Recent Blog Posts

Thanks

First of I would like to thank those of you, who have taken the time to offer your support and advice. Very surprised at the response and very encouraged.

Letting go

I have thought about my last day now, for the last year, and have felt dread ever since.
I have delayed and delayed my resettlement and devoted my time to my Troop, Bty and my Regiment. It’s hard to let go!!

Why is it hard to let go?

My Troop needs me, my Bty needs me, my Regt needs me, or do they?

I suppose I have to look at the way I manage my Troop. I lose soldiers all the time from the Troop; I have never thought this Troop will not function when a soldier leaves. Most of the time his or her replacement fits in without no disruption and performs just as well and sometimes better. As will my replacement.

Belonging

I could write a book about what it means to be part of HM Forces and still not get my point across to those who have not experienced it.

It’s about pain. You’re on a hard long tab (a fast walk with heavy packs for all you civvies reading this), you are all sweating, you’re back and feet are hurting and all you want to do is say F*** this and stop! But you don’t, because its about pride and loyalty in yourself and those around you.

It’s about laughter. I had a soldier who was blown up and dying, his team were doing all they could to save him. He looks over to his leg lying about 10 ft way and asks his team commander to pass him his leg. He passes his leg to his mate and says ‘give me a leg up mate’. Funniest thing they ever heard. This soldier is lying on the ground and lost his leg but still has the courage and commitment to make sure his team were ok.

I belong to all this and it’s hard to let go. You are a part of tradition, a part of history and it makes you feel important and you belong to something special.

There is hope

I will lose all the above when I leave HM Forces and no longer be part of it. I hope the ex-military community can offer some sort of substitute and I believe it can after hearing Richard Kemp CBE speech at the BFRS event in Aldershot on the 4th.

I plan to write this Blog for the next year of my life, submitting a few Blogs each month. These will be about me leaving the only life I’ve known and loved and moving on to the unknown. I will soon be a civvy and this scares the Sh*t out of me.

An intro, so you know a little about me

I joined the Army as a boy soldier in 1987, which meant I did a year and a half for the Queen. I joined my regiment in the September of 88 as a gunner in The Royal Regiment of Artillery, and have slowly risen to the rank WO2 (TSM).

I completed my first tour of NI at the age of 18, which to be honest is why I joined the Army. First ever patrol saw me blown off my feet by an IED and landing in a bin. The first thing I thought was ‘I hope no one saw me fall in the bin’. Then panic like a headless chicken (for all of 5 secs which seemed like 5mins), until the Troop Sgt started giving orders, which installed calm and order until now.

Panic

I don’t want start running around like a headless chicken when I leave the Army. I also know there’s not going to be any Tp Sgt to give me any orders. As a TSM it’s me who installs order and calm to my soldiers. I love seeing them grow into mature and confident men and women through the experience I have gained. I wish I could find that Tp Sgt so he could give me a few orders on how to be a civvy, he would soon install calm and order once again.

Transition

I hope by writing this Blog for the next year, it will show how to get through this transition. I hope future forces personnel can learn through my experiences, and the advice past service leavers can offer me. I hope their transition process can help my transition from a soldier to a civilian.

With so much happening in all our lives, plus business & economic concerns at home and abroad, I thought I would leave a positive note and reminder for all our UK members and hopefully all our members & visitors, about a sporting event on Sunday!

Great Britain has been waiting 74 years for a male Grand Slam winner in tennis, and Andy Murray is just one match away after reaching his maiden Australian Open final.

Having only dropped one set in his progression to the final, can he achieve this prestigious place in British sporting history? Maybe there could be less pressure from the media furore that our British stars receive at Wimbledon? Sunday morning on BBC2 (approx 08.30hrs) will reveal all!

We must not forget as well, Laura Robson, just 16 years old, who has stormed into the final of the Australian Open girl’s singles, winning her quarter-final & semi-final matches in just 108 minutes!

Good luck Andy and Laura!!

The UK’s inflation has increased at its fastest annual rate for nine months in the month of December to 2.9%. It was also the steepest climb from one month to the next since records began according to the Office of National Statistics.

What could the implications be in this unprecedented rise for business, the individual and our economic recovery?

Increased wage demands? Will living standards be affected? Interest rates? Or is it just a short glitch in our inflationary figures that we should not concern ourselves with? (As chief economists and the Bank of England suggest - BBC News)
Another consideration for when January’s figure is published is the VAT increase back to 17.5%

What is your view as a business professional, employee, job seeker or as an individual?

How much is this affecting local authorities budgets? Constant gritting, substantial extra man-hours clearing/gritting the roads and some pavements? Plus the aftermath of when the snow clears with many hundreds of potholes on the roads appearing?

With schools being closed, but supermarkets open within close vicinity, parents have had to take time off work: Health & safety madness?

‘School Snow Days’ or ‘Snow related excuses for getting into work,’ how has that affected your business as we try to creep out of the recession?

When it eventually clears, what will the cost be for business and local councils alike?

A number of groups have sprung up since this has been reported on. Some of these groups are controlled. Many are racist and are inciting violence. How much can GB take before we see running battles on the UK streets?

How do I as an individual make my views clear on the ISLAM4UK MARCH?

Do I join the thousands of (potential) UK non-Muslims at Wootton Bassett in protest against the march as it takes place?

Will I be classed as a racist?

There will be white extremists at the march (no better than Islamic-extremists) they will incite Hate, Violence etc.

We are all entitled to our own opinions and views; the question is how far we allow these to be expressed.

The divide is growing each day, what needs to be done? Who is going to do it?

The Prince, patron of Centrepoint, was aiming to raise public awareness of the homeless charity's work. But its chief executive - who joined William and his private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton on the sleep-out near Blackfriars bridge last Wednesday - revealed that a roadsweeper nearly ran them all over. Seyi Obakin, who had challenged Wills to experience being homeless for one night, said: "It was a scary experience out in the elements but the Prince was determined to do it."

BITTER


Mr Obakin said: "We took precautions - finding a secluded spot in an alley shielded by wheelie bins.


"But there was no shielding from the bitter cold or the concrete floor or the fear of being accosted by drug dealers, pimps or those out to give homeless people a good kicking.


"One of the hairiest moments was when we were almost run over by a roadsweeper. It shows how vulnerable rough sleepers are."

The trio got little sleep and at 6am William, 27, was taken to see other homeless kids - and cooked breakfast for some at a charity centre. He said later: "I can't, after one night, even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough on London's streets night after night.

"But I hope that by deepening my understanding I can help the most vulnerable on our streets."

His interest in Centrepoint, which has its 40th anniversary this year, was inspired by his mother Diana. She was also its patron and often took William and his brother Harry on her visits to the homeless.
I'm sure the Prince handled it exceptionally well, but there are those that will readily criticise and say " it is easy to sleep rough for one night", it might be easy to sleep rough for one night, but personally I would expect him to be out any longer, the fact that he has done it will have created a considerable amount of publicity, that will put the issue at the front of peoples minds.

 It seems like the ideal opportunity to point people in the direction of the Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation, our chosen charity.  www.oswaldstoll.org.uk  

The UK National Defence Association (UKNDA) – which campaigns in support of Britain’s Armed Forces – is calling on the Government to re-think its approach to defence funding and to hold back from making any cuts to military spending unless and until a full Defence Review has been undertaken and funding priorities have been properly decided.

With the Defence Secretary expected to announce major cutbacks in Britain’s front-line military capabilities this afternoon, including the closure of air bases and reductions in Armed Forces manpower, in order to divert resources to British operations in Afghanistan, the UKNDA says that the Prime Minister must be prepared to find the money for Britain’s Afghan mission without raiding the core defence budget.

Cdr John Muxworthy RN, Chief Executive of the UKNDA, said: “These arbitrary cuts in our defence capabilities are hasty and ill-conceived. While Afghanistan is at last beginning to receive the force levels and support required to enable us to take the conflict to the enemy, this is being done at the expense of the wider and longer-term security of the country.

“Even if operations in Afghanistan were to be completed tomorrow, the threats in the rest of the world have not gone away, and the counter-insurgency posture specific to Afghanistan is of little use if we have to confront a peer competitor. At present, whole capabilities of conventional war-fighting have been lost or reduced to token strength and the expertise that played such a crucial role in both Gulf wars is now slipping away.”

He added: “All political parties acknowledge the need for a proper Defence Review where resources are honestly matched to security threats. But to cut a further £1.5bn, on top of the £2Bn last year, is a Defence Review via the back door. The aim, surely, is to be strong enough to deter war, not to appear weak and then have to fight an expensive war in 10 years time. Or are we to repeat the mistakes of the 1930s, when Britain neglected its defence, and risk similar appalling consequences?”

Members of our Armed Forces possess critical skills and are fully trained to deliver, often under duress. They have built-in reliability and an unquestioning work ethic. They are literally an army of skills.... with electricians; IT experts; catering personnel; medical and nursing staff; motor, aircraft and civil engineers; drivers; navigators; and electronic technicians forming just a few of the skill sets available from among the estimated 20,000 men and women leaving HM Forces each year, at the end of their commission.

Ex-military personnel are highly skilled, highly trained and diligent they are used to dealing with a wide range of situations that require adaptability, ingenuity and integrity. Ex forces are also excellent team players with a strong work ethic. These are the basis of any successful business, but finding them is difficult, expensive and time consuming.

Why would you not want to hire a Service Leaver?

Military expertise and commitment to getting the job done in the wake of the devastating Cumbria floods has thrown transferable skills of services personnel into the spotlight.

Harry Dean, director of Gemini Forces, said military intervention to build a temporary footbridge spanning the River Derwent in Workington was the perfect illustration of the skills of forces personnel can be transferred seamlessly into the civilian environment.

In Workington, the logistic support bridge will provide a vital connection between the north and south sides of the town. They were cut off from each other after the Workington Bridge was destroyed and the Calva Bridge suffered significant structural damage from the floods.

It involved around 200 soldiers from the Royal Engineers, Royal Logistics Corps, Royal Signals and Royal Military Police to prepare the site, transport the bridge sections and build it.

Mr Dean, who served in the Army for 30 years before moving into the recruitment industry, said: “Ex-services personnel possess a broad spectrum of skills which can be used in both combat and non-combat situations. The work in Workington highlights just how transferable those skills are, from engineering to logistics and project management.”

Leicester-based Gemini Forces, part of Gemini Resourcing UK Ltd, specialises in helping ex-services personnel find employment when they return to civilian life, particularly in the Health & Safety, environmental, aviation, facilities management, project management and defence consultancy sectors.

Mr Dean added employers that have embraced taking on ex-services personnel had reaped the rewards of gaining highly-skilled employees with high levels of commitment and loyalty.

“When we approach civilian organisations, they tend to think ex-forces people will be ideal for security roles, for example,” he said.

“Some also have the initial opinion that while they might look good on paper, they lack commercial experience. They soon realise though that there’s far more to ex-service personnel than they first think and when we have placed a candidate in a role, employers frequently say to us ‘what a difference they’re making’.

“The qualities ex-forces personnel possess include loyalty, commitment and time management which are the cornerstones of any business. They won’t down tools just because it’s the end of their shift. They will finish the job which, in our experience is why civilian employers use them time and again.

“Gemini Forces looks at what a candidate has done and what trades they have before translating it into a CV to use in the civilian world, creating a win, win situation for candidates and employers alike.”