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British Army Officers - You Know You're Institutionalized When...

daftandbarmy

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BRITISH ARMY OFFICERS - YOU KNOW YOU'RE INSTITUTIONALISED WHEN...

You think that a check shirt (tucked in), chinos and brown shoes (and may be
a v-neck sweater) looks 'casual' on someone under the age of 40....

You wouldn't dream of buying a shirt with either a breast pocket or button
cuffs....

You feel slightly guilty when you are at home and you see news footage from
places you once were but are no longer.

You use target indication to point out fit chicks...

You use the term 'chicks'

You insist on dancing like a tit, Ricky Gervais/Alan Partirdge style, whilst
your civvie mates insist on trying to dance 'properly'.

You don't understand why your civvie mates won't go out on the piss
mid-week, because apparently where they work it's 'not the done thing' to
turn up sh*t-faced at midday....

Your civvie mates don't understand any of the terminology you use such as
'no dramas', 'squared away', 'take a knee' etc....

You can't help saying "Roger", "Say again" and other snappy bits of voice
procedure when talking to civilians who think you are probably a bit mad....
you quite like it that they think you are a bit mad.

You use acronyms thinking your civvie mates will understand what you are
talking about.

You don't have any civvie mates....

Your Facebook profile photo is one of you on TELIC or HERRICK in CS95 and
ECBA, with an SA80, as if that makes you 'cool' and everyone else in the
army hasn't been to Iraq/Afghanistan/Camberley anyway...

You cringe, and mutter under your breath 'haircut', when you see men with
long hair.

You walk at a ridiculous pace and are physically incapable of walking at the
shopping pace of your girlfriend.

You refer to personal organisation as "admin"

Your girlfriend is stored in your mobile phone address book as '0A'

You use patrol hand signals in a night club if people can't hear you

The idea of training shoes as leisure wear is anathema to you.

You wouldn't dream of polishing a pair of shoes or boots with just one
brush. There have to be a separate 'on' and 'off' brushes....

You always use the 24 hour clock....

You have flashbacks of being wet, cold and miserable whenever you see a
Yorkie....

You think nothing of perjuring yourself by lying in court that 'Soldier X is
a great bloke with a promising career' despite the fact that he's as guilty
as a puppy sitting next to a pile of poo....

Nothing soldiers do shocks you any more....

You can't watch programmes such as 'Ultimate Force' without giving a running
commentary along the lines of "He didn't forward assist" or "Look at the
state of Ross Kemp's webbing"....

People in prison have more contact with women than you do....

Whenever you spell something out you use the phonetic alphabet....

You wouldn't dream of using Kiwi liquid polish....

You don't trust your mum/wife/girlfriend/any woman to iron your kit because
deep down you think that your ironing is better....

You own a 'Sports jacket' made of the hi-tech wicking, breathable,
waterproof fabric known as tweed....

You point using your whole hand in a karate chop motion....

You find that the conversation somehow always comes back round to you,
because you're more interesting than most topics of conversation....

You think not shaving is a treat....

You feel guilty if you ever forget to shave on a weekend.

You get really irritated when people you don't know call you 'mate'....

You may find yourself getting bored if there are not at least 10 other
single semi alcoholic 20-somethings living in the same building as you,
eating in suits à la the 1950's and driving several hours every Friday night
to see people who used to be their friends, yet who no longer seem to be
able to relate to them and are now referred to as 'f###ng civvies'.

The mere mention of Sandhurst sends you into a two hour conversation on how
the log race was longer in your day, you didn't have duvets in juniors and
how someone you know in your intake died during phys!

You have lengthy conversations about your favourite ORP meal,

You can read a Silvermans catelog from cover to cover and refer to
everything that is useful as a 'gucci bit of kit'

You refer to smoke as 'a double edged sword'.

You spend hours wondering where in civvie street you can get an equal
disposable income and at least 6 weeks holiday a year, by completing an
inversely proportionally tiny amount of tangible work

You don't think it's strange to have coat hangers with your name on.

Whilst mothers think you are marvellous because you show up on time, bring a
gift and write prompt thank you letters, their daughters are less charmed by
your stinky chat consisting of strings of acronyms and jargon, your entire
wardrobe coming from M&S and your Neolithic pulling techniques.





Your blood boils when you see civvies wearing DPM.

Going out on Thursday "international army night out" wherever it may be, or
whichever course one is on, involves forming the ring-of-steel, talking
about ourselves and the army and aggressively staring at girls; who if they
don't immediately come over are obviously lesbians. Should any man dare
break this ritual, and despite talking to the prettiest of girls - as we
would like to do, if it weren't for the fact we tend to chew our own tongues
and dribble - he is clearly gay!

You don't talk to your family at breakfast, but resolutely read your
Telegraph in silence.

'Fancy Dress' is a euphemism for cross dressing or wearing 'offensive' WWII
uniforms.

You own a North Face puffa Jacket

You think that anyone who isn't in the Army has 'Stinking chat'....

You are incorrectly under the impression that you can get away with showing
'moral courage' in everyday life, without getting the sh*t kicked out of you
by some neanderthal for interfering in his domestic....

You secretly quite like 'cutting about' in uniform in places you really
shouldn't....

You use the phrase 'cutting about'....

You come out in a cold sweat if you find yourself still working after lunch
on a friday....

You have to stop work at 10am for tea and cakes or else you might not make
it to lunch....

At least half of your DVD collection are war movies....

Even though your disposable income is twice that of a civvie you still
manage to spend it all, every month, with nothing to show for it, about a
week after you've told all your soldiers that you 'can't believe how much
money they waste on the piss'....

You feel guilty about wearing jeans in front of senior officers....

You now hate corned beef hash, in any form....

The sight of rolling countryside makes you scan for 'enemy depth'....

You dismiss anyone who might be better than you at something by stating that
they're 'Sh*t with weight on'....

You think that eating every meal for a week with the same spoon that you
licked clean and kept in the pocket of the same shirt you've worn all week
is perfectly normal....

All of your food has to be prepared by a chef because you're incapable of
cooking anything that can't either be boiled in a bag or eaten cold....

You lie when people ask you what you do for a living....
 
Great stuff, I wasn't ever in the British Army, nor an officer, and this still applies to those that have worn a uniform.  Especially the hair cut part.  I still mutter to myself, " Get a haircut", when I see any male with hair long enough to touch their collar.  The one thing I have despised doing, as a civilian though, is shaving every day.  I have spent too much time in jobs where it isn't necessary.  I should probably start getting in the habit of doing it again, so that my face is used to the "torture" before I get a job offer.

Edited for punctuation.
 
Ooo Ooo quick someone come up one for a Canadian Officer *in Stewie's Voice* It'll be marvelous!
 
not bad - but the tern "Tottie" instead of "Chicks" is still widespread

and they point by using all five fingers (six for the aristocracy!  :))!
 
actually "corned beef hash" is on one of the the 24 hour ration pack menu so you don't really have a choice when your cold, wet and very very hungry!
 
daftandbarmy said:
You use target indication to point out fit chicks...
Or continue trying to teach your girlfriend target indications despite repeated failures, or still assuming she can read a map after 4 missed road turnoffs.
 
:rofl: good on ya daftandbarmy! - I can pert much relate to all of it! (so can we all)
 
Lord, I just had a flashback to Sunday Lunch with my grandfather...(I'm sure my kid is muttering under her breath right now, being reminded of our Sunday Lunches as well... LOL)
 
actually, you should see young Guards subalterns walking out from Chelsea Barracks - pin stripe suits, regimental tie, bowler hats and furled umbrellas!
 
Hang on!! You guys are saying "institutionalized" like it's a bad thing!    >:(

It took me several years to develop some of those fine attributes listed....the ones that cause older folks to smile with a twinkle in their eyes....and "fit chicks" (like that one at 10 o'clock; seen?) to swoon.

Before I joined, I was actually a.....a......civie! But I'm OK now!
 
Not you too journeyman? I heard the rumours but didnt take any notice. A civvie you reckon? God, i dont know, i think you can get a cream for that, comes in 3 colours.
I was born to civvie too i'm ashamed to say, mum being a Yoga teacher, my dad a practicing buddhist (Dead set, i'm actually not joking there) and both of them being...wait for it...Vegetarians it took a long time to get out of it but i did.

I love this post. I'm printing it and taking it into work. More people should share the joy of it!
Its truely wonderous
 
I don't mind vegetarians, but I don't think I could eat a whole one  ;)


If we weren't supposed to eat animals, they wouldn't be made out of meat, now would they?  ;D 
 
Well done indeed!!!
I was talking with my Dad on the phone the other day and when we went to say good bye...I said...OUT!
I would seem I still have TCCCS in my ear...:)
 
Wow Hale, I've been to your house several times and never seen your parents. You must have passed on your cam and concealment skills well!
 
ha ha, I remember when I was a kid and went grocery shopping with my dad. I would push the shopping cart while he was in front giving hand signals.  ;D
 
Haha, thats one that i do too! I ground guide mates cars and then get looked at funny when i do "Ramp down" to signify i want the boot open. I can just imagine ground guiding a shopping trolley too! That'd be funny as!
Ground guiding is definately one then isnt it?
 
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