Hello chaps,
Well, this feels nice and comfortable here, don't you think?
Joined 523 Troop in 1986, passed out, went up to 45 Cdo for a couple of years, then down to HQ & Sigs for a couple more years, before going back up to 45 again and then over to Commacchio (I've never been able to spell that!). Found myself getting a bit threaders with watching 40 Cdo swan off to exotic locations all the time, whilst I froze my balls off in Norway or Scotland, so decided to take a break from the corps for a while to get some of my own beach time in the bag. Left the marines after six years, in 1992, fully expecting to come back again, and went off to wander around Australia and South East Asia for a while – growing my hair down to my nipples in the process.
Came back to the UK in 1995 and ended up on a philosophy degree (and not back in the Corps, as originally planned - don't ask). Finished that in 2000 and duly went down to the careers office to join up again. The colour stripey behind the desk did an excellent job in talking me out of it, and so I went off to get involved in the adventure travel industry instead, leading groups of tourists on all sorts of tours and expeditions all over the world. Meanwhile a mate of mine had joined the RMR, and suggested I do the same – so I did. Almost immediately I found myself compulsorily mobilised and on my way out to invade Iraq with 40 Cdo (they'd stopped going to exotic locations by this time). I wouldn't have minded, but after 10 years out of the Corps I could hardly remember which end the round came out of the weapon!
Anyway, after that I became mega keen, and started nipping in and out of the Corps on contracts on a fairly regular basis, including a year back in 40 Recce Troop for a deployment to Afghanistan in 2007 – 08.
More recently I did an LCs course through the rubbers and got myself a draft down to Poole on the Raiding Instructional Team for six months. So if you're an ex Bootneck who wants to keep his hand in, I reckon you can do a lot worse than joining the Rubber Daggers chaps.
For the last five years, when I haven't been back in the corps, I've been alternating between the security and telecoms rigging industries (working at heights, rigging antennas), and sometimes I manage to combine both jobs when working abroad.
I want to leave the rigging behind now, and move deeper into the security industry (maritime and otherwise, in hostile environments), but do I really need to fork out four grand for a course to get work? Could do with some advice on that specific point.
All the best everyone,
Gaz.