This is going to upset some of you but i've no sympathy when i hear about Ex Forces are being treat.
I know a lot of them with lots of RAF bases round the place and most have settled into Local, Civilian life but some are the most Greedy, ignorant people you will come across.
They were happy to get behind Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and his views until the money ran out. They expect to be treated better than anyone else because of "i was in..." even though you spent 20 years in a Warehouse.
You'd hear from their friends in the media only Ex-Military end up on the streets.
My local team have a sponsor who are giving free tickets away to Armed Forces next weekend. nobody else. i'm glad we have organisations like the MFC Foundation who go out and help ALL members of the community. more than happy to contribute to them on Saturday.
Interesting post, and topic. As an ex forces member (9 years) I sort of agree in a general sense, and it's funny as I've had similar conversations like this with old forces mates at my regular forces reunions. It's not like this for everyone of course, but for a lot it is. Loads of people use the "ex forces" excuse, or like to drop in the "ex forces" line. It's the only trade I can think of, where previous employment seems to drive some sort of future right, it's odd.
When we had reunions, loads of us had seen ex-forces folk complaining, those who as we used to put it "talked a good war", for every 10 guys who actually talk up "how bad things were" from what I see maybe 10-20% were genuine that it was bad for them, or they were actually there at all. I've even known my mates try and claim to me they were at the same war/ base as me which was impossible, as we were literally the only ones there from the UK. It's like when everyone talks about being at that Pete Doherty/ Libertines Walk on gig at the Arena, I've probably seen people write or spoke to about 2000 people who claimed they were at that gig, yet I think at the time my mate said there was only about 100 people in there. I was actually meant to go, but was ill/ hungover.
It's funny, as when you're in the forces it seems quite bad (the basic training is), and hard (the basic training is), but only when you get out do you realise how easy it actually is for 90% of the time, and the risk free/ lack of stress of not getting sacked is something you don't even think about until you've left. The number of people who literally worked drunk 2-3 days a week (or slept at work, hidden by peers) would and should alarm most people. Same as those like me who barely worked a Wednesday as they were either good at sport or picked a sport which nobody else did, which got me/ them the day off. I've been told it's not the same now, as it was when I was in, but that's a good thing to be honest, which I can only say based on reflection.
It's mad, we had like nearing £1500 a month disposable income, paiud about £60 a month for accommodation anbd £100 for food, and at the time that seemed like a bad deal
Loads of people go into forces as they've not other choice to do anything else, and when they join up they join a trade with no prospects coming out, and don't even try and train for something or learn something which will help on the outside, it's nuts. Then when they do come out they get shocked that nobody wants to offer them 20-35k to drink tea, eat egg banjos and play table football.
There's lads I know who stayed in, were complete **** heads and liabilities and they still somehow got promoted enough to ensure 22 years employment, and they come out the forces at 40 on a full pension, crazy.
People seem to talk like wars of the 90's and 00's etc were the same intensity as those fighting in the Falkland's or WW2 etc, but it's just not the case. Same as 90% of the forces is practically support staff for the 10% who carry 99% of the risk, and these are the folk who often don't complain about anything, ever.
Sure, there are very rare occasions where people have been very employable prior to going in the forces, then gone very front line, then got medically discharged and been unemployable but the numbers on this have to be insanely low.
Another thing about the forces is it was extremely racist, sexist and homophobic too, and crazy with bullying, which I didn't seem to notice at the time, maybe as it was so rife. Yet, now I'm out there's the group of lads who I still see who are absolutely not racist/ sexist etc, yet we all recall loads of others who were (who we don't invite on reunions etc). Eventually I think you learn that you don't have to put up with that crap.
Sunak's excuse and words are bull**** mind, that shouldn't even be coming into the line of thinking.
