Search the Community

This is Ukraine’s deadly Jeanne d’Arc

Mar 2016 - Russian Hero Who Died Liberating Palmyra http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160329/1037166120/russian-hero-palmyra-named-father.html The Russian Special Forces officer who was killed during the operation to liberate Palmyra, Syria from the Daesh (ISIS) terrorist group has been named as 25-year-old Alexander Prokhorenko. He ordered air forces to strike his position after he was surrounded by IS fighters. An unconfirmed radio comm transcript captured the final moment from his request: http://www.worldinwar.eu/russian-special-forces-commando-last-words-transcript-the-offensive-on-palmyra-25-03-2016 "I am surrounded, they are outside, I don’t want them to take me and parade me, conduct the airstrike, they will make a mockery of me and this uniform. I want to die with dignity and take all these b**tards with me. please my last wish, conduct the airstrike, they will kill me either way..." His wife of 18 months, who is now pregnant, thought her husband had die in a military accident. "...I am surrounded, they are outside, I don’t want them to take me and parade me, conduct the airstrike..." The operation remain secret until his body was recovered by Kurdish forces on request from the Russian gov.

35-year-old gets coveted Golden Bayonet award Cadet outshines much younger trainees to clinch award. Timothy Goh Updated today at 09:27 AM HE IS more than a dozen years older than most of his peers. And Specialist Cadet (SCT) Yong Heng Soon was also ahead of them in clinching the Golden Bayonet award at the 23rd Specialist Cadet Graduation Parade yesterday at Pasir Laba Camp. The 35-year-old was one of 1,003 Specialist Cadets from the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Navy and the Republic of Singapore Air Force who graduated after completing a 22-week course. Only 21 cadets received the coveted Golden Bayonet, awarded to the top 10 per cent of all Specialist Cadet trainees. Said the father of two children aged two and four: "I didn't really expect it - I came here with the objective to get the Third Sergeant (3SG) rank, not to fight for the Bayonet." Having joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) as an enlistee in 1999, SCT Yong worked his way up the ranks until late last year, when he was chosen to go for training at the Specialist Cadet School. In contrast, most cadets are full-time national servicemen picked after basic military training and are aged between 18 and 22. The 22 weeks of training to attain the rank of 3SG were challenging but his time in the SAF had taught him perseverance. "As a commander, I have more freedom, but also more responsibility," he said. The experience has also broadened his perspective. "Last time I was (an enlistee), now I will be a Sergeant... Now I know how the Sergeants felt when they led us, what lines we cannot cross," he said. However, one of his toughest moments had nothing to do with the training. His wife and children fell sick when he was training in Thailand. "I wanted to give up, to go back and take care of them. But we encouraged and motivated each other, and got through it," he said. SCT Yong said his age and experience made him a natural guide for the younger trainees. He hopes to continue his SAF career, eventually becoming a Warrant Officer if possible. The parade was reviewed by Senior Minister of State for Law and Education Indranee Rajah. Addressing the cadets, she said: "You are now entrusted with the heavy responsibility of leading men and women into battle... lead them by example and with conviction." [email protected]

TAIPEI, Taiwan

Should ask her to sign on SAF... From STOMP: http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sg...ding_champ.html Posted on 26 Oct 2012 This female soldier not only served in Iraq, she's also a bodybuilding champ This article was contributed by the STOMP Team. Meet Melissa Haywood, not only is she a soldier who served in Iraq, but she is also a winner at the recent UK Bodybuilding Championships. She served in Iraq in 2007 as part of Operation Telic 10 and is a British Army Corporal. Just 26 years old, Melissa is from Salisbury, Wiltshire. She bagged the best bikini body award -- not surprising with her generous bust size of 34DD. She weighs about 57.2kg and is about 1.73m tall. The married soldier loves working out in the gym and her husband is a fellow soldier called Kieran. Source: Barnorama Pics 1-22 in the gallery show Melissa Haywood, while the other photos show girls with muscle.

Another SAF death

From November, recruits doing Basic Military Training (BMT) will be armed with one more 'weapon' - a handheld touchscreen device such as an iPad - to sharpen their fighting skills. The SAF is believed to be the first military in the region to issue handheld gadgets, such as the iPad, iPod Touch or Samsung Galaxy tablet, to servicemen. Full report in ST

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110602/wl_uk...istannepalaward Queen decorates Nepali for Afghanistan heroics Thu Jun 2, 3:20 am ET LONDON (AFP)

Mon, Oct 26, 2009 A regular servicemen from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has died during a training stint in Oklahoma, USA after he was found motionless along a lake. First Warrant Officer (1WO) S. Thivvianathan was on a self-paced run along the Old Cedar Lake on Sunday afternoon (US time) with other servicemen, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said in a news release. The 51-year-old regular was found at about 4pm US time by a local resident, who performed CPR on him. He was subsequently evacuated by ambulance to the nearby Reynolds Army Community Hospital, and pronounced dead there. LTC Leow Poh Meng, Commanding Officer of SAF Transport Hub (West), said: "1WO Thivvianathan was well regarded by his peers and superiors. To his men, he was a mentor and a friend." 1WO Thivvianathan, a transport supervisor, was in Oklahoma as part of an advance logistics party which arrived on October 1, in support of SAF training there. SAF Warrant Officer dies in US Personally,he is a good encik.Very well respected due to his work ethics.Will nvr forget him.Does anyone knows when will he be brought back to SG or have any info of his memorial service?Coz i intend to pay my last respects to him.Please do PM me if can't post here.Many thanks.

This soldier very steady.... [laugh] I salute for his bravey!!! This reminds of my NS days where sometimes we sleep in full uniform with boots on, knowing tat we might have "stand 2" or inspections Pink underwear "I LOVE NY" Talk show Defence Chief's statement Defense chief praises soldier in pink boxers Defense Secretary Robert Gates says American soldiers have more than their military might and training on their side in the war in Afghanistan. Some have pink underwear. Gates told an audience in New York about Specialist Zachary Boyd, of Fort Worth, Texas, routed from sleep by enemy fire on his post in eastern Afghanistan. "He immediately grabbed his rifle and rushed into a defensive position clad in his helmet, body armor, and pink boxer shorts that said 'I Love New York,'" Gates said Thursday night. "Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective, an AP photographer was there for a candid shot," Gates continued. The photograph by David Guttenfelder ran on the front page of the New York Times. Gates said Boyd later told his parents he might get fired. Gates assured his audience at the Intrepid museum, and Boyd, that his job is safe. "Any soldier who goes into battle against the Taliban in pink boxers and flip-flops has a special kind of courage," Gates said, adding that Boyd may have hit on a new kind of psychological warfare. "I can only wonder about the impact on the Taliban. Just imagine seeing that

Abstract from CNA, http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp.../357567/1/.html PARIS - France's army chief of staff resigned Tuesday two days after a soldier wounded 17 people by mistakenly firing live ammunition into the crowd during a display at an army base, the presidency said. President Nicolas Sarkozy promised severe punishment following the shooting, which happened as hundreds of parents and children watched a mock hostage rescue operation Sunday near the southwestern city of Carcassonne. "The president of the republic, head of the armed forces, has accepted the offer of resignation by General Bruno Cuche, chief of staff of the army," Sarkozy's office said in a statement, calling it a "powerful gesture". Fifteen bystanders including five children were wounded in the shooting as were two soldiers. A three-year-old boy was in serious but stable condition after taking bullets in the heart and in the arm. General Cuche had ordered an army command investigation into the incident, with a four-star general due to report back within a week. But Defence Minister Herve Morin contacted Cuche to say the shooting had revealed "serious shortfalls" in army safety procedures and asking him to adopt immediate sanctions against those responsible, the defence ministry said. Morin told RTL radio the general considered himself "first and foremost responsible, as the army chief of staff in charge of preparing and training forces." He said Cuche had "acknowledged his role of leader and his responsibility as leader," paying tribute to "a truly great soldier, a man who is aware of his responsibilities, and of the image of the army." Trained at France's elite Saint-Cyr military academy, the 60-year-old Cuche, who served as a commander of NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo in 1999, stands down after two years in the top post. The 28-year-old sergeant who fired the shots from his assault rifle was being held in custody and was expected to be charged Tuesday with causing unintentional injury. The sergeant, who was officially suspended from duty on Tuesday, has been described as an experienced soldier with no history of psychological problems. Prosecutors said he had been carrying a live magazine in his pocket, wrongly left there after a recent military operation, and had used it to reload his rifle instead of using blanks. After visiting the wounded children in hospital Monday, Sarkozy said the shooting was the result of "unacceptable negligence", promising a "rapid and severe response". Sarkozy's office said he was "closely following the various investigations" and that "he intends for the armed forces to draw full consequences in terms of organisation and operations." A witness, who asked not to be named, told AFP he saw seven or eight soldiers with guns taking part in the simulation, one of whom was posing as a terrorist in the middle of the spectators. "Suddenly, people were falling, we thought it was part of the exercise, and then we saw blood." - this is leading by example....

Looks like just an "honest" mistake by foot-soldier which led to accidental shooting of bystanders... but high-ranking head rolls to take responsibility. Hmm... a lesson here, somewhere? http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp.../357567/1/.html