New Years Military honours list

[Faithless]

The list for 2007/8 honours. Well done all :D:D

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/29_12_07_hons_full.pdf

Doh ...here's this years

[Lord Elpus]

That looks suspiciously like last years list!

[aviate1138]

C.B.E.
To be Ordinary Commanders of the Military Division of the said Most Excellent Order:


- TONKS, Air Commodore John David (5201749E), Royal Air Force.


Please make my day by confirming that Air Commodore TONKS' career had something to


do with Tornados? :rolleyes:


Anyway, well done Sir.

[Gweedo]

Nothing to do with Tornados but I do believe that he had something to do with the introduction of JPA into the RAF.

[Admin_Guru]

he had something to do with the introduction of JPA into the RAF.

Lets hope they pin it on an appropriate 'cheek' then :E

[Two's in]

Couldn't help thinking some of the civvy MBEs were, well, taking the biscuit actually;

"For services to Hairdressing" (few of those), "For services to Poultry Breeding".

[Scribbly]

Congrats to Mick Seamarks on his award. He was sold a pup by being posted to the JPA implementation team, your classic "polishing a t*rd" job, but he has worked all the hours possible and sacrificed his leave to make it what it is now. If you think JPA is bad now, just think what it would have been like if he hadn't been there. Well done, Mick.:D

[Gainesy]

sacrificed his leave

So even he couldn't find the right box to tick then?:)

[Green Flash]

Don't care who got d!cked for JPA - it's still a load of p00

[Gweedo]

Got to agree with Scribbly, Mick and the chaps in the office worked their nuts off trying to get JPA to work - unfortunatley for them, they did not get the support that they warranted, nor the time, and we got the pup that EDS delivered.

[tiger jules]

Well I am very proud of Air Cmdr Tonks, seeing as he is my Dad. And I am sure that he loves Tornadoes if that makes a difference?! And I know he would be amazed that anyone has bothered to comment about him, good or bad!

[Tourist]

I'm guessing that "Scribbly" is Mark Seamarks, and "Gweedo" is one of the "chaps in the office", as I cannot imagine anyone else thinking they did a good job.

As far as I am concerned, you should never get a gong for trying, no matter if they "worked their nuts off", just for succeeding, and they most certainly didn't do that.

To quote Connery "Losers do their best, winners go home and f@ck the prom queen"

Unfortunately not in our military it would seem

[tiger jules]

I shall beat a retreat. I thought that it may have been for 30 plus years of service not just the last 5 years.

[NP20]

Firstly, I agree that JPA is a crock o ****e. I'm not sure whether Air Cdre Tonks' or Mick Seamarks' gongs were JPA related, but the latter is but a WO who was put in a post to try and make the best of a bad job. Who knows how bad it would be without the work that he has done? You can't blame him for the shambles that is JPA (well you can, but it seems a bit short sighted to me) as at that rank you don't get to make decisions about whether or not to introduce programmes of that size, you just get told to make it work. BTW, I don't know Mick Seamarks or anyone who works with him, but good luck to him all the same.

Secondly, and on a more general point, I was once told that the only person who knows the true worth of a medal is the recipient. Doesn't stop the rest of us from pontificating though...

[minigundiplomat]

You can't blame him for the shambles that is JPA (well you can, but it seems a bit short sighted to me)


No. Quite right.

Heaven forbid anyone should be worthy of blame in this day and age. Noone should be accountable, and should be able to F@@k up as much as they like!

That is the party line isn't it?

[brit bus driver]

Well done Keith! :cool:

[BEagle]

BBD - indeed! Good to see the old bugger got an MBE!

[NP20]

Firstly, I'll repeat my earlier sentiment that 'JPA is a crock of ****e'. Did I imply otherwise?

Mileandahalf,

And you, NP20, are the most guilty of it.

How did you work that one out?? I guess that you misunderstood me. I did use the word 'us' in my last sentence and not 'you', so definitely wasn't trying to come across as 'holier than thou'. In fact I was trying to inject a bit of humour into the thread - in future I'll try ranting, its intent is clearer...

MGD & Mileandahalf,

As I said in my original post, do we know if his gong is JPA related? I guess that we'll have to wait for the edition of the RAF News where these things are sometimes reported to find out (and by then this thread will be long forgotten). Secondly, I'm all for accountability, but is a WO (who may not have even been involved in JPA from the start) really responsible for the shambles that is JPA? Did a WO scrap MFMIS? - I doubt it. Did a WO give the go ahead for JPA? - again I doubt it.

And as for people getting gongs for doing their jobs - how many at star rank are without an honours post nom? & isn't that the same level that approve these projects?

[matkat]

30 years service! I thought He got paid for it silly me:ugh:

[Roland Pulfrew]

Is it just me who thinks that the RAF section, actually all of the military sections are pathetically short this year? With all of the ops going on surely we have lots of deserving candidates!! Is it just that commanders are too busy to write their personnel up? Have we lost the skill in writing people up? With "services to hair dressing" getting a number of civil awards where are "we" going wrong?:(

[goudie]

No it's not Roland, I thought that too, though I find it sad to read so many cynical comments. Are they a reflection of the low morale and discontent that appears to pervade the RAF these days?

[spheroid]

With all of the ops going on surely we have lots of deserving candidates!!
They would then be operational service medals and not part of the New Years Honours list

[Baskitt Kase]

Well done Keith!
A top bloke and a good flier of long standing. That said and in line with the view...Since when did it become the norm to reward people for merely doing their job? ...that has been understandably levelled at the JPA-related recipients, what did Keith do to get an MBE to go along with his order of lenin (or whatever it was)? Genuine interest and not bashing the bloke. (Edited to elaborate.) Was it for being the captain on the Priz rescue ac or for "Services to the C17 programme" as suggested below?

[airborne_artist]

The Falklands honours list was the first in a long time as a post-operations list. The RN (and I expect all three Services) had a limited number of non-gallantry awards and there was no possibility of increasing the numbers given out, even if highly deserving cases could be made.

A case in point was my father, who was a candidate for a Falklands award, and got nothing. But in the next list (NY 83) he got a CBE, and it was clear that it was for his South Atlantic contribution, which had in fact been immense, though he hadn't left London.

Things may have changed for the better, but I wouldn't be surprised if some NY/Birthday honours have some relevance to the op sit.

[Climebear]

Roland

With all of the ops going on surely we have lots of deserving candidates!!

Yes we have; these are not promulgated in the New Year or Queen's Birthday hpnours lists but in the seperate operational honours lists. This does gove them clear blue water from those who dress hair!

[leopold bloom]

On a more positive note, congratulations to Paul Grout for a well deserved OBE. I am sure that everyone in the SAR community will be delighted that his contribution to medical training over the years has been recognised.:ok:

[Art Field]

KH, congratulations from The Bear

[H Peacock]

KH, congratulations from The Bear

KH was one of the tip-top QFIs at MASUAS back in the 80s. He taught me how to fly spot landings for the Reid Trophy (Of course we won, MASUAS won everything then!) He also showed me the standby 'female' ASI. Anyone else recall how you can accurately estimate your IAS with your eyes shut and one hand out in the free-stream flow? Top bloke.

:)

[Spit the Dog]

Well done KH nobody has put more into the C-17 programme and congrats to AJ, hope it wasn't for selling cars !

[Widger]

Congratulations to FB11 and all who worked alongside him.

[iss]

FFS Guys, :ugh: give credit where credit is due. Some of us done good!
Well done to Mick and the silver fox in particular but well done to all who got an award. Especially all of the non officer types who earned their one's far more than the starred bretheren.
Lights blue touch paper and retires...

[moggiee]

Keith Hewitt MBE - well done sir. We did the VC10 OCU together in 1986.

[occhips]

My pay has been wrong for 18 months and boy did JPA cock my LSAP payment up, o well there is always Pay as you dine to look forward too! Now there's a real winner!

[walesjr]

Is this the same Keith Hewitt that served as an ATC officer way back in the seventies? I can't remember if it was Coningsby or Brawdy, The memory goes as you pass 30 years service!!!

[BEagle]

Yes, I believe he served a short sentence in the Flying Prevention Branch in the mid-70s..... A few people at that time, who hadn't failed any courses, found themselves in limbo between BFTS and ME AFTS when the RAF had another manning panic and I think he may have been one of them.


Anyway, good to see the old bugger has been given such an honour.

[Mr-Burns]

Is Sqn Ldr AP, the same 'Arry that the SH world knows so well?? One of the few guys I know to have been a Crewman, Nav and Pilot? I hope so - absolutely top chap.

[cobaltfrog]

Anyone know what Abbo got his MBE for?

[Mr-Burns]

.................. Oh this should be good

[zic]

Cobalt, the answer I believe lies within Beagle's reply at Post 20.:):)