Ross Kemp in Afghanistan
 

Just for those people who haven't seen all the advertisments.

Ross Kemp in Afghanistan starts Mon at 9pm on Sky 1. Has had some really good reviews and may be worth watching.

Spam

Watched his interview on Richard & Judy yesterday. Looks very interesting with AK rounds whizzing literally within a foot or two from him. He also exposes the way our soldiers are treated in regards to compensation and the 'points' system to which they are under first hand with injured soldiers.

Word from the guys is that he was very well behaved whilst out there, and that he was a great listener. Great to see some interest from the UK media and public.

:ugh::ugh:We need more programs like this and Commando Frontline to bring us british public closer to the reality of what is really happening out there!
I have two family members who are both RAF Docs and who have been out in Afghan / Iraq and have seen and done some truly horrendous stuff out there.... but the british public have no understanding of it...

it must be hard for the guys who ahve spent months out there to come back to this country where they are all slagging off the way that they ahve spent months in!

Anyway.
I don't have SkyOne which is a big shame!

Another that was extremely well done in my view was the one that followed a Chinook pilot in Afghanistan, I think it was called a day in the life of or similar.

"Another that was extremely well done in my view was the one that followed a Chinook pilot in Afghanistan"

BBC, One Life series 'Above Enemy Lines' :ok:

Watch it now
 

If you have Sky + you can watch it now on the anytime facility.

Watched it last night and it is a good insight, especially the steep learning curve from training to fighting an enemy who is shooting back.

Well done and honest insight from Ross Kemp even the frank admission of scaring himself wet, as would a lot of people!

Heard the trailer for it on the radio.

"I spent time with the Army fighting in Afganistan", (or something like that) "Its thanks to them I'm still alive".

It seems that the Army has a lot to answer for....

I watched the first one last night. I don't know much about Mr. Kemp (long time since I lived in UK, not seen much else he's done at all) but from a civilians perspective it seemed that he had empathy, was sensitive to the military and their family and was respectful of and admired the service people he was with.
For me the thing civilians don't understand is the scope and complexity and shear size of what is going on over in that sandy place and the reality of it is often lost on us as the normal (spit) media only reports sensationalist sound bites.

.

Just in case you hadn't noticed, and it may come as a terrible shock to you, but the vast majority of us are very well aware of the difficulties the armed services face in any conflict, but we are also very well aware that everyonein any of the services is employed to go where they are told and do what they are instructed to do, if they don't like it, they should leave and do something else.

What comes across in many different posts on this forum, is that there are some posters who genuinely believe that thay are entitled to some sort of cult status because they are or have been, in the services.
Sorry to disappoint you, but you're no better than anyone before you and you're certainly in position to judge the public opinion.:ugh:

Niknak

If that is your point the why dont you do us all a favour and ban yourself from the military forum? Stay out...do us all here a favour.

Not that easy, many are really really trying to leave, but before they do they are kept in for another 18 months with the promise of more holidays in the sand pit.

Thanks niknak - I needed reminding I wasn't entitled to have an opinion on these matters and that I should not under any circumstances have any sympathy for the position that the services and their families are in - I won't try to improve my understanding of the situation and shall live in happy ignorance from now on. Got a copy of the Daily Mail I can read?

My Niknak, you must've used a crew ladder to climb on that high horse. :rolleyes:

What people like NikNak fail to understand is that those that have served their country or are serving their country are special. However you would only understand that if you had first hand experience.

And just to put you in the know Nik Nak, a lot of the public don't understand and quite a few don't care, just how difficult it is and how under resourced the military presence is.

Fortunatley there are people like Ross Kemp and his team and Chris terrill who are prepared to put their lives on the line just so ignorant fools like you can have some education crowbarred into your selfish little lives in between Corry and X-factor.

No, I have served, so I can stick my head over the parapet. We are not special, some of us who served did something special, not me, and lots of you are doing something special. Not quite the same.

Niknak.aka Swiss Des

I think niknak just got washed ashore with all the other planks.

I would like to reassure you good people that nik nak's comments are not representative of all of us here in civvyland.

Mr Kemp has gone up in my estimation, I have to say.

His experience means that he'll now be better able to cope when his wife decides to beat the cr@p out of him!

Respect for armed forces
 

Topslide6,

Agree with you in spades.

I don't agree with how we ended up in Iraq and Afganistan but I have nothing but respect and admiration for the way the job is being done by our forces and the dedication and bravery of all concerned.

The way you guys are being treated back here is a joke, the lack of proper equipment to do the job is mad and the points system for injury is a national scandal......

Not everyone back here thinks like niknak......

Stay safe.

Civvy Support
 

I am a civilian whos father flew Argosys in 114 sqdn way back in the 60s . The life of any service person cannot ever be truly appreciated by anybody who has never served their country or been in a war zone . Most people who i know regard all soldiers , sailors, airmen and women in the highest echelons of praise , for the job they do is really the hardest job in the world . You all deserve so much more from this government in support the way you have been betrayed by them beggars belief, TV programmes are designed to make us think , im sure there wil be a lot of people thinking after watching ross kemp tonight . I know i will , i will be thinking as i do now , of those many people who are fighting on my behalf for my freedoms and making the ultimate sacrifice just as many other brave men and women did before them . God bless you all and get home safe and sound whenever or wherever you are , the labour administration may not appreciate you , i on the otherhand always will.
Ian Jempson

I am a Serving Soldier and would like to point out my personal feelings to people like Nik Nak:

I don't wish for you to be grateful for what I do
I don't wish to have your praise
I don't wish for you to be beholden to me for anything
I don't wish for you to worry about me
I don't wish for you to even spare me a thought

I do wish for you to realise that this is my career, my choice to be in the military but not my choice to serve wherever I am asked to serve. Neither is it my fault or the fault of my peers and contemparies to be wherever we might be. I simply fulfil the wishes of the Government and hope to God that my family are cared for properly in my absence as after all I am simply doing as I am asked.

I am hugely proud to be a soldier and to do the job that I do, I am also hugely proud of the commitment made daily by our Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen and no matter what your feelings toward us, we will always have each other.

Not that I wish to apologise for my fellow civilian, but I think that most people do approach this more or less the way mutleyfour hopes they will, and appreciate that niknak's thesis is at least a little unrealistic.

For the record, I don't blame members of the armed forces for the piss-poor decisions of government, and I don't think most people do. That said, it's crystal clear what the deal is when you join up, which is one reason I didn't.

Even in the much-more-nationalistic US, there are "Support the troops, not the war" banners.

P

Mainly I didn't join up because I didn't fancy being beasted around a parade ground by a short man with a moustache and a swagger stick, to be honest, but - no, in that context, I didn't join up because I didn't want to be forced to fight a war I couldn't get behind morally.

P

For god's sake man,being 'beasted around a parade ground by a short man with a moustache and a swagger stick' is one of the perks of the job.

Oh, that and running around Dartmoor with a mars bar hidden up your bum.

I shall refrain from further public comment on the basis that I am, to some extent, in your house.

Niknak,
a truly awful post, highlighting a number of your own insecurities and inadequacies. I would like to first state that these people are special, mainly because they are fighting in your name, for the government you (as a nation) voted for, and therefore supported its mandate. These people are fighting whether thay agree or disagree (and many will disagree), for what is perceived as a cause of greater good, and risking their lives daily, for the country the likes of you hold so dear. Many very good men and women have lost their lives doing this, leaving families - wives, children, mothers, fathers and friends behind wondering what it was for, and was it worth it, dying in the name of their country, in a foreign land. Some will stay for life as a career, some will change careers, and you are right it is a choice, but that does not mean that they are not entitled to the gratitude of their countryfolk. You very clearly do not undersdtand one of the binding principles of military life - that is that it is not just a job, it is a way of life, a form of service, and those who do it, do not do so for financial gain.

No person here expects cult status, but what they have every right to expect is the support from the public. The armed forces do not make policy decisions, they carry out the orders handed to them by a democratically elected government in your name. You may not agree with the government policy, but that does not mean you cannot support our men and women in the armed forces. The way the military in general has been treated by the government and the general public in the last five years has been nothing short of shameful, yet they continue to do the job, risking their lives daily, watching friends and colleagues being maimed and killed in horrendous situations. Dedication of that level is most definitley not found in every walk of life, so that, in my book, makes them very special, and entitled to far more gratitude and praise than like you may ever realise.

Phil

Do not try and cover for, or apologise for, NikNak (it is not required) , he has been like this on this forum for a long time. He understands our arguments and our opinions, and he continues to take the pi**. The term oxygen thief springs to mind!

I am and always have been a civvie, though working with various arms of the UK military.

My father volunteered for WW2 and continued working with military aircraft development -Seafire to the Harrier 2 - until he retired ( still with us, fitter than me,touchwood ).

His casual little stories he lets slip very infrequently are enough to make a berk like me, brought up in a dearly bought peace time, realise there is a whole different world out there besides " wasn't the motorway a sod tonight"...


Posts like NIkNak's make me cringe - please believe me guys & girls, the British public thinks a hell of a lot of what you are doing.

I for one would be happy to join in home-coming welcomings, as in the US, but I never get to hear about them in advance - maybe it's me but I doubt it.

Meanwhile ignore that prat, WE UK are very proud of you - stay safe !

Tigs,

"The term oxygen thief springs to mind!"

Steady on there - in a fuel fire such an individual would be useful. Please do not infer such similarities with casual abandon.

Mutleyfour,

It's statements like yours that bring a lump to my throat. :D

The selfless commitment our troops, from all 3 services, show and expect nothing in return. The nation needs to realise that is what we do.:ugh:

30mRad

mutleyfour,

that is most probably the best single post i've seen on pprune so far...

i can only hope that others feel the same way.

tutgby

Niknak just found out his gums bleed every 28 days! as he talks like one!

Nik Nak, I note 2 things;

1. You seem to have disappeared - no bad thing.

2. You are a total knob.

Mutleyfour

I feel sorry for Nik Nak, because your last bit sums it up. We have experienced something that he never will, and it will never leave us, it is called camaraderie. you don't get much better mates than those you are willing to go to war with.

Good post, stay safe:ok:

First episode is in packets on Youtube.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=c5uVUmXaFCM

An excellent programme. Well done, Ross Kemp!

But, more importantly, this will bring home to the Great Unwashed quite what the chaps and chapesses out in the sandpit are going through...

And the sacrifices they all make.

Compare that 17-year young soldier to the slouching wasters you see infesting our inner cities....:ugh:

And Stavros, great to see you in the LHS of the Timmy! Didn't I tell you after that puddlejumper trip that you'd got what it takes? Good to see I was proved correct, mate!

Nik Nak, I've been trying to see something positive or constructive in your post. Unfortunately I have been unsuccessful....:rolleyes:

Well i have served, seen plenty of action and although i don't necessarily agree with niknak he has a point.
A huge swathe of the public particularly the younger genration have no concept of the military nor any interest in what you do. Nor do they or will they care.

Having been heavily involved with the Falklands i have attended the various functions last year. Wont be doing it again. Full of teary middle aged men reminising about how they deal with the aftermath of war while forgetting the fact that they did bugger all but sit around and whinge.The more the remf the more the tears.Alien world to me now as you are to the rest of the nation.

You are fighting an obscure war for a crooked govt. Apart from the usual suspects no one really gives a ****.
Your stories have nothing that the youth recognise or can relate to outside of movies. Maybe this programme will help. Dont hold you're breath.See sentence two.

Lou

I for one am alarmed at the ease in which young men and women today can stab or beat an individual to death regardless of circumstance. The concept of how we used to live has long deteriorated and lack of respect across the board is paramount.

I have great sympathy for the emergency services as a whole, ambulances cannot turn up in some areas without police escort and stab vests. Police can no longer walk the beat in a great deal of inner city sanctuaries and criminals seem to have more rights than the victims they have caused duch misery to.

The country seems to survive on a cocktail of drugs that even the 40's and 50's plus are involved with.

Nobody wants you to show any interest Lou, you may as well join the ranks of the don't cares! Turn a blind eye the next time you see an old lady being verbally abused, dont give up your seat for a more senior less abled person on the bus. Look at the pavement when walking the street for fear of upsetting anyone passing by.

So where am I going with this, well, its simple, the people you have no harmony with are doing something they feel is important and as I have said before are simply fulfilling the needs of you and I as instructed by the Government.

As for the Falklands veterans, I also said before that we have each other and we all of us have differing needs. I would suggest that maybe it was you that sat on your backside and whinged the war through and not those in tears.

Lou
 

I have have served, but thankfully never saw action.

Put me down as one of the "usual suspects"; because I will always "give a ****" when British Servicemen/women see action. Whether it be you... him... or her over there.....