camp Bastion or on more frontline camps?
im just curious as at the moment im torn between Para or the 'Rock Apes' (Gunners). However ive still got Marines on my mind; if im going to make a career out of this then i'll train to be the best or die trying... also its nice bit of ground to get better at Muay Thai

Yeah, the Tarzan is a nightmare. Especially when you do it in full it. Some of the falls can be pretty harsh.

The sheep dip. Is a small pool of water ( more mud than water...) One mate pushes you through a short tunnel ( completely submerged ) and another drags you out. you then push him through and the same with the last guy. It's on the endurance course. which, is again...a nightmare.

Wake up, get your kit ready, wash, eat - depending on what happens you may be on patrol or placed on sentry.

As a Bootneck, i'll say...Para's are pansies. As a member of our armed forces, I'll say the Para's are a great bunch of blokes. The Royal artillery good too, they'll get you a trade. which is always a bonus.

Without a doubt I would recommend The Royal Marines. It's possibly the best decision I've made. That's the attitude you want. Train as much as you can and keep going. there's a reason our slogan is "It's a state of mind.".

Edit: didn't see the top post. To join the Royal Marines, you've got to be pretty fit. As I stated before, sub 10min 1.5mile runs. around 70/80 Press-ups and sit-ups in 2 minutes and you've got to be able to keep going. sometimes, they'll set task that they know you can't do. But if you stop, they make you do more. you just keep going until they say rest. It really is a mental battle.

 

[Dectomax]

Oh really? Well that's not as bad as I was thinking then. Still, boot camp'd kick my butt.
O:

Yeah, I was thinking it must suck. I have a friend who recently broke her foot in two places. Because she needs help getting down the stairs in our dorm and things like that she rarely goes out. It's clearly frustrating for her when we have to leave her behind to do something.
I'm sure your friends miss you a lot. And just think, when you get back they can tease you all they like about how you managed to get yourself hurt right away.
x3.

It'll be easier to not get so frustrated if you get yourself something to do or have someone to hang out with often in the meantime. I may not know what it's exactly like but after making a friend in college who's closer to me than my family is and not being able to see her over a whole summer, I can say it doesn't get any easier not hanging out with someone you'd previously spent every minute with.

Yeah, one of the core ethos is basically what keeps me going: Cheerfulness in the face of adversity. trust me when i say out of all of the values you learn, this is one of the most important.

 

[Dectomax]

What is the perception of junior officers among enlisted men? Are they often incompetent, or do they do their job well? I'm guessing despite their training, it's pretty tricky jumping right in and taking command?

Royal Marines are unique in the fact we train with our officers. Royal Marine trainee officers train with us. They spend 44 weeks in training though. I have the upmost respect for any of our officers because the standards they are held to are even higher than ours and to step in and lead a bunch of Royal Marines? That alone take balls made of steel.

 

[Sarcastic_Applause]

the sheep dip is what scares me the most ; im perfectly fine with cramped spaces and water, but combined its one of the very few things that scares me, im guessing thats something i'll have to get out of my mind, thanks for your help
There may have been a little confusion though By 'Rock Apes' i meant RAF Regiment no worries though

 

[Dectomax]

the sheep dip is what scares me the most ; im perfectly fine with cramped spaces and water, but combined its one of the very few things that scares me, im guessing thats something i'll have to get out of my mind, thanks for your help
There may have been a little confusion though By 'Rock Apes' i meant RAF Regiment no worries though

Royal artillery are also called "The gunners". Sorry!

As a matter of fact, it's the single part of training that I was worried about too. By the time you get to it, you'll trust your mates and you'll have no problem with it. It's literally a 2 second underwater push then your up.

 

[tthor]

have you ever killed a man, or even just seen a man die?

I'll give that another go, sorry about the harshness of my original response, it's a habitual reply to people when they ask in a pub/club after they find out you're military, so I'll put it a bit more politely because, you may be ignorant towards the gravity of the question you're asking.

You don't ever ask a soldier this, it is seen (in my country at least) as incredibly disrespectful and I know of a few guys who will end a conversation with someone as soon as it's asked.

Again, sorry my for initial reply.

forgive me, i didn't realize how taboo this is. i would never ask this question to someone casually, but i figured that since this thread was made for asking questions related to military service, i figured all questions were open. i'm sorry if i seemed disrespectful

 

[Dectomax]

have you ever killed a man, or even just seen a man die?

I'll give that another go, sorry about the harshness of my original response, it's a habitual reply to people when they ask in a pub/club after they find out you're military, so I'll put it a bit more politely because, you may be ignorant towards the gravity of the question you're asking.

You don't ever ask a soldier this, it is seen (in my country at least) as incredibly disrespectful and I know of a few guys who will end a conversation with someone as soon as it's asked.

Again, sorry my for initial reply.

forgive me, i didn't realize how taboo this is. i would never ask this question to someone casually, but i figured that since this thread was made for asking questions related to military service, i figured all questions were open. i'm sorry if i seemed disrespectful

It's understood, even amongst fellow soldiers you don't discuss this.

 

[Chaza]

I'm thinking of joining the army when I'm older but I'm not big on killing.

Are there any jobs which involve the front line yet no killing?

 

[Dectomax]

I'm thinking of joining the army when I'm older but I'm not big on killing.

Are there any jobs which involve the front line yet no killing?

Your chances of killing at this stage are low. most soldiers haven't even seen an enemy. It's more a scatter of shots, a few mortars and that's it.

The Royal Artillery, The Royal engineers and Logistics all operate on the frontline, yet their tasks are not direct confrontation, so I can recommend those.

 

[Knusper]

How do you feel when you see people protesting against your work in Afghanistan? Guilty? Hateful? Unappreciated?

 

[Dectomax]

How do you feel when you see people protesting against your work in Afghanistan? Guilty? Hateful? Unappreciated?

It's their right. I neither care, nor worry about these people.

 

[Chaza]

I'm thinking of joining the army when I'm older but I'm not big on killing.

Are there any jobs which involve the front line yet no killing?

Your chances of killing at this stage are low. most soldiers haven't even seen an enemy. It's more a scatter of shots, a few mortars and that's it.

The Royal Artillery, The Royal engineers and Logistics all operate on the frontline, yet their tasks are not direct confrontation, so I can recommend those.

I've still got a long time till I'm able to join the army and still thinking it through.

Thanks for the advice given me a bit to think about.

 

[Shoqiyqa]

Off the record (if that's possible) do you agree with our current strategy in Afganistan, or do you think we should be pushing the Taliban harder/focusing on civilian confidence more?

I think we should have stayed the **** out of Iraq and finished the job in Afghanistan while we had the chance. What's needed there is one heck of a lot of building for and protecting the civilians, with really good protection for the people doing that, which requires some precise clobbering of the Taliban, which requires friendly locals in a 500km radius. Shoot a Taliban op dead? Good thing. Shoot fifty of them dead? Also good. Kill one innocent local kid in the process? You've just created another hundred Taliban ops. FAIL.

Would you join the SAS if they invited you?

Hell, no. Scary lunatics. Very useful lunatics, but lunatics.

Soldier: you give him a helmet, a rifle, a mug and some ammo and send him and a thousand of his mates to fight somewhere, and promise to send food and ammo. They do this.

Para: you give him a big silk bedsheet on a lot of string, a helmet, a rifle, a mug, some food and a lot of ammo and send him and fifty of his mates to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft behind enemy lines, take over a bridge and the surrounding countryside and hold onto it until the rest of the army can get there. They do this.

Marine: see "Para" above, but he uses a rubber dinghy instead of a parachute.

SAS: you give him a parachute, all his clothes, a rifle, a pistol, ten grenades, 25kg of high explosives, a kilometre of twin wire, a tool kit, maps, a compass, a knife, another knife, a couple of rounds for the rocket launcher, a length of ammo belt for the machine gun, batteries, night-vision gear, a rocket launcher or machine gun, a radio, more batteries, lots of food and water, some cash in various currencies for the local farmers' market, an axe and some other stuff and send him and seven of his mates to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft so far behind enemy lines the enemy are drunk, grab their gear, hide the parachutes and get out of there before anyone shows up to investigate, hike 20 miles through the mountains, blow up an experimental aircraft development facility, trek another 30 miles through more mountains, sneak past the enemy airfield, sneak to the beach 10 miles past that, steal boats, row out to sea and hope the submarine can find them to pick them up. After they've gone, you find they've broken into the armoury and stolen an extra 10,000 rounds of ammunition and 100kg of HE, because they're not going to pass that close to an enemy airfield without stopping to blow it up on the way.

A standard run time should be less than 10minutes for 1.5 miles and less than 20minutes for 3 miles.

Should I be able to do that before enlisting?

Oh, yes. The fitter you are before you join, the better. Basic Training (they can call it what they like) consists of a lot of cleaning, polishing and ironing, a lot of lessons, a lot of physical exercise, a lot of drill, a lot of physical training, a lot of being told you're not doing well enough (they have to tell you this) and a lot of physical exercise plus a tiny little bit of sleep.

Being physically fit will make it all a lot easier to handle and mean you are less knackered in the lessons, and thus more likely to actually be attending the lesson, rather than sitting there with your eyes open, drawing squiggles down your notebook's pages with no idea at all what's going on.

For similar reasons, take up orienteering, hillwalking and shooting and learn first aid before you join.

The army also tends to view people's worth as proportional to their run speed.

What is your favorite gun that you've used?

L98A1 has a lot going for it, but also a lot of ways it could be improved. Browning 9mm's pretty good too, and the Colt .45 1911 is the same gun in a calibre that gives you fewer rounds per magazine. Weapons actually issued to me? L86, the LSW. For some reason, I shoot better with heavier rifles.

I like The C7. I've had the pleasure to fire one and I can say it is a very nice rifle. Little light compared to the L85 ( Or at least I thought so )

Almost any general-issue rifle in assault rifle calibres is, really.

The bullpup design gives a longer barrel in a shorter weapon, which has advantages. One thing I didn't like about it was the balance. I learned on long rifles like the SMLE, and with those you hold the weapon in your left hand, put the butt against your right shoulder and see what angle's most comfortable, lie down with it still at that angle and pointing at the target, put your right hand on it and then adjust your position until it's properly on-target. With the L85, the balance point is above your right thumb, so you're holding the weapon up with your right hand not your left, and using your left to work the bolt. The other thing I didn't like was the sight rail. Take off the top cover over the gas parts and extend that sight rail forwards six inches and an L98A1 will be a usable rifle. As it is, even with the sights as far forwards as they go, unless you hold it pointing in a line from your right hip through your right shoulder and away, the rear sight will come back and smash a groove into the bone behind your eyebrow.

Do you come across many women serving? Ive herd the army isnt the most women freindly place around..

Depends which part you're in. Signals (call centres, switchboards and the police radio) and Intelligence (creepy, spooky, scary people) get quite a few, as do the medical trades, but the engineers (gorilla with a big spanner), the RMP (thugs, disciplined, drunken squaddies for the subduing of) and the artillery (the people who already have Bigger Guns) tend to be the large, imposing, muscular men and the infantry are still all-male because testosterone-filled young men become even more idiotic around women and it's hard enough to keep control in a firefight without that.

I've heard it said that as a woman in the army you're either a dyke or a slut. This is probably because too many squaddies consider themselves sexually irresistible to straight women.

 

[Goofguy]

I'm thinking of joining the army when I'm older but I'm not big on killing.

Are there any jobs which involve the front line yet no killing?

If you're interested in a technical side of the army, try joining the Signal Corps (military communications). I can only speak from my experience in the Canadian Forces but the Signallers can do anything from programming tactical networks to humping radios on their backs on the frontlines.