Not My Base

Email sent to 42 (North West) Brigade, Friday 13th November, 2009.

Dear Sir

Firstly thank you for visiting MSUOTC on Wednesday 11th November to hear our thoughts. I’m sending this email to add my own unheard thoughts for 42’s consideration.

1) What we get issued doesn’t cover our needs for field training. In many cases, the income OCdts receive from training is not only used to pay for rent and food, but also on personal equipment such as thermals, torches and supplements to the ration packs. Without being able to pay for additional equipment, our training suffers.

2) When I come home from weekends training (the few of them that still remain), I’m returning from a solid 48 hours hard work. I’m then greeted by an unemployed flatmate. Even before the pay cut, she would earn a higher hourly rate than myself from benefits alone, while future officers now go about their jobs unrewarded.

3) After having politicians already lie to us, about why we should lay our lives down in Afghanistan and Iraq, and hence quashing my life-long desire to join the forces, I’m still undecided about if a career in HM Forces is something I wish to be involved with. With the pay cut (after suffering from a, frankly, already shoddy JPAC payment system riddled with database errors and late payments), I can’t help but feel disillusioned further. If I was to take on a military career, just how many nasty surprises would I have to contend with? I know that life isn’t any easier on Civvy Street, but this is the Army, and I’ve learnt to expect better.

What we all need is some good news.

Thanks for your time reading this.

OCdt Duvigneau

MSUOTC BCoy & Website Admin