Grand-daughter joining Rock Ape Reserve.
 

What do I say to her?

Her G-Gpa served as RAFVR in WW II, i/c a barrage balloon, Coventry Blitz, Suez 3 years, D Day ships, her G-pa spent 41 years attached RAF [medical reject], her uncle was Regiment at Scampton as Aux. gunner .....
she is nearly 6ft, has a good 2:1, a good job, early 20s, fit as a flea, and wants adventure and challenge. Employer, a multi-national, entirely happy with the idea.

A part of me is delighted:: she did the aptitude thing and could have applied for any Reserve trade, got a massive score but insists on the Regiment.

Any advice please? Not that I dare give advice unless solicited.!

My advice?
 

Say good luck and congratulations.

BV

What he said.

Nothing wrong with that. Some of my best friends were Regt.

Outstanding, and best wishes to her.

When our niece decided to be a full-time Firefighter, the whole family raised their eyebrows ... and then simply accepted that it’s her life! She’s now in her 40s, still FF-ing, with a husband and an awesome daughter.

Having served 37 years as an RAF Regt officer including 2 years as Adjt of 2624 Sqn RAuxAF Regt, 1. congratulate her on her choice, 2. continue to encourage her, 3. PM me if you want to discuss anything in confidence.

Batco

Nothing that might annoy her would be my advice:ok:

CG

That is most kind. I shall most certainly bear that in mind.

BV was quick in there, the consensus appears overwhelming. I might consider asking how good her current job is and if she's interested in a full time position.

Supply chain specialist for a big multi national working from home for a full year having been picked as one of five from 200 who were interviewed. I am sure she is craving for company of her own age ....................... did a gap year after A levels at chalet and hotel work in Switzerland, just missed a First.
Obviously one thinks Commission? A year with the Regiment might or might not suggest such a course ............... we shall see.

Very best of luck to her!

A niece of mine starts ATC Pirbright in mid-May and is thoroughly looking forward to it! Looking at the YouTube videos of Army recruit training, it seems excellent and I hope that your grand-daughter enjoys similarly excellent basic training.

Nephew is full time Rock Ape and spends most of his time at home with his parents. Starting to get the name Private Pike.

Good for her, one hopes she gets as much out of it as she puts in... Kudos to her.

What BV said. Sounds like an awesome young lady, and must make you proud.

What do you say to her? Encourage her of course!

There's no reason why a woman can not serve in the Rocks - they've recently garduated the first female Rock Officer at Honington.

As an ex "Oggie" (16 years served, at the other BZN-based Sqn, not Regt) I'd say to her to go for it and the opportunities it might present. I'm sure it's still true that she will get to do things (or choose to) that you never would in civilian life.

Having a supportive employer is very important, although legislation in place today should mean it should be a lot less stressful than it was when I was mobilised for Op Granby in '91 (I had a very supportive US Corp as my employer, who had a policy on reservist mobilisations - a lot of my colleagues were less fortunuate, putting it mildly).

I would also say that a supportive immediate family (if applicable) is equally important - bearing in mind that a lot of your spare time will be spent elsewhere/not doing family stuff.

The only advice I was expecting from some of the older PPRuNe hands was: "don't grow a beard". Fortunately the general consensus appears to be spot-on, for once :ok:

Reserve lady Rock.
 

Buy her a decent bottle of wine, sit back and listen to her recounting her adventures after a few months.
In the reserves, therefore retaining her day to day job whilst cramming in a few more interesting weeks and weekends than most of the people she sees 9-5 Monday to Friday, good combination.
Advice? Don't bore the daylights out of your 9-5 colleagues after a weekend exercise, they won't get it unless they've been involved at some point, answer if they ask, but don't push it, speak more about it if they sound interested. Good luck Grand-daughter. Branch/ trade is nothing to sweat about, LB.

Great advices, PPRUNERS, thank you very much.

Hoping/assuming she is accepted, I will write an update if there is anything to tell.

LB
get her to memorise this confession:-
"Yesterday, I could not spell Rock Ape. now I are one!"

Seriously, I deployed as a Stn Int Officer with a Laarbruch regiment to Banja Luqa, Bosnia, in 1996. My eyes were opened to the professionalism, dedication and effectiveness of the Cpls conducting the patrols, which was second to none. Indeed, it would have put a lot of other senior ranks/officers in other trades and branches to shame. It is unfortunate that most RAF people's experience of the Regt is at the annual gas and gun course, where the lecturers, usually Cpls, are constrained by having to adhere to the lecture packs with absolutely no deviation allowed. On Ops and outside the classroom, the Regt are the finest body of people to trust your life to in the defence of airfields. Encourage your grand-daughter to the best of your ability; she will not regret a moment, and maybe her skills would be better employed, as a graduate, in the Officer Corps.

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."