Armed Forces Day

[SkyBlueHobgoblin]

HMS Ardent holds a annual reunion in Plymouth each May.. I generally attend every 5th year. Social media helps the guys keep in touch on a regular basis.

 

[FantasyIreland]

This is my last post on the subject as the thread is about the armed forces, and I hate to derail threads, as everyone knows.

I've never noticed.

 

[dronefromsector7G]

I've never noticed.

I find that hard to believe

 

[cyberblue]

I also served,and i feel the same.

However,as we now have a day set aside,i didnt see the harm in making this thread and adding my thanks.

It does no harm to show awareness
and everyone who served likes to remember in there own way
What gets on my wick though is the Politicians and Royalty who turn out for the media each year but do nothing as ex sevicemen and women sleep on the streets and are denied the Mental Health services they need

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

It does no harm to show awareness
and everyone who served likes to remember in there own way
What gets on my wick though is the Politicians and Royalty who turn out for the media each year but do nothing as ex sevicemen and women sleep on the streets and are denied the Mental Health services they need

Mental health services for serving members are getting better, but unfortunately the stigma remains, and you can't force people to seek help. And when people eventually do seek help it is often far too late, and the damage is untreatable/irreversible. I'm really not sure what the solution is.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Been to TankFest today and apart from squeezing my belly into several vehicles not designed for my middle aged spread, I also shook hands and thanked as many active/ non-active personal as possible. One of them, 3 tours of Iraq, 3 of Afghanistan, told me that it rarely happens. Such a shame seeing as in the States they get them to stand up at sporting events and give them a round of applause.

As a regular attendee of a few sporting games in the Tampa area, it gets a little too much at times.
I would watch the indoor arena (American) football and the games open up with the local police cops on motorcycles riding around the arena to applause.... Then during the one break the police, ambulance and fire service chiefs come onto pitch for a round of applause. Then we get the servicemen and families..... Every game....
I go to watch a fucking game of sport not to declare my alliegence to a group of motorcycle cops. Yet you have to stand up and join in because everyone around you looks around to see who isn't standing and applauding.
Of course I appreciate the emergency services just don't feel the need to do this every other week at a sporting event.
I struggle with the army bit. Without a doubt brave men and women going to these places I wouldn't volunteer to go to, but i struggle with the "they are protecting us etc" as they are protecting the interests of the US or UK government in those areas, nothing to do with protecting us as people.

 

[Bill Walker]

Did I explicitly state that though? ‘DM type stories’ I said which means stories about flags offending foreigners, stories which can appear anywhere but usually in the DM. You linked a story to back up your argument and the reason for not flying the flag on Royal Mail vans had nothing to do with ‘PC Britain’.

This is my last post on the subject as the thread is about the armed forces, and I hate to derail threads, as everyone knows.

You derailed this one by alluding to me being a DM reader.
Which I am not.

 

[kinkyblue]

I served in the Engineers,did a few tours,mostly Northern Ireland.I,personally have never felt the need to fly a flag of St George,as i live in England.However,i see absolutely no reason why people who choose to,should be made to take them down for fear of upsetting others.
I fly a City flag,for two reasons,one to show where my allegiances lie,and two,because i know it offends any reds who happen to be passing.Despite this i have never been asked to take it down,and would refuse point blank if i was asked,even if it meant risking being charged by the courts!

Ubique

 

[dronefromsector7G]

You derailed this one by alluding to me being a DM reader.
Which I am not.

Of course I did

 

[Bill Walker]

Of course I did