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| Off Topic A place for goofing off and interests other than motorcycles. Talk about anything here, but please keep subject matter family oriented. Do not include links to sites that aren't. |
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05-30-2008, 12:32 PM
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| Fifth gear streak   Join Date: Oct 2006
Bike: 2007 Suzuki Boulevard S50, 2007 Suzuki Bandit 1250S
Location: Eugene, OR
Posts: 1,316
|  Anyone ever heard of the Gurkhas?
Obviously anyone from the UK especially armed forces personnel will know who they are, but they are probably little known over here. The Gurkhas are Nepalnese mountain soldiers that have fought for the British Army since 1815. They are some of the bravest, most disciplined soldiers in the world - fiercely loyal and those who are selected (1 in 300 that appear for selection in Nepal are selected) serve a minimum of 15 years in the British Army in a Gurkha regiment of Gurkha soldiers led by British officers. They only get to see their families every 3 years. The reason it's so prestigious for them to serve is they make about 10 times what they would make serving for their own army. They still make less money than their British counterparts who are typically less motivated, less disciplined and probably less committed - don't get me wrong, I think the British Armed Forces are one of the top professional fighting forces in the world, but the Gurkhas are a cut above. Recently in the news there's uproar over changes to the laws that allow retired Gurkha soldiers who retired after 1997 to stay in britain after they have left the army. Currently the Government is not allowing those who retired prior to 1997 the same rights. Many have protested and even handed back the medals awarded to them over 25 years of service to the crown. Such a sad situation - the British Government has let convicted non-british murderers and other illegal immigrants stay in the UK, but it's most loyal servants are being treated like this!! I first encountered them on my commissioning course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. They have a Gurkha training company there to help with the training of all the British Army's officers. They provide support for training and make a very realistic enemy for training exercises. They approached me and were talking amongst themselves in Gorkhali and sizing me up with curiosity as I think they thought I was one of them, going through officer training! With the uniform on, with my kevlar helmet and camouflage cream I look just like them!! It certainly adds a sense of realism when you're "attacking" an enemy trench with Gurkha soldiers shooting back at you with a .30 or .50 cal browning. Although I've only seen it in training, it is pretty frightening to watch them do a charge with their Kukri's drawn. There are stories of Gurkha charges in Burma against the Japanese machine gun posts where the officers reported seeing rows of rifles lying on the ground infront of the trenches. The Gurkhas had laid their rifles down and charged just with their knives. Upon further inspection, none of the Gurkhas was actually carrying any ammunition! Here's some good videos to give you an insight into the Gurkhas.
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