Jump to content
News Ticker
  • I am now accepting the following payment methods: Card Payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal
  • Latest News

    My Presentation Gift on my retirement from the Irish Defence Forces.


    Recommended Posts

    Hallo Gentlemen :beer:

    I attach here some pictures of my presentation gift from the 18th Infantry Battalion (FCA) that I had been attached to from my parent unit of the 28th Infantry Battalion, Finner Camp, Co. Donegal.

    The statue is in what is called Cold Cast bronze stands 29cm high from the base, and depicts a member of the Permanent Defence Force of Ireland in combat kit with full webbing and pack, carrying the 5.56mm Steyr AUG.

    The base incorporates a representation of the Cap-Badge of the Irish Defence Forces and the inscription tag reads:

    Saighdiuir na h'Eireann / Soldier of Ireland.

    Presented to Pte. Kevin A. Ryan, On his Retirement 24 - 10 -97,

    By the 18th Inf. Bn.

    I also attach a picture of me taken on the day of my "Passing Out" Parade after Recruit Training, at Custume Barraks Athlone, July 1976 and a picture taken a few days before my retirement, on the Irish Border, near Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal, 3rd October 1997.

    Kevin in Deva :beer:

    Edited by Kev in Deva
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    OK.... let us in on the secret....

    How many drunken brawls do you need to get into to stay a Private for 21 years ;-)

    I was thinking the same thing :lol:

    That is a great retirement gift! :beer: Five more years for me! I can hardly wait! :jumping:

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    OK.... let us in on the secret....

    How many drunken brawls do you need to get into to stay a Private for 21 years ;-)

    Chris & Paul :beer: "say's he shocked and stunned" :speechless1:

    me drink? brawl? never :blush: I'll have you know I even served as an acting-corporal (unpaid for a couple of years) see the picture taken from my discharge book L.A. 89 for my Military Conduct Rating!!

    It says EXEMPLARY :beer: and No I did not have an office job either!!

    But I will admit the temptation is there to paint the statue :speechless1: maybe I will try to obtain a second one for that exercise!!

    Kevin in Deva :lol:

    Edited by Kev in Deva
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Another soldier...

    A private for 21 years and 174 days....

    Please divulge the secret to me... How can a man, no how can a soldier stay a private for such a long time without promotions for good conduct or somewhat and still having an exemplary notation??

    I'm puzzled.

    :beer:

    Jacky

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I think that shade of blue used for "Exemplary is a bit darker than the rest. As a document collector it makes me a little wary.....

    In the legion it was the same... you signed a 5 year contract, any time spent in the glass house was added onto the 5 years.... although i have never seen anyone who managed to stretch it out to 21 years.....

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Another soldier...

    A private for 21 years and 174 days....

    Please divulge the secret to me... How can a man, no how can a soldier stay a private for such a long time without promotions for good conduct or somewhat and still having an exemplary notation??

    I'm puzzled.

    :beer:

    Jacky

    It is indeed unusual, but I think the brit and Irish army works differently to others. They have many long serving privates, especially if they stay in field units.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    It is indeed unusual, but I think the brit and Irish army works differently to others. They have many long serving privates, especially if they stay in field units.

    Hi Chris & Jacky :beer:

    VERY SHORT CAREER HISTORY :P

    I never was in the "Glass-house", and you are some-what right Chris with regards the set up involved with the Irish Army, in my time in Ireland, a guy had to volunteer to join, no conscription, I went from the 6th Infantry Bn, (Training Unit Section) in Custume Barracks, Athlone, after about 9 weeks to the 28th Infantry Bn, at Finner Camp Donegal, one of the three Battalions tasked with Border Security, now you also have to take into account that the Irish Army was theoretically 15,000 strong, thats Army, Navy, & Aer Corps., and with such a young age and small amount of Corporals and Sergeants, vacancies were very, very slow to become vacant.

    I was on the start of an NCO course but because we were forced to sleep in wet conditons outside in January :o , I was carted off with pneumonia and never recovered quick enough to finish that course, after that I served in various locations on the Western Command area of the border, mainly on patrols and OPs which I enjoyed a lot.

    I trained and qualified as a Regimental Signaller & 84mm Anti-tank man (as well as doing the usual Guard Duty on the Base and Hydro-electric Stations at Ballyshannon & Border Checkpoints & Patrols :violent:

    I also came to realise as if I was a Corporal/ Sergeant you got more time doing office work than out on the ground, particularly when the army was drasticaly short of men, due to work in Civvie street being so good as was in the 1980s, Guys were leaving the Army to get good civillian jobs in factorys unfortuanaty for them the economic bubble burst, and many tried to re-join, few got back in and were on the unemployed list for a long time.

    Then in 1979 - 1980 I went overseas with the 46th Irish Battalion UNIFIL, to South Lebanon, upon return to Ireland it was back to the Border Bn, before eventually getting an attachment transfer in 1984 to the Military Barracks in my home town Castlebar, here I was involved with the Regular members of the 18th in training the Reserve members of the Unit as well as hosting visiting Reserve Units on Camps, we also had to be available for Guard duty back on the Border and at Galway Military Barracks, and I spent quite some time at the Military College in the Curragh Camp, Co. Kildare with various courses, has each Command had to supply personel for duties there (being single always meant you would be availble for these "nice" duties :P

    In early 1997 plans were being implimented to reduce the size of the Irish Defence Forces, and soldiers were invited to apply to retire, as I had the 21 already in I was sure of my pension anyway so I put in for it and it was granted, so ends the military career of 835827 Pte. Ryan K. A.

    Edited by Kev in Deva
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Here rest Private Ryan....

    May he Rest in ....

    Oh no.. wrong movie :P

    Sorry sorry :blush:

    Could you show us your medal bar, all the gongs you have earned in those years..

    If you don't mind of course!!

    Kind regards,

    Jacky

    My medals are already shown at: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=7521

    Not being part of NATO, Irish Overseas Service has mainly been limited to U.N. Service starting back in 1960 in the Congo (where Irish members were killed and eaten by the canibal "BALUBA" tribe.) :speechless1:

    Cyprus, Sinai, Iran-Iraq as observers before the war with Sadam, Rawanda, Somalia,

    And they have served in many other locations including of late East Timor, Eritrea. . . . .

    With regards the Movie "Saving Private Ryan" the beach scenes and patrol through the fields were filmed on location in Ireland (the fighting in the town was filmed on a specialy constructed set at a disused airfield in England). All the extras were Irish Army Reserve Forces with some regulars as well.

    The Irish Army Reserve Forces were used as extra earning I believe 90 Euro a day, two of my brothers were part of the Irish Reserve Defence Forces used as extras in Mel Gibson's "Braveheart" again mostly shot on location in Ireland.

    And if I an not mistaken the WW1 Classic the "Blue Max" (released in 1996 with George Peppard) was also filmed in Ireland utilising Irish Army soldiers as extras for the trench warfare scenes*.

    * = The terrain of County Wicklow strikingly resembled the Somme area of France during the last part of 1918. It is also one of the few places in the world close to a big city (Dublin) where the surrounding skies are not jammed by commercial and private flying. Add to this the help of the Irish Department of Defence, and it's easily understood why Ireland was chosen as the site.

    One of the film's most spectacular sequences is a reconstruction of a Somme battle. Director Guillermin, with production designer Wilfred Shingleton, chose about 230 acres of County Wicklow at a spot called Kilpedder, six miles from the Ardmore Studios. The Irish Army supplied about 1,200 officers and men to take part in this fantasticlly real battle. Shingleton designed the horrific battlefields from actual photographs and old newsreels. Explosives experts were called in. To obtain the right effects they used something like seven tons of explosives a day!

    Taken from: http://home.planet.nl/~marte163/BlueMaxArticle.htm

    Kevin in Deva :beer:

    Edited by Kev in Deva
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Poor Kev....I believe there is an expression for these guys here taking the mickey....It goes as follows " to cast peals before swine".... he he snigger snigger!

    I must admit though ..... I loved the comments on this thread nevertheless :cheeky:

    Jim :beer:

    Edited by jimzammit
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now
    ×
    ×
    • Create New...

    Important Information

    We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.