Skrot-sta's

NZ soldiers trout fishing using rifles near the Syrian and Turkish border, 1942.

A one armed Gurkha is more dangerous than 200 Japanese soldiers.

In May of 1945, World War II companies B and C of the 4th and 8th Gurkha rifles found themselves in the unenviable position of being surrounding by Japanese forces in Burma.  On the night of May 12th, Havildar Lachhiman Gurung was stationed with two other soldiers in an outpost guarding his company’s position when suddenly he was assaulted by 200 Japanese soldiers.  The Japanese began by throwing grenades at his foxhole, badly wounding his two comrades.  Gurung grabbed the live grenades and chucked them back at the enemy.  One exploded in his hand, blowing off his arm and blinding him in his right eye.  Undeterred by the grievous wound, Gurung held his ground and continued to fight.  With his left hand, he managed to work the bolt of his Lee Enfield rifle, gunning down the enemy by shooting the rifle with one hand. Often he would hide, then surprise the enemy when they closed in on his position, shooting them at point blank range.  For four hours Gurung fought.  According to soldiers of his company a mere 100 yards away (who were also under attack) he could be heard shouting, “Come and fight a Gurkha!” When Gurung was finally relieved, he was found surrounded by 31 dead enemy soldiers.  Recalling the incident, Gurung states,

“I had to fight because there was no other way. I felt I was going to die anyway, so I might as have died standing on my feet. All I knew was that I had to go on and hold them back. I am glad that I helped the other soldiers in my platoon, but they would have all done the same thing.”

For gallantry and bravery, Gurung was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest honor given by British and Commonwealth Forces. Despite losing an arm, Gurung refused to leave the service, and continued to serve with his unit until the end of the war.

After the war Gurung moved to the UK where he became a farmer.  In 2008 the British Government refused the immigration requests of 2,000 Gurkha soldiers who had served in the British Army, many of whom were veterans of the Falklands War and the Gulf War, citing that they had “failed to demonstrate strong ties to the UK”. Gurung became the main spokesman for Gurkha rights, helping convince a high court that the law was unjust in 2009.

Lachhiman Gurung passed away in 2010, leaving behind a wife and 5 children, one of whom is an officer in the 8th Gurkha Rifles.

ayuliyana:

Just like in the game of chess.

in the psychological sense, this is very, very true. single men tend to be lonelier than everyone else in the world because they don’t have someone intimate to talk to. not “intimate” like “oh let’s get frisky,” but in the emotional sense. when a boy has a girl, if the relationship actually means something and if he lets his guard down and trusts the girl, he will talk to his girl about his problems, thoughts, dreams, etc. normally, guys tend to not have someone to talk to about such things, while girls do. girls talk to other girls and they get emotional support from each other. guys tend to not talk to their guy friends about such deep things in fear that they’d look like a wuss or something. and thus, which is why they happen to be lonelier than anyone else in the world.

also, when compared, a lonely boy will be judged more harshly than a lonely girl. when the scenarios are given: “Jane just moved to college and hasn’t formed any friends yet. She feels lonely. Sometimes, she even cries at night;” and “John just moved to college and hasn’t formed any friends yet. He feels lonely. Sometimes, he even cries at night,” everyone will usually sympathize more with Jane than with John. John will be told to “suck it up” and move on with his life.

thank you, Interpersonal Psychology.

RAF Waddington airshow 2014 low landings. Top to bottom:

Avro Vulcan

F/A-18 Super Hornet

Eurofighter Typhoon

E-3 Sentry

Boeing RC-135

BaE Hawk

Reporter Sam Kelway gets owned by puddle drive-by

“My colleagues thought it was staged … I think it’s brilliant, but don’t do it again unless I’m wearing a raincoat.”