The fiery side sits in the background, where I feel is its rightful place these days. I also think I'm getting a little wiser. My frustrations are generally resolved in the gym or the dojo and the end result makes a more amiable character. All positive stuff I guess.woof wrote:Steve you are being awfully polite these days your niceness is wonderful have you stopped drinking Hartlepool water and moved to warmer places?
You dont seem like the man of 3 years ago.Good on yeah mate.
On another subject: I see the thread is continuing on its off course route. LB isn't wrong with his statistics, he's fighting his corner, along with the way the thread as devaited and I guess there's nothing wrong with that.
In the 80's The Royal Marines saw action in The Falklands War, Northern Ireland and Cyprus. Since then there's been Sierra Leone, Iraq, Afganistan etc etc. Also the training in the Jungle, Mountain and Arctic Warfare, Special Operations and even basic training saw a number of fatalities, which aren't recorded as statistics.
The police fight crime and the Soldiers fight the wars. Both, undoubtedly have their challenges. There's usually a population of between 5 and 7 thousand Royal Marines compared to the vast number of policemen in the country. There has to be, we all know that.
However, Royal Marines are elite soldiers, their training course is known and reputed as being the longest and most arduous in the Western World. They are an elite, with a world wide reputation for their fighting skills, high level of physical fitness as well as their grit and determination in getting the job done. I'm not comparing them to other occupations, but when you're in the field, on active service, in the arctic, the jungle, the streets of Northern Ireland or whatever, the requirements and demands of the job are relentless. You don't clock off at the end of the day and some times you may go days without sleep or very little rest.
On active service you will probably be under fire at some point, including machine gun and rifle fire power, mortar bombs, petrol bombs, Claymore Mines, roadside bombs and even human suicide bombers. The list is endless.
On another note, the civilian population see you when and if you come home from these operations and make judgement on you when they see you letting your hair down. Or we could call if letting off steam.
They don't see you during battle situations when the momentum starts and you are tactically moving forward in and through the enemy positions. On the way through controlled mayhem ensues during the firefight, if on the way you run out of ammo, you will fix bayonets and rip and tear anyone to peices who gets in the way until its finished.
Our Marines aren't just facing violence, they're offering it against those who oppose our country. So to coin a phrase:
People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. (George Orwell)
No disrespect to you LB, but as for statistics, putting them together keeps somebody in a job!!
All the very best
Steve
In other words, punch ups 
