Where do you get your information?

ReacherCreature

I'm more of a browser than a poster here but the thread title is my question.

Looking through the Military forum, I see a lot of very knowledgeable folk post here. Where do you gain or have gained your information? College? Books? Television? Internet? Which have you found more preferable?

Just a curious question is all, if slightly odd!

iceage

I would hope that they had some basic Military experience..wouldn't you? I was in the boys brigade as a child, I think my Mum had a uniform fetish.

Local-womanizer

As Iceage has said,experience,although mine is limited to a certain extent.

Although others here are just born with it of course!

Manic Moran

Experience when it comes to modern military matters. Wargames, of all things, for history, otherwise books and the local museum.

If I am looking up something specific, I may well turn to the internet. I prefer subject fora like TankNet to sites like wiki if I can afford to wait a couple of days for an answer. I've also been known to purchase and download e-books if I'm in a hurry.

NTM

ReacherCreature

iceage wrote: »

I would hope that they had some basic Military experience..wouldn't you? I was in the boys brigade as a child, I think my Mum had a uniform fetish.

Oh I mean in different matters like the Israeli storming of the ships, conlict in Northern Ireland, should Iran be attacked etc. not just the threads about military enlistment. If that's what you mean.

tac foley

ReacherCreature wrote: »

Where do you gain or have gained your information?

Thirty-three years full-time service in the British Army, plus ten years working for the governments of Canada, Japan and the RoI, plus all the years of just futzing around guns of all kinds since age six.

Then, of course, there is the matter of my two areas of actual speciality interest and present occupation, in which I have a MSc added to a BSc[Hons] and a BA[Hons].

Add to that the fun stuff and a load of years doing it all, all over the civilised parts of the planet, and you have what I have.

tac

Poccington

I just thank the posts of people that know what they're on about, so it makes me look I know what I'm on about too.

Irish_Army01

tac foley wrote: »

Thirty-three years full-time service in the British Army, plus ten years working for the governments of Canada, Japan and the RoI, plus all the years of just futzing around guns of all kinds since age six.

Then, of course, there is the matter of my two areas of actual speciality interest and present occupation, in which I have a MSc added to a BSc[Hons] and a BA[Hons].

Add to that the fun stuff and a load of years doing it all, all over the civilised parts of the planet, and you have what I have.

tac

Wow 33 eh? must have been in an "interesting Unit" for ya to get 13 years Continuance :D

OS119

Irish_Army01 wrote: »

Wow 33 eh? must have been in an "interesting Unit" for ya to get 13 years Continuance :D

nah, he just had the goods on his RO!

tac foley

Irish_Army01 wrote: »

Wow 33 eh? must have been in an "interesting Unit" for ya to get 13 years Continuance :D

Officers in the BA don't usually retire until age 55, but I left early - in 2000. :=)

And yes, it was an interesting unit.

tac

Irish_Army01

tac foley wrote: »

Officers in the BA don't usually retire until age 55, but I left early - in 2000. :=)

And yes, it was an interesting unit.

tac

I see. Thanks for your reply..Sir:D

I thought you either were a WO and got commissioned at 22 years or was in a Unit that bypassed the 22 year rule.

tac foley

Irish_Army01 wrote: »

I see. Thanks for your reply..Sir:D

I thought you either were a WO and got commissioned at 22 years or was in a Unit that bypassed the 22 year rule.

Joined in Sept 1967.

Passed out as a technician in July 1968.

Transferred with total loss of rank in 1970.

Started again.

WO2 in 1982

WO1 in August 1984

Commissioned later in August 1984

Retired August 2000.

There ya go.

Not an average career, I'll admit. ;=)

tac

xflyer

ReacherCreature wrote: »

Oh I mean in different matters like the Israeli storming of the ships, conlict in Northern Ireland, should Iran be attacked etc. not just the threads about military enlistment. If that's what you mean.

That isn't just military it's also politics. Sometimes it's just an informed opinion based on experience or reading up on the topic. It's astonishing the level of knowledge you build up if you maintain an interest and an open mind. Mind you I'm not claiming any of the above. I have an interest in military and current affairs and I sometimes hang out with 'interesting' people.

But I stick my oar in, if I know something being discussed though I be slapped down for it sometimes. Mostly I just read what has been said by people here who clearly know what they are talking about and people like tac foley or manic moran who have been there, got the medal and formed an opinion based on their experiences. It's always interesting that quite often on boards like this the most informed and moderate opinions are held by people who have been shot at and have been to scary places. It's not just that though as MM points out he reads plenty of books.

This contrasts all too often with those who form an opinion and then ignore everything that contradicts it. They are easy to spot.

citizen_p

ReacherCreature wrote: »

Oh I mean in different matters like the Israeli storming of the ships, conlict in Northern Ireland, should Iran be attacked etc. not just the threads about military enlistment. If that's what you mean.

most people/ personal opinion, speculation, common interest in strategy, rights, conflict etc...

concussion

DF and DoD website, Dáil debates and nearly a Gb of manuals and documents provide 95% of my answers

PatsytheNazi

ReacherCreature wrote: »

I'm more of a browser than a poster here but the thread title is my question.

Looking through the Military forum, I see a lot of very knowledgeable folk post here. Where do you gain or have gained your information? College? Books? Television? Internet? Which have you found more preferable?

Just a curious question is all, if slightly odd!

You can get quite a lot form TV channels like Discovery etc. Their's a series called Weaponology which is quite good, though it usually presents a best case scenario for the weapons i.e. when showing a surface to air missile it presents the weapon as a flawless piece of engineering which always takes out the target, whithout mentioning the electronics and other gadgets to counter the SAM. )

Books are often quite good as well. As others will know here I have post often on the north ( and I will acknowledge Manic Moran has had to tap me on the wrist once or twice on some comments I had for our British friends !! ). Some of the knowledge I know has come from books, but it must be said when it comes to the north you have to be very particuliar who you read. SAS daring do books etc are little more than complete and total sh!te, as well as stories of British soldiers running into burning buildings in Derry saving babies etc :rolleyes: A very good and truthful book I'd recommend from a British soldiers point of view is Soldier of the Queen by Bernard O'Mahoney. Tim Pat Coogan's books are excellent, and ofcourse Tom Barry, Dan Breen etc

I don't want this to get into an ' I admire the IRA/I hate the IRA ' rant, I'm just giving my personal experiences of knowing some who were in it. I have made friends and worked with lads down the years from both sides of the border who were in the IRA. Most of them done jail terms etc though one or two were lucky to beat the charges. Their invovlement could have been anything form been a getaway driver and storing weapons, gathering intelligence etc None of them for obvious reasons want to get into the nitty gritty of what they got up. Very rearly when talking about the troubles they might briefly in a sentence or two mention some particulair aspect of the IRA that could only come from first hand knowledge without getting into the very serious stuff, e.g. been on an operation that they may directly have been invovled in killing semeone. Men who have been invovled in that level of violence don't gob off about it, leave that to Andy McNabb and co.

Certainly I never met one who talked daring do ( I know a BSer straight away, from either side of the border ) or glorifyed what he may have been up to nor for that matter was a sort of secterian psychopath who got a macho ego trip out of it. Almost all of them were decent men from working class backgrounds who only for the occupation of the six counties and all the thuggery and discrimination inflicted on the nationalists there for decades would probably would never have been invovled in any secret organisation.

ReacherCreature

Thanks for the replies folks. It's an interesting thing to read. Much obliged.

PatsytheNazi

tac foley wrote: »

Thirty-three years full-time service in the British Army, plus ten years working for the governments of Canada, Japan and the RoI, plus all the years of just futzing around guns of all kinds since age six.

Ooohhh, tac is only been bashful on how he gained his military knowledge, he didn't give you all of his details. His " father was imprisoned as a young man for burning down police barracks in Co Cork, and subsequently joined the Free State Army on his release. "

And " My maternal grandfather, W. V. Collins, a soldier in an Irish regiment, was killed in action 1917, "

And if that wasn't enough two of his " uncles died over Germany in 1944 " :eek:

Check it out -
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=67264946&postcount=75

Then, of course, there is the matter of my two areas of actual speciality interest and present occupation, in which I have a MSc added to a BSc[Hons] and a BA[Hons].

Add to that the fun stuff and a load of years doing it all, all over the civilised parts of the planet, and you have what I have.

tac

God your a real man of the world tac, having such a wonderful military career, a Masters degree ( with Honours mind, but then it is tac Foley isn't it) and traveling the world etc. A life only a schoolboy could dream of. What next, a knighthood perhaps ?

xflyer

Why use this thread for an ad hominen attack on TacFoley, Patsy? Why don't you come straight out and accuse him of being a Walt if that's what you think.

ReacherCreature, as you can see there is an example of someone who 'learns' things from the Discovery Channel and from hanging around IRA members. Someone who is very particular about the books he reads in case his narrow view of history is disturbed.

tac foley

Ah begob, Mr Patsythenazi, sure ye've found me out, so ye have. I'm a total liar altogether and I'm really a 'Big Issue' seller that uses the handouts to play in a cyber cafe.

Arra, you're just waaay to clever for the likes of me, poor ignorant soul that I am.

We ARE very alike, however, my parents, just like yours, never got married either.

tac

PatsytheNazi

tac foley wrote: »

Ah begob, Mr Patsythenazi, ye've found me out. I'm a total liar altogether and I'm really a 'Big Issue' seller that uses the handouts to play in a cyber cafe.

Arra, you're just waaay to clever for the likes of me, poor ignorant soul that I am.

We ARE very alike, however, my parents, just like yours, never got married either.

tac

And since you mentioned parents, aren't you Jewish also * ? Was your father who burned down a police barracks in Co Cork, and subsequently joined the Free State Army Jewish ? I'm sure a man of your experience and background must have given advice or done consultancy work for the Israeli's ?

* "Being Jewish, I'd like to read what the 'Jewish Chronicle' has to say about that appalling bit of publicity."
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=67307848&postcount=3

ReacherCreature

Ah Christ, way to ruin a half decent thread.

concussion

If you're so interested why don't you take it to PM - this has nothing to do with the thread.

Poccington

And back on topic we go...

cyrusdvirus

Lots of books etc.

Have an interest in all things military rather than a knowledge on them, but if i do get into a chat/discussion/debate i try to have an idea of what i'm talking about before sticking my oar in...... nothing worse than looking like a twat imho, even if it is on a relatively anonymous forum

ReacherCreature

gatecrash wrote: »

Lots of books etc.

Have an interest in all things military rather than a knowledge on them, but if i do get into a chat/discussion/debate i try to have an idea of what i'm talking about before sticking my oar in...... nothing worse than looking like a twat imho, even if it is on a relatively anonymous forum

I'd agree with this. It'd be fairly embarrassing jumping into a debate and not having an idea what you're on about. I've seen it the odd time which ends up in the incomer getting slaughtered!

OS119

ReacherCreature wrote: »

I'd agree with this. It'd be fairly embarrassing jumping into a debate and not having an idea what you're on about. I've seen it the odd time which ends up in the incomer getting slaughtered!

i like newcomers - as in folk who really, really have no idea about defence/military issues - it makes me marshall, and explain coherently, my thoughts in a way just don't have to do if i'm talking ablout a fires plot with Manic: then i can just rattle off without thinking about it, and while it might makes sense to a select band, it doesn't really increase the sum of human knowledge...

i think Avgas is probably my favourite 'newbie', decent mind, unafraid to ask the bone questions, happy to take logic to its conclusions. good lad.

concussion

OS119 wrote: »

i think Avgas is probably my favourite 'newbie', decent mind, unafraid to ask the bone questions, happy to take logic to its conclusions. good lad.

Indeed, but I think he deliberately starts at an extreme end in order to pull some useful debate out. Speaking of which, I never replied to that AD post!