The raw recruit panics at first sight of the enemy; throws away his rifle and legs it in a panic. Up hill and down dale through swamp and river until collapsing with exhaustion; he later opens his eyes to see a pair of shiny army boots and he begins to blubber “I’m sorry sergeant I just panicked” The voice roars “I’m not a sergeant” “sorry Major” sobs the lad “I’m not a major roars the voice “I’m a full Colonel damn it” roars the voice “Christ” sobs the boy “have I run that far” Told to me by ex soldier Pvt. Terry Kelly 8Th. Army 2Nd.W.W.
The leading modern major generals continue to sound off about Govt. military failures. When I heard about the latest to leave the sinking ship Major General Andrew Mackay I wondered for a minute if he was resigning because he was just c**p at soldiering and a failure as a commander but no; the Govt. was guilty again said he. I wonder as well if any of these deserters would ever support Labour; somehow support for Labour would I think would be thin on the ground among the Colonel Gutbuckets and Field Marshall Drunkenslobs of Eton Cambridge and the Guards. We have anti Govt. propaganda saying our soldiers don’t have good enough army boots to wear when fighting the Afghanistan’s some of whom have no footwear at all.
I have held the opinion for a long time that talent and ability are not as important as background and connections when trying to progress a British military career and nothing I have heard or seen from these quitters has changed my mind; what are they doing to the morale of the soldiers they are supposed to lead. This is looking more and more like anti Labour manoeuvring by the Tories and the right wing media. Britain has been in many wars but it only seems to be this one where the Govt. are being blamed for anything and everything that goes wrong, I don’t remember Thatcher getting blamed for deaths in the Falklands which she actually caused.
There are not many things worse than young people being killed in conflict but; using their deaths for your own political reasons has got be one of them. The way Mrs. Rose Gentle was cynically used by the SSP and discarded was sickening and so is the way the Tories are exploiting the deaths of soldiers now. Major General Mackay attacks the Govt. and is cheered to the echo; had I been under his command when he allowed himself to be bullied into colluding with the dangerous and humiliating farce which saw the half wit Prince Harry pretend to serve at the front; complete with his own body guard of Ghurkhas; he would have lost my respect for ever and he probably lost the respect of many of his soldiers when he allowed it to happen. This wasn’t leadership it was obsequious fawning; he put his own soldiers in more danger than necessary by making them targets; he allowed himself and his men to be dragged in to a royal stunt to make the Prince look better, I find that contemptible.
He is a critic of the Govt. because he can’t fail; the Tory Press will see to that he blames lack of helicopters and rubbishes armoured vehicles ; his supporter ex SAS colonel Clive Fairweather disagrees he wants more armoured vehicles, left hand right hand eh? fills you with confidence right? lets hope these two are not typical. Best of all is the suggestion from shadow defence minister; armchair commando Tory MP Liam Fox who wants to introduce some innovative privatisation by employing Afghanistan Warlords as mercenaries to deal with their own people on our behalf. ‘the market will sort it out’ yes Liam of course it will; just think if the Tories win the next election this right wing reactionary zealot would become defence secretary; then you will see what cheap kit really is; it will be supplied by Del Boy Trotter from an industrial unit owned by Arthur Daly.
Instead of blaming every failure on the Govt. it’s time these inept so called military leaders stopped hiding from their responsibilities and stepped up to the plate; they complain about poor body armour while the enemy has no body armour, nor does he have any armoured vehicles or helicopters; he sometimes shares a rifle with his comrade while we have every conceivable weapon of killing people known to man. Who is really to blame for the inability of a modern state of the art army described by every sycophantic commentator as the greatest fighting force in the world to defeat an ill equipped ragged 3rd world force?
It’s time for a giant enema to be supplied to the army’s moribund talentless military leaders and people with talent and ability to be promoted whatever their background; time to catch up with the modern world and to tell the truth. As always the soldier on the ground has my sympathy; it’s not his/her fault that they are being led by hooray Henry’s who think that the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.
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30 comments:
Deary Deary me! Got yourself all mixed up with this one.
I don't usually stick up for the officer types but this one was famous for being at the head of his troops and fighting with them.
You really should get your facts right Terry and that includes the so-called rabble you say our troops are fighting against. Considering the Taliban are using up to the minute weapons, don't forget who supplied them with much of their weaponry, plus don't discount their AK47's much better than the rubbish our troops are fighting with. Plus the fact nobody has ever won there including Britain twice for that matter.
It is you dishonest government plus the US one that got our troops involved there - time to bring them home!
How come you're an expert on the Falklands? If memory serves, you admitted not having heard of them before the Argentinian invasion!
Good to know the soldier on the ground has your sympathy. Would these be the same soldiers you call torturers and murderers on another post?
I guess all the British Army needed was a reasoned critique from an idiot
well, its the government that have forced the army into this war, just so we can still be pals with big uncle sam. instead of slagging off the people who are sent into these ridiculous situations, would it not be wiser to blame the people who have put them, unprepared, into the firing line??
(Anonymous) 28/09/09
“this one was famous for being at the head of his troops and fighting with them”
I just read that the nearest that this one got to danger was when he was persuaded by his personal bodyguard not to go somewhere; that’s right his personal bodyguard.
“Considering the Taliban are using up to the minute weapons”
Well how did I miss that? You have just solved the mystery; they are equal to us in training; weaponry; and numbers; and you told me to get my facts right! there goes another Taliban Helicopter attack and here they come again with a huge number of armoured vehicles full of soldiers with top of the range gear. Get real and get off your knees.
(Ariel) 28/09/09
“you admitted not having heard of them before the Argentinian invasion!”
Neither did the vast majority of British people so what is your point?
When war was declared I was doing a course at college and I asked my fellow engineering students in a class of 30 where they were and not one knew; neither did our lecturers.
British troops have tortured; raped and murdered civilians, do you deny that?
“I guess all the British Army needed was a reasoned critique from an idiot”
No what they need is what they won’t get from sycophantic creeps like you; that is a dose of the truth.
(the broken down barman) 29/09/09
Is this stupidity or lies; I have consistently condemned our involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq and I still do.
They are not sent in unprepared that’s the anti Govt. right wing campaign that you are clearly happy to take part in along with the top Tory Army Brass. Have you no dignity left?
Councillor, I'd heard of the Falklands. If neither students or lecturers in your class had, then the phrase 'Lame leading the blind,' springs to mind.
Not sure how you translate 34 or so spectacularly dim students and lecturers into the 'vast majority of the British people,' but no doubt it's in Damien McBrides 'Big Book of Labour Lies.'
(Ariel) 29/09/09
Not sure why this is an issue but I have to make allowances for you.
Both my daughters are staying with us at the moment; both honours graduates, they had heard of the Falklands War but were a bit vague about it and didn’t know where the islands were.
You seem to be deluding yourself again.
In an attempt to find out if you have anything remotely serious or original to say I will from now on remove the childish and offensive remarks from your comments I have indulged you long enough.
(Ariel) 11:13
Not a good first attempt.
ha ha. your funny
Goodbye Councillor.
Oh Dear! It seems you have been lacking in the history department. This was not the first battle of the Falklands as the first was during WW1 when a German naval squadron attacked them leading to their destruction by a British Battlecruiser squadron.
Also it is where the ships involved in the destruction of the German pocket battleship sailed from during WW2.
These are things that were taught in school so that is why a lot of people including myself knew where the Falkland Islands were, obviously some people did not pay attention at history then.
I'll take that to be a no then in answer to my last point.
Very predictable - take away the feeble remarks and the personal abuse and we are left with nothing.
(Anonymous) 30/09/09
Like everyone else who was obliged to study history at school we did not cover every event in the past history of the earth.
I did however pay enough attention to gain a higher in the subject.
A very weak comment; must try harder.
A higher in history? On the evidence, you're a difficult man to believe, Terry Kelly. Did you buy it?
If the Labour government had studied history, we would never have invaded Afghanistan. I mean, although Lord Roberts whupped them late 19th century, they're now smarter - even the Red Army got a kicking.
By the by, I suppose you do know where Afghanistan is? A Higher in Geography too, perhaps?
(Sprite) 01/10/09
History ? do you think that someone who says anything about history should be aware of everything that has happened on the planet earth; because if you do you are a fool and if you don’t you are still a fool for your remarks.
“If the Labour government had studied history, we would never have invaded Afghanistan”
Well I suppose by your logic the British Govt. having studied history should never have went to war with Germany because we know what happened in the first world war. Millions dead.
I remember studying The French Revolution; Napoleon; Gladstone V Disraeli and Ireland but not Afghanistan and millions of other historical subjects; you are a bit of a clown right?
Dear oh dear. First, we haven't a clue about the Falklands, either geography or history, then we go all Grande Dame about our lack of knowledge of Afghanistan.
Maybe, before you get all puce and rude about the British Empire, you should find out a teeny bit about it, to add a wee bitty gravitas to your opinions, you understand.
Ah yes, Colonel Gutbucket, Eton, Cambridge, Guards.
Does this generic term include people like Lord Lovat, (Commando)
Lord Jellico (SBS) Earl of Brandon (Bomber pilot) George V1 (RN) Mountbatten (RN) Duke of Edinburgh (RN) Winston Spencer Churchill (Cavalry)
Officers with that background tend to lead from the front, little man
(Sprite) 02/10/09
Very few people in Britain had a clue about the geography and history of the Falklands until the war criminal Thatcher used them to save her political skin.
I know enough about the British Empire to say that it represents a shameful period; remember my name is Kelly that’s a hint.
(Anonymous) 02/10/09
Churchill was too drunk and too stupid to lead anyone and had he been sober and had he had enough power he would have changed sides along with a great many more aristocratic families including the royals.
There have been a great many “upper crust” military leaders most of them “donkeys” (oh what a lovely war) is not just a musical and (Blackadder) is not simply a comedy.
Your grovelling attitude to these people is an embarrassment and a drawback to genuine military progress.
Churchill, fought at Omdurman (It's in the Sudan, Terry)escaped from the Boers, Colonel on the Western Front WW1, led the country WW11. Typical Col. Gutbucket, eh, Terry?
Moving on, where is the evidence that the Royals and Winston would have changed sides please?
Brown agrees debate! That's it Terry, your man is a deluded basket case. There will be blood on the carpet.
Brown vs Cameron live! It's another Nixon/Kennedy show with poor Gordon playing Nixon.
He simply cannot think fast enough and on Bradshaw's showing on Question Time, he isn't the only Labour damp squib
(Sprite) 18:25
I find it really strange to hear anyone claim that Cameron is in any way intellectually superior to Brown; I automatically think this guy is whistling in the dark.
I stopped watching Question Time about 10 years ago and I believe that anyone who is influenced by it is extremely naive.
Councillor, Bradshaw said on QT that he was too busy to read newspapers. Dimbleby then pointed out that his title was Culture and Media Secretary! Not exactly Ben's finest hour!
You might also be interested to learn that Old Etonians have won 37 VC'S, with Harrow, (Winston's Alma Mater) in second place with 19.
Told you, those Gutbuckets were taught to lead by example.
(Ariel) 03/10/09
Perhaps he means certain types of newspapers and he might also get his info. From TV; Radio and Internet + of course his team of advisers and researchers etc. etc. no cigar here.
Who awarded these VC’s; did you consider that; do I have to spoon feed you? Picture a scene where Stephen Fry awards a medal to Rowan Atkinson on Blackadder; that’s a real heavy hint.
Stop blustering Councillor, the idiot's title is Culture and MEDIA Secretary! And among the papers Dimbleby quoted were Guardian, Times, Observer. Not fit for purpose, is he?
Do you really think VC's come up with the rations and are awarded on the basis of Buggins' turn? Granted it happens in other fields - sacked Speakers sent to the Lords for instance - but VC's?
(Ariel) 04/10/09
So you would sack a Govt. Minister for saying “I don’t have time to read papers” and the best bit is that you! call him! an idiot.
VC’s ? I asked who gave them out; no answer eh maybe you didn’t understand the question; maybe it was not loaded enough for you. let me give you another hint in form of a question; has the British military ever been involved in dishonest propaganda?
There would probably would have been a lot more VC's from Eton and Harrow if their own men hadn't shot them.
Dont think Bill Speakman or Johnson Beharry went to public school Councillor
(Anonymous) 05/10/09
What have these two no doubt brave men got to do with my question? Seems like a cop out to me. It’s difficult to accept that you have been conned and lied to by your own country isn’t it?
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