Medals

This is triggered off by a comment from Texpat re -Prince Harry polishing his medals he got for breathing etc - I do hope it was tongue in cheek !

Having worked with , and for, various armies around the 1st , 2nd , 3rd and sometimes the 4th world, between 1978 and 1999 I have always been amazed by the blazing array of medal ribbons that some seemingly lowly ranks wore.

I cant remember the actual names of the medals but where I saw them and what I was told they were for but some of them were -

Abu Dhabi

Completing basic training
Being a participant in the Sultans Birthday parade
Performing the Hadj to Mecca
Attending a parachuting course ( not actually having to jump out of an aeroplane)

Yemen

Long service ( 3 years)
Being stationed on the N/S Yemen border
Firing a weapon in a conflict situation
Being a member of the Honour Guard that welcomed dignitaries at the Airport

Peru

Being a member of an Anti Shining Path patrol - outside of Lima
Being a member of the presidents escort at official functions
Driving the Pan American Highway on anti bandit patrol
Manning a coastguard post

Morocco

Participating in the National day parade
Completing a desert warfare course ( fekin 'ell its all desert there ! LOL)
Lining the streets during visits of heads of state

Mozambique

Completing basic training
Attending the election rally for the president
Being seconded to the Paramilitary police

Tanzania

Being assigned to Tourist protection duties in the Serengetti Wildlife Reserve(best job in the world!!)
Patrolling Lake Victoria on a gunboat ( made huge amounts of cash by netting fish in disputed territorial waters !)
( you have gotta luv 'em )


I could go on but would like some feedback

I am saving my favourite for later!

^ I've got a few boy scout badges, do they count? :bunny3:

Harry will get a campaign/ active service medal- thats for being there. Everyone that was there will.
I don't know whether he will receive a 'distinguished service' type medal or not.

I think pretty much everyone knew he was there or in Iraq anyway. The suspicious lack of photos of him falling out of nightclubs over the last few months pretty much gave the game away. :bunny3:

You can buy your own medals at Pattaya police station, they got a lorry that turns up once per week and sells all the police stuff, think they even have medals for tieing your own shoelaces.

I think I quite fancy being Lord Chinthee. How much to buy one of those babies now? Do I need to buy an old moldy Castle too?

I've got a slew of medals I'd love to sell to the highest bidder.

PM me for specifics and prices. I have the citations for each. KSR specialists can overlay your name. Ray, you're familiar with the process, can you suggest a printing office?

If any of them were worth a shit I'd not likely be a bitter, crusty, retiree posting on this poxy forum! :)

before any of you ****s get all excited, I was a voluntary, honorable retiree

OK!
Here is my favourite

Was based in Cyprus contracted to Brit Army and was an honoury member of the Sargeants mess.
My best friend was an ex- miner and a hard bastard in the REME, with Belize and the Falklands campaign behind him ( and half his left foot after stepping on a "toe popper")
We had a group of US soldiers there on R&R and over drinks in the bar John ( my mate) was going down the slab of ribbons on the equally hard US Marine Sargeants uniform .
Came to one and asked " whats that one for?"
Reply was "crossing the Atlantic in the service of my country"
Johns immediate response was "f*ckin hell - did you have to swim all the way ! "
We all pissed ourselves laughing - and luckily the American chap also saw the funny side.
Large Jack Daniels all round ! :rofl:

No offence to the Americans on the board, but it was always the standing joke when I was in the mob that the Americans used to get a medal for standing in the NAAFI queue for to long. Done 7 years myself and not one medal to show.

Yeah, funny stories all around with ribbons. Medals are a different story. You can get a ribbon for wiping your ass. A medal translates into promotion points.

A 20-year US jarhead has 10 or 12 ribbons. A 20-year Air Force guy might have double that.

Medals are different than ribbons.

In any case, whatever the minimum requirements, minimun time on station, minumum time in country ... Harry's in like a Englishman off the Dubai Express into Bangers. He's a hero before his time.

It's a disgustingly embarassing process, much like academy cadets being shuffled up through the ranks. Everyone pretends like it doesn't occur while applauding the 98 percent on-time promotion rates... not that I'm bitter... :)

Na, in the UK to get medals you got to kill 20 johnny foreigners with your bare hands whilst under fire, and then, carry all the rest of your dead platoon back single handely, in America they just got to turn up to get a medal :)

So how many you got DD?

From what I reckon, you kill a lot more than you save. :)

Do battle scars count? I got lots of those.

The one on your right calf from a Honda Wave exhaust pipe count for nil.
Any others?

^^^None for me, don't think the army etc would have let me join :(

^ There was always the French Foreign Legion, DD ;)

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Originally Posted by chinthee

Do battle scars count? I got lots of those.

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The ones on your wallet dosent count....:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dirtydog

don't think the army etc would have let me join

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No shit Sherlock....:)

Have a dozen. Eight for showing up and/or doing my job. One for not raping a Japanese school girl, stealing from the church collection box, or giving the CO a melvin. One for forgetting to duck. And two for choosing fight over flight. All of them a pain in the ass to keep clean!;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Happyman

Came to one and asked " whats that one for?" Reply was "crossing the Atlantic in the service of my country" Johns immediate response was "f*ckin hell - did you have to swim all the way ! " We all pissed ourselves laughing - and luckily the American chap also saw the funny side. Large Jack Daniels all round !

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brilliant!