and boy did I enjoy cracking heads!!!

Yeah, don't we just know it!

You can feck off, you do the same thing to civvies now!!!

But only for traffic offences usually!

Originally Posted by muscogeemike

What you say is exactly why I didn't personnaly like the late Col. David Hackworth, he publicly stated that such servicemen as "truck dirvers, clerks and cooks" wern't worthy of consideration as soldiers.

Quite frankly Col Hackworth is a pratt, if it weren't for truck drivers bringing up supplies, combat troops would soon run of of ammunition and such like, and if it wasn't for cooks combat troops wouldn't have the energy or the will to fight, and if it wasn't for clerks organising their pay, combat troops would soon get pissed off.

I didn't see combat, (well maybe except in the NAAFI or in the mess when some bugger tried to nick my sausages) but my job was keeping aircraft in the air along with thousands of other blokes.

Exactly. Let's see who can go on a 20 mile patrol in full gear, win a firefight, get back to camp, cook, do dishes, then transport supplies to and fro, perform surgery on the wounded, manage the clerical duties, maintain the wheeled and aerial equipment, and still get a few hours sleep until the next patrol. Those camps aren't miniature towns just because. You guys need the same services there that we have stateside at home. You name it, you need it.

Me, I'm sorry. My knees couldn't handle it and I folded up without going to combat. Thank God. Better stateside than while running for cover during an ambush.

In Nam thousands of Rear echelon died or were wounded from rockets, mortars doing guard duty on the wrong nights, stepping on toe poppers, ODs from drugs, suicides and in one case a guy did his suicide with a grenade in the barracks and forgot about the guys in the room next to him. One guy got there in the morning and was shipped home that afternoon in a box from a rocket attack. Plus the flight line mechanics and personnel that were always the focus of rocket and mortar attacks. When it's your time, it's your time no matter where you were. My personal favorite was a general hidden deep in a bunker with his bimbo and got a direct hit, karma at its finest.

I agree with all that you folks have said... without the rear echelon types us in the trench would not get what we need. That said, it only takes the actions of a few to bring animosity on the many.... Why? well the *REMFS* often times stole what was important to us in the field and sold it on the black market... I will used SP Packs as an example... really fried our azz's. So, it only takes a few hygrading goods meant for the field to cast a pale light on many.

But we still knew we needed those in the rear to keep us functioning, regardless the fact that they made rank faster and had all the latest goodies before we did. And I might mention the greater war stories........

I did over 13 years in the Australian Army Reserve and never saw a shot fired in anger. The point is though, I like all soldiers OAS or not, signed the dotted line to but our arses on the line for our country and would have been willing to give our all even although we were lucky enough not to have to. Just luck though!

I have done a lot of reading on the issue and am not one to drive wedges between brothers in arms. I understand there are "veterans" and "combat veterans." One of the things I have struggled with is the label "combat veteran." I served in Afghanistan, went on numerous missions into enemy territory. Luckily every mission I went on was safe and successful, meaning everyone returned unscathed. We did not get into any enemy action. People refer to me as a "combat veteran" however since I never fired a shot or was shot at by the enemy I do not feel I am a "combat veteran," and I feel guilty when people refer to me as such. Should I feel that way? Should I consider myself a combat veteran or am I making a big deal over nothing? I understand, having been in the Navy, veterans are those who served, but not in a combat zone, even during a time of war. Not everyone gets the distinction of combat veteran, just because they served during war. I get it. I feel guilty when I see combat veterans who sustained life changing injuries and I made it home unscathed. I dont feel I deserve to be in the same catagory as them. Again, am I making a big deal over nothing?