Worlds within worlds.
As a civvie I might be well out of order - but your world can only exist if it does so within mine. By definition without a nation state there can be no services (civil war and war lords apart).
When you leave the services then you must join our world for yours is but one world within a much wider spectrum of universes - as is mine. The Russian Doll or the onion syndrome.
I enjoy your forum - why wouldn't I? Fifty years ago I gained a glider pilots license a PPl and flew in Chipmunks, Varsitys, Vallettas and even a Meteor. Are you with me Steve?
I had an uncle who mustered into the RFC and then the RAF and who had the Waziristan campaign medal (the Khyber pass again), another who died of wounds received at Tangmere following straffing from the Lluftwaffe, a father who served with 9 Squadron in '40 and '41 and one surving uncle who retired as a F/Sgt (Chief Tech) armourer after 28 years (Aden.Woomera and Blue streak). Memory may fail in some of the foregoing. But not much.
As the demands upon you from 'Blare the Egoncentric' increase to be met in inverse proportion from 'Brown the miserable of the Manse' there is a danger that you will retreat within yourselves.
This is not good thinking as we need each other - the services have always had a symbiotic relationship with the populace at large. I don't see things changing.
There is little contact now between our worlds - rarely do I see any of you in uniform (I know the MI5 thing).
I don't blame you for your synonyms and acronyms and your clipped speech and your implicit reliance on each other (these things - in their own way ) - exist on the other side of the divide too.
Barrack humour will always exist, as it always has - I remember doing jankers because I tied a 6oz fishing weight into the end of my towel during a barrack room brawl.
Banter and Gallows Humour are as essential as tomato sauce is to baked beans.
But. and it is a big but, many of the Civvies think that you are engaged in "Peacekeeping duties" - I think that you are at war. Much is made of winning the 'hearts and minds' of the theatres that you serve in. How much effort is going in to wiining the H and M's of the theatre that you come from?
This post has grown beyond my intentions - but they were good intentions. To try to grow some part of Pprune, a thread or a forum that gets people knitting gloves and Balalclavas for the troops.
I say again, can we come together someway. Will anyone Rodger on that?