Had a couple of mates join the Rocks, one as an Hofficer the other a gunner.
For both of them it was a conscious choice, they could have gone into other trades.
My Gunner pal was mad keen to join 2 sqn and worked hard to make the grade and get through the selection course. All the way through he showed utter contempt for the rest of the RAF !
Once on Squadron he settled down and took a more realistic view of life and refelected that some of his colleagues were a$ES, he had a job to do and that was defending airfields. This took on more importance in the late 80s when the IRA stepped up its operations in the UK. Suddenly he was training all ranks and guarding bases across the UK, (this scenario may repeat itself but not with a threat from the Irish community).
Sadly he passed away at a young age due to illness but loved the Rocks first and RAF as an afterthought.
This doesn't detract in any way from the other services deployed but only to serve as an example of the type of individuals that join the Rocks.
Thoughts and wished for a peaceful & safe Xmas and New Year wherever deployed.