Ex-Services?

[MaryN]

Survival topics seem to gel really well with ex-armed forces personnel. How many of you out there are ex-armed forces, or even currently serving? Does your experience in the armed forces make the survival side of things more interesting or just common sense?

[Straight Shooter]

No not me....the nearest i got was the ATC then a carpenter/joiner...hendrix...and got lost in pulling babes....none of which i was partically good at, but a few guys in my village went in...and made good men by the time they came out and good mates to this day

[Highlander]

I an ex Infantry.

The fact that you wanted to become a soldier in the first place sort of ensured that you were of a type that was interested in living outside, surviving in the rough so to speak,....its after your training that it appears common sense

Its also about the type of training that you get,.. if you were to spend your entire time in the UK, you would only be taught about survival in the UK.... but I have spent time in Jungle, desert, and cold places so your trained to do a lot for yourselves in each of these countries

I am not sure if it `survival training` or just how to do things under different elements situations, is up to the way you look at it, but certainly I think a squadie is a much more able person when he leaves compaired to whan he joined

[NorthernRaider]

I'm ex army, served in various regular and TA units, The army tought me bushcraft and fieldcraft,skill at arms, field cooking, first aid and map reading, mission planning and radio operation, it paid for my bike, car and HGV 2 lessons, it taught me discipline and team work.

But the two most important things it encouraged was making me value the art of being independant and self reliant, it encoraged me to think for myself.

Indirectly it lead to my life long hatred of socialism and the monarchy, odd really.

[I-K-E]

not me .... once thought about but lots (possibly to much) education loomed

I once had the Royal Marines trying to get me to sign on the spot ..... about the closest I got but that was a a good few years back

[Metroyeti]

Was in the cadets, left school lived abit tried to join but got knocked back because of my tattoos. Lots of friends are in the forces

[Geordie_Rob]

I wanted to join the army but I'm excluded from joining for medical reasons. Shame really as I think I would've loved it.

[Straight Shooter]

I suffer the same rob its not easy having a big tool

[Hex]

i spent 5 years in the army cadets if that counts

then coming up to the time i would be leaving school i started getting my fittness up, got the paper work for the marines and then met my girlfriend. So that was the end of that plan lol

[Tigs]

i did 20 years in the armed forces starting in jr army and finishing in 1 para i served all over the world including tours of Iraq (gulf war 1 and 2) and Afghanistan , as for survival we were trained to a high degree but even then you still know you have a hell of a lot to learn the first time you have to but it in to practice , having the knowledge is one thing using it is another, like mean have said on here before get the knowledge and practice it until it becomes second nature