The Royal Marines, Paratroopers and RAF Regiment Questions.

[Mike90]

Hi all. I was only made aware of this sites existence last night but from first impressions you all seem like a helpful bunch so I thought maybe some of you could help me out
I won't give you a detailed insight into my life as I doubt any of you particulary care and so I will make it short and sweet. I'm 17, British, I'm studying a BTEC in Business (equivilent to 3 A-Levels) which to be honest I am finding a bit dull and boring and I have been interested in the Armed Forces and firearms for literally as long as I can remember and I realise now I should follow my dreams and go for it.
The three forces I am most interested in joining are the Royal Marines, the RAF Regiment and the Paratroopers. Despite this I am still very open minded to researching similar forces and regiments that I may have overlooked or am unaware of. At the moment I am more interested in the Royal Marines than the Paratroopers because I am much more comfortable in the water than in the air and I have always been a good swimmer.
I have recently had a very nice chat with somebody who used to be in the RAF Regiment which lasted for over two hours discussing everything from day-to-day life to accommodation but I have yet to have a chat with anyone from either the Royal Marines or the Paratroopers, although I would still love to hear from more people in the RAF Regiment or anything similar. I think a one-on-one chat is the best way for me to get the answers I am looking for and so if any of you who are either currently serving or have served in the past would be willing to have a chat with me over either MSN or Yahoo! IM you can find my details on my profile page or you could PM me your details so I can add you.
If this in inconvinient for any of you then there are a couple of the questions I would like to ask I will post directly on the site instead.
Whenever I have thought about joining any of these forces I have always thought of joining as a Soldier rather an Officer as perhaps rather arrogantly I have always thought of Officers as performing mostly in a management and often desk-based role and so I have always thought that serving as an Officer is something I would want to do later in life with my experience as a Soldier behind me. However, after researching Officers a little more I have found that it is often said that Officers 'lead from the front' so could any of you give me any insight into the daily life of an Officer compared to that of a Soldier? If I did decide I would like to join as an Officer this would create problems for me although I won't go into that on the site....
I would also like to hear about the food, accommodation and facilites each of the branches offer (I have been told that the RAF excel in this department) as being honest these are a pretty big deal to me.
I have been very impressed by the amount of variation and specialisations offered in the RAF Regiment from Sniper courses to Paratrooper training but, and this is a totally uninformed guess on my behalf, I can't help feeling that the Paratroopers and Royal Marines are 'out there' in the thick of it actually using these skills a lot more than the RAF Regiment is and although the RAF Regiment consider themselves a part of the 'Big Three' (and the fact that they help make up the SFSG and indeed SF) that the general skill level of the average troop is much higher in the Paratroopers and Royal Marines.
Many thanks for reading my post and I hope to be getting in touch with some of you fairly soon! Thanks, Mike.

[Mr_Kiwi]

Firstly welcome to the site mate, theres loads of great people on here who I am sure will help you.

I assume you have been to the websites of each unit you are thinking of joining? This is usually the best place to start if you want a better understanding of them, other than that you can head down to your AFCO and just ask about each one.

And then just searching around on the net will throw up some good information, such as their roles on the ground, what each of them is doing at the moment and so on. That should give you a good understanding of the units and help you decide which you are more interested in.

Cheers

[London Boy]

I can't help feeling that the Paratroopers and Royal Marines are 'out there' in the thick of it actually using these skills a lot more than the RAF Regiment is and although the RAF Regiment consider themselves a part of the 'Big Three' (and the fact that they help make up the SFSG and indeed SF) that the general skill level of the average troop is much higher in the Paratroopers and Royal Marines.

Hello Mike, I can only agree. and let me ilustrate that agreement very simply.

Imagine our disappointment on 2 Field Sqn Airborne - RAF Regt when the Falklands War started in 82, watching the Marines, Paras and Ghurkas go to war while we were only put on 6 hour standby. Granted we had some kit & eqpt waiting on the dock in Southampton, but we were still sitting in RAF Hullavington.


As regards the Big 3 - Sorry, but it has never been Marines, Paras, RAF Regt.

It has always been Marines, Paras, Ghurkas

[Tab]

SFSG..............There is 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, one full company of Commandos and 22 men from the RAF Regiment

[London Boy]

SFSG..............There is 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, one full company of Commandos and 22 men from the RAF Regiment

Granted, but I was thinking of the older traditional view of elite infantry units which as you know pre-dates the SFSG. And at the time of the Falklands War 2 Sqn (and RAF Regt field sqns in general) took 4th place to the Ghurkas in the ranking of elite infantry - purely I would suggest because of size i.e. men available and not through any lesser level of skills.

[sportbilly42]

Mike90. If you only just discovered this site last night may I suggest taking a few hours out this coming weekend and trawling through some of the more recent threads within the relevant subgroup pages. It’s what I did as my daughter had some queries on the RAF that I couldn’t answer. You’ll be able to pick up quite a bit of useful info.

Some of your questions have been answered in detail on earlier posts and you’ll find the regular posters get pissed off saying the same thing. Do some research!! …and this site ain’t a bad place to start.

Within the General Discussion & Introductions bit there’s a thread on ‘Marines or the Army’. Give that one a read before it disappears down the page and drops off the bottom. I’ve commented on that one that guy’s should consider other aspects of a forces career, outside of the specific ‘shootin’/killin'/getting shot at’ side.

[harry hackedoff]

I`m amazed at how many helpful bastards there are on here
Not me though, obviously.

[Illustrious]

yeh 'Arry, you just take what you want and disappear sharpish Im not free!

[sneaky beaky]

Mike90

Nice to see you.

Where to start? Whoever you speak to, about which is the best, will give you their own "biased" opinion. I come from a RM background so I am going to say that the RM's are the best and will give you what you are looking for.

Without knowing what you are exactly looking for, who can say that you will get the right advice.

All the three forces that you are considering will give you a good career.
(I do have a little problem with the RAF Reg. being considered one of the "Elite Three"!!). I thought that they were there to defend airfields?
Maybe my views are a bit old fashioned!

Whichever you choose, if you have the qualifications, go in as an Officer. I know we older guys take the piss out of "Ruperts" but they have the last laugh because they are in charge. And when they leave the Service, will get a better job than us NCO's.

Do bit more searching. Find out more about the various units you would consider - and then make a choice.

Personally of course, I would guide you towards the Royal Marines.
But as I said earlier, we are all biased towards our own.
One of the reasons I make this suggestion - is that the comradeship is stronger. The relationship between Officers and Other Ranks is much more relaxed, consequently, the working relationship is brilliant.

You also said you were a good swimmer, so the RM is a natural progression, followed by an application to the SBS.

But then, as I said - I am biased!!

Sneaky Beaky

[flighty]

You sure you are 17 years of age? I am well impressed with your command of the written language. Take a house-point .... and welcome!

[SupFAC]

Its plain to see that you had a good two hour chat with an Ex RAF REG guy.If you have a trawl around this site I am sure you will find the general feeling towards the RAF REG. Have a look at Recce regiments as well mate they have a lot to offer.

[Mike90]

Many thanks for the warm welcome and all of the great answers I have received so far, I really do appreciate all of the help offered.
The more that I think about it the more the Royal Marines appeal to me, however I do have a lot of questions I was wondering if any serving Royal Marines or those who have served in the past could answer? I am aware that it is a good idea to visit my local AFCO and I have every intention of doing so, however I feel that the advisor that I speak to will possibly be a little more biased than the users here and in any case it is always nice to have some knowledge beforehand, if only to try to impress the interviewer!
As I said in my previous post I am very interested in what the food, accommodation and general facilities are like in the Royal Marines and so I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on this subject for me? To be honest this was one of the things that really appealed to me about the RAF Regiment as I was told that you get your own room after the first ten weeks or so of training and that you can take anything from TV's to laptops and Xbox's with you for use in your room. Also the recreational activites on offer were brilliant ranging from scuba diving to rock climbing, although I imagine that the Royal Marines offer the same if not a better choice of activites?
Also, as SportBilly mentioned, life in the Armed Forces goes way beyond combat and so what goes on in day-to-day life is very much a big concern of mine. I would love to know what is involved in the daily duties and activites of a Royal Marine and if this is pretty much the same across all of the branches of the Armed Forces?
Another concern of mine is regarding holiday time. There are many places I would love to go on holiday to such as Japan, so is it common for your holiday time to be pushed back and can you be called back from your holiday at any time? I ask this as it is a bit unsettling to think that I could book my flights and accommodation only for my holiday time to be pushed back thus meaning I have wasted all of my hard earned cash!
Regarding Sneaky Beaky's advice that it is best to join as an Officer rather than a Commando if possible, my intention was to join as a Commando and if possible to later move on to Officer training with my soldiering experience behind me or possibly sticking to the traditional NCO career path. The reason I am looking at this route is that I really do not enjoy college and I'm not a huge fan of universities either. My thoughts at the moment are to quit college and get a part time job so that I can go to the gym a lot more often and concentrate on exercising and getting fit. Also, on the note of Commisioned Officers getting better jobs afterwards, is the option of studying a college or university course not available as it is in the RAF and are resettlement courses not on offer either?
My next question is regarding postings abroad. One of the things that appealed to me about joining the Armed Forces was the chance to see the world and go to places that other jobs would not take me. For example, in the RAF Regiment there are chances to go to Cyprus and if I am not mistaken somewhere in Canada amongst other places. Are the same travel benefits on offer in the Royal Marines and if so do you get any say or preference in where you are posted?
My final question (for the moment at least ) regards something that may seem trivial but it is truly a concern for me; my height. I have read up on the minimum height restrictions getting a few different results ranging from 151cm to 165cm and I am beyond both of these, but realisticly is there any way that my height could limit my chances of joining the Royal Marines?
I do have more questions regarding things such as pensions and promotion aspects however I think that the best place to ask that sort of thing would be at my local AFCO.
I was also very pleased to hear from Sneaky Beaky that the general relationship and attitude between Officers and other ranks can be relaxed as this was another plus point for the RAF Regiment and so I am happy to hear that other forces have a similar attitude. Finally to respond to SupFAC, I have noticed that a number of people show a lot of hostility towards the RAF Regiment often saying that those who are in the Regiment are "wannabes" and "not real infantry". I am aware of the general friendly competition between the branches of the Armed Forces however the hostility shown often seems to go way beyond this and so I sincerely hope that it is the vast minority of people that have this view and attitude. I will also look into the regiments that you pointed out, thanks for the suggestion.
One thing that I forgot to mention is that I was hit by a car at around 30mph a few weeks ago, (his fault, not mine! ) and although I escaped with only a slight cut to the back of my head and a moderate concussion, despite my head smashing his windscreen, would this be an issue during any medical? I guess it at least shows that I am physically robust! Another thing is that the last time I went to the opticians I was told I needed a mild prescription but that the only time that I needed to use them was when driving so could this also be a problem? These are things I will obviously be checking at the AFCO but I thought I would check with you lot first.
Many thanks to you all yet again and I apologise for the long post. Thanks, Mike.

[Greenronnie]

Good questions there Mike, makes a change from the usual crap that some of the wannabes write on here.

Firstly, the RAF Reg didn't come fourth when it came to the Falklands. When units were tasked to respond to that situation, it wasn't a case of picking Battalions or Company/Sqaudrons. Whole brigades were tasked, which is why they weren't involved. Plus it basically wasn't thier role.

Secondly, the RAF are heads above the army at least, when it comes to facilities and looking after thier own. I have spent the cushiest 3 months of my Army career after being posted to Brize Norton.

Thirdly, there would be nothing stopping you going away to far-thrown places on leave, time permitting. However, whatever service you join, you would be subject to being recalled at any time if an operation came up. This is all part of service life, more so now than ever.

Lastly, I think you'll find life in the Parachute Regiment or Royal Marines fairly similar (hard training, good mates, lots of trips to sandy places), apart from the obvious differences. And if you feel happier in water than falling from an aircraft, then the choice is fairly obvious really!

[Mr_Kiwi]

In regards to eyesight you wont have a problem. I had my eye test and the doc told me that I should use glasses to drive, but passed me for the Corps and ticked the box saying I didnt need to wear glasses.

So it sounds eyesight wise we're in the same boat. Dont worry about it

In reply to you questions on food, from what I am told about CTC the food is amazing, and you can have as much or as little as you want. I think Artist made a post about such things a few days ago, tho I cant remember which forum it was on

Cheers

[London Boy]

Good questions there Mike, makes a change from the usual crap that some of the wannabes write on here.

Firstly, the RAF Reg didn't come fourth when it came to the Falklands. When units were tasked to respond to that situation, it wasn't a case of picking Battalions or Company/Sqaudrons. Whole brigades were tasked, which is why they weren't involved. Plus it basically wasn't thier role.

Good point, poor memory here. However we did have a Rapier sqn down there.
As for not being an RAF Regt task. We were on standby so at some point, had the war dragged out, we would have been sent.