Well said Occasional,
nice to see someone responding to this thread with the seriousness it deserves.
Brand new,
You can slag off the Merlins as much as you want, they can fight their own battles. But I find your remarks about the army being let down by the RAF a little tiresome.
For a member of the AAC (for whom I have a great respect), I dont find your comments stack up against the feedback I have recieved from fellow members of your Corp, especially the Apache guys.
I don't find they strike a chord with the feedback I have recieved from the ground troops we support, often conducting resupplies etc at great risk from weather, terrain or enemy activity.
Better people than you, within the Army you claim to represent, have been very laudatory in their praise of the Chinook Force (which was part of the RAF last time I checked - albeit just)and the MERT (although joint, the MERT has a large RAF presence, including the paramedics.
To that you can add all those rescued by RAF SAR (along with RN), all those conveyed to and from theatres (in dilapitated aircraft long past their sell by date), including the wounded, recieving care from the RAF TMW.
All those who have recieved CAS from the RAF Harriers (along with the RN), and all those who may have been injured had the FP Wing at KAF not been on top of their game.
Much of the RAF work may not be glamourous, and is often undertaken with open ending and ever changing objectives from user units. It also utilises aging aircraft, making some delays inevitable. Mistakes are made, as they are in every other organisation, including your own.
If you wish to throw around accusations, your perogative, they would carry more weight if backed up by examples, rather than general sniping or carping, as this gives the impression of a bitter or inadequate individual.
Yes, the Merlin Force may have made a poor decision to train in the USA, but that does not represent the entire RAF. Please retract or tone down your assertions, or at least back them up with fact.
Enjoy your Sunday.
MGD