Merged Telegraph ACF Article

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/6543573/The-young-guns-of-the-Army-Cadet-Force-who-will-be-the-soldiers-of-tomorrow.html

I thought it was quiet a good article, some interesting stuff about the monetry cuts etc, but had to laugh at the following paragraph

"Each cadet carries a rifle (similar to Army-issue SA80s, though incapable of automatic fire) and 30 rounds of blank ammunition. 'Do not be fooled by the word “blank”,’ Staff Sergeant Instructor Ian Reddy warns. Blanks spit tongues of fire and make the echoing crack of a live bullet. Anyone within 50 yards could be injured."

 

A good article. I think the journo captured the duplicity of the current government's policy.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/6543573/The-young-guns-of-the-Army-Cadet-Force-who-will-be-the-soldiers-of-tomorrow.html

 

Good article, made valid points regarding the money spent by the government should be seen as youth services/community project money, although we need the MOD to give us the cash to stay inside the army loop!
Unfortunately I think the point about adults leaving in droves is correct if the MOD takes away PTDs for good in April.
SSI Ian Reddy gets a little excited doesnt he!!
Oh and standby for the w*nkers on this site!!!

 

BB Jr1 is about to join the ACF. A positive article. The Police Cadets are the only organisation we are aware of that advertise for older kids in Jr's high school. Making kids and parents more aware of the ACF through schools and that they can join in their 13th year would be great.

 

Fantastic article, promotes the ACF very well.

 

They are probably starting up there walt and wannabe comment dispensing programs as we type.

 

I hope they just took the BFAs and yellow-tape mags off for the photo ...

Otherwise cadet H&S is more lenient than army H&S and that's just wrong.

Good article, though.

 

Idrach,

Those are L98A1 rifles, and as such were never issued with BFAs (have no way of attaching them) or the yellow striped magazines. Hants and IOW won't be getting the L98A2, with the new BFA and associated magazines, until sometime the New Year.

Brilliant article.

 

If you notice they are using cadet L98 rifles in the pic, so no BFA can be fitted anyway, and the cadets dont use yellow magazines on those rifles when firing blank.

 

So why do folk think there are so many girls in the ACF/CCF? I went to my old schools CCF reunion and around half the cadets where girlies...and whats more, they picked up the prizes for BEst Cadet, Best Shot, Best Turnout and Best Backside

 

Very good writing, balanced and objective.

Shame the MoD is cutting funding, the Cadet Forces do help local Community Safety Partnerships to meet their targets in reducing petty crime and gets young people away from the influence and causes of crime (alcohol, drugs and substance abuse)

 

I think girls are more natural joiners. They find it easier to be enthusiastic about things - 'Girly swot'. I'm told by a teacher friend that almost all school clubs/activities will have more girls than boys with exception of rugby.

On the downside they are more questioning. Boys may be rebellious but they don't really question why they should polish their boots - girls question everything.

 

That's the best, and probably the only, decent article I've ever read about the ACF or indeed any of the cadet forces. It's accurate, informative and honest. No surprise it's in the Telegraph, about the only readable and accurate paper left in Britain.

I find the girls are generally a lot less bolshie than the boys. Sometimes they need a greater push to get them started, but once they overcome their doubts, they have considerably fewer admin dramas than the boys.

Apart from my current det (35 boys, 3 girls) unit, all the others I have been in are pretty much 55/45% in favour of the girls. One det I was in had only one boy for a time, and he loved it, because all the older girls 'mothered' him, as he put it.

Jammy Git

 

The question should be why are there so few girls since they make up slightly less than 1/2 of the teenage population. That's a different discussion though.

Looks like someone in Hants & IoW has some pull to get so much time out of one of the Nationals. I'm not sure if I read too much between the lines but it sounds like some red book rules were stretched a little over blank & daylight. Perhaps something like first aid should also have been pushed for balance?

Who would keep a tally of kids in care on their unit strength, unless it was one platoon next door to the local care home? Sounds like a bit of poetic licence.

I'm not aware of any disabilities policy, over and above the medical restrictions for asthma etc - perhaps this highlights a "duty of care" failing at the top rather than a positive attitude?

Some of the other reader comments are entertaining too.

Is manoeuvre too hard for journo to spell?