Five RHA Soldiers Sacked (2 Viewers)

[Cardigan600]

Yo Troopers, don't know if you guys over the water caught the English news, that five RHA soldiers had been sacked for taking hard drugs. Apparently they were at a party and a few other Troopers there grassed them up because they didn't want to get dragged into the shame. There excuse for taking the drugs was to relieve the STRESS of Ceremonial duties !WHAT! Showed them training about five gun crews in their Hussar style uniforms exactly the same as the one in Jeffs albums (aujj65). Should have sent them over to Iraq and explained to all the Troops there what STRESS it was riding around in Hussar uniforms posing in the Park as damian once put it. Dont think they would have got out of Iraq alive Bozo's.
Bernard.

 

[4th Hussar]

How do they select candidates for the RHA , on their looks only ?

 

[Rob]

Disgraceful.

Rob

 

[trooper]

Yo Troopers, don't know if you guys over the water caught the English news, that five RHA soldiers had been sacked for taking hard drugs. Apparently they were at a party and a few other Troopers there grassed them up because they didn't want to get dragged into the shame. There excuse for taking the drugs was to relieve the STRESS of Ceremonial duties !WHAT! Showed them training about five gun crews in their Hussar style uniforms exactly the same as the one in Jeffs albums (aujj65). Should have sent them over to Iraq and explained to all the Troops there what STRESS it was riding around in Hussar uniforms posing in the Park as damian once put it. Dont think they would have got out of Iraq alive Bozo's.
Bernard.

You are an old softie, Bernard, send them out to Iraq? Why should the lads out there have to put up with these idiots? Wait until the next salute is to be fired in Hyde Park then strap them to the muzzles of the guns, that might serve as a lesson. But then, the present CO of King's Troop is female so I doubt if she would go along with that. Might get the guns dirty.

 

[theBaron]

Oh, but it's not their fault, it's society's, and their parents', and the schools', and everyone else's. Those poor boys had it so rough, we shouldn't judge them, because we have no right to judge anyone, because right and wrong is what each individual decides it is at any given moment. The government should step in and do something about it, anything. Here, here's 60% of my income, that should help solve the problem!

Thank you, Sixties!

 

[Wraith]

Oh, but it's not their fault, it's society's, and their parents', and the schools', and everyone else's. Those poor boys had it so rough, we shouldn't judge them, because we have no right to judge anyone, because right and wrong is what each individual decides it is at any given moment. The government should step in and do something about it, anything. Here, here's 60% of my income, that should help solve the problem!

Thank you, Sixties!

Nice one!

 

[Spitfrnd]

Oh, but it's not their fault, it's society's, and their parents', and the schools', and everyone else's. Those poor boys had it so rough, we shouldn't judge them, because we have no right to judge anyone, because right and wrong is what each individual decides it is at any given moment. The government should step in and do something about it, anything. Here, here's 60% of my income, that should help solve the problem!

Thank you, Sixties!

Now Brad, with all due respect that is a wee bit of a silly notion. The sixties were a near a half century ago. The sixties did not create a double standard for acceptable and unacceptable mind altering substances. The sixties did not originate the desire for or practice of a "pi** up". The sixties did not originate lack of discipline and certainly they did not originate stupid behavior. I hate big government as much as anyone but as you yourself have noted here, the sixties did not create that notion either. Lads will be lads and some lads will make dumb choices and some will get caught for it. This may make news because of their ceremonial duties but actually it does not seem that newsworthy to me. And then there is the problem of making judgements based on any so-called "news" account. "If" it happened, it is something for those lads to deal with and yes, maybe they deserve a second chance, again a notion that preceded the sixties. In any event, there is no more reason to blame my generation than anyone elses for the personal mistakes of certain individuals. Frankly I think it was the Bama's fault.:

 

[theBaron]

Now Brad, with all due respect that is a wee bit of a silly notion. The sixties were a near a half century ago. The sixties did not create a double standard for acceptable and unacceptable mind altering substances. The sixties did not originate the desire for or practice of a "pi** up". The sixties did not originate lack of discipline and certainly they did not originate stupid behavior. I hate big government as much as anyone but as you yourself have noted here, the sixties did not create that notion either. Lads will be lads and some lads will make dumb choices and some will get caught for it. This may make news because of their ceremonial duties but actually it does not seem that newsworthy to me. And then there is the problem of making judgements based on any so-called "news" account. "If" it happened, it is something for those lads to deal with and yes, maybe they deserve a second chance, again a notion that preceded the sixties. In any event, there is no more reason to blame my generation than anyone elses for the personal mistakes of certain individuals. Frankly I think it was the Bama's fault.:

You're correct, most of the idiot notions were in place beforehand, but they were mostly on the fringes of society. With the first Baby Boom generations hitting college, and falling prey to intellectuals in academe, there was an explosion of those ideas and behavior into the mainstream. And the Greatest Generation, that defeated the Germans and the Japanese, were powerless to hold their children in check.

It's interesting, I'm reading "The Forgotten Man" right now, and I'm getting more of a look into the history of progressive/leftist political thought in our country. I hadn't gone into the period from around 1880 up through 1929 in much depth before, and it's interesting to hear some commentators in the conservative movement talk about issues today, as if there were some conservative golden age that persisted right up until the 1990 elections. I think any student of history knows that, generally, the events of today have threads that reach back several generations, and to understand what's happening in your own time, it's useful to go back into the recent past (a couple of generations, at least.)

I really enjoyed James Burke's "Connections" series, because of that perspective, to look at several events, seemingly unconnected at one point in time, that produce threads that come together in ways no one expected, in the future.

Prost!
Brad

 

[4th Hussar]

I am sure it is embarrassing to the Brits since the RHA is a highly visible elite unit, however I would assume the historical solution is unchanged, drum their ar__s out of the service ....................

 

[Scott]

I really enjoyed James Burke's "Connections" series, because of that perspective, to look at several events, seemingly unconnected at one point in time, that produce threads that come together in ways no one expected, in the future.

Prost!
Brad

Wow...off topic but my 12 year old and I are watching the series on DVD. I forgot it was done in 1976 and the top of progress was the Concorde and computer punch cards! Great show. Nice leasure suit
on James Burke.

Discipline for the RHA. It's not my army anyway.

 

[theBaron]

Hmm, thanks Scott, I may be thinking of a followup to that series, then. I saw it on A&E back in the '90s, and also bought the companion book. Maybe that was "Connections 2". Doesn't detract from the point, though, it's an interesting way of looking at things.

For example, we have canned food today, and refrigeration, partly because Napoleon was looking for a way to carry stores more efficiently with the army, and sponsored prizes for inventors and scientists to attack the problem. I remember seeing a clip of the winner, who used champagne bottles-since they can stand greater pressures-loaded them with cooked vegetables and boiled them. That was one thread, that combined with a Southern doctor's discovery about cooling air for the comfort of his patients.

Fascinating stuff!

Prost!
Brad

 

[damian]

My cousin went to the border.
During basics the corporal would say to the new nationla servicemen

"Jou f....n tropies sien jy dardie boom"
To which they would say
"watter boom"
To which he would reply
Dardie f...n boom hardloop daarna en bring hom terug.

In English
that goes
You chpas do you see that tree
The response is
No corporal what tree
He says your eyes are bad run until you find the tree and bring me back a leaf

So there was no tree just a lot of running

Later on when they were about to klaar out
The resposne would be
Ja Korporaal bring my daardie boom ons will hom rook as ons le hier in die son en ballesbak

That in English is
Yes Coproral we would like to bring back that bush so we can smoke it whilst we lie here in the son and bake our ....

So smoking grass is a feature of the RHA as well as the old SADF.

 

[Scott]

There are three Connections series. We're watching the first from 1978 which has the episodes you mention. Nice use of reenactors and wargame figures. The others came out in 1994 and 1997.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections_(TV_series)

 

[theBaron]

Thanks, Scott, I found Burke's biography on Wikipedia, too, and now I remember the other series, "The Day the Universe Changed", I remember that one, too.

Great programming, I wish there were more like it now.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Spitfrnd]

....So smoking grass is a feature of the RHA as well as the old SADF.

Well, you know what war I played in; but then we were all useless products of the Greatest Generation that they could not control. As JB would say, "we [became] the people our parents warned us about".

No offense Brad, but I get this twinge in my gut when I hear the phrase "Greatest Generation". Yes it (ultimately) had many achievements and certainly made many sacrifices. Some of those likely would have been difficult if not impossible to avoid; some were not. Was it the greatest, frankly I have no idea even how you would measure that; perhaps because I fell prey to intellectuals in academe; perhaps because I am simply a born and card carrying skeptic.

 

[theBaron]

Well, you know what war I played in; but then we were all useless products of the Greatest Generation that they could not control. As JB would say, "we [became] the people our parents warned us about".

No offense Brad, but I get this twinge in my gut when I hear the phrase "Greatest Generation". Yes it (ultimately) had many achievements and certainly made many sacrifices. Some of those likely would have been difficult if not impossible to avoid; some were not. Was it the greatest, frankly I have no idea even how you would measure that; perhaps because I fell prey to intellectuals in academe; perhaps because I am simply a born and card carrying skeptic.

I use the term with a tinge of irony. I didn't coin it, of course, I think Tom Brokaw did, or at least, he introduced it into common usage when he used it for the title of a book he wrote.

While on the subject of sobriquets for generations, or other groups of people, I have to say, Band of Brothers strikes me the same way Greatest Generation does you. Did they or any of their contemporaries call them that, or did Stephen Ambrose coin the term? There's just something about the term. I can't imagine any of the WWII vets I know saying, "Yep, time to go down to the VFW and have a few beers with my Band of Brothers."

(I can hear them use Greatest Generation, though, as in "Give me that beer, I'm in the Greatest Generation, dammit!". That's what makes the references to it in "The Simpsons" so good.)

Prost!
Brad

 

[Spitfrnd]

Brokaw eh, well that would explain a lot. He should be in awe of Murrow, Cronkite and Smith. Now that you mention that, I have no problem with the term as applied to the news media.

 

[Louis Badolato]

II have to say, Band of Brothers strikes me the same way Greatest Generation does you. Did they or any of their contemporaries call them that, or did Stephen Ambrose coin the term? There's just something about the term. I can't imagine any of the WWII vets I know saying, "Yep, time to go down to the VFW and have a few beers with my Band of Brothers."

Prost!
Brad

The term "Band of Brothers" was coined by the Immortal Bard, William Shakespheare. It comes from a magnificent speech King Henry is making to his army the night before the climactic battle . . . he talks about how men in England will count themselves accursed for not being there to fight beside "we few, we lucky few, we band of brothers" . . . it is one of the most inspirational momments in the history of our language, and an apt term for the brave men of Easy Company.

 

[theBaron]

The term "Band of Brothers" was coined by the Immortal Bard, William Shakespheare. It comes from a magnificent speech King Henry is making to his army the night before the climactic battle . . . he talks about how men in England will count themselves accursed for not being there to fight beside "we few, we lucky few, we band of brothers" . . . it is one of the most inspirational momments in the history of our language, and an apt term for the brave men of Easy Company.

Ah, yes, on St Crispin's Day, I'd forgotten about Harry the Fifth and Agincourt:

"This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day"

There's one we need to add to the movie lists, too, Henry V

 

[trooper]

How true those last eight lines are. I am sure every ex serviceman feels a special bond with those men who shared a common experience. There has been some debate as to whether Shakespeare was ever in the army, so far there is no documentary proof, but his lines speak of an intimate knowledge of a soldiers life and feelings. I think there was a good chance he was.