best chance on surviving when drafted - Page 3 - Historum

Major Wilson · May 1st, 2012, 02:03 PM

A lot of friends of mine got drafted during the Border War (war between South Africa and Angola/Cuba in the 1980s).

One of them volunteered to serve in the Navy which meant a 4 year military service instead of 2 years. The logic is that the Cubans, SWAPO, ANC etc don't have a navy so he'll be safe out at sea. Problem is two of South Africas frigates managed to collide at sea and one of them sank. Quite a few sailors drowned. He survived.

Two other friends of mine managed to get in to the 'baggage train', which meant driving ammo trucks from South Africa and up the length of South West Africa (Namibia) and to the war zone, which was on the border with Angola. It seems safe enough, except of course for SWAPO and ANC insurgents more than willing to attack anything military anywhere. They both survived though.

My dad joined the RAF straight after leaving school during WW2. This would usually be a death sentence. However, he was rather weak and not fully developed at that age (18+). Since this was after D-Day and the end seemed not too far off, they sent him to the RAF pay office where he spent the rest of the war doing accounts. It was apparently a very boring but utterly safe military service. (I think he had hoped for something more eventful).

So, doing NO physical training beforehand and appearing weak and skinny seems to be the best way of surviving.

**Black Dog** · May 1st, 2012, 02:06 PM

I recommend being the leader on the winning side

**Bish** · May 1st, 2012, 02:07 PM

Though being in these safe jobs isn't always popular amongst those who have to do the dieing. When i was in Londonderry, we would bitch about the guys in the pay office. They were sat in barracks out of harms way while we were pounding the streets. Yet they got the same extra pay, and worse, the same medal as us.

**Black Dog** · May 1st, 2012, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Though being in these safe jobs isn't always popular amongst those who have to do the dieing. When i was in Londonderry, we would bitch about the guys in the pay office. They were sat in barracks out of harms way while we were pounding the streets. Yet they got the same extra pay, and worse, the same medal as us.

Be fair. No doubt some of those guys got papercuts, and those bags of money were heavy

**Kevinmeath** · May 1st, 2012, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuatha De Danann

Join up and get shot for simply being there. If you can get as far away as possible, say to another country, you'd be fine.

The operative word being 'IF'

Oh yes and say conscription and the cause is 'popular' in your country, brave enough to face that?

**Bish** · May 1st, 2012, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black Dog

Be fair. No doubt some of those guys got papercuts, and those bags of money were heavy

True. And they did a damn good job. At screwing up our wages

Major Wilson · May 1st, 2012, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bish

Though being in these safe jobs isn't always popular amongst those who have to do the dieing. When i was in Londonderry, we would bitch about the guys in the pay office. They were sat in barracks out of harms way while we were pounding the streets. Yet they got the same extra pay, and worse, the same medal as us.

At least my dad had the decency to get rid of his two WW2 medals.

**Earl_of_Rochester** · May 1st, 2012, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irishcrusader95

a few yes yet id say by mathematical probability you have good chances unless if your are say defending your nation against attack in which you are likely to at some point them have to lower the elevation of your gun to aim at ground targets!

but in places like afghanistan your hardly likely to be caught in a firefight as an artillary man unless if there convoy your traveling in gets hit by an IED.

Quite often the enemy would still attack artillery posts though, in Vietnam the cover of the jungle was very useful and it happened on a few occasions.

Quote:

The next night we watched the sky over the north end of the valley fill with tracer tongues of fire from Puff. the NVA were overrunning the artillery position. Four ships from Daring's gun platoon were in the middle of it, flying back and forth in front of the artillery piece under attack. Of the four cannon there, that one was now separated from the others as the NVA concentrated on it. Puff, the DC-3 with the Gattlings, blasted unbroken tongues of fire from the black sky. Flares popped white, dazzling and swinging over the battle. The NVA kept closing in. The tube was depressed for point-blank fire. One of the gunship pilots told us that when the NVA swarmed into the gun position the men were so mixed that they had to stop firing. The gun was taken.
We were on alert all night. By three in the morning, when we still hadn't been called to do a night assault, I went to bed. Another little magic pill and I slept.
By dawn the next morning, the tube had been recaptured by the 101st, with the considerable help of our gunships....

p348-349, Chickenhawk, Robert Mason

The best book I've ever read.

**Bish** · May 1st, 2012, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major Wilson

At least my dad had the decency to get rid of his two WW2 medals.

Well, at the end of the day, everyone has a job to do. If we were all in the front line, who would support us. So your dad deserves his medals just as much as anyone else.

Theres a saying in the army. If the troops stop wineing, then its time to worry.

**bartieboy** · May 1st, 2012, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major Wilson

A lot of friends of mine got drafted during the Border War (war between South Africa and Angola/Cuba in the 1980s).

One of them volunteered to serve in the Navy which meant a 4 year military service instead of 2 years. The logic is that the Cubans, SWAPO, ANC etc don't have a navy so he'll be safe out at sea. Problem is two of South Africas frigates managed to collide at sea and one of them sank. Quite a few sailors drowned. He survived.

Two other friends of mine managed to get in to the 'baggage train', which meant driving ammo trucks from South Africa and up the length of South West Africa (Namibia) and to the war zone, which was on the border with Angola. It seems safe enough, except of course for SWAPO and ANC insurgents more than willing to attack anything military anywhere. They both survived though.

My dad joined the RAF straight after leaving school during WW2. This would usually be a death sentence. However, he was rather weak and not fully developed at that age (18+). Since this was after D-Day and the end seemed not too far off, they sent him to the RAF pay office where he spent the rest of the war doing accounts. It was apparently a very boring but utterly safe military service. (I think he had hoped for something more eventful).

So, doing NO physical training beforehand and appearing weak and skinny seems to be the best way of surviving.

Yes but when you are drafted anyway you will have a tough time...
I think I'd have a hard time in the army, with my 2,05meters in length I'd stick out of the trenches, I'm officially unfit to drive a tank or fly a plane and I need more calories per day than the average person...

But couldn't one try to do the officers school? How would this go?
And is it a safer job?