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Location:
Ballarat
Registered:
September 2003
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Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Wed, 15 December 2004 06:26
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Just wondering if anyone on this forum is in the aussie defence forces?
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I supported Toymods
Banned User
Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Wed, 15 December 2004 06:29
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I kind of am. I do contract work for the army 
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Location:
Northmead
Registered:
December 2003
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Wed, 15 December 2004 07:50
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used to be, but that was years ago
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
August 2004
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Wed, 15 December 2004 09:23
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| andrij wrote on Wed, 15 December 2004 18:20 |
used to be, but that was years ago
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As he said
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Location:
Ballarat
Registered:
September 2003
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Wed, 15 December 2004 09:31
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hmm, im thinking about joining the reserves.
id be interested to know, in the reserves, how much freedom of choice or you given for entering combat?
that is, if a situation occured where reservists are needed in a war, are they MADE to go? or are they ASKED to go?
did you two blokes find the initial 6 weeks(or however many weeks it was back then) difficult?
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
August 2004
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Wed, 15 December 2004 09:40
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My initial training was 3 months before we were allowed leave, was a bit rough as i was only 15 and the first time away from home, but soon got over it and had the greatest 12 years following, went all over the world, saw lots of different pubs drank lots of different beers etc etc
As for joining the reserves and not wanting to go into combat, why bother joining? to be ready for australias defence is what the reserves is meant to be about!!!
My $0.02 worth
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Location:
Ballarat
Registered:
September 2003
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Wed, 15 December 2004 10:02
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hmm i was under the impression there was a whole lot more to the army than just combat...the reason i would bother joining is because i would want it to be of my own discretion whether or not i participate in a war, i dont want to be made to go to a war i dont agree we should be participating in. btw, lets not have a reasoning of war debate on here....
and you were 15??? geez word to that, that woulda been tough
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
August 2004
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Wed, 15 December 2004 10:18
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I always thought that a defence force was for a countrys defence!!!!
Yeah, you'll do a whole lot more, things that you will never experience in civey street, make the best friends, and gain a real new outlook, especially when you see some of the rest of the world and some of the crap that it has to offer.
If I never go overseas again it will be too soon, made me glad to be an aussie!
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
August 2004
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Wed, 15 December 2004 10:22
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BTW if your young and single, do it now!
The job becomes a bit of a drag once the females get their claws into you!!!
There is a saying in the forces that if you were meant to have a wife you would have been issued with one!!!!
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Location:
Potts Point, Sydney
Registered:
October 2003
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Location:
Tassie
Registered:
October 2003
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Thu, 16 December 2004 04:10
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Talk to TRD supra i'm pretty sure he has something to do with them.
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Thu, 16 December 2004 04:19
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It isn't a soilders decision weather or not he should be involved in war, it is a politicians. It is a soilders duty to do what is required of him/her. If you want to make the decision then become a polly.
If you have any questions about wether or not you could do you duty, even if you don't agree with the reasons why, then you should not join the forces!!
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On Probation
Location:
Hobart
Registered:
December 2004
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Location:
Newcastle
Registered:
April 2003
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Thu, 16 December 2004 08:35
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| TRD_Supra wrote on Thu, 16 December 2004 19:05 |
Big guns that go Bang!!
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I hope you are allowed to shot these big guns.
I heard about a anti tank gun that to learn to use it they watched a video as firing the thing cost to much money  .Still it made short work of the tank by all accounts.
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Location:
adelaide
Registered:
April 2003
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Thu, 16 December 2004 09:31
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| Gazza53 wrote on Wed, 15 December 2004 21:18 |
I always thought that a defence force was for a countrys defence!!!!
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i think that you hit exactly what the guy is trying to ask about.
that is, a defence force is for our defence, and as such he would be more than willing, like most, to defend our shores so to speak.
i'd say the question of whether you must go to war lies in the ole little johnny and six pack georgie gettin involved in regions where this guy doesn't think he should be risking his life
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Thu, 16 December 2004 10:26
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i was thinking of joining the army, then i thought i'm not risking my life for a bunch of dick polititions that put this country at risk
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
August 2004
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Thu, 16 December 2004 13:02
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| jackel wrote on Thu, 16 December 2004 20:56 |
i was thinking of joining the army, then i thought i'm not risking my life for a bunch of dick polititions that put this country at risk
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I'd still prefer Littl Johnny to Osama or Saddam any time, be he a dick or dickless !
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Location:
adelaide
Registered:
June 2004
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On Probation
Location:
Hobart
Registered:
December 2004
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Fri, 17 December 2004 09:12
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well if i am an Artillery gun number, then obviously i am allowed to shoot the gun. also Jackel, artillery guns are not primarily direct firing weapons. Which means we are not on the front line when we shoot at things so being away from the front line isn't really a dick position!!
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I Supported Toymods
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
December 2002
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Fri, 17 December 2004 10:25
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I think what The Untouchables means is he would want to have a choice if we were to invade a foreign nation.
I think everyone here would stand up and defend our country on our shores if another country tried to invade us but how many people would want to put their lives in someone elses hands?
I personally wouldn't be too happy if I was forced to invade a country because we our polititions thought their political system or parts of their religions etc were inhumane or offensive.
Many third world countries have to be a bit inhumane to survive... remember that some of the greatest countries on earth were built on the backs of slaves and convicts.
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Location:
Ballarat
Registered:
September 2003
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Sat, 18 December 2004 00:09
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word to you, that is precisely what i am on about. i would want to fight for something that i believe in, rather than just fight a fight that we arent quite sure why exactly we are fighting, but just go because the governor general said so. i understand the army isnt about freedom of choice and being able to express yourself, thats why i looked at the reserves.
and yes, the defence forces are indeed for our defence, but it seems we go into interference/offence modes on little countries now and then....thats what i couldnt justify going to fight, and thats not because im afraid of getting shot, its because id be afraid of having to live with the fact that i killed people, justified by the fact i was eliminating terror or tyranny.
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Location:
Adelaide, SA
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Sat, 18 December 2004 05:04
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You should have joined last year whilst one of my mates was a platoon commander at Kapooka He would have sorted the peacenik out of you!
seriously the reserve are now more "ready" than ever - it is expected that if you are in the reserves you will be capable of being deployed in combat one day. They used to be a lot more lax - one of my friends was in the pipe band for a reserves regiment and the money was OK plus he learnt the bagpipes for free and it wasn't too strenuous. Nowadays you have to fully fit and ready to go, so most of the pipe band being old buggers were forced out of the reserves and since he was on a medical waiver he got the chop too.
If you're thinking it's some reasonable pocket money, you are right, however you need to be prepared to fufill your soldierly duty if required. There's no such thing as a free lunch, and you can't choose when you'll fight and when you wont. I have a lot of old friends in the defence forces and most are now officers, some will be there all their career but for others it's a good stepping stone to other things.
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Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
March 2004
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Mon, 20 December 2004 13:53
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I'm a reservist too, screw all that AIRN crap - nobody told me I'd have to keep fit to be in the army! When I joined I was told that as a reservist you can only be required (ie. forced) to fight if Australia was under direct attack. I think that might've changed just recently though. I've got a few mates overseas atm, but its a voluntary thing. In regards to the money, my Army wage pretty much has paid for my car and keeps it running. Untouchable, PM me if you want more info.
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Location:
Ballarat
Registered:
September 2003
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Wed, 22 December 2004 08:05
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| Squid wrote on Thu, 16 December 2004 15:19 |
It isn't a soilders decision weather or not he should be involved in war, it is a politicians. It is a soilders duty to do what is required of him/her. If you want to make the decision then become a polly.
If you have any questions about wether or not you could do you duty, even if you don't agree with the reasons why, then you should not join the forces!!
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and other comments made....
i think its perfectly natural not to want to engage in combat. as humans we are indeed drawn to fear; from hunting to parachuting etc. and i understand that combat does have appealing aspects such as mateship, survival and heroism BUT humans, and it has been seen throughout history, have a natural aversion to killing their own kind. So squid, it would be more of a problem if there was no question to carry out duty in combat, or any part of participating in genocide. Killing requires training. We have a forebrain, and even the midbrain prevents us, to a certain extent, from killing a human. So, save for a sociopath, nobody enjoys battle, and will all experience severe psychological effects of combat.
I get the impression some people are incapable of thinking about that. I, like most young men, find the army lifestyle appealing; roughing it, firing the guns. when i think about battle on the surface, hell, even that sounds appealing. if only it were a videogame.
the reason i wrote this little essay? is because there is no point in saying, 'defence forces are not for you' because if this is the case, then the defences forces are not for anyone, if you think about it.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Epping, Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Wed, 22 December 2004 08:27
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aside question - are reservists just grunts, or can you be an "officer" reservist?
If I ever went military, I'd be straight to officer's training (as cool as going for special forces would be)... and if army reserve offered the same thing to appropriately qualified people, I'd be in
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Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
March 2004
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Wed, 22 December 2004 13:01
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The Untouchable: Amen to that brother!
Yeah, they do offer reservist officer training. Basically you do 2 weeks of the basic recruit course all soldiers do then get whisked away to Duntroon to do a lot of bits and pieces. Once qualified all they do is paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork. 
I suppose if you're a qualified tradie then your skills would be better utilised as a soldier, but if you're a qualified accountant, engineer etc. then the officer stream is more for you.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Epping, Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Wed, 22 December 2004 19:18
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to paraphrase top gun "army head-shrinker"
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Location:
Adelaide, SA
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Thu, 23 December 2004 00:37
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The medical corps is once of the best reservist jobs - I have a friend who is a critical care nurse and a Warrant Officer in the reserves. He's been to timor and boganville (and could have gone to Iraq if he really wanted to) as well as doing other defence force stuff like assisting enquiries etc. The OS stints are a long time and a long way from home, but great money.
I'm not sure if psychiatric or psycologists are in demand, but you'd think they may well be for counselling and post-traumatic stress etc.
Officer reservists can be pretty ghey - in SA the AUR (Adelaide University Regiment) is generally for uptight little tossbags whose dream is to be in charge. The AUR Pipe Band however is bloody great.
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
October 2002
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Thu, 23 December 2004 06:05
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I lasted nearly 10 months of reserve Army officer trainning, a million years ago. Didn't get a commision, of course. If I had my time again, I'd go with the enlisted ranks. They had way more fun and got reasonable money. Officer trainning was too much like school. Lots of not fun work/studying and STRESS.
I always had a soft spot for the 7th Field Ambulance boys & girls. Very professional, fun people without any wanna-be Rambo privates or frustrated bank clerk 2nd lefty types.
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Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Thu, 23 December 2004 08:17
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What's the best defence? 
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Location:
Ballarat
Registered:
September 2003
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Fri, 24 December 2004 08:18
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so, as an officer, do you still get to do soldier stuff? ie. do u get to participate in war games
wat paper work and stuff do you actually do/ wat kinda of stuff is it in relation to? do officers get paid better/quicker?
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On Probation
Location:
Hobart
Registered:
December 2004
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Fri, 24 December 2004 10:13
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become an officer if u want to b hated!!!! I like being a Private, cause althought u take shit from ever rank above u, u got no responsibility and u get the fun hands on jobs. Officers get paid more, but they have more responsilbity and have to work harder belive it or not, plus all the lower ranks dislike the higher ranks cause they sometimes think they can push u around. In my oppion i would join firstly as a Private, then go onto Officers if u like it. When u say "War Games" it all depends on wat corp u r in. Like if u r in Band Corp, War Games would b blowing a trumpet! Where as if you are in Artillery with me, War Games is going out bush for a few weeks and blowing stuff up. We sometimes do some shooting, but most tuesday nights we clean the guns or learn about artillery or sometiems play soccer and have a BBQ!!. BTW Army is the best Defence Force!!
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Location:
Liverpool, Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Anyone here in the defence forces?
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Fri, 24 December 2004 11:20
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Just a question, even tho a bit off topic.. how common is the term 'jack' used in the army? A guy i used to know got the name in the army and he was proud of it.. he even now uses it as his real name... and one of my flatmates, who used to be in the commando's went off! said the worst thing you could do in the army was go 'jack' on your mates... as you are all going thru the same shit/training/hard yakka so its not right .... just wondering if it still happenes?
I work on the DNSDC army base (not for the army, but by a company to do stuff for them) its its amazing man, like going thru all the warehouses and all the stuff they have, the army has their whole own world man, they have their own rules, own police, own doctors, i didnt realise until i saw it for myself, but i think, and as my mate said, once you get set loose into the real world 'well, not real world, but if you get what i mean' i think it would be damn hard to adapt back !
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