Borneo: Operation Claret

[Dibble]

I do feel annoyed at having been lied to and my time wasted, I am perplexed as to why he felt the need to do it

Hi Pasha,

i have come accross people like this in the past, not on the internet but in person. These people are usually wannabe soldiers sailors or airmen and did not have the honour of serving their country. Im not saying that not serving is a bad thing but they obviously feel it is. They feel that they need to dream up stories of bravery and courage in the hope that they will impress people, maybe because their lives have been boring and lacked the excitiment they could not be bothered chasing. The problem is they can never get the stories past anybody who has served or knows anything about what they are talking about (like your good self).

I agree with you that in this case the person you are talking about does have a serious mental problem, he has not just hampered your efforts to get top the bottom of a very interesting and important event, he has also shown his arse in a very big way.

Anyway Pasha never mind now, at least you are aware that these type of people are about and probably always will be.

keep up the good work buddy.

[Pasha]

Hello Dibble,

Thank you for that post and allow me to apologise for not replying earlier. Since that incident I have become acquainted with entire battalions of fantasy heroes. Some are subtler than others but I have by now become quite adapt at weeding them out. It's a sad state of affairs mate, but alas a very real one and is apparently titled "pseudologica-fantastica" by psychiatrists.

I had no idea that there was this section of society that felt the need to fabricate its past, there are even several websites (mostly American as they seem to suffer from this more than us) dedicated to exposing what they term as "wannabes". I think some of these guys go too far however, for example demanding to know the precise course dates for a parachute training cadre held over forty years ago, or the name of a base commandant from the dim past, before they will acknowledge a correspondent as a veteran. I find that line of questioning a bit bizarre as most old soldiers seem to get even the most memorable of moments muddled up - it's human nature!

Recently Dibble, I've been helping a comrade with research on foreigners serving with the Germans in the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS. We tracked down one hell of a source whom we thought was an ex-Fallschimjager cum French Legionaire cum mercenary in Africa, when in fact we got a man who had spent the war working as civil clerk in Belgium and the next sixty years living a lie (even his wife has no idea of the truth) in order get free drinks and an audience. And so it goes on ...

Anyway, thanks for the words of encouragement mate, I shall hopefully be able to return soon and resume the struggle.
Best regards!

Pasha

[harry hackedoff]

Pasha, off topic I know, but Page`s "Nam" is coming up for it`s 20 th( 25 th:-? ) anniversary, which is big licks down here, as you can imagine.
Serious amounts of dosh involved for archive quality prints.
Farenuffski I say, for the guy who was at the " taking" end of the phots.

Though why he felt the need to marry an Australian............
Easy, Aye,

[Pasha]

Hello Bert,

I have just got a copy of "Another Vietnam: Pictures of the war from the other side." which Tim brought out recently. Absolutely stunning stuff from the snappers from the Communist forces and some amazing testimonials too.

I remember a conversation that I had with Tim when he was putting together "Requiem" the collection of work from photographers that had died in Indo-China. He was only then beginning to start colating stuff from the old Viet Nam News Agency archives and regaled me with some of the stories that he'd listened to along the way.

Many of the hurdles faced by the Vietnamese were familiar to us in the west; deadline pressures, being stuck with idiot writers and philistine editors etc., but many problems were truly unique. One guy spent the entire war with one roll of film, there was no more to give him! Most had 'open air enlargers' (te night sky), processing chemicals in tea saucers and developing them under the stars while their comrades slept.

Tim seems to be doing OK, he was back here recently sorting out the division of his ex-marital home. Martine came round to have a bitch about his behaviour, but I'm maintaining strict neutrality on this one! By all accounts he seems to love it down there as much as you do mate!
Best regards

Pasha

[Pasha]

Potential good news! The publishing group Osprey contacted me out of the blue with the message that they may be interested in doing an illustrated book for either their Men At Arms or Elite series. Well it only took four years ....

Thanks to all who've chipped in over that time. I'll be in touch with you all to let you know how (if at all) it gets on.
Regards!

Pasha

[FIRE]

Congrats!

I hope for you it will be published.

[harry hackedoff]

Yes, roger that.
Keep on pushing, Pasha!
I hope you get there mate.
Page has had a bit of exposure( pun? moi? ) of late, with the anniversary of Long Tan. Here`s to him

[Hantslad]

Journeys Hazardous by Christopher Bullock, is an excellent account of the Gurkha involvement in Operation Claret. Christopher is a personal friend, and a top chap!