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Hi

My partner is currently training to be a RAF regiment gunner at Honington and I was wondering if anybody out there could tell me what he is going through and whats he's doing as I don't get to talk to him much and I'd like to support him when I do get to speak to him.

He has only been there for 11days and already he sems stressed out and frustrated yet when I ask why he says he can't talk about it as he hasn't got long to talk.

I assume the first little while is mainly inspections and basics?
And does anybody know when I can expect him home as he hasn't been told yet?

Any help will be great

He's in the early days of training, so there will be lots of early starts and late finishes, along with lessons and kit preparation and inspections. An average training day is jam packed full of lessons and activities, so he will be literally running from one lesson to another, then to meals, then lessons again. At the weekends, the recruits generally get some breathing space and time to sort their kit out and catch up on their sleep.

As he's only been there 11 days, it's going to take him a bit of time to get used to his new environment, but as he progresses over the next few weeks he'll hopefully start to find things getting slightly easier and quicker to do as he gets more experienced.

At some point, he's probably going to ring you and say that he hates it and wants to leave. We all have bad days, no matter what job we do, so my advice would be to let him sound off and get it off his chest, but put across the point that whatever the problem is, it won't be forever and all the training and hard work will be worth it in the end.

Thanks for that. You've put my mind at ease a bit. I knew it would be had on him but I didn't know to what extent. I never realised that he wouldn't have time to himself. I thought they'd treat him mean to breakm him down and so how he acted.
Also thanks for the reply to the other queries that i listed. It helps a lot as I can finally get of this letter to him. Hopefuly that'll cheer him up.

Thanks a lot!!!

Sarah check your Pm's

flo

He's going through the mighty Capitals Flt is what he's going through. If he is finding it this bad already then stand by for worse to come. Sorry to bear bad news but I'm being a realist. Having passed out off the last Capitals I know exactly what he's going through. He will get a long weekend at the end of week 4, that's families day, he should know this already to be honest. Tell him to stick his head down, be the best soldier he can and it will get easier as time goes on. The first 9 weeks are pure turd, everything is at bull factor 10 and if he's anything like me he will hate all the bullsh*t, but when they get into the trained soldier phase is when things get really good, giving orders to your fire team as 2 i/c on a live firing section attack as Charlie move forward under your fire, or leopard crawling up to a bunker posied to hit it with an L109 then mallet a target with automatic. He will love it by the end! Don't let him give up, it won't be long at all until he's stood on that parade square with bayonets fixed, the queen's colour flying and the band playing as he takes part in his pass out parade. Ahhhh another glorious day in the corps..

All that training just so he can stand guard in an airfield.

Paratrooper01 wrote:All that training just so he can stand guard in an airfield.

Not always Para 1. The RAF Regiment has seen an active role in Afghanistan, keeping an eye on little villages. By this I mean groups of 6-10 homes that are at risk of being used by Taliban for tactical reasons.

Greedy Taliban, they can never have one or two villages....they want the entire bloody "hut market"!

I refuse to bite para1, but I will say this, all you are doing by making comments like that is highlighting your ignorance of what the corps actually does. There were a number of rocks with 3 PARA in Helmand for example.

Actually, the only "action" the RAF regiment are seeing in Afghanistan is the Forward Air Controllers who call in the harriers and A-10's etc to drop bombs. And there is about 2 or 3 FAC's from the RAF Regt, the rest are stagging on in Kandahar Airfield or camp bastion.

C4 wrote:Not always Para 1. The RAF Regiment has seen an active role in Afghanistan, keeping an eye on little villages. By this I mean groups of 6-10 homes that are at risk of being used by Taliban for tactical reasons.

Greedy Taliban, they can never have one or two villages....they want the entire bloody "hut market"!

Sure thing space cowboy

Paratrooper01 wrote:Actually, the only "action" the RAF regiment are seeing in Afghanistan is the Forward Air Controllers who call in the harriers and A-10's etc to drop bombs. And there is about 2 or 3 FAC's from the RAF Regt, the rest are stagging on in Kandahar Airfield or camp bastion.

C4 wrote:Not always Para 1. The RAF Regiment has seen an active role in Afghanistan, keeping an eye on little villages. By this I mean groups of 6-10 homes that are at risk of being used by Taliban for tactical reasons.

Greedy Taliban, they can never have one or two villages....they want the entire bloody "hut market"!

Sure thing space cowboy

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Defen ... ndahar.htm

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Defen ... hlands.htm

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Defen ... rfield.htm

The RAF Regiment are doing just fine. Read the above articles, process the information . They are doing a bloody great job out there whether it be action or not. In my opinion, no action is best- ALWAYS.

C4 wrote:In my opinion, no action is best- ALWAYS.

What a crap out look for someone wanting to join the forces, no wonder you were attracted to the RAF Regiment.

Alfa wrote:

C4 wrote:In my opinion, no action is best- ALWAYS.

What a crap out look for someone wanting to join the forces, no wonder you were attracted to the RAF Regiment.

Me? I'm not joining the RAF Regiment!!
Explain?!

C4 Your doing it again mate!!!!

C4 wrote:Me? I'm not joining the RAF Regiment!!
Explain?!

Ok fair enough.

Alfa wrote:

C4 wrote:Me? I'm not joining the RAF Regiment!!
Explain?!

Ok fair enough.

Thanks