Brit. Military Academy (Sandhurst) Documentary

AcademyFriend1

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I watched an interesting BBC documentary on Sandhurst, the British Military Academy (not the Sandhurst competition at West Point, named for the British institution). Sandhurst is an 11th month officer training program for the British Army; it is all military and does not include the college aspect of our American service academies. I found it particularly interesting because in the early 1990s I went with a USMC observation group to spend a few days at Sandhurst, with the goal of observing if there were elements of it that could/should be incorporated into the Basic School. It was an interesting place -- really impressive training but a little bit elitist (almost all of the officer candidates had gone to high school at the equivalent of boarding schools like Andover and Exeter in the States). It seems a bit more democratic now from watching the video. Anyway, I've attempted (not sure I did it right) to post a link to the first episode on YouTube if anyone is interested:

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmXGW6gtmqA
 
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Certainly not what I expected.... but man, did that throwing up after drinking that water bring some nasty memories back. Nothing like being across the p-way of someone blowing chunks (watery chunks). Yummy.
 
Certainly not what I expected.... but man, did that throwing up after drinking that water bring some nasty memories back. Nothing like being across the p-way of someone blowing chunks (watery chunks). Yummy.

Yeah, that scene spoke to me too.
 
Tradition, Tradition, Tradition.

Sandhurst was established the same year as Saint-Cyr and West Point in the year 1802.

"I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, they frighten me."
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington.

Not exactly about Sandhurst graduates but they were probably there in June 1815.
 
Definitely a very different mentality than the American way of doing business. I was surprised to see, as they stood drinking water, how the one who got sick stood with his hand on his hip when speaking to the Staff Sergeant. Doing that in an American setting would get you nuked.

Our military is a striking mix of harshness and professionalism. Having observed many of our contemporaries from other countries, I'm more and more convinced that our way of doing things is not only the most effective, but is also a necessity in the greater American culture.

Some nice shots of the Lynx in there. It's one of the ugliest aircraft around, but it's an amazing performer.
 
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Did anyone else have trouble understanding the shouted commands? Why do they swing the arms so high and stomp the boots so hard. Tradition is the answer?
 
The Brits have a fine military tradition. They're different in how they do things, for sure, but a great ally to us.

I got the chance during my summer abroad in college (1998) to go to the Imperial War Museum in London. It was very cool, and I recommend seeing it along with Churchill's "war rooms." I found the exhibit on the Blitz and the First World War, which included a trench replication, to be particularly effective.

Off topic, but this summer, I'm going on my honeymoon to France and am scheduled to visit the Normandy beaches. I'm very stoked, and plan to visit both of the US beaches and the three British/Canadian ones (two British, one Canadian).
 
My firstie year, the Brit Sandhurst team stayed in our company area. They have very European views on nudity. I was forced to explain to a 6' tall blond, and rather buxom, female Brit that she'd need to use a towel that covered her upper body as well when she walked from the shower back to her room.

Ah, memories.
 
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