Off To War

zebs

zebs

At the Start
Joined
Dec 17, 2007
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Today my 20yr old son who is in the Tank Regiment told me he was off to Afghnistan :what: he has to go to Canada first to finish training .....

Think Positive , he will be fine , im saying .. :(

There is so much going on about our troops not having the right equipment be it vehicles or personal....

Has anyone else been through a son/daughter going their or Iraq, if so how did/do you cope with it ...

When my eldest son was in the Irish Guards he was due to go to Northern Ireland ,he brought his kit home to be washed (as they do) and i knicked his Beret , i took it to our local priest and asked him to bless it , this he did and i felt so much better......

Tour over he came home and i told him that his beret had been blessed ...Thanks Mum that was so thoughtful of you he said...but it wasn't my beret , it was me mates i picked up the wrong one !!!!!!!!! :laughing:

Perhaps i should do the same with Paul :)
 
No direct experience, but plenty of indirect, as I live in a quasi garrison town. That is to say it has a not insignificant army presence as well as serving as a commuter satellite, and therefore I've come across plenty of people affected by events. To this day, I've never come across anyone whose had an injury or worse. I've been surprised, (even concerned given some of the more extreme bravado) by the positive attitude that anyone due to fly out to either Afghasnistan or Iraq has had, as everyone I've spoken to has expressed nothing other than genuine excitement at the prospect.

To some extent it depends what tank he's in? If it's any consolation, damaging a main battlefield tank (Chieftan2) takes some doing. To some extent they're increasingly obsolete in conventional warfare given that the attack helicopter has ursurped them in the pecking order, but the Taleban don't have this capacity. An RPG won't cause a tank any difficulty, and even an IED has to be particularly potent and a degree of good fortune necessary to have any impact. I guess what I'm trying to say is he's in the right place. Against infantry it's pretty potent weapon and I'm sure most Taleban fighters would flee first, if confronted by one. There are various wire guided missiles that can be used against a tank, but again the Taleban don't have this capacity. To the best of my knowledge the British army has only lost one main battlefield tank throughout both conflicts, and that was in Basra, and involved something of a freak.

Alot of people do dangerous jobs, but under these conditions try and draw some solace from the fact that the odds are very much stacked on your side. More people get killed on building sites every year than tank crews. Even in a military context, there are statistically far more dangerous assignments. I seem to think WW2 bombers crews was something like 70%+ as indeed U boat crews were. He'll be less than 0.1% I'd have thought.

I realise that none of this helps take away the angst that any parent feels, as its human nature to worry. Stay positive and proud though (I'm sure it's what he'd want you to be) regardless of any reservations you will doubtless harbour. Communicate this to him, and I'm sure you'll both feel happier.

The bottom line though for your own piece of mind is the statistical one. It's one I invoke when ever I fly. The odds are very much loaded in your favour
 
Originally posted by Warbler@Apr 22 2008, 01:06 PM

If it's any consolation, damaging a main battlefield tank (Chieftan2) takes some doing.
Click to expand...
:shy: There are no limits to Warbler's ingenuity. I've just invented a new main battlefield tank :D Should read Challenger 2.....ooops
 
good move Warbs - you could make a fortune!!!


Big hug for you Zebs, my ex was out in Afganistan last year,so Ive an inkling of how you feel - though it was bad enough for me,I dread to think how a parent must feel.I found myself watching every news bulletin and worrying every time anything got mentioned, but it was all fine in the end. He got in a lot of trouble for sounding off about the lack of equipment in a tv interview - but I thihk it may have helped,cos from what Im aware now,there is a big difference in what they have now....(shortly after his interview, there was an announcement that the British troops were getting a lot more stuff sent over - I dont really think it was anything other than coincidence,but it was quite funny at the time!!)

Our boys are the best trained and sorted lads in the world, and while nothing can make you not worry about him, if he has to be out there (and as mentioned above - most are only too happy(if happy is the right word for it!) to be out there doing something useul adn doing what they are trained to do) then hes surounded by the best.

How long is he over there for? Huge hug for you, and I really hope he comes home safe and sound.Complete with smelly kit bag..... :)
 
Poor you, Zebs! You are definitely doing the right thing with the positive thinking. There is nothing you can really do apart from pray for his safe return.

By the way, I loved the story about the blessing of the beret! :D
 
Thank you for your comments :D ...I'd like to say a big thank you to Warbler for his kind information & taking the time to send it to me :D

Trudij...Paul is very excited & cant wait to go , he will be going next year for a 6mth tour :( Im being very supportive with him , as he is with me ....He probably remembers what i was like with his older brother , so he is trying to put my mind at ease bless him ....

Kathy...i can laugh at that story now and i will have to make sure that this time i take something that is definately Pauls :laughing:
 
Just to say all the best to you & your son Zebs & to hope & pray he comes back sound which, as Warbler as said, if he's in something substantial he should be fine. Most damage that as occured to the main battle tanks is the tracks have been blown off as far as I am aware. I would be very proud if he was my son but support our soldiers 110% whoever's sons their are. (don't think we should be there like but thats another story)

One word of caution though,tell him to watch out for the Yanks,they are nearly as much a threat as the Taliban :(
 
Best of luck to your fine son Zebs, and as they all say try not to worry - let us know how it goes with him
I think media and other pressure is slowly bringing about an improvement in equipment, let's hope so
 
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