McNab back in Iraq to give verdict on the war...

[Seraph]

Basra Two Zero: An SAS veteran views the Iraq war from the soldiers' point of view
By ANDY McNAB

SAS veteran Andy McNab went to Iraq to see the war from the soldiers' point of view. What he found will amaze you...their kit is brilliant, they say this is a golden age for the infantry and they know they're being used as political ammunition – but they just don't give a damn.........

Full article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... _a_source=

[tom163]

Great post mate. Very interesting

[Chas]

Excellent post- thank you.

[harry hackedoff]

How many did he kill this time then
W4nkers, I love them

[Seraph]

How many did he kill this time then
W4nkers, I love them

lol!
Maybe he's finally gone legit!

[druadan]

Still with the harry maskers...strange that Chris Ryan and Ray Mears are still alive with all the public showings they get, ain't it?

[Hyperlithe]

Ray Mears is a fat nacker, everyone knows he stays in hotels and eats fast food while he's filming.
How to survive in the desert - with only a camera crew and a landrover full of food and beer....

[Sarastro]

Ray Mears isn't ex-military, is he? I know he uses a lot of mil kit in his series, but figured that was...because it's so quality? Er...

[SO19]

He's not ex-mil, but I believe he instruct's the military regularly. I really liked his 'Real Heroes of Telemark' programme.

[Artist]

He's not ex-mil, but I believe he instruct's the military regularly. I really liked his 'Real Heroes of Telemark' programme.

Yes it was good but the guys who did it were two Norge Army Officers and two RM ML's. FLUB Mears would have lasted all of one day doing what them four blokes did.

Artist

[harry hackedoff]

Did you mean Ray Mears, Druadan?

Raymond is a figure of fun on here
He takes himself far too seriously.
You have to wonder about a "survival instructor" who is as fat as he is. Although in his defence, spit, he actually can canoe
I`d be interested to know the
extent of his "instruction to the military" one of the lads down here thinks he worked with the Crabs. Who knows.

Do you see Man v Wild up there? Some geezer, former leg iron, called Bear Grills(no really) Goes through the survival chapter in "Stating the Bleeding Obvious" with a few twists of his own thrown in. Displaying an alarming tendancy to jump into big rapids without knowing what`s over the rapid being one. He does enjoy a spot of wildlife though, sucking out scorpions being a fave. "Tastes like cheese that`s gone off " Take your word for it son

[SO19]

Bear Grylls is crap, it's all staged, but we all knew that.

[harry hackedoff]

Too right mate
Just googled the fat one and he has a huge website
In the section about him it says," Ray is perhaps the foremost expert in his field" and that`s true.
As long as he`s the only one in his field.



In the Telemark prog, it ends with Raymond pootling about on a pair of planks on top of a smallie hill . The impression being that he skied up there by his self Obvious to anyone who has spent any time in the arctic that he has no idea how to use cross country skis never mind Pusser`s planks. I`m listening to the crunch and looking at depth of impression and shadow length etc and trying to estimate temperature and time of day. Raymondo was bimbling around like a catholic girl trying on her communion dress for the first time.

A far better prog was the documentary with surviving members from the actual raid on the plant at Vemork near Rjukan. One has the feeling that Raymond made this programme, not to publicise or acknowledge the achievements of Knut Haukelt and the other lads living on the Hardangar, waiting to strike, but to line his pockets.

[harry hackedoff]

Bear is a man who has always loved adventure. After breaking his back in three places in a parachuting accident, he fought his way to recovery, and two years later entered the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest Briton to climb Mount Everest, aged only 23. He has since led ground-breaking expeditions across the world.
But for Bear, it is not just about pushing his limits. It’s about overcoming challenges, and living your dreams. This belief, and Bear’s gift for communication, have led him to become a world class motivational speaker, author and tv host. His passion and enthusiasm for the outdoors are now shared & enjoyed through his TV programmes in over 100 different countries around the world.
By combining his adventures with media work, Bear realised that he could also support and raise money for those causes closest to his heart. These have included charities that encourage young people to overcome some of life's biggest challenges, many different children's organisations, as well as the Armed Forces’ charity SSAFA, reflecting his own military service with the UK Special Forces as part of 21 SAS

What a bloke. And it says nothing of his time in the Legion.
He`s been a very busy boy

[Sarastro]

Did you mean Ray Mears, Druadan?

Raymond is a figure of fun on here
He takes himself far too seriously.
You have to wonder about a "survival instructor" who is as fat as he is.

Bit Scrooge of you Harry. Can't really tell about someone's skills until you actually get out in the field with them, but he seems to know his stuff to me, he's clearly passionate about what he does, and he's done a shitload for getting up interest for bushcraft & such in the public imagination, which isn't a bad thing as far as I'm concerned. But yes, as far as mil skills go, I don't imagine he has many, since he wasn't military.

And of course most of this stuff looks 'staged'. They have 30-60mins of a program to fit it into, and as anyone who has done it knows, even something relatively simple like a fire-starting technique takes very practiced hands a good 15 minutes to get going. Also, a lot of it is very hit & miss (you might not find the thing you are trying to film in the time you have, so failing that, setting it up is the only option to show it).

One has the feeling that Raymond made this programme, not to publicise or acknowledge the achievements of Knut Haukelt and the other lads living on the Hardangar, waiting to strike, but to line his pockets.

Not the impression I got, perhaps I'm just an optimist