Travel1 min ago
Is he correct in saying this?
10 Answers
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/camp aigns/our_boys/2503763/Hero-hour-as-Britain-ce lebrates-Armed-Forces-Day.html
Since this is Britain's first 'Armed Forces Day', I thought I would answer jake-the-peg's criticism of our armed forces, when he wrote:
"Be the best at school - then you won't have to join the army!"
That usual highly offensive old chestnut once again.
Obviously jake has no experience of the military has he not heard that the Army have persons from all walks of life amongst it's ranks, Doctors, Ex university/public school, engineers, electronic experts etc, etc I could go on.
No it is not those who have not been the best at school, that decide on a career in the military, they are the one's who have the guts to join, so that they can follow a life that no other job would be able to give them.
Not for them the mundane 9 to 5 existence, a life of waking, and then commuting to their place of employment, to perhaps sit in front of a computer screen for eight hours, with perhaps the occasional glance out of the window at what is going on in the real world. Then it is back to joining the rat race to get home to eat and then slump in front of the TV till it is time for bed, then the whole procedure starts over again until those magic two days the 'Weekend', when one can persevere to get as much alcohol down one's neck.
No these guys live life to the full, they work hard and play hard, skiing, sailing, rock climbing, canoeing, etc in countries all over the world, yes at times they have to put their lives at risk so as to defend the likes of jake-the-peg perhaps, but hey that is all part of the package.
Cont.
Since this is Britain's first 'Armed Forces Day', I thought I would answer jake-the-peg's criticism of our armed forces, when he wrote:
"Be the best at school - then you won't have to join the army!"
That usual highly offensive old chestnut once again.
Obviously jake has no experience of the military has he not heard that the Army have persons from all walks of life amongst it's ranks, Doctors, Ex university/public school, engineers, electronic experts etc, etc I could go on.
No it is not those who have not been the best at school, that decide on a career in the military, they are the one's who have the guts to join, so that they can follow a life that no other job would be able to give them.
Not for them the mundane 9 to 5 existence, a life of waking, and then commuting to their place of employment, to perhaps sit in front of a computer screen for eight hours, with perhaps the occasional glance out of the window at what is going on in the real world. Then it is back to joining the rat race to get home to eat and then slump in front of the TV till it is time for bed, then the whole procedure starts over again until those magic two days the 'Weekend', when one can persevere to get as much alcohol down one's neck.
No these guys live life to the full, they work hard and play hard, skiing, sailing, rock climbing, canoeing, etc in countries all over the world, yes at times they have to put their lives at risk so as to defend the likes of jake-the-peg perhaps, but hey that is all part of the package.
Cont.
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There are much safer jobs for those that haven't done well in school, some even choose to just hang around on street corners. The military has no time for the likes of them, in fact they wouldn't last two weeks in the military, the guys that choose the services as a career, are made of much stronger stuff.
Lloyd George said pretty much the same thing when he suggested that the families of the rich sent their brightest children into the clergy, medicine or law the rest joined the army.
There are different forms of inteligence, of which academia is only one (and most celebrated), the equipment used by most etc. services now is very complicated so I doubt there are many thickos left, although I dare say the finer points of Proust or the nuances of Puskin are seldom causes for conversation in the N.A.A.F.I, it'd bore me too.
At the turn of the last century many (most) of the men who manned the old wind jammers were completely illiterate but knew every aspect of safe and efficient handling of sail, in the most extreme weather conditions, they knew every inch of the ship, every rope, every knot and they knew how to fettle and rebuild any piece of gear and repair the sails.
Inteligence is relative to the tasks you set yourself.
There are different forms of inteligence, of which academia is only one (and most celebrated), the equipment used by most etc. services now is very complicated so I doubt there are many thickos left, although I dare say the finer points of Proust or the nuances of Puskin are seldom causes for conversation in the N.A.A.F.I, it'd bore me too.
At the turn of the last century many (most) of the men who manned the old wind jammers were completely illiterate but knew every aspect of safe and efficient handling of sail, in the most extreme weather conditions, they knew every inch of the ship, every rope, every knot and they knew how to fettle and rebuild any piece of gear and repair the sails.
Inteligence is relative to the tasks you set yourself.
-- answer removed --
Jake like others is alive today because of our brave soldiers:
The Soldier - a poem by Rupert Brooke
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
The Soldier - a poem by Rupert Brooke
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
I spent over 15 years of my life serving in the British Army and do not regret it for a minute. I have good and not so good memories of it. No one forced or coerced me into joining, it was something I always had wanted to do from a very early age. I saw it not only as a career but also as "doing my bit" for my country, "corny" though that may sound to certain posters around here.
Being in the Forces could not be summed up better than by the title of a quite recent TV series, "Band of Brothers", for that is indeed the feeling which it engenders in you.
I am most certainly no genius, however I had a good education prior to joining which enabled me to pursue an Army career involving communications and foreign languages, on top of the aspects of soldiering normally associated with public perception.
I am still in touch with a reasonable amount of my old Army buddies and have nothing but the highest regard for our present day lads and lasses whose lives are literally on the line as I type this. God bless 'em.
I sincerely hope that Armed Forces Day will be continued for a long, long time to come. We are far too reserved in this country when it comes to saluting true heroes, a trait demonstrably highlighted over the last couple of days by the death of a pop singer.
Being in the Forces could not be summed up better than by the title of a quite recent TV series, "Band of Brothers", for that is indeed the feeling which it engenders in you.
I am most certainly no genius, however I had a good education prior to joining which enabled me to pursue an Army career involving communications and foreign languages, on top of the aspects of soldiering normally associated with public perception.
I am still in touch with a reasonable amount of my old Army buddies and have nothing but the highest regard for our present day lads and lasses whose lives are literally on the line as I type this. God bless 'em.
I sincerely hope that Armed Forces Day will be continued for a long, long time to come. We are far too reserved in this country when it comes to saluting true heroes, a trait demonstrably highlighted over the last couple of days by the death of a pop singer.
Gromit I thought you enjoyed the tranquil life in Coventry.
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question77 4870.html
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question77 4870.html
There are quite a few occupations that seem to be recommended for ninnies.
Traditionally, the idiot in the family joined the Church.
Those who work in an office say middle management is stupid (as opposed to temp staff and so on)
Peter Cook's daft character was forced to work down the mine-he never had the Latin.
Daft yokels are forced to plough the fields.
As the saying goes "The devil makes work for idle hands." As a consequence, stupidity is never seen as a barrier to employment. (At least in society as a whole).
Traditionally, the idiot in the family joined the Church.
Those who work in an office say middle management is stupid (as opposed to temp staff and so on)
Peter Cook's daft character was forced to work down the mine-he never had the Latin.
Daft yokels are forced to plough the fields.
As the saying goes "The devil makes work for idle hands." As a consequence, stupidity is never seen as a barrier to employment. (At least in society as a whole).
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