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My mother told me that she was listening to a programme on the radio about youth violence or something and one of the callers mentioned that her son was given a lot of abuse (physical and verbal) for wearing his FCA uniform in public. Its not something I really thought about until I was walking along Dame St (on the day of the anti-war protest) carrying my FCA Duffel bag and some crusty wanker spat on the ground and shouted something about the army as I passed.
How has everyone else found the reaction while in uniform?
Everybody who has appeared in public in an army uniform has gotten some bit of abuse. Usually it's some muppet who has been held up in traffic by a cash escort or a comedian doing his party piece on the "deaf" soldier. That one cracks me up every time and the idiots who come up with it think they are being original. Occassionally it'll be the Shinner buddies of a few members of this board-boring barstool republican shit heads. At the moment the trendy protesters are reliving the flower-power, anti-Vietnam 60's protests. They don't seem to realise that the world doesn't give a shit about what the Irish think. All in all it's best to ignore the wankers and drive on.
sigpic Say NO to violence against Women
Originally posted by hedgehog
My favourite moment was when the
Originally posted by hedgehog
red headed old dear got a smack on her ginger head
Unfortunately, Irish people's attitude to the Defence Forces, both PDF and RDF is usually based on ignorance. We are approaching that time of year (St. Patricks Day) when large numbers of RDF units will march in parades around the country, and this usually brings out every gobshite comedian in the country. My advise to all members marching is to hold you head high, and, remember that you are one thousand times the citizen they will ever be. When I was in the NS many years ago we had to endure "The Dubliners" song "The Irish Navy" everywhere we went, so, one of the lads wrote a counter song, the last verse of which went
"So come all you men like Ronnie Drew.
we're doing a job you could'nt do,
and if you sailed on zero two,
you would'nt slag the Irish Navy"
no the worst is (as im a female) getting alot of "your only in it for the sex and boots", i mean come on harsh or what! were not all like that!!!:( i have got spat on aswell as some of my mates but what can ya do, they obviously have their reasons. i do find that some people (not knowing fca from pdf) will stop and have a chat with you, and praise you on wearing the uniform and for what we're doind and all that kinda stuff. at least not everyones scum :-patriot:
I just file it in the same cabinet as the jobless granny mugging 14 year old waste of democracy, Mark MCCabe loving scumbag who walks past a non-white Dr whose taxmoney is paying for all racist scumbags to not die or run out of beer and say "OIM woight and oim prowwed".
People only slag me when travelling in numbers and noones ever spat on me but theres nothing to get on your nerves like some silly donothing singing in the army now at you because they really believe that they're born better etc.
Oh to have a CO2 taser everyday.
"It is a general popular error to imagine that loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for it's welfare" Edmund Burke
Back about spring 1978 I was walking down to get the bus to Griffit for sunday morning training.
Boots shined, number one's properly pressed, buttons gleaming, ect, ect.
Coming towards me on the path was this dear old lady, quite well dressed, clearly well off. It's a lovely day and everything is fine...
................. Right up to the moment when this old dear spits on me and calls me a free state b/stard.
There's f**k all new under the sun.
"We will hold out until our last bullet is spent. Could do with some whiskey"
Radio transmission, siege of Jadotville DR Congo. September 1961.
Illegitimi non carborundum
I've never had any extreme reaction when wearing the uniform, most times it's just ignorant morons who can't tell PDF from RDF asking stupid questions or comming up with some lame "joke". When you wear the uniform you must conduct yourself in a manner befitting a member of the defence forces, don't stoop to their level !, you wear the uniform because you choose to so take pride in the fact. Sometimes it is just better to ignore morons as they will soon grow tired when the get no response from you.
Many of the idiots who shout and joke at you when in uniform and for example, in the St. Patricks day parade would piss themselves with excitement if they ever got to do some of the stuff we do....even holding a gun would be enough to make some of them shoot the load.
I think it is part ignorance, part jealousy and part stupidity. Ignorant as to what the RDF is and what we do, jealous that we have the opportunity to take part in all the more interesting parts of military training (weapons, tactics etc.) and stupidity in that the think they are the funniest c*nt in the world when they sing YMCA or start shouting Dads Army.
If Ireland was ever in dangerous enough situation where the RDF were fully mobilised these same idiots would be them ones turning to us and the DF as a whole to protect them!
I've only ever had possitive reaction to the uniform. In my recruit days guys would use it as a reason to talk to us girls. After singing a verse or two of 'We're in the Army now' they would come over and have a chat.
I've been stopped on the street and praised for wearing the uniform. Little kids wave at me and their parents call me the soldier lady or some such name. All very cute, I'm sure you'll agree.
We wear our uniform by choice. It is our duty to conduct ourselves in a manner befitting the DF. I wear my uniform in the company of a crustie leader and he has the courtesy of refraining from spitting or insulting me!
Never had a negative reaction to be honest, it's usually just little kids who get real excited when they see the uniform and wave and stuff.
It's the same if we are being transported by truck, all the kids in passing cars wave at you.
In fact I find people a bit more likely to say hello when walking past me on the street, or at least nod. And if you are in a shop they tend to call you "sir".
I'm not sure what I'd do if I were spat at,.... depends I suppose on who was watching and who was doing the spitting.
I have to say that I have a feeling that the crusties could be out in force this st' pats day, and I get the feeling they may start on us when marching in the parade.
I guess we will have to do our "Iron disipline" thing and ignore them.
The girlfriend gets embarresed if ever I'm in uniform when walking to the barracks, but I don't care about that, she's a bit of a hippy you see (bless her).
She'll be at some of the protests in cork that are coming up.
The only time I have ever got a negative reaction was when we were on a weapons escort and we had the peddle to the metal and we held up traffic. Other than that I have never got any adverse reaction. We have our 2 main St. Patrick Day parades in town where there is a long tradition of the army (Fermoy and Mitchelstown) and a lot of ex-PDF and RDF live.
Ok last year when it was pissing some gobshite shouted Astrigh Arm from a doorway of a pub. That was it really.
Reaction around my home village has always been positive though. Just wiered looks.
Only the dead have seen the end of war - Plato
"Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory" Proverbs 11-14 http://munsterfireandrescue.com
As someone who walks into barracks, over the past number of years I received many different levels of abuse, ranging from being called Free State Bastard to being accused of killing babies!?.
The best situation (this wasn't abuse) was 6 years ago when a guy of Middle Eastern appearance informed me that he was a Kurdish General and wanted to enlist, unfortunately I told him that while his experience would be invaluable he was now too old to enlist (he looked about 50).
OK some gob s****s give abuse but get fed up if you ignore them, on the whole I would say it is a posative reaction, if I am going for a pint in the Mess after training I walk or bus into the barracks, people say hello or at least
not their head, I have had people stop and offer me a lift, a few bus drivers have not
taken the fare, these are small things a rare enough but its showes that the ordinary people do appriciate what the DF do be they reserve or regular. The most common reaction is from kids.
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