If I saw this happen in a movie I'd think it was impossibly contrived hollywood hackery, but this guy... Amazing.
Posted by Pensive's Wetness (Member # 1203) on :
fucking nuts... in a good way. watch, some producer in china will probably make a move about that shit...
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"The CGC is second only to the Victoria Cross -- the highest honour for bravery in the face of the enemy."
What the hell do you have to do to get one of those then?
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
^Get killed in the process I think...well, not always, but they very rarely give those out these days. Only a handful have been awarded since WWII if I recall correctly and I think the last one was a posthumous award. Actually, looking a wikipedia, it claims there's only three living VC recipients still around and two of them are Gurkhas. You really don't want to mess with those guys.
Still, it's a bit of a mystery to me how exactly they can quantify different degrees of 'valour in the face of the enemy' and decide who deserves which award.
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
I'm sure it can be political sometimes. If command sees an angle, wants to score points with the nation the soldier is from (alive or dead), or if they think the division needs the morale boost. I'm sure they like having reasons to give out these things, I would. Not that I think this case is bogus, though.
My father trained maneuvers with the Gurkhas in Congo-Kinshasa while he was in the UN Peacekeeping forces in the 60's, during the scrap with Tshombe. They were very good knife throwers, he said. They used to stick a short, thick plank into the ground and then throw their bayonets (not the khukris) at it for hours. During downtime. He once chauffeured one of their colonels to an airstrip at night, and halfway there the short and thin little man told my dad to stop the jeep. So he did, the man got out, walked slowly to the front side of the vehicle, came back with a cobra. He kept it in his lap part of the way, then chucked it over his head into the jungle as they approached the airstrip.
Another night my dad drove him to some base. The guard at the entrance was a tall, young and burly Dane, who'd given my dad grief before. He started to pester and chew out my dad about his papers or something. The colonel gets out of the jeep, walks up there and demands to know what's going on, and the Dane leans down and gets into the colonel's face too. So he grabs the Dane by the throat and sweeps him down on the ground, choking him out. Then back in to the truck, "Ok, let's go". My dad learned later the little man was a prince of the Thai royal family at the time. He told me these stories when we cleaned the attic and I found the box with the black Khukri and the Gurkha bayonet in it. My dad had some african tribal weaponry and stuff too, some spears, but I always liked the khukri and bayonet the most as a kid.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Are you sure he was talking about a Gurkha? For one thing I don't think Gurkha ranks go as high as Colonel (they're usually commanded by British Army officers) and secondly, Gurkhas are from Nepal, not Thailand. Indeed, I don't think we've ever had a very good relationship with the Thai since back when the country was still called Siam.
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
Anyone can be a ghurka officer, only nepalese can be the soldiers.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
^ I honestly can't think of any situation in which a Thai prince would command Ghurkas. At least I'm not aware of any Ghurka regiments in any army besides ours, the Indians' and of course the Nepalese Army.
Even so, *he* wouldn't be any more of a Gurkha than a British commander.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
quote:Originally posted by Nim: Anyone can be a ghurka officer, only nepalese can be the soldiers.
So my dream can still come true!
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
And how long before that's illegal?
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Well, the inventor does intend it for use by law enforcement, so I'm guessing its not for civilian use.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Sure- that was the idea behind the Glock, as I recall- untill the company decided it could make a ton of money selling to everyone.
Whatever, it's a glove- it's not stopping bullets.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
I could see it being used by private security types, though I'm not sure if it'd be legal over here as it is. I'm pretty sure tazers are classed as offensive weapons and only especially trained police are allowed to use them. Could be wrong though.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Over here you can own whatever crazy non-military ordinance or weapons you want. We're fucking insane. Tasers? Try Dragon Breath fireball rounds for shotguns- yes, it turns a shotgun into a flamethrower. So legal, it's scary.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Yeah, I've seen. The right to bare arms or the right to arm bears; whatever the hell you wanna do!
Not that gun laws eliminate gun crime as recent headlines will attest, but I think the streets are marginally safer with (mostly) only knives, bricks, screwdrivers and the occasional machete to worry about...
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
It's just...what POSSIBLE use could that thing have?!? It's not for hunting, as yuo'd st an animal and probabaly the forest on fire. same with "home defense" Which means it's a toy for gun nuts to play with.
Yay.
Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
Well, if the argument is that it is just someone's toy rather than having a practical use, would you also apply that judgement to someone driving a suped up sports car rather than a standard sedan? Or having a 4,000 S.F. custom home rather than a small tract home?
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
The sports car and big house cant immolate a person at 20 meters.