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Normandy, ginger cnt gets lost, frenchie comms w/ french police, a pint or two on the ferry chatting shit about what happened on Baptist. 👌 Well done lads, wish i could've been there with you.
After serving 5 years in a Canadian airborne unit, I came to realize the stupidity of it all...like carrying an unloaded ten pound rifle everywhere you went It does help new recruits feel that perhaps they might be called soldiers ( wow, I'm carrying a rifle). I would make more sense if the rifle was carried like Australian troops, in a slung position.. but an empty rifle for ten miles at the shoulder or slope ? No , I am not suggesting that 17 year olds be given ammunition....and it is strength training, but, think about it. Ten pounds for hours a day, week after week, year after year. Perhaps the RAF should carry propellers...
When I served in a Line of Foot infantry Regiment in 1950 part of the yearly fitness test was the mile run in battle order with the SMLE No. 4 rifle followed by a 9 mile run and march alternating every 100 yards. Unfortunately I have now forgotten what times they had to be completed in. Route marches was still part of training in those days which were very tiring in hot weather as the respirator had to be worn for sometimes an hour or more. But still happy days!
It's quite easy to pick yourself up on the bottom field or to swim out of the regain tank. It is another thing altogether to pick up a phone or to ask for help when you feel that you can no longer swim on your own. Thank you for your service Steve but more importantly, thank you for sharing your struggle, it means that we are never alone and that help is available. There is still way too much stigma attached to PTSD in the forces, this has to change.
Many many years ago we had a nutbag PTI with delusions of grandeur. Decided to run a CFT (8 miles, 40lbs, 2 hours) in as fast a time as he could runs us. 1 hour 24 mins later we finished, can honestly say was knackered at the end of it. He was pulled aside by the OC and had a "talking to"
PTI or ACI, runs back and forth during the 9 miler giving encouragement to all taking part; probably covers 12 mile or more during the nine mile march so needs to be lightly dressed and vest shows his specialism as PTI (Physical Training Instructor)
Cant wait to get out of CTC and into somewhere like Norton Manor camp... its nails but its the best job in the world and we're standing on the shoulders of giants like these
When doing my national service our intake did 22 miles in six and a quarter housers in the dead of winter with a break halfway to fire 40 rounds on the fireing range
