Originally Posted by alessandro.pirisinu

Unfortunately and regretfully...

no right or wrong about it....... just the way it is in the trench... there is the *rules* and then there are the *rules*..... been that way since Genghis Khan.

Originally Posted by m551sheridan

no right or wrong about it....... just the way it is in the trench... there is the *rules* and then there are the *rules*..... been that way since Genghis Khan.

...somehow, it doesn't have to remain that way forever (let's hope so...)
Good night, Sir.
Alex

I have, regretfully, been absent for a majority of this thread. I just got back from a 4 week long tasking which took me out of access to the internet.

In my opinion a good soldier does what the hell he is told to do when the hell he is told to do it. Exercises initiative when the situation calls for it. Can endure weeks or months of being in the suck and still have the energy and willingness to continue the fight. Good soldiers need to have motivation...but not the phony super "I'm a baddass" motivation...but the pragmatic, dogged, and uncompromising motivation to always do what you're required to do. One doesn't have to like it...they just have to do it...

To the cadet that so graced this forum with his innumerable experiences about what it is to be a soldier...I would tread very carefully about the things you mentioned when you get to the regular forces. Only in the movies is one able to kill without remorse or consequence. 42RM seems to have set you straight, which is good, because had I seen it before him I would have likely been less forgiving of the garbage I was reading that you wrote.

I used to train army cadets when I first left the regular army. I had to listen to their BS on more than one occasion. They thought the cadet rank they held was the same as a regular soldier. They were informed quite implicitally that they were part of a youth organisation that was sponsored by the military and not actual military service. That said, it was quite satisfying to see the cadets who wanted to join the forces, sit and take it all in during lessons and apply themselves impeccably in all aspects of training.

There was time when the German soldiers used the excuse for the crimes committed THAT I WAS ONLY OBEYING ORDERS, they still got shot for it. Now in the Paras would be given orders for an attack but were always told if you spot an easier way of taking the objective then do it, but what ever happens you will take it. We were always allowed to think for our selfs and it was nicknamed Airborne Initiative.

Originally Posted by LeEnfield

Now in the Paras would be given orders for an attack but were always told if you spot an easier way of taking the objective then do it, but what ever happens you will take it. We were always allowed to think for our selfs and it was nicknamed Airborne Initiative.

yepper.......... in training a loooooooooooooong time ago one of the mantra's during said training was

MAKE A DECISION!!! Initiative was the key - those who lacked the ability never made it threw the course.

A real soldier hates war but is good it, to protect his mates, family and country. They are the ultimate pacifist because they fight for peace and security.

A good soldier will always support his officer in all things, click on the edge of the photos to see more

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...nce-Harry.html

Gotta love prince Harry!

My take on this;
The army teaches unwavering obedience to officers, life so far tells me that seargents and corperals are where you really want to be getting direction from. If you are getting direct orders from an officer then you are probably already in the **** (especially if its navigation =)).

Respectfully I think thats why we have NCO's- to filter orders and take care of the mens wellbeing- a good soldier makes himself scarce when officers are around.

A good recruit picks a top corperal or seargent and models himself after that man. Thats how he becomes a soldier.

Originally Posted by Rowan

A real soldier hates war but is good it, to protect his mates, family and country. They are the ultimate pacifist because they fight for peace and security.

A real soldier does´t hate war and he does´t love it. A real soldier has an attraction for war and the art of war. Try asking some of the other veterans here.

Originally Posted by headwards

Gotta love prince Harry!

My take on this;
The army teaches unwavering obedience to officers, life so far tells me that seargents and corperals are where you really want to be getting direction from. If you are getting direct orders from an officer then you are probably already in the **** (especially if its navigation =)).

Respectfully I think thats why we have NCO's- to filter orders and take care of the mens wellbeing- a good soldier makes himself scarce when officers are around.

A good recruit picks a top corperal or seargent and models himself after that man. Thats how he becomes a soldier.

Unwavering obedience? I certainly hope not!

Sorry mate but it´s an awful lot of horse manure. Tell me, what´s your Platoon Commander's job? An NCO that filter orders would lose his stripes so damm fast that it would feel as if he had never worn them.

How long have you been a soldier?