Whats your job on deployment??

[The Swinging Monkey]

I've just been talking to a chap who is about to deploy to Iraq in the next 6 - 8 weeks. This chap is a SNCO in the dental branch (RAF) but you'll appreciate why I don't want to say where from.

The thing is, he isn't going out there as a dentist or even a medic type, but as a 'storeman' He understands that because the majority of storemen are now civvies, there is a gross lack of 'logistics' people intheatre, and he is going out to supplement them.

I have no reason to doubt him, but it does seem a bit far-fatched. Can anyone substantiate this? Has it happened to anyone else?

Thanks and kind regards
TSM

[Pontius Navigator]

Storeman first, war fighter second?

[ZH875]

Just like aircraft techies going out to be MT drivers, too many of them were civilianised years ago.

Lets face it, the MOD is BANKRUPT in all but name, thanks to the Loony Labour Party, there are NOT ENOUGH men, women and equipment for the Armed Forces to do their jobs efficiently.

The guys and gals do a :mad: good job considering the circumstances.

Still, there is enough money to give MPs a pay rise, and enough debating hours to ensure MPs DO NOT need reciepts for anything UNDER £500. Why can't they be subject to JPA and its rules.

[snowball1]

As a stacker i've never heard of another trade doing a stackers job on dwr! sure he's not doing med stores? Having not long came back from Iraq, there is no problem with RAF stackers out there.

[Fluffy Bunny]

RFW for TCW, keeping all those tin cans shiny and the strings taut!

Or would have been if I was still in...

[Safety_Helmut]

As a stacker i've never heard of another trade doing a stackers job on dwr! sure he's not doing med stores? Having not long came back from Iraq, there is no problem with RAF stackers out there.
Not that it would be difficult for anyone else to do a stackers job of course, just repeat after me: "there's only one of those left, and you can't have it because someone else might need it !"
S_H

[samuraimatt]

There were musicians doing a movers job in Afghanistan. The funny thing about it is, the musicians were getting paid more than the movers to do the same thing.

[Fluffy Bunny]

Well the musicians PWR is supposedly a stretcher bearer, so having no stretchers to bear at that point in time it makes logical sense for them to be bearing your luggage, probably with a little more care than your average mover!:}

[Mr C Hinecap]

He might be going out to do med stores as previously mentioned (since the medics seem to think they have such special stuff to handle). TMW do perpetuate the myth they are special after all.

samuraimatt - there were 4 Musicians 'discovered' in theatre not doing a great deal - they were re-tasked to cover the pax handling role for the helicopters (escort across pan etc) and freed up Movers for more technical aspects of their trade, thus helping a drastically undermanned Trade.

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

"freed up Movers for more technical aspects of their trade"

Now that bought a big smile on an otherwise quiet Sunday morning :p

[samuraimatt]

"Discovered in theatre not doing a great deal".

Had they been forgotten and were just wandering around aimlessly?:rolleyes: I can see it now. "Look what I have found. Musicians!. Right, lets get them to raise pax manifests and escort people across the dispersal".
I thought it was two Cpl's, one from Akrotiri.

[Mr C Hinecap]

I have no idea about where they are from - but you tend to find the musicians grouped together - 'bands' I think you call them. I didn't know we had any in AKT.

[samuraimatt]

but you tend to find the musicians grouped together - 'bands' I think you call them

Or even groups.

[Mr C Hinecap]

I was giving it a slightly more military angle there, old chap. I was not aware we had any military 'groups'. If your bearing is more 'o'clock' than 'hundred hours' then I can but apologise for your decorational rather than operational view on things.

[wokkameister]

Going back to the original question, What do people do on deployment? Last time I was on Herrick, there seemed to be a lot of people with no real purpose other than to get in your way...though most of them did seem to be above the rank of Pilot Officer.

[The Helpful Stacker]

I was not aware we had any military 'groups'. If your bearing is more 'o'clock' than 'hundred hours' then I can but apologise for your decorational rather than operational view on things.

You use both Group and O'clock within a fire control order and thats a very military thing indeed (in fact a little too military for your average RAF type).

:p

[PPRuNeUser0211]

I seem to remember GRIT coming into it somewhere..... appropriate given the level of sand/dirt available on det these days...

[samuraimatt]

I was not aware we had any military 'groups'What about No1 Group, No 2 Group and No 29 (Training) Group?

[flipflopman RB199]

Woult that be

Grouping, Range, Indication, Type of fire?

:p :p :p

How rubbish are some of the things that stick in your mind!! :ok:


Flipflopman

[PPRuNeUser0211]

Thats the one! Always used to forget the T was type of fire, not target, which seems to be omitted somewhere! You're telling them where to look but not what they're looking at.... oh well, need to know basis!

[Il Duce]

I heard recently that PMA (is it still called PMA?) were trawling for Warrant Officers of ANY trade for a 4 month tour in Afghanistan as Guard Commander. Now don't all rush forwards at once, form an orderly queue!

[Pontius Navigator]

Good for your career?

[BluntedAtBirth]

I heard recently that PMA (is it still called PMA?) were trawling for Warrant Officers of ANY trade for a 4 month tour in Afghanistan as Guard Commander. Now don't all rush forwards at once, form an orderly queue!

Hmmmm, are we allowed to nominate? Perhaps we could have a reality-TV selection process. I will run the voting phone lines...