http://www.facebook.com/sixmonthswithoutsundays
20 months or so ago, we were told we had to leave our dojo, an army building, because it was being knocked down. We were very kindly taken in by the Scots Guards, allowed to use their gym including the fitness equipment and generally made very welcome. We gained several new members as well. John Lilley, who's our conditioning coach is a SG's Warrant Officer, he arranged for us to move, moved us and started the most horrendous warmups we'd ever had! Last year the Scot's Guards as part of 4 BDE. went on deployment to Afghanistan, a writer went with them and this is his book.
For the club this meant the children we teach had their dads go away, I had to suspend my Wednesday class as my students, from the Queen's Royal Lancers were also on deployment. Our chief instructor who'd been in the first Gulf War, knew what the troops were facing but we didn't..thankfully I think. However this book tells nearly all, I've just sat and read it cover to cover without stopping, I cried at a lot of it, John is featured in the book..there's a nice photo of him and his son on Father's Day out there. What I hadn't expected was the photo and the story of Steptoe, one of my Wednesday students who was killed out there.
There's a lot in the book about the Afghan police, the locals and of course the squaddies. There's a lot to laugh about as well though, perhaps too anyone from the Houston PD might like to know what happened to a certain squaddie who caused mayhem at Houston airport!
A Scots guards officer was seriously hurt in a friendly fire incident, the author describes the agony of the two American Marines attached to the regiment, how they were nearly in tears when it was thought that the friendly fire had been American, to their relief it wasn't. Their feelings do them immense credit and much respect to them.
You don't have to know the characters in the book to get anything from reading it, though it's very odd hearing their voices as I read, it gives a good picture of what's going on in Afghanistan and what our troops are having to put up with.
It ends on St. Andrews day last year when they receive their Afghan medals, they had the after 'party' in the gym, what it doesn't tell you is that when we came into train the next day we had to climb over mountains of beer cans and bottles lol, they party hard! And the gym clock..it's still an hour fast.
Since they've been back John's had his officer arrange for us to get an empty building next to the gym to turn into a proper dojo, the regiment has paid for tracksuits and T shirts for the club with our name and badge on along with the Scots Guard's badge and their motto. It's a fitting one for martial arts as well as an old and proud regiment.... Motto, Nemo Me Impune Lacessit...Touch me not with impunity.
20 months or so ago, we were told we had to leave our dojo, an army building, because it was being knocked down. We were very kindly taken in by the Scots Guards, allowed to use their gym including the fitness equipment and generally made very welcome. We gained several new members as well. John Lilley, who's our conditioning coach is a SG's Warrant Officer, he arranged for us to move, moved us and started the most horrendous warmups we'd ever had! Last year the Scot's Guards as part of 4 BDE. went on deployment to Afghanistan, a writer went with them and this is his book.
For the club this meant the children we teach had their dads go away, I had to suspend my Wednesday class as my students, from the Queen's Royal Lancers were also on deployment. Our chief instructor who'd been in the first Gulf War, knew what the troops were facing but we didn't..thankfully I think. However this book tells nearly all, I've just sat and read it cover to cover without stopping, I cried at a lot of it, John is featured in the book..there's a nice photo of him and his son on Father's Day out there. What I hadn't expected was the photo and the story of Steptoe, one of my Wednesday students who was killed out there.
There's a lot in the book about the Afghan police, the locals and of course the squaddies. There's a lot to laugh about as well though, perhaps too anyone from the Houston PD might like to know what happened to a certain squaddie who caused mayhem at Houston airport!
A Scots guards officer was seriously hurt in a friendly fire incident, the author describes the agony of the two American Marines attached to the regiment, how they were nearly in tears when it was thought that the friendly fire had been American, to their relief it wasn't. Their feelings do them immense credit and much respect to them.
You don't have to know the characters in the book to get anything from reading it, though it's very odd hearing their voices as I read, it gives a good picture of what's going on in Afghanistan and what our troops are having to put up with.
It ends on St. Andrews day last year when they receive their Afghan medals, they had the after 'party' in the gym, what it doesn't tell you is that when we came into train the next day we had to climb over mountains of beer cans and bottles lol, they party hard! And the gym clock..it's still an hour fast.
Since they've been back John's had his officer arrange for us to get an empty building next to the gym to turn into a proper dojo, the regiment has paid for tracksuits and T shirts for the club with our name and badge on along with the Scots Guard's badge and their motto. It's a fitting one for martial arts as well as an old and proud regiment.... Motto, Nemo Me Impune Lacessit...Touch me not with impunity.
I don't want to disillusion you, they are great soldiers though.
