putteesinmyhands said:
The Infantry soldier doesn't need to be able to spell or construct sentences.
Being able to read, understand and interpret written instructions may be a requisite. It's a poor term and I'm sorry if it offends, but the infantry soldier needs to be weeded out and put where he belongs.
The result is that the bloke who would be better suited to being Infantry (a noble profession) is a fish out of water and his instructors despair because his academic skills prevent him keeping up with the rest of his peers.
A very good post, and please excuse me for snipping it. I am assuming from the second sentence, firsr para in my "snipped" quote above, that you are suggesting that the originator of this thread is an infantryman? [ see my bold].
He seems unable to write, even basic English, so we must assume then that he is an infantryman...according to the logic you posit.
Of course not, he's probably what passes for an officer these days,in some corps or other, and yet, his English makes no sense, despite us knowing what he means. (Mind you, I had to read it a couple of times).
Fie, and alack, it would seem he is some sort of support arms wallah, and yet, he can't write properly, despite your implying that you and your ilk are naturally brighter than infantrymen.
Writing reasonably well, leads to thinking reasonably well, and as an enlisted man, as I was, I would worry if this man were leading me. I'd follow him nowhere, since, as he can't seem to put a sentence together, why would I believe that he can, as they say in the A Team, "put a plan toghether" or more importantly, execute it.
Infantrymen do not need to be "weeded out" as you well know, having described it as a "poor term".
You described being an infanteer as "noble proffession"; I'm not sure how noble it is, at times, but the requirement for intantrymen, which I can't see going away, means that the rest of you will have jobs for years to come. Which is great, for you.
Infantry is what the army is all about. Seize, dominate and hold ground. You can't do that from a sigs tent. You can't even to it from a tank/horse/Rover/lorry. Not properly. You have to use Shank's Pony.
Everyone
else should be "weeded out";
"Those who don't want to be in a fighing unit stand fast, everyone else one step forwrd MARCH".
There are a great many bright people in the infantry. I know you know this, given your "poor term" and "noble" sayings, infact, you were even kind enough to describe what we do as a "proffession", and I sense that you realise that the infantry is the
raison d'etre of any army worth their salt, and most certainly ours.
Some of the infantry are even bright enough to have used TDEDs and 319s, and I am sure that this ability continues in the post Clansman era, although I wouldn't know. Some of them can even shoot straight. I'm sure that skill still prevails.
Some of them even read books for fun.
Some of them join the infantry because they feel drawn to an area that is represented by a fighting county regiment, and are prepared to fight for it, as opposed to supplying various "services" , from some corps, to those who make themselves available for a bit of srcapping.
If they're not "from" such an area, and actually everyone is, especially in these days of the new "super-county/region regiments" , even now they can join and train to fight, if that is their fancy.
Unfortunately, most young men dinnae wanna.
And yet, some join because they would be bored employing the skills required to do bottlewashing/signalling/driving/ordnance supply or any of the other menial/unchallenging tasks presented to troops in a non-fighting unit.
If you are in London on Sunday the 15th, just over a week from today, please feel free to come to the CIRA parade ( Comined Irish Regemints' Association ) not to be confused with the CIRA ( Continuity Irish Republican Army ).
You may be surprised, Actually, no you won't; for we're all as daft as brushes. We'll pretend to be stupid, just for you, but be noble about it. You're right; it is a noble thing to do.
Most of us, despite being (mainly) infantrymen ( a few poofy-Irish_cav type Generals on pde), are only half-intelligent. This is compounded because we are Irish, which means, at best, we are only a quarter intelligemtent. <howas dat schpelt Seamus?>..
Were we English, we would of course conquer the entire world...oh, hang on, didn't that already happen, haven't youse lot already done tha'?