A question about the SAS

[Thailand]

19 minutes ago, roo860 said:

That's kids stuff!!! This was the one he used, he couldn't actually use his MP5 sub machine gun, so he beat two of the terrorists to death with the phone!!!

A bit smaller than the first mobile phone I had when I came to Thailand in 1988.

[cdnvic]

When someone tells me they're former SAS I always tell them "Cool, that's one of my favourite airlines!".

[herfiehandbag]

A true story: I used to live in a West Country City in the UK. Someone mentioned that an ex SAS man was running a pub in the city. Intrigued, I called in to see.

 

At one end of the bar was a large glass case, with a set of webbing hanging up in it, and a windproof smock (as favoured by many in the SAS). Loh, behind the bar was BFG! An ex Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 

Corporal who had run the BFG bay in a garrison I had served in in West Germany. BFG (British Forces Germany) was the process of testing and registering your private car to use in Germany, BFG registration brought significant tax concessions!

 

BFG was so called because he was both in charge of BFG testing, and because he was big, fat and ginger!

 

I greeted him by his nickname, and looked quizzically at the display case. He had the grace to look embarrassed. Apparently he took the case down a few days later.

 

I had a girl signaller who worked for me in one posting. She married a soldier from the SAS. I went to the wedding, where I met a number of his colleagues. I was introduced as the brides "OC", (Officer Commanding). Without exception they were polite and pleasant chaps, obviously fit, intelligent but not obvious supermen. Clearly all exceptional soldiers.

 

[The Old Bull]

In the fifties when I was a young fellow there used to be a mercenary drank in our local pub. A quiet fellow ,always wore a suit and tie sat at the end of the bar never drank beer only scotch. He never discussed his business but would disappear for a few months and reappear with a sun tan in winter,not from lying on the beach. Everybody knew what he did but it was bever discussed. A genuine SAS member would never talk about his exploits.

[BangkokReady]

3 hours ago, PomPolo said:

3 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

uhuh

 

Expand  

Hahahaha ROFLMAO classic scene from Bottom that!
"So you are a veteran then?"
"Don't be daft someone else was looking after the Pony's"
Top class!

 

Eddie: "What did you do then?"

 

War vet: "Well, I'd rather not talk about it."

 

Eddie: "Why, is it embarrassing?  Sh*t your pants, did you?  Cry, did you?  Hey?"

 

War vet: "Quite the opposite, actually."

 

Eddie (confused): "What?  You sucked water in through your eyes?!"

 

One of the best jokes on a TV series.

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, Utalk2mutt said:

Ex serviceman here and whilst I worked closely with them throughout my career mainly from a logistics perspective if someone claims they were SAS it is highly unlikely they ever were. These guys are the crème del la crème, highly disciplined and will not discuss their careers in any way. Lots of BS spread around by wannabes.

True. They don't talk about what they do or did, and no one will say where they are or what they are doing.

 

Amazing guys, and just the testing to be able to join separates the wannabes from the real men.

I once thought about it, for about 5 minutes, then reality set in.

[AlexRich]

13 hours ago, roo860 said:

That's me entering the Iranian Embassy 1980, my mate captured the action on his mobile phone 🫡

 

I'm the guy to the left of you ... the thing is you died a few years back?

[rwill]

Basically anyone who tells you they are in a special agency, secret service, etc... is not.

[Asquith Production]

15 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Every second guy drinking in a soi Buakhou bar is ex SAS. 😂

 

The others are rocket scientists, porn stars or bank robers 

 

Met a few pilots as well, apparently, who have just flown in. Not sure how they get there stomachs behind the controls.

[roo860]

2 hours ago, AlexRich said:

 

I'm the guy to the left of you ... the thing is you died a few years back?

That actually was a cover story, but I do remember you, you pooped your pants when the action started, don't worry, I won't mention it my next book!🤫😁😁

[Walker88]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

True. They don't talk about what they do or did, and no one will say where they are or what they are doing.

 

Amazing guys, and just the testing to be able to join separates the wannabes from the real men.

I once thought about it, for about 5 minutes, then reality set in.

Nonsense.

 

Maybe there was a time when "they didn't talk about it", but those days are long gone. Now they talk, write books, appear on TV offering analysis, etc. They are trained, but not supermen. They aren't even as special as they think they are.

 

Also, there haven't been many special missions in the last few decades. Plenty in movies and books, but few in reality. Lots of training, but little actual action.

 

Yes, most of the clowns in Patts and BKK are lying. They likely never served, much less in any special ops group. That being said, we had a joke in the agency that went like this:

 

"How do you know a guy is a SEAL?"

 

Answer: "He tells you."

 

SEALS and SAS do fancy ops with lots of support and commo and everything. The real tough guys are the agency SAC Ground Branch. Most of their ops are done alone, with no backup....just a guy, maybe with a weapon and definitely a wad of cash. The first guys into both Iraq and Afghanistan were not SEALS; they were agency Ground Branch, gathering intel, meeting assets, calling in air strikes.

 

Even agency ops officers, when working in hostile environments, are operating as lone wolves...no backup and mostly just their wits and street skills, when going at terrorists or other bad guys.

 

SEALS and SAS guys would make terrible spooks, and spooks would make terrible special ops guys. The mentality of one is the polar opposite of the other. Soldiers follow orders and are disciplined and team players; spooks are anti-authority loners whose talent is the ability to manipulate, to think on one's feet, and having the general view that life is just one grand game. In the current vernacular, SEALS/SAS are Alpha Males; spooks are Sigma Males. The original head of the OSS (Wild Bill Donovan), which became the agency, sought highly intelligent and educated elite folks, who had a cavalier attitude and an odd sense of invincibility, which gave them a false courage. Most of the originals were Ivy Leaguers.

 

As for ex-agency spooks in Thailand, there are only two former ops officers, and I know the other one. Neither of us is going to mention it to anyone in person, though that is less for classification reasons and more for the fact there are some bad guys in Thailand. Plus, nobody cares. so no need to mention it. Nothing to gain. By the way, a certain Bangkok hotel used to be al Qaeda Central, and let's not forget Hambali was caught in Ayutthaya. Might as well remain anonymous so long as jihadis walk freely.

 

I once had a guy, a kind of fat Norwegian, saddle up to me in a bar and tell me he was some special ops guy who had been "following me for a long time" and was now there to arrest me. Obviously he was BS-ing. I looked at him and said, "If you're telling the truth, then you know who I am and what my skills are, and you should be worried I will rip your throat out right here."  He stood up and left.

 

I have had one or two others over the years "open up" to me they were agency or something similar, having no clue that they had picked the wrong guy to BS.

[Mr Meeseeks]

14 hours ago, VBF said:

You could even lean to spell garrotte correctly 🙄

Seriously though, as @Utalk2mutt said, if they were genuinely SAS, they wouldn't be discussing it, unless, as @Mr Meeseekssaid, they are good friends of his. Even then, they might say nothing.

 

Hard to keep it a secret at the British Legion and other events like at the British Embassy, Hellfire Pass or Remembrance Sunday at the British Club etc. 😉

[Will27]

SAS = Super Army Soldiers

 

 

[wavodavo]

16 hours ago, PomPolo said:

Hahaha thank god it is not just me that notices this, funny you should say that I also met a getaway driver for a bank robbery last year.

Did he introduce himself as Ronald Biggs ????

[Thingamabob]

16 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Every second guy drinking in a soi Buakhou bar is ex SAS. 😂

 

The others are rocket scientists, porn stars or bank robers 

 

..and don't forget the many Americans claiming to be ex-CIA or ex-FBI.

[sungod]

59 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

The real tough guys are the agency SAC Ground Branch.

 

Where do you think they recruit from?

[macca3248]

I had 3 mates who all served in the Regiment living in Thailand , one passed away last year whilst living in Hua Hin ,one passed away several years ago whilst living south of Chiang Mai and my other mate lives between Chiang Mai and Piang Luang . All the genuine article and all were Gold card holders with DVA Australia.

 

[norfolkandchance]

[norfolkandchance]

In my opinion the RAF Regiment comes a close 2nd with their '5 Miler of a Death' March. 

[Moti24]

17 hours ago, PomPolo said:

I have heard people talk about being in the SAS myself not so much these days with less bar visits than I used to.
 

Next time you hear somebody spouting SAS stories, take their picture and tell them you are sending it to your mate at GCHQ.

 

If you are still breathing 30 seconds later, he was talking Bullsh1t.

[roo860]

14 minutes ago, norfolkandchance said:

In my opinion the RAF Regiment comes a close 2nd with their '5 Miler of a Death' March. 

[Grumpy one]

15 hours ago, roo860 said:

That's kids stuff!!! This was the one he used, he couldn't actually use his MP5 sub machine gun, so he beat two of the terrorists to death with the phone!!!

I had a P O S similar to that made by Mitsubishi Electronics.

After about 3 months I had a Hernia from lugging it around.

Great weapon to drop on someone's head

[Briggsy]

The irony!

 

Thread starts off as a dig at Walter Mitty types.

 

Walter Mitty types take over the thread!

[Alidiver]

A few years ago a visitor at Canterbury Tales was talking.

I asked what did he do in the military?

He rolled up his sleeve and had an SAS tattoo.

He never returned.

[crazykopite]

Very few ex military personnel discuss their past life and very few would own up to being  SAS . There are a lot of WMs world wide who claim this and that and the only medals they wear have been purchased on line .

[ignore it]

Lots of US Navy Seals sitting on stools too.

 

Closest I ever got to a “SpecOps” bar type was in Phnom Penh in the 90’s when I was sitting in Sharkies Bar and asked how the bayonets got stuck in the ceiling.