God help us if we ever go to war.

[Conrad de Montferrat]

I'd be more concerned if they weren't traumatised. And having said that I would imagine that some were and some were not.
How do you train people to deal with that sort of situation anyway? It's only by experiencing it that you find out whether you can cope with it or not.
Another thing is people don't realise what this country's servicemen and women have being doing for years in the Leb and elsewhere. There were times when picking up bodies and bits of bodies was a daily occurrence. Not to mention being shot and shelled themselves.
And the other day they weren't just looking at bodies - they saw them dying. They should be traumatised.

I know several Irish Servicemen and as being myself a former soldier (am non Irish and I still travel regularly to my home country for reserve duty) am not that impressed. The Irish made always good soldiers but that was some time ago it seems.

To quote Colonel Schlichter (Retired)

"The blood of the likes of Charles Martel no longer runs in the veins of today’s café-dwelling Europeans. They sip coffee and their (excellent) wine and, in Spain, drink their bizarre cerveza/lemonade and rioja/Coca-Cola combinations, oblivious to what’s coming. Perhaps it’s mere ignorance, perhaps it’s a choice. It will end the same way regardless—in blood. When the time comes to choose between picking up a rifle and dying, we’ll find out if the human instinct for self-preservation has successfully been bred out of the men of Europe. I know where I’m putting my money."

Priorities shifted in the West and I see a bit old decadent Rome (including a new migration period)
http://thefederalist.com/2015/07/20/...like-its-1939/
http://www.nationalreview.com/articl...g-queens-fight

This is true for most European nations - but especially for the Irish (at least its my impression).

[Westsidex]

All by sailors who before now spent majority of their time in fishery protection.
I for one feel proud of what they are doing, sad for what they have to endure and pity for those who criticise based on some sort of view from war movies or something of what hard men they really should be

Nobody said anything about proud or not. For a start its their job and they get paid nicely which brings me right back to my point. A navy person should not be traumatised by people drowning. These people really have no clue what they are heading into with going to foreign waters. What if they get attacked? Go see a shrink? Hopely fire back.

Also writing it in the media makes them look like soft asses. You never hear or read or IS or the Assad regime being traumatised
and that conflict is probably the worst ever.

Westside.

[Westsidex]

Tell that to the lads who came back from WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq, think they might disagree with you

Exactly my point. These people have fought wars and seen women and kids killed and more than likely killed women and kids. Im talking about people going out on a sea rescue mission and being traumatised by people drowning. The more you think about the more you wonder how we no longer control our waters.

Westside.

[Westsidex]

don't you think they would have saved them man
if they could WTF
please live in the real world
please

If you ever get involved in pulling a drowning person from the water youll soon realise that if you arent careful youll have two drowning people. They have a tendency to grab and pull at anything including you and youll drown real fast if you dont kick them off. Thats what you do. You are under no obligation to drown yourself. You kick them off and let them to it if they dont cooperate.

Westside.

[Westsidex]

He made a sneer about potential psychological trauma they may have suffered.
"Please live in the real world".

A naval personnel is supposed to sea hardened ffs.

Westside.

[Westsidex]

Most on that ship are fairly young and suburban.
What would you expect when after fishery protection patrols , they are suddenly pulling dozens of dead bodies from the water.
A farmer for instance will have at least encountered animal death.City kids will have seen very little.
Westsidex is just making noise as per usual.

Why have a navy that costs money so? If they cant handle things. Looks like youd be a good sign up too.

Westside.

[Walshie]

but we are a nation of lovers not fighters

[Westsidex]

As already mentioned this is a strange observation even by your standards. Should we be hoping that a group, that I'm guessing are mostly kids who have never been shot at or shot at anyone, should somehow be inured/ desensitised to the suffering of innocents? Ever considered a career as a drill seargent?



Jiberside.

Typical take a fact and spread it to all cornors. We are talking about navy going to a sea rescue mission in foreign waters and being upset.The very words sea rescue mission would imply to any normal person (a dying breed by the looks of things) that people will be in danger of drowning and the very fact that they know people have drowned due to overcrowding in the area they are going to makes it even more silly.Its like a butcher being upset over the cows death.

Westside.

Westside.

[Westsidex]

but we are a nation of lovers not fighters

Just a fuckin well. I'll think I'll just fight them off with an oar when my time comes.

Westside.

[Westsidex]

Frank, I just get the feeling somehow, that if we had 44 discussions about this , we would be on either side of a brick wall beating our heads on it, about a throwaway comment by Westsidex.
Either he suggests the enrolled navy personnel should "man up" and cope with the rigours of the situation they find themselves in ......as might be expected of military personnel.
Or he is criticising some government comment about potential psychological effects on these personnel.
Either way it is merely one of Westsidex's usual bog standard, polemical comments and probably not imbued with too much thought or meaning , one way or another.
So I don't know why you are so exercised.

Bog standard? A fuckin paid navy service being upset over people drowning? Are you for fuckin real?

Westside.