Wow, what a lot of venom!
I think perhaps I should have one last go at stating my point of view and clear up a couple of points.
1. I do not begrudge anyone their leaving call. It is quite correct that everyone who knows, or knows of the leaver gathers round and gives them a pat on the back and sends them off with a warm glow. I would do the same for my mates, and expect them to do it for me
That is not what is happening here. This is more akin to the outpourings of grief after Diana’s death.
No in fact it’s worse.
At least the people weeping inconsolably at her funeral had been looking at pictures of her on the telly for years, following her in the press etc and had some investment in a relationship with her, no matter how warped and one sided.
In this case nobody has any idea whatsoever who he is! He might be a great bloke, he probably is, (I have to admit that he has been very gentlemanly about the whole thing) but some of the eulogising on here is ridiculous.
“Personally I find it very sad that you can't just indulge someone who has
probably made a significant contribution to the RAF over the years he has done and bring yourself to at least wish him well for the future.”
Bit of a leap of faith there I think
“The one good thing for certain is that when these sad individuals leave, they will not be able to look back with pride and honour and remember the great times they had and the great mates they made,
as people like you and I and several others can.”
Do you know him, or not? Or just projecting your hopes? If you do know him then tell us how good a mate he is.
“the system just doesn't recognise/care or is even aware of the
finely tuned personality traits that are about to leave, traits finely honed from a service that was far better at mentoring then than it is now!”
What? A strong shout based upon just his posts on the forum.
If you say this guff about anonymous people it totally devalues the honest statements you might make about people you actually know. Or have heard good reports of. Or at least saw across a bar once for god’s sake!
For all you know, (and I do not suggest this is the case, before I get flamed again, just wish to raise the possibility inherent in an anonymous forum) there is a sqn breathing a sigh of relief right now and celebrating the departure of a waste of rations carried down the decades. We all know one; in fact many on here seem to think I’m one!
For the mate of somebody leaving to post such a thread points to a great bloke, but to post about yourself is a bit like writing your own citation. Do you want everybody who leaves the Military to get their own thread thus flooding the forum in facsimile insincere turgidness? And if not, what makes this bloke special?
2. I ventured over to Egoat after being informed by PM that I was getting a slagging there. I get the impression that they think I was having a go because I did not think that non-aircrew were worthy of eulogy. Wrong end of the stick I’m afraid, just don’t happen to believe anybody is worthy of blind worship.
3. Obviously I am devastated to be “ignored” by so many, how will I cope?
Having never “ignored” anybody, I do wonder though if the only thing worse than having to read the words of somebody who makes you want to start swinging, is having to see one sided conversations involving them?