Three female RAF recruits awarded £100,000 payouts for marching injuries.

[dipsydoodle]

Three female RAF recruits have each been awarded £100,000 by the Ministry of Defence over injuries reportedly caused by marching with their male colleagues.

The women claimed that parading alongside taller male recruits caused them to over-stride repeatedly over several weeks, which led them to develop spinal and pelvic injuries.

Lawyers for one of the recruits claimed the MoD accused the women of exaggerating their symptoms during the five-year legal battle, the Mail on Sunday said.

Carrying the same heavy packs as male recruits also contributed to the injuries suffered by the women at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire, it was claimed.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/24/female-raf-recruits-compensation-marching-injuries

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Oy...

[dipsydoodle]

2. By coincidence

an ex-neighbour of mine was RAF at Halton, which is only about 20 miles away. She's been an ambulance driver since then which was very early '90s. She's barely five foot - I'll ask what she thinks of this.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. I am five foot or so

and I had to keep pace with my male counterparts during close order drill. Was it fun? Nope, was it doable? Yup.

[Butch McQueen]

3. I'm a vet and when it comes to that marching thing...

On a purely practical level it never made much sense. You spend half your time in boot camp learning to march very well. After that you go out into the "real military" where you will march badly on an average of about once a year for the rest of your time in the service!

Butch

[Lancero]

5. Marching is more...

Of a historical thing really. A leftover from the days when armies marched right up to each other and opened fire.

It's only real use today is for military parades, which isn't really a good reason for dedicating so much time to it.

[AngryAmish]

16. Marching is way older than guns

Greek Hoplite fighting consisted of gathering up the farmers from your area, lining up against the other farmers, walking into each other and trying to shove them down, en mass, and stab them with your long spear. If you can march in formation then you have a decided advantage on the battlefield (way back in ancient greece). This carried on in place with standing armies -first Sparta. the Macedon phalanx, Roman infantry, to the shield walls of the Vikings, Saxons and Normans (Battle of Hastings!).

It continues to build unit cohesions, get people used to following orders and other reasons stated in this thread.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Close order drill was about napoleonic combat formations

and infantry battle. These days it is about team building.

Tell me about parade drill after you leave basic...

[HereSince1628]

10. IMO, long marches are confidence training, parade drill is about discipline

as is the manual of arms. None of it seemed very relevant outside the scope of transitioning recruits to see themselves as capable, disciplined soldiers.

Back in the early 70's I did a lot more parading than once a year, when I returned stateside, and I wasn't in a unit that walked or drove anywhere. We were just conveniently located near DC so there were retirement and awards ceremonies at least once a month, and then there were the special celebrations...Army Day, 4th of July and veteran's day, the change of command ceremonies etc.

Seems like there was always something. And if you did something really stupid and got yourself named Soldier of The Month you got to play a part in the daily ceremonial messing around with raising and lowering the flag.

[Orsino]

13. It instills pride and discipline, and builds teamwork.

As much as I enjoyed that part of Army training, I too wondered about its net value.

[HereSince1628]

14. Yes, all that, the capacity to understand and execute orders, etc

all things which remain of psychological utility to the military.

The command "Present Arms" has no value in combat. But knowing what it means and executing it as a unit communicates a lot about personal identification and an individual's context with the group.

[AngryAmish]

18. Present arms is very useful of you have some stupid bastard with a gun

That way they won't shoot you when you are teaching them how to take care of a firearm. Hands off trigger, shooty part up in the air.

[ismnotwasm]

4. Huh

My daughter who beat most of her male counter points at lot of things and held her own in PT, Couldn't go Airborne because of shin-splints. ( you double time everywhere apparently) so she sucked it up and learned how to rappel out of helicopters, served a year in Afghanistan, and came home a decorated combat vet.

[HappyMe]

8. Geez.

[Brickbat]

9. Oof, four pelvis fractures. Interesting that the RAF changed the stride requirement, as well.

Must have been some merit to the complaint.

[dipsydoodle]

11. It remains unjudged

A judge was not involved. Settlement was reached by lawyers after the event and after initial standard compensation following those affected being encouraged by legal outsiders to pursue the cases.

Their remains something perverse about anyone, following only 9 weeks training and then leaving, getting 9 years salary AND the pension.

What are referred to as pelvic fractures are in fact cracks which normally self heal.

[Orsino]

12. "Claimed"?

I rather think that there was actual medical evidence presented before that much money was handed over.

[dipsydoodle]

17. There wasn't

.

[Orsino]

19. More than claims.

"The amount of compensation paid took into account each claimant's pain and suffering, degree of injury, property losses, past and future financial losses and the level of care required."

These were more than just claims.

[cpwm17]

15. I do remember when I went through AF basic training

that females had a problem getting stress fractures from marching with males. It's not about being weak, it's just basic physics. My unit was all male so I didn't witness this happening.

Marching was part of the test to see if you are mentally qualified to be in the military. In tech schools for first time students we marched to and from school. At some bases we did ceremonials parades, especially for big-wig retirements. I'd often volunteer if they gave me extra time off from work.