I reckon there's a few of us might know each other from a previous life and some of you guys are still serving. Lets have a roll-call. When, what, where, why did you leave (if applicable), what are you doing now. Glad you did it, regrets etc too for the really misty eyed.

Me first

1992-96, Captain, Royal Highland Fusiliers, UK, Germany, Bosnia, NI. Glad I joined, glad I left, now working in a bank in London.

1974-1982 RE Diver. NI x 3, Germany x a lot, Gib, Canada.
Work here: http://www.intersense.com/
"Glad I joined, glad I left" Right on.

Jeepers, engineer diver is a proper job

What did you guys do in Germany? Often wondered as alot of soldiers say they've gone there…

What did you guys do in Germany? Often wondered as alot of soldiers say they've gone there…

What did you guys do in Germany? Often wondered as alot of soldiers say they've gone there…

1971 – 1981 Royal Signals TE Technician; telephones, exchanges, crypto kit, computers
3 years college at Harrogate
3.5 years West Germany, 2 Armoured Div, Bunde; mobile divisional comms for the general staff
1 year trade upgrade Catterick
3 years NI, can't tell you what I did otherwise I'd have to kill you. 😉

Somerset & Cornwall Light Infantry
1960-1962

Watching the Russians so you youngsters can surf in safety 😉

http://www.scli.co.uk

Before Afghanistan was invented…

http://www.scli.co.uk/pages/aden.htm

1985-86 junior leaders regiment royal artillery, bramcote barracks.
86-91 40 fd regiment royal artillery haig barracks hohne.
with NI,gulf war 1 and a few batus trips thrown in.

Lowly STAB scaley linesman (TA Signals)

Would have liked to have gone full time, but the onset of psoriasis forestalled any future mil career.

As such my service extended to the useful skill of put tent up, stag on, take tent down, move two miles down road and repeat process 😆

The day after my Second Officer interview in 1989, I was offered PHD funding for 3 years. That took me down completely different route. Glad I missed the Gulf War 1 though!

1988-2000 RAF Regiment Various roles, Sqns and attachments including UK special forces CSAR, FAC laser target marking for CAS, door gunner, a few training and Aux establishments, UN duties, postings and ops/dets include…

Germany
Scotland
South East England
Falkland Islands x2
NI x6
Bosina (worst place ever)
Iraq (attachment to 1st Arm Div as part of forward recce screen)
Saudi
Kuwait
Norway
France
Italy
Belgium
Switzerland
Holland
Belize
North Africa
West Africa
USA

I think thats it…

Lots of nice places on R&R, competitions and stopovers etc. Lots of shite training areas, UK and abroad. I suppose you could argue that I was not technically a "soldier" more of an Airman 🙄

Enjoyed most of it, had some great times and some very bad times, some of it will stay with me for ever. Finally decided to call it a day when my time was up, as around 9 months away every year was getting a bit much and I wanted to see my daughters grow up.

Germany
[b]Scotland
South East England
Falkland Islands x2
NI x6
Bosina (worst place ever)
Iraq (attachment to 1st Arm Div as part of forward recce screen)
Saudi
Kuwait
Norway
France
Italy
Belgium
Switzerland
Holland
Belize
North Africa
West Africa
USA

I think thats it…

Ace- Sparky you survived the south East and Scotland, now that is Brave,

ICATQ……

Beachrider was in the army at the same time as my dad, yet my old man sure couldnt get his leg over a MTB! (he's 71)

No Bootnecks? Lycra, mud…….man-nakedness? Every Marine I knew had a mtb, windsurf, canoe at the very least. I bet they have carabiners on their Camelbacks…..

RN 94-99
comms operator
Submarines
Scotland, Faslane
Scotland, Faslane
Scotland, Faslane
Scotland, Faslane
Scotland, Rosyth

I joined for the variety it would offer me. Went to the USA once (for 4 months) I took mtb trusty 1992 Raleigh Amazon MTB with me to Fasrain, did loads of riding locally, sadly the bike never made it back over the border. Swopped it for a lift home one weekend.

Old enough for it to have been just another job, not my defining moment. 🙂

(I bet they have carabiners on their Camelbacks…..)

Wonderful observation, I'm affraid I'm having a guilty chuckle here, though I wasn't in the Marines. Still got one on my Springers lead though.

Caribiners….GRRRRRRRRRHHHHHH