Army recruitment adverts

[guv]

in the states, when I was about to graduate high school, they call your house. That's probably changed with cell phones but back in the land line days you could expect about 4 or 5 calls a week from recruiters......really annoying.

I bet they had you nailed down as "working class"?

I'm thinking Michael Moore, here.

 

[Knight1979]

in the states, when I was about to graduate high school, they call your house. That's probably changed with cell phones but back in the land line days you could expect about 4 or 5 calls a week from recruiters......really annoying.

I bet they had you nailed down as "working class"?

I'm thinking Michael Moore, here.

middle of the road, but everybody got called, even more well to do kids. Each city, town and suburb has a local recruiter, and that's what they do, they call kids in there area all day long. Like I said, probably less now with cell phones.

But yea, they also set up shop in WalMart and tell kids how awesome the army is, big, badass weapons, travel, the GI bill......if you live.

 

[guv]

in the states, when I was about to graduate high school, they call your house. That's probably changed with cell phones but back in the land line days you could expect about 4 or 5 calls a week from recruiters......really annoying.

I bet they had you nailed down as "working class"?

I'm thinking Michael Moore, here.

middle of the road, but everybody got called, even more well to do kids. Each city, town and suburb has a local recruiter, and that's what they do, they call kids in there area all day long. Like I said, probably less now with cell phones.

But yea, they also set up shop in WalMart and tell kids how awesome the army is, big, badass weapons, travel, the GI bill......if you live.

Just scary.

 

[mackenzie]

Great this isn't it?

Everyone sits behind a keyboard here. Truth is if the shit ever hit the fan BIG time you will be cheering the lads (our boys and girls) on.

The fickle nature of the Great British public never ceases to amaze me on issues like this.

I think the issue is not that we don't want these people to be willing to fight, and die, for our country (because who knows one day we might actually need them to do so) but that if they do happen to die there shouldn't be the shock and uproar there seems to be with every single death at the moment.

I'm sure it's horrible for the loved ones of those soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I won't pretend to be able to grasp how they feel but what exactly did they think were the potential down sides to their relatives joining the armed forces? If you join the army, RAF or Navy then there is an undeniable risk to your life so if the worst should happen and you are killed it seems a little rich to have your relatives in every tabloid newspaper across the country talking about the tragedy and taking pot shots at the government. It's not as if you were dupped into joining up and then told "oh, by the way, there's a chance you might die here, sorry we didn't mention it earlier".

I don't think any of the ones killed considered themselves duped into joining, but the only voice that is heard after their deaths is usually of those left behind. And that voice is not necessarily one that reflects the views of the deceased.

And anyway, plenty of families show immense dignity without the need to rant publically. To imply that they are all crying "foul" when they hear terrible news is just incorrect Matty.

 

[Knight1979]

Great this isn't it?

Everyone sits behind a keyboard here. Truth is if the shit ever hit the fan BIG time you will be cheering the lads (our boys and girls) on.

The fickle nature of the Great British public never ceases to amaze me on issues like this.

I think the issue is not that we don't want these people to be willing to fight, and die, for our country (because who knows one day we might actually need them to do so) but that if they do happen to die there shouldn't be the shock and uproar there seems to be with every single death at the moment.

I'm sure it's horrible for the loved ones of those soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I won't pretend to be able to grasp how they feel but what exactly did they think were the potential down sides to their relatives joining the armed forces? If you join the army, RAF or Navy then there is an undeniable risk to your life so if the worst should happen and you are killed it seems a little rich to have your relatives in every tabloid newspaper across the country talking about the tragedy and taking pot shots at the government. It's not as if you were dupped into joining up and then told "oh, by the way, there's a chance you might die here, sorry we didn't mention it earlier".

I don't think any of the ones killed considered themselves duped into joining, but the only voice that is heard after their deaths is usually of those left behind. And that voice is not necessarily one that reflects the views of the deceased.

And anyway, plenty of families show immense dignity without the need to rant publically. To imply that they are all crying "foul" when they hear terrible news is just incorrect Matty.

I know where you are coming from Mackenzie but just because I don't support my countries miss-adventures doesn't mean I don't wish the best for these young men and women.

I'm not sure how it is in the UK but here the vast bulk of the armed forces are made up by poor minorities. And its becoming more and more skewed
that way. The army is aware of this so that is who they target more and more. They see it as the only way out for young men and women from tough situations. Also many of these kids are clueless when it comes to the geo-politcal reality of what's going on in the world. I sure was when I was 18.

For those that can come back and learn skills that allow them to take them out of their situations, that's great. But it shouldn't be their only option. However its becoming more so over here.......for those who don't come back, it just doesn't seem worth it, its tragic. Since I don't think Sadaam Huessain was ever a real threat, I don't think they are really defending my freedom eventhough I'm told that by the media every 5 seconds. So when they die, its sickening. I think WWII was the last just war where our men and women were really fighting against a threat to freedom.

I wish every kid who joins the army the best but they also need to know how the machine works and that their government will not hesitate for a second to put them in harms to way to protect perceived interests. Their (the government's) perceived interests get manipulated into things like "freedom" in the press.

I know what you are saying in that if they didn't do the governement's dirty work, who would? I guess the whole idea is you don't want dirty work in the first place. Ideally you want a military system where we use armed forces for just causes. What that is exactly is depends on the eye of the beholder.

 

[mackenzie]

I know where you are coming from Mackenzie but just because I don't support my countries miss-adventures doesn't mean I don't wish the best for these young men and women.

I'm not sure how it is in the UK but here the vast bulk of the armed forces are made up by poor minorities. And its becoming more and more skewed
that way. The army is aware of this so that is who they target more and more. They see it as the only way out for young men and women from tough situations. Also many of these kids are clueless when it comes to the geo-politcal reality of what's going on in the world. I sure was when I was 18.

For those that can come back and learn skills that allow them to take them out of their situations, that's great. But it shouldn't be their only option. However its becoming more so over here.......for those who don't come back, it just doesn't seem worth it, its tragic. Since I don't think Sadaam Huessain was ever a real threat, I don't think they are really defending my freedom eventhough I'm told that by the media every 5 seconds. So when they die, its sickening. I think WWII was the last just war where our men and women were really fighting against a threat to freedom.

I wish every kid who joins the army the best but they also need to know how the machine works and that their government will not hesitate for a second to put them in harms to way to protect perceived interests. Their (the government's) perceived interests get manipulated into things like "freedom" in the press.

I know what you are saying in that if they didn't do the governement's dirty work, who would? I guess the whole idea is you don't want dirty work in the first place. Ideally you want a military system where we use armed forces for just causes. What that is exactly is depends on the eye of the beholder.

Your posts re the high pressure recruitment in certain sections of the US is interesting Knight. Didn't they also do the same in the Vietnam war?

I can only speak for my own three brothers when it comes down to it. One joined at the earliest age he could...it had always been something he wanted to try. The second joined a few years later (1990) because he was unemployed and saw how the other brother enjoyed it (poor bugger ended up in the 7th Armoured Brigade in the Gulf first time round whilst the one who had been in longer got a desk job in Saudi...LOL!!). The third one, well he was the one I never got on with...right smug cocky git. He joined up to get a piece of what his brothers were getting and never looked back. It was the making of him (even the coma didn't destroy his love of the Armed Forces life) and when he evenually quit he was a better person all round than when he had first joined up.

I work in a job recruitment capacity here in the UK and, if anything, the local Fusillier presence has been significantly absent for years in our local office.

I do not adhere to the thinking that every war is worth it, but I cannot blame those who join. You would have to be a complete and utter numptie if you did not weigh up the cons with the pros. And I think even the most uneducated, less well informed lad or girl isn't that thick.

 

[guv]

"We wairk hard and play hawrder!"

Wankers.

 

[Knight1979]

I know where you are coming from Mackenzie but just because I don't support my countries miss-adventures doesn't mean I don't wish the best for these young men and women.

I'm not sure how it is in the UK but here the vast bulk of the armed forces are made up by poor minorities. And its becoming more and more skewed
that way. The army is aware of this so that is who they target more and more. They see it as the only way out for young men and women from tough situations. Also many of these kids are clueless when it comes to the geo-politcal reality of what's going on in the world. I sure was when I was 18.

For those that can come back and learn skills that allow them to take them out of their situations, that's great. But it shouldn't be their only option. However its becoming more so over here.......for those who don't come back, it just doesn't seem worth it, its tragic. Since I don't think Sadaam Huessain was ever a real threat, I don't think they are really defending my freedom eventhough I'm told that by the media every 5 seconds. So when they die, its sickening. I think WWII was the last just war where our men and women were really fighting against a threat to freedom.

I wish every kid who joins the army the best but they also need to know how the machine works and that their government will not hesitate for a second to put them in harms to way to protect perceived interests. Their (the government's) perceived interests get manipulated into things like "freedom" in the press.

I know what you are saying in that if they didn't do the governement's dirty work, who would? I guess the whole idea is you don't want dirty work in the first place. Ideally you want a military system where we use armed forces for just causes. What that is exactly is depends on the eye of the beholder.

Your posts re the high pressure recruitment in certain sections of the US is interesting Knight. Didn't they also do the same in the Vietnam war?

I can only speak for my own three brothers when it comes down to it. One joined at the earliest age he could...it had always been something he wanted to try. The second joined a few years later (1990) because he was unemployed and saw how the other brother enjoyed it (poor bugger ended up in the 7th Armoured Brigade in the Gulf first time round whilst the one who had been in longer got a desk job in Saudi...LOL!!). The third one, well he was the one I never got on with...right smug cocky git. He joined up to get a piece of what his brothers were getting and never looked back. It was the making of him (even the coma didn't destroy his love of the Armed Forces life) and when he evenually quit he was a better person all round than when he had first joined up.

I work in a job recruitment capacity here in the UK and, if anything, the local Fusillier presence has been significantly absent for years in our local office.

I do not adhere to the thinking that every war is worth it, but I cannot blame those who join. You would have to be a complete and utter numptie if you did not weigh up the cons with the pros. And I think even the most uneducated, less well informed lad or girl isn't that thick.

Good to hear that your brothers did well with it! I had a friend who dropped out of college, his life was a mess with drugs so he joined the marines. Got stationed in Djibouti. He's now married, finished school and is a History teacher. It served him well.

Got a couple of other friends who joined the marines after college in the officer program. One spent time in Iraq and the other somewhere in northern Africa I forget exactly where. They are both glad to be out now but I think their experiences served them well.

I didn't always see eye to eye with these guys on certain things but I was sure glad as hell to see them come back okay! I respect their decisions even if I didn't always whole-heartedly agree with them.