Jayb,

I knew a Bob Bowtell back in my RAEME days, wonder if it's the same bloke?

Here's a story that I heard up in the Territory many years ago; seems that a Jap plane landed with engine trouble and while the pilot wandered off for a drink at the nearby creek some local tribesmen fashioned a long tether from vine and attached it to the tail of the plane.
The pilot fixed the engine problem then taxied and damaged the tail so much that he couldn't take off.
The aboriginal bloke who was telling me said that the men just left the Jap to fend for himself; then he grinned a bit.

Is Mise: I knew a Bob Bowtell back in my RAEME days, wonder if it's the same bloke?

Bob Bowtell was in 17 Construction 65/66. The Engineers were also attached to the 173D (S) Airborne

Steelie: He is like that little pain in the arse rover.

& I do my job well. Ay. At least I know what I'm talking about from personal experience. therefore much qualified to comment. Don't you think.

Is Mise: Here's a story that I heard up in the Territory many years ago;

I just bet there is a million stories just like that, & true.

I'd like to hear some comment on the Aggressive Inappropriate Symbols on the side of the Gun Trucks. ;-)

There is a great doco about them done by a bloke from the second Iraq Campaign.

Hi there JAYB...

I've heard of operation 'Silver City'. You would've copped a fair bit from snipers secluded in their trapdoor entrances to their tunnel systems. They were certainly cunning buggers, with their ability to pop up anywhere within their tunnel complex.

You mentioned being redeployed in Malaysia. We were posted there before SV in June of !964 through to July 65. We operated along the Thai/Malay Border area trying to rout out the Communist Terrorists who've been entrenched there, since the end of WWll. We supported the Malaysian Field Police & Malaysian Rangers in a 'pincer' movement in order to trap the buggers in an area between two Jungle Forts; (Kroh & Tapong) along the Border.

You'd remember the terrible conditions on the border, being one of the hottest places on earth. Complete with tropical downpours (monsoons) together with awful humid conditions thereafter. Patrolling through the bush with a 50 or 60lb pack on you back in such humidity - we chaffed just about everywhere; and without prickly heat powder it became decidedly much more uncomfortable, with the occasional infection setting in. Next war I sign up for's, gotta be held in AirCon. conditions!

OSW: two Jungle Forts; (Kroh & Tapong) along the Border.
We did most of our Exercises on the Eastern Side, in the Mountains to the West of Kuala Terengganu. That’s where we ran into the Orang Osli. The aboriginal people the Malays regard as just animals, until the adopt Islam. The Imam wanted us to shoot them. The area was loaded with those little Green Vipers sitting in the branches of trees. Thank God they weren’t aggressive.
I arrived six weeks after the Emergency was declared over in 67. We still had to take our Weapons ammo & Gear home with us though for the first six months. I actually lived quite close to Malacca beside the NAAFI on Klebang Besar.

OSW: Next war I sign up for's, gotta be held in AirCon. conditions!

I’m right with you on that.

Still no word on the Aggressive Inappropriate War Symbols on the Sides of the Gun Trucks.

There were some good ones on the Choppers too. Actually, After a battle the Air Cav used to scatter Hundreds of “Ace of Spades Cards with a Skull & Xbones” with “Death from Above” on them. Oh! How demoralizing for the enemy that must have been. Shame, shame.

JayB,

Your conversation with someone about their experience in Rwanda probably happened albeit with a likely touch up in the telling, but that is not the reason I responded where I usually don't.

It was this toxic lie;

“But these killers are the types of people defended by Steelie, Foxy & Pauly & others of their ilk all the time.”

When you and the other little cur ttbn snarl and nip away from the safety of your keyboards it all just washes past and down the sewer. And if ttbn is fascinated in me then he is likely leaving someone else alone. But your outrageous lie slandering two good people was just pathetic, nasty and contemptible. And forcing a reasonable bloke like o sung wu to have to vouch for you is doubly pathetic.

Is it a case of you being ignored by me so you go after them to see if that gets a reaction? Well using the horror of what happened in Rwanda to have a dig like this is gutter level stuff. Neither have given you the cause to say such a thing about them. You really need to apologise.

Mr 'I've killed 2.5 people'. Who in the hell brags about a thing like that anyway?

Hi (again) JAYB...

I honestly don't understand what all the fuss is about concerning these so call aggressive and provocative signage seen on many Aussie military facilities. This new Lt Gen. just wants to make a name for himself with the troops, and on that note, he's failing very miserably. Buggered if I know, I really don't?