Day to day

[B_H100]

I have read many messages on these forums about the Forces, and in particular about the Parachute Regiment. However, one of the things I do not really know, is once you have finished your training, what, as a soldier in the parachute regiment would you do on a day to day basis?

P.S. I intend to join the Armed Forces within the next year and a half, so any advice would be useful.

Cheers,

Ben.

[Sticky Blue]

Tasks are many and varies... like the ads show you. One day you can be on parade, the next on exercise and doing practise assaults and the next day you could be on the fireman's strike driving a green goddess. The normal daily routine is training, lectures, drill, PT, new proceedures, signals training, NBC courses, FIBUA courses, weapons training... and that is just part of it. You never stop learning new skills and practising old ones!

[ABI]

BH100

There was always a training programme to follow. However a typical day (if there was such a thing) was roughly as follows.

06.45 : hands off cocks...on with socks, wash/shave/shower/shit get into PT kit. Clean and tidy billet do your room jobs etc.

08.00 : Plt fall in for morning parade then go for 5-6-7-8 mile run depending on who was taking it (Friday's we did a 10 miler with wpns and Bergan instead of a run) On return shower then get into working dress or whatever rig that days training required.

10.00 : NAFFI break, this is an institution throughout the Army basically half an hour to get a ginsters and a cuppa

10.30 : Commence training, this could be weapons training, map & compass work, first aid, NBC,ranges,support wpns training, fieldcraft and so on

12.30 : Lunch (if on the ranges they bring out a container meal....sometimes)

13.00 : re-commence training as per morning usually the morning would be dry runs or drills the afternoon would be putting this into practice.

17.30 : Evening meal, depending on the programme this may be the end of the days training or you may have to go out at night (night navex, fieldcraft etc)

Then your times your own, however theres usually some prep for the following days training to do or cleaning kit etc. Depending on where your based you might pop out for a few beers, but to be honest this was generally saved until the weekend (except when we were in Aldershot)

Basically the army has you 24/7 so if they want you to work non stop then they will simple as that. Overall the training was generally geared up with an objective in mind. Before we went anywhere there was always an intense period of training to clear the cobwebs. If the Battalion was off abroad or to NI then again there were weeks of build up training to be had. That said alot of your time was also spent on guard duty or helping out in the stores or cleaning vehicles etc etc.

Wednesday afternoons were always dedicated to sports, footy, rugby, cricket. In my first week in Battalion we got changed into PT kit to play footy and the Plt Sgt get everyone into a room for a briefing and promptly put on a porn video.

By the way none of the above relates to a typical day in the depot, that is something very different !!

[owdun]

0645 Reveille,you lazy sod's,0600 in my day,and in Stonehouse the drummers would sound off in the drill shed,just to make sure you heard it.



Aye Owdun.

[ABI]

Owden

You had to get up that early because the centurion would do a toga inspection at 07.00hrs, sorry VII, and those sandles would take forever to do up, and those bloody shields took ages to shine.

You shall be known as Maximus Decimus Owdenus from now on.

[Sticky Blue]

0645 Reveille,0600

Luxury!
I was the duty bugler and had to get up... to get you buggers up!!

[ABI]

Ah....but what about the poor bugger on guard who was sent round to wake up the duty bugler.

[Sticky Blue]

He got to sleep all day!!

[Peds]

that could be acted by the monty python team and people would have laffed as much as I just did.

[El Prez]

06.45 : hands off cocks...on with socks, wash/shave/shower/shit get into PT kit. Clean and tidy billet do your room jobs etc.

08.00 : Plt fall in for morning parade then go for 5-6-7-8 mile run depending on who was taking it (Friday's we did a 10 miler with wpns and Bergan instead of a run) On return shower then get into working dress or whatever rig that days training required.

10.00 : NAFFI break, this is an institution throughout the Army basically half an hour to get a ginsters and a cuppa

Just three queries on the veracity of the attached from ABI's excellent treatise on the happy life of a Pongo.
1) The use of the words wash and shower. This may be taken literally by most/all Army types.
2) NAAFI break, what is this, a chuffing factory? it's called Stand Easy in the Corp, and means literally that.
3) The correct sequence is shit/shower/shave; otherwise things get very messy!
Apart from that, most illuminating, especially about our Roman friend, Maximus decimus Owedenus!

[ABI]

It was called 'Stand Easy' in the Corps

Sorry Prez but I've got a mental picture of all these ruff tough bootnecks all checking their watches at 10.30 and then suddenly going all limp wristed and mincy at 10.31 and start talking about their latest hair products or what was on Eastenders the night before while reading Prima.

(and before anyone posts, yes I do know 'Stand Easy' is a command used in the Army when on parade)

[El Prez]

I knew someone could hear our conversation. Next thing you know we'll be in Hello. "Mystery limpness affects Marines mid-morning" (The rest of the time they're wellard) Claire Rayner reports, between hot flushes.

[Tab]

At one time a new CO thought he would take all the men out on an initiative test. He loaded us up on the three tonners and dropped us about 30 miles in the country. We had to get past the other two Battalions on our way back to barracks, well we noticed that we had just past a railway station prior to being dropped off. Well marched down to the Station and boarded the first train for Aldershot and was back in barracks before the CO was. The problem arose when the Police arrived with a British Rail guard who had come around the train to collect the tickets and had been held at gun point by some of the lads. The CO paid for all the tickets out of the Battalion funds, he never did that test again, nor did he ever forgive us