Things I never expected to learn from my time in the RAF Regiment, but did anyway
- You will never know everything about the RAF Regiment before you join, so don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t turn out as you expected it to, and don’t believe any of the ‘you came to them, they didn’t come to you’ bollocks. We all make mistakes, and sometimes signing on that dotted line is the biggest one you’ll ever make. And if it is, it’s okay, you’re absolutely not alone, it happens.
At it’s core, the RAF Regiment is a job, just like any other. You’re there because you’re paid to be there, and if you like it, as far as the brass are concerned, that’s neither here nor there, just like any other job. And let’s be honest here, whatever path took you to the careers office, you’ll never really know what you’re letting yourself in for until you’ve passed out from Basics and been posted to your first unit, by which time it’s too late to leave easily, quickly or cheaply. At that point, your options are that you love the whole thing, which is fine, or you don’t really love the whole thing, but think you might in time, which is kind of okay, or you realise you’ve made one huge fucking mistake. If you fall into the latter category, the lesson to be learned is that shit sometimes happens, and you then have to make the best choices for you. It’s not for everyone, and sometimes that reality isn’t always immediately apparent. And the most fundamental thing to take away from that reality, is that it doesn’t make you a bad person, a negative being, or a non-hacker, it just means you’re honest with yourself, and you’re true to yourself, and that’s never a bad thing.
2. Just because the entire herd holds exactly the same point of view, doesn’t make them right.
The RAF Regiment, like all military units, is all about obedience, not questioning what you’re told, and going with the flow. It simply wouldn’t be able to function otherwise. But…that mentality leaches into pretty much everything, so if your Sergeant tells you to buy a Mars bar at NAAFI break, that’s what you’ll but, if you get told that Ron Hills and dessie boots are cool to wear in the NAAFI bar at night, that’s what you’ll wear. And it doesn’t end there, you won’t even question that the monarchy is cool and right wing politics are a natural truth, because that’s the culture, but sadly, it also gets even more pervasive than that. If a certain operator earns the unit’s dislike, everyone hates them, if one troop shows up timid, everyone will pounce, right or wrong.
Trouble is, critical thought, or questioning the group, it just doesn’t happen, and if you go against the herd, even if you’re doing it for the right reasons, it usually won’t end well.
3. Never, ever love your job, because it won’t love you back. And this holds true for every single occupation out there that pays your wages, not just the RAF, but definitely including the RAF. You exist for the air force, not the other way around, every time. You are not irreplaceable and you are just a cog in the machine, and once you’ve had your top table leaving do, you’re out and the machine will roll on without you.
So, yeah, those are the three things I learned about being in the RAF Regiment. All very unexpected because I really thought I’d love it, really thought it was the thing for me. but hey, you live and learn, and you move on.
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