My experience of young women (my daughters) today is that if you tell them they cant do something you better be able to duck and cover.
You go girl.

I hope the very real risk of hip stress fractures for women carrying large bergan, webbing and weapon loads does not come back to bite the MOD in the behind.

This study showed '19.3 and 79.9 cases (of inpatient or outpatient stress fractures) per 1000 recruits for men and women, respectively'.

Maybe the loads have been reduced at Honington to reflect the fact that Gunners will do less humping and dumping and more mobile ops and utilising UAVs for short--range ISTAR etc? (And guarding the EFI in sunglasses perched on a WMIK!) (Banter shield on!)

Passed medical, attested, 2623 East Anglian Squadron.

Now the hard bit!

The hard bit being called a Rock Ape?

You did raise her to understand she shall be judged by the company she keeps....right?

Damn! I forgot that bit.

Anyway, all the Rocks I met were very nice lads, letting me wear [and take off] those respirators in the skin-cleansing, pore-opening perfume chambers.

And they did let me stand very close indeed to a demo of IEDs at HQ 1 Group Bawtry ........... not only buggered the dummy but blew a hole downwards in the table top.
Fortunately I failed to hear what Mike Knight actually said to them..

Good news, LB. Best wishes for the next bit!

What MPN11 said. Best of luck to the young lady.

Regt? Nightmare. I only wish I hadn’t wasted all those years.. instead, I may have made something of my life.

Waiting for the incoming, but I joined the Royal Air Force because I wanted to work on aircraft. All the Rocks I encountered in 28 years service were always looking to put one over on us Penguins! I have always wondered why someone who wants to be an infantryman joins the RAF? In this case I would have thought that 3rd Bn Royal Anglian Regt (The Steelbacks) would have been a better option. Just my opinion!

Good to see mention of ACM Sir Michael Knight - an exceptionally fine VSO. I remember him seeing him stride into a reception at Barksdale AFB in 1980 in flying kit, having piloted a Vulcan over the Pond with O/C Scampton, and remarking "Dry old do, this". He saw to it that it didn't remain that way much longer. Spotted him looking sprightly at breakfast in the RAF Club three or four years ago.

Not just those joining the Regt, I once sat next to the (civvy) OC Supply at a training base (BFT) at a formal lunch, she had recently retired from the RAF after 30-something years and joined the contractor company running the base’s support services. She informed me, with no hint of irony and some pride, that this was the first station she’d served at that had a runway.

Why she hadn’t just joined Boots or another non-aviation related company I was to shocked to ask.

I was a founder member, permanent staff, of 2503 RAuxaf Sqn in 1979. The only advice I would offer is, listen, ask, soak up everything and above all, maintain a sense of humour. Good luck and thank you.
Paul

Oddly enough there is a lot more to being a Rock than simply being an infantryman, those in the 70’s to 80’s at Odiham used to drive and operate the aircraft bowsers on the Sqns, plus aid / enhance site protection when the squadrons deployed to the field, the couple I knew were really nice guys, had their para wings etc and one eventually left to go onto armour when the Regiment got Scorpions. Those at Brize operated Rapier etc.

So not bog standard cannon fodder.

Point taken, but for her it was only ever going to be RAF if anything ...........if I can claim my being attached to [rather than of], the RAF more or less continuously for 41 years, she is 4th generation. A privileged day at Coningsby in early Typhoon days put her off following GPA into the Met.Office [!], and impressed her deeply with the quality of the serving people and the station.

We shall see..

Just watch out for mortars or launching equipment.

Quite true in the 1990's I've worked with a number of Rocks that had done CVRT (Armour), normal Field Squadron, 2 Squadron (para) and Rapier at some point of their career.

I know a Rock who joined the RAF to operate Rapier and shoot aircraft down!!!

He could have joined the Royal Artillery..... they operate Rapier!

Not the Rocks I knew at Odious in the early mid 80’s. Also, if they wanted to play with tanks there were plenty in the Royal Tank Regt at the time!

Re #38
Remember Aden ? The Northumberland Fusiliers needed artillery; the boy with the armored car needed permission from on high before he could shoot:it never came and a lot of Fusiliers died, needlessly. IF a weapon may be authorized then you want it on site and present an officer with authority to say,"Shoot."