THINGS ARE CHANGING

[ED]

Just checked it out mate, I didn't know about that website so cheers for that. I spoke to a mate of mine who enquired about P-Company and it has definately changed.
I am going by his word but he assures me that they have dropped one of the 18 milers and have only got one long endurance march of 20 miles. Therefore reducing the cumulative fatigue of doing 2 back to back 18 milers. The assault course has also been binned. The milling is still the same as far as he knows, so that might have been bollocks.
So overall they have made it a lot easier by reducing the volume of events. Isn't the whole point of P-Company to wear down the individual by doing back to back events? Taking away events obviously compromises this.
Cheers,
ED.

[ED]

Just checked out the Parachute Regiment website and this is correct.

[Chapps]

Ed, can you paste the link for this?

or else direct to where this is stated on the website.

If this is true, I feel sorry for the new blokes coming up to battalion having passed the 'easier' P-Coy.

I imagine the blokes might want to re-test them!!

[got1]

Chapps, I don't know about the blokes retesting them. I think the training staff might just do that .
Remember, what they send to the Btn, is what they will have to serve with when they return to there own unit.

[ED]

Chapps, go to the Parachute Regiment website then click on joining, then join as a soldier. Then go to P-Company and it lists the P-Company events in full. This is the only updated written evidence on any site I've found, but my mate was 100% sure these were the events that had been binned and I think this proves the case. Note the new 20 mile endurance march. Gone are the assault course and the two 18 milers. The second 18 miler used to be the killer, with the last 6 miles being done at a ridiculous pace if memory serves me correct.
It's inevitable that there will be some interesting initiation cadres. Not their fault either, they can only pass what's in front of them. Still, probably necessary. We've all experienced it, doesn't do any harm and keeps you grounded.
Cheers,
ED.

[Cav-Lad]

It that Chapps slagging off Craphats again, you need to take that chip off your shoulder mate and release some weight.
I would love to get a insight into your little world. Where Para's take on foreign Army's on there own, picking up Tanks and throwing them like The Hulk, punching helicopters out of the sky and the enemys Infantry running in fear at the very sight on Chapps and his mates from the good old days. And while all this is happening the rest of the British Army "the craphats" are running around with there big clown shoes and there red nose's and squeezing there horns not having a clue because there s@^t is'nt that right Chapps. B~@&>CKS.

I've spent 9 years in the Army, 6 of them in a Infantry Regiment and the last 3 with a Cavalry Regiment and never ever have I experienced the bad soildering you are always accusing them of. Webbing consisting of two kidney pouches does not exsist in fighting units, AGC,RLC maybe but not in the Infantry, RAC, Engineers etc.

If a Para Platoon came up against enemy Armour, or a mine field you would soon be on your 351's calling for the Craphats. And don't fog me off with Milan, 94mm LAW or Regi Pioneers.

During my time in the Infantry we came in contact with the Paras on many occasions and always got the stuck up attitude. But when it came to the job they were no better or worse than anyone else. Yes the average Para may be physically fitter than the average Infantryman but so what. It's not a fittness club. Skills and drills, marksmanship, disipline, morale, training all are just as important and who says that the Light Infantry are not better at these than the Paras. Once I played DS for a joint JNCO Cardre between tha Paras and the Guards and Im not just saying this but the Guards were BETTER. Im now in a Armoured Recce Regiment who have a Squadron permantly attached to 16AA Brigade, who went to Iraq and again the lads thought that the Royal Irish who are also attached were better. There words not mine.

Come on Chapps. I've been reading some of your old posts and you do seem to have some grudge against the rest of the Army. And some of the comments you've come out with regaurding the rest of the Army is quite frackly C@*P. And some of the things you've said about the Paras about what happens to crows if they don't pull there weight, new lads getting a smack for wakeing a senior lad early for stag. The professional way that the soilders conduct themselfs regaurding there kit and drills and the overall way of life for the Para's is no different to any other Regiment in the Army. I mean how do you think we all live.

Now I know doubt they will be a massive amount of reply's to this, but I don't care. Im sick and tired of the arrogant, snobbish letters slagging of members of the Army just because they don't wear Para wings on there right arm. The British Army is full of highly trained, professional fighting Regiments who are doing good work all over the world. And we don't need this cr@p from people like Chapps who slagged of the Royal Marines by saying that they can't drink on another thread. That is something a school kid would say, not an old sweat.

But at least Chapps as the past to say some of these things even though it's true. It's these Para wanabees who write to these pages shouting "CRAPHAT CRAPHAT" that realy do my head in.

Anyway I will stop there. I've plenty more to say but I will save it for the onslought.

[ED]

Don't hold back now Cav-Lad! At the end of the day we will all stick up for our own regiments and it would be a quite sad if we didn't. I am an ex-Para and I personally I believe that The Parachute Regiment are the finest fighting regiment outside of special forces because the training produces extremely professional soldiers. No it's not just about fitness but that isn't what neccessarily makes us better. The training produces and finds characters that regular army training doesn't in my opinion.
P-Company by it's very nature finds those men that are not just fitter but have a burning desire never to give up under extreme fatigue and hardship. It sorts out those who have that aggression and those that don't. That was the whole point of this thread Cav-Lad. To debate whether these recent changes will be detrimental to the quality of soldiers the regiment produces. From what I hear there are too many soldiers not up to the grade who are slippping through the net these days.
As far as Chapps is concerned I am sure he will respond to your comments when he reads this. As far as your comments about wannabees slagging off craphats, I couldn't agree more. It's a f@#k joke that people have such disrespect for operational soldiers when they haven't yet been there themselves. Chapps however has, and also when depot was at Browning Barracks and at it's hardest and most uncompromising in it's standards.
Anyway, some interesting opinons Cav-Lad, even if I don't agree with most of them.
Cheers,
ED.

[Cav-Lad]

I could'nt agree more with you ED. The whole point of the Regimantal system is to encourage this rivalry. And there's nothing wrong in rivalry.
And you are right that it does take a certain kind of person to pass the training needed to become a Paratrooper. But that does not mean that people who are in the normal Infantry are people who want to be Paras but can't hack it as some people think. I could of joined the Para's with my RSC fitness score but I wanted to join my local Regiment because my Dad and Grandad were both in it. I did my Basic training at Lichfield where the Para's use to do theres. And there full screws were constantly coming into our lines trying to poach the fittest lads including one lad who was joining the RGBW's who broke all the records for chin ups and BFT times at that place. But he wanted to join the RGBW's and this is something that some Para's can't understand. People join there local Regiments because there proud of were the come from, they might have family connections or they might be joining with there mates, or simply that Regiment might have a very famous history. But not everyone wants to be a Para.

Don't get me wrong I have total respect for the Parachute Regiment. But I also have respect for all the other Infantry Regiments it's just a shame some people don't show the same respect.

ED rivalry is a good thing but hatred is not. That is why I had ago at Chapps not you or anyone else, just Chapps. And not for what he said on this thread but what he has said in the past.

Alot of Para's think that many people don't like them because they are jealous. Not true it's because off attitudes shown by Chapps.

Cav-Lad

[ED]

Good post Cav-Lad. I agree that there is resentment towards Paras and vice versa, but I don't neccessarily see this as a bad thing. Individuality is good and because we see ourselves as elite and different, it encourages a unique esprit de corps. To be honest most Paras enjoy this resentment and it is encouraged from day 1 in depot Para.
As far as other soldiers not wanting to become Paras, I agree that's often the case. But what cannot be denied is that our fitness and in my opinion soldiering requirements are far more taxing than that of a regular infantry unit. We always hear the stories of other units saying that they've worked with us and that other units were as good if not better than us. Par for the course really.
What must be remembered is that we have a very dark sense of humour and our opinions and statements are sometimes tongue in cheek sometimes not. Love or hate Chapps his posts are straight to the point and do provide the forum with true views and experiences from the Reg.
I'm quite enjoying this debate.
Cheers,
ED.

[got1]

Cav-Lad,
We can all drawn on incidents that don't do other regiments justice.
I agree with some of your sentiments as regards wannabe's and crap hats.
But when you say I quote "I could have joined the Para's with my RSC fitness score". The fact is you didn't, so you will never know if you could have joined or not.
What you could have done is applied to do P Coy with your own regiment,then when you had passed ,you could then have done your parachute course.Then you could have stuck two fingers up at the Paras and said I want an RTU and gone back to your unit and said" They can't call me a craphat.

[Cav-Lad]

ED and got 1

The red mist as started to clear from my eyes now and I've come back down to earth. It's just that Chapps as p@~*ed me off big time. Not necessary with what he as said on this thread but what he as said in others. And not just him but there's others, especially lads who hav'nt even applied for the Army yet, and are slagging of people who have been on opperations more times than the've at hot dinners (excuse the pun).
Being called a craphat does not bother me in the slightist. The same way as being called a Pongo, GRUNT, REMF, Crab Air everyone as names for everyone it's all apart of it, and theres nothing wrong in that. For example the Guards call all none Guards including the Para's 'Chippies' because they regard themselfs as the cream of the British Army in all aspects of soildering. And I'm pretty sure that the Parachute Regiment would have something to say about that. Name calling is all apart of the rival factor that make the British Army.

But Chapps as taken it abit to far. Acording to him the Infantry, Armourd Corps, Royal Engineers, Royal Artillary are a bunch of unprofesional, badly trained, lazy, usless, fat, incompetent wasters. Who he hates (his words) and I don't beleive it's his sence of humour because he says the same thing every time he writes on this website. Like I've said before I've served in the Infantry and Cavalry and with many other units. I've been to N Ireland, Bosnia and Kosavo and I've never seen the kind of bad soildering he says we are always doing. I think the man as a problem.

As for doing P Coy myself 'got 1', well I'm in a Regiment that as about 15-20% of it's members who are Para trained. The Regiment trains up and sends of lads upto Catterick about 6 times ayear. But to be honest with you not many lads bother, because like i've said in does not bother that many people. And if I did do it and then went on to do my jumps I would not tell them to stick it because I need the money.

Regards Cav-Lad

[Chapps]

"the craphats" are running around with there big clown shoes and there red nose's and squeezing there horns not having a clue because there s@^t is'nt that right Chapps. B~@&>CKS

Couldn't of put it better myself, but I would have added that there would most likely be a Para Reg rifle section going right flanking to take out an enemy bunker, only to be compromised by Harry the Hat waving his right angle torches around and making sounds like crisp packets because they are wearing waterproofs.

Im now in a Armoured Recce Regiment who have a Squadron permantly attached to 16AA Brigade, who went to Iraq and again the lads thought that the Royal Irish who are also attached were better. There words not mine.

Wasn't it The Royal Irish that went out on a Fighting / Recce Patrol in Sierra Leone and surrendered to a bunch of African delinquents high on drugs and armed with very old and mistreated AK47s?

Who ever it was, they were CrapHat infantry and a disgrace to every man jack in the British Army.

If that has been a Para Reg patrol they would have all been gagging for a shootout and would have engaged any fu**cker with a broomstick, let alone a full on contact.

What the hell do CrapHats do in training? In Para Reg we do something called 'Actions On' - it's taught at Depot right through to Junior Brecon and I can't ever remember having an IA in in O-Group that went " in the event of an ambush - Cpl Bloggs section will give covering surrender, whilst Cpl Smith takes the Gun and goes forward and surrenders".

THIS is what is Crap about CrapHats.

A number of my mates were out in the operation to 'rescue' the Hats (oh, the shame); and it was 1Para and elements of 22 that had to do the job, whilst the Hats were told to keep well out it, but they still managed to get in the way in land rovers.

ED and got1 have made some good points so I won't repeat their comments. Suffice it to say, Depot and the pride of the Regiment produces a particular type of soldier, this is unique and I'm afraid unless you have served in the Reg you will never understand the ethos.

[Sig657]

At the end of this day this is just Cr@P about 'crap hats' paras use the term because it makes them feel better than any other Regt. Although most paras are in there for 1 simple reason.... their too thick to do anything else? At the end of the day no paras could do their job without other Regt's and the same likewise. Although Chapps is a comedian on the forums so i can't wait to see his reply!

[Cav-Lad]

Chapps would this be the same Parachute Regiment that were forced to march for miles in the Iraqi heat in full 3 Romeo nearly resulting in the death of one of your lads. Even though there was no NBC threat. All because someone wanted to show of in front of some other unit.

[ED]

Quote:
"the craphats" are running around with there big clown shoes and there red nose's and squeezing there horns not having a clue because there s@^t is'nt that right Chapps. B~@&>CKS


Couldn't of put it better myself, but I would have added that there would most likely be a Para Reg rifle section going right flanking to take out an enemy bunker, only to be compromised by Harry the Hat waving his right angle torches around and making sounds like crisp packets because they are wearing waterproofs.

Chapps, this must go down as the funniest f@#k response I've read since finding this forum. f@#k true though!
Cav-Lad, as for stating that you could have joined because of your RSC score and that other soldiers can't be bothered to do P-Company, well I believe in stating this you've devalued your previous responses. Those were very naive statements you made there.
Para-Recruit, so you believe that all Paras join because they are too thick to join other regiments and need to slag off others to feel better about themselves? Very original! On what experiences do you draw these conclusions? Have you passed P-Company? No, so don't f@#k comment. Please let us in on your vast military experiences and knowledge of all things Parachute Regiment.
ED.