What makes a combat soldier do his/her job?

MLH1

What makes a combat soldier do his/her job?

Money - Dont think so
Patriotism - Royal Irish Regiment - Dont think so

nyarlothothep

conditioning

Badgermonkey

Money / Career / Housing / Pension / Boyhood Dream

& mostly in an American context, patriotism.

sensibleken

Conscrption

Sunnyisland

MLH1 wrote: »

What makes a combat soldier do his/her job?

Money - Dont think so
Patriotism - Royal Irish Regiment - Dont think so

If they dont do the job there trained for they have a chance of being killed.

Celly Smunt

visit the BA website and you'll realise why people want to be soldiers

Dravokivich

As Casey Ryback once said, "It's not a job, it's an adventure!"

Screaminmidget

Fear.

KerranJast

1. They want to serve
2. Most western armed forces offer good career prospects
3. In combat you fight for your brother or sister next to you.

phasers

I remember I was at I college / recruitment thingy in 6th year and the army were there showing off tanks and guns. No mention of war or death obviously.

krudler

phasers wrote: »

I remember I was at I college / recruitment thingy in 6th year and the army were there showing off tanks and guns. No mention of war or death obviously.

Didnt you hear? they use guns that fire feathers and kitten launchers that lick you to death now. new century, new type of warfare.

Bottle_of_Smoke

MLH1 wrote: »

Patriotism - Royal Irish Regiment - Dont think so

What do you mean by this? Their recruits consider themselves British and would see joining as patriotism to the UK

The main question of the thread -

Training and access to firearms - people are facinated by guns

Career options - Its not just being on the frontline, many do it to become pilots for example, others become medics

Belief they would like the lifestyle - Its a structured community, if you don't care about promotion there's not much need for initiative which is a form of having less responsibility

Belief they would have improved personal status - Soldiers are perceived as heroes by the media, glorified in films, X-Factor promotes songs about British troops, funerals made a big deal of

Jesus Wept

Power/Authority/Respect

Local-womanizer

Its a job.

Its something different than sitting in an office all day.

If you dont do your job you die.

It wasn't me!

It's pride and self-belief.

Irish_Army01

shoot gunz and kill people...:D

Jesus Wept

Local-womanizer wrote: »

If you dont do your job you die.

rly?

Local-womanizer

The-Rigger wrote: »

rly?

Well,in terms of not carrying out what you are trained to do the way you are train to do it it can.

RMD

Adventure, personal beliefs. My cousin is in the BA, he joined as ammunition technician I think after completing college as he wanted to do something different for a few years. Seeing new areas of the world, being in situations most people never will, receiving training / learning skills most people never will, helping people for the most part is all what attracts him.

I want to join purely for the same reasons, you're only young once and you'll only experience some of these things if you join an army, after I complete college I plan on joining the RIR, hopefully as an officer.

krissovo

In Camp soldiering:

1. Boy hood dream
2. Career opportunities are excellent - I left school with no qualifications at all and a grim future and was trained in mechanical engineering and left the rank of Captain after joining as a enlisted soldier. No other opportunities exist on the planet to do a similar career path from such humble roots.
3. The adventure - Again opportunities exist to do absolutely anything you can think of I have Skied all over Europe, Canoed in the Himalayas, Dived in Belize, Para-sailed in Bavaria, Sky dived in Kenya and spent 4 months on a rugby tour in Australia, NZ and the Pacific Islands.
4. Peace time tours, see the world - Canada, the Best armored training in the world and an amazing experience. Cyprus, Kenya, Belize, Norway the list goes on and on
5. Regimental system - The BA has something that many Armies around the cannot replicate which is the regimental system, dont knock it even the Royal Irish but there is genuine history that soldiers want to protect at all costs and will fight for.

Combat Tours

1, Adrenaline rush of your first contact......Better than sex! There is expectation, excitement, nerves
2, Mixed emotions of combat - Protection of your unit, protection of yourself. It might sound a bit gay but you do love your fellow soldiers in your section and would die for them if needs be. This alone makes it very difficult to leave the Unit/forces as the wonder will your replacement protect the men in the same way. The up's and downs make your time on the ground a surreal experience that can never be replicated.

Trust me no one would storm a defensive system for queen and country but you would do it for your unit!

The list is endless as to why you would do it but there is also a list of reasons why not to do it as well and there will come a point in every soldiers career when they question quite hard what they are doing and if they are making difference.

gbee

You won't really know if you don't go. For whatever reason you find yourself signing the form and taking the pledge and getting your uniform.

The next few days and weeks are are so different that you morph into something else and you bond with the other recruits or cadets.

I never live fired but did charge my weapon at two people, was fired at [in my direction] and had a ricochet miss me by a foot.

The people I challenged who disobeyed the first command to stop, had a live round facing them, safety off and weapon cocked ...

Frightens me to this day .... but their next step forward would have been their last.

c-90

as cliche sickner cringe it is. if you have to ask you probably wouldnt understand. not that i have served. other than that i would say excitment apart from the obvious downsides.

Manic Moran

Adrenaline rush of your first contact......Better than sex!

I'm sorry for you that your sex life is so miserable. Granted, the last thing going through your mind at that time is "I wish I were having sex right now", but I don't find it a difficult decision on preference.

Canada, the Best armored training in the world and an amazing experience

BATUS?

You need to get yourself to NTC.

NTM

krissovo

Manic Moran wrote: »

I'm sorry for you that your sex life is so miserable. Granted, the last thing going through your mind at that time is "I wish I were having sex right now", but I don't find it a difficult decision on preference.



BATUS?

You need to get yourself to NTC.

NTM

Each to their own on the sex part I miss the rush

Yes BATUS, never experienced NTC but spent plenty of time in the US armored trainers in Grafenwoehr and out in the field with our US cousins even managed some large major Cold War exercises. No offense to the US military but unless its changed radically in the last 6 years I would prefer the British model.

One plus point with the US is that you had "real" enemy Armour with BMP's and T series tanks where as the Brits had fake enemy vehicles using old CVRT's

Manic Moran

One plus point with the US is that you had "real" enemy Armour with BMP's and T series tanks where as the Brits had fake enemy vehicles using old CVRT's

Sadly, those days are behind us, the FSU stuff is only trotted out for familiarisation training and parades.

The OSVs rule NTC now.





The tank variant is pathetic. Give us back the Sheridans.


Even the KVT-1s are being used less.

NTM

xflyer

Becoming a soldier: The same reasons young men always opted for a life of a soldier. A job, a career, excitement, glory even patriotism.

Combat: Well anyone I know who saw combat and every account I've read says the same thing. You fight for the men either side of you.