Growing a Set

[higthepig]

Heard this snippet on the radio to-day when driving to walk the dog.

The RAF ground forces are being advised to grow a beard before they go out to Iraq etc.

An RAF spokesman at RAF Lossiemouth said it may help them to blend in.

What next a Camel?

You couldn`t make it up.

 

[moondog]

Blend in! Why?. They are there to guard an airfield,not to go on undercover ops in the casbah!!

 

[Oil_Slick]

I say Binky… Do you think a set will help me blend in out in the sandy places?

Doubt it Wodger… the golf clubs tend to give the game away

 

[spider_monkey]

This beard is so not me...

 

[spider_monkey]

Good job I've got this beard; without it my cover story of missing the last motorway exit in Kuwait would be blown out of the water :shock:

 

[andym]

Arent they the Underwood Twins in the Pic of the natty RAF gear?????

 

[SILVER_FOX]

... or bleedin Cotton Traders stuff. Have you seen the new stuff with the RAF target, MOD insignia or whatever it's called? They even do a Bikini - Ladies don't cause a stampede!!
:lol: :lol:

SF

 

[andym]

Id buy a T shirt with Douglas Bader on the front saying "Beware the Hun form the Sun" on it though,or the Wright Brothers looking at each other in front of the Flyer and one saying "It'll never bloody fly!"
Better still a copy of the Still from the film Battle of Britain of Susannah York in her suspies on the front!!!!

 

[Passed-over_Loggie]

Or the Wright Brothers checking each other for sharp objects or bottles of liquid?

 

[Stripey_G]

Some undercover RAF chappies in the countries shown.......

 

[wardmaster]

Some undercover RAF chappies in the countries shown.......

Old Riny Mitterhofer was killick of my mess.

 

[wave_dodger]

Anyone working outside of the wire in Afghanistan can grow a set crab or, pongo. The RAF are doing a cracking job providing Force protection for Kandahar airfield, their GD teams are great.

The main benefit of the set (apart from that extra 5 minutes in the sack) is that the locals have more respect for men with facial hair

 

[dondon]

Sorry could'nt grow a full set to save me life . :cry:

 

[dondon]

Sorry could'nt grow a full set to save me life . :cry:

 

[dondon]

Stutter theire methinks , sorry , off to bed ,

 

[HarryBosch]

The RAF are doing a cracking job providing Force protection for Kandahar airfield, their GD teams are great.

How does one do a cracking job defending Kandahar airfield? It's hardly being assaulted by waves of Taliban, is it

Anyway, there's no such thing as a "cracking guard duty" even when renamed Force Protection with a couple of 81mm chucked in :lol: :lol:

 

[wave_dodger]

Remember the rocket strikes that took out the Harriers?

Hmm, been there lately? noticed the enormous drop off in rockets and mortars compared to how it was last year? In my first week there early last year we'd have 2-3 strikes a night, later that year it was the same. Now its is 1-2 every 2-4 weeks. Accuracy and range are significantly reduced.

The SVIEBD, IED threat at the perimeter has also been greatly reduced. Well done the crabs and the other ISAF FP teams.

 

[wave_dodger]

GD isn't guard duty, its Ground Defence (or Ground Based Defence more correctly).

 

[HarryBosch]

Yes I know that, it's why I chucked in the comment about 81s. I read the initial beard growing report on the MOD News site. What a joke!

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/PeopleInDefence/BeardsAreTheWayForwardForAfghanboundRafGunners.htm

Talk the job up, why don't you! Even the CO says "It is essential that we win the hearts and minds of the local people, the majority of whom are friendly towards the NATO forces."

In short, the target of my sarcasm was 51 Sqdn's hyperbole i.e. epsecially when tying the issue (literally, methinks, lol) of beards with talk of 51 Sqdn "punching above it's weight", etc.

Of course defence of the airfield is important but in this context the whole beard growing shite is just that, shite. As moondog and others have suggested, guarding Khandahar is hardly dirty fighting out in the sticks. Anyway, I doubt the baddies will be overly impressed with Flt Lt Simon Hamilton's tidily cut little beard! It's got 'westerner' written all over it.

Finally, just to finish my rant, I'm always wary of this attempt at cross-cultural understanding. Royal did it in the early days by taking pressies to village meetings. It has always had the whiff of what the Edward Said called "orientalism" and reminds me of giving beads and mirrors to 'the natives'. Such patronsing actions have often blown up in our faces. (On a lighter note, I remember when the Guatemalans were about to invade Belize in the 70s. 40 cdo were to board Hermes or Bulwark, prior to which several of us from the unit were sent on basic med training for assisting births just in case whilst on Fighting or Recce patrols we came across "some Indian women in the uhluh who were pregnant". Ha Ha! What a joke. What a condescending and patronising attitude!).

Rant over. Am I still on thread?

 

[Always_a_Civvy]

Beware... pongos wearing dead animals in the Mideast...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/men/article2442003.ece