Contact. Wait out. #21. Lariam.

Contact. Wait out. #21. Lariam.

So, the news that forces personnel have been given a toxic drug that causes mental problems was released recently and lots of soldiers are mentioning that they were taking it on their tours. Obviously they're worried but, if we're honest, most of them were messed up in the head when they walked into the recruiting office.

Ok, I'm clearly joking. The Larium story is yet another instance of a mistake by the MoD that the media has latched onto. Let's all hope that the MoD sorts this out, looks after the blokes, and then moves on.

Click here for the full Larium story.

Contact. Wait out. #20. New guys... Bum head.

Contact. Wait out. #20. New guys... Bum head.

Initiations are the stuff of legend for many of us. The old and bold will tell tales of soldiers having their eyes glued shut, drinking a top shelf pint and waking up covered in puke, or getting a good kicking from all your new "mates". I'm sure it still goes on in some places but recent news stories about initiations gone wrong have put an end to a lot of it.

The bum head is a very simple but cringeworthy initiation. You get held down and somebody rubs their backside in your face. I think I'd rather take the kicking.

Contact. Wait out. #19. Recruiters. Managing expectations.

Contact. Wait out. #19. Recruiters. Managing expectations.

Recruiters get to see a very varied cross-section of society. Most of the candidates are fine but some make you raise an eyebrow. Youngsters are the worst. Many of them are playing CoD and Battlefield many years before they're allowed to and most of them have a more in depth knowledge of weapons than your average squaddie.

The book says that you stay professional and tow the party line but the temptation to fuel their misguided enthusiasm is always there. Sniffer donkeys searching for IEDs in Afghan?

Contact. Wait out. #18. Women in the infantry.

Contact. Wait out. #18. Women in the infantry.

The amount of guys that I've heard talking about the introduction of women to the infantry has been interesting. Most of them are made up at the prospect of lots of young and hot women coming into their units to basically throw themselves at the lads. We all know that isn't going to happen.

There are certain types of women that are going to join the infantry, if they finally get allowed, and they ain't in the same calibre that those Army Air Corps girls are. We're going to get the girls that feel the need to prove something. These girls are going to be tough, grizzly, and most probably more violent than a lot of the lads.

I'm quite exciteed at this. It'll put a lot of the blokes in their place and it should raise the standards everywhere. Nobody wants to get beaten by a girl and the girls we're going to get are not going to want to get beaten by a guy.

Contact. Wait out. #17. Ruperts in the field.

Contact. Wait out. #17. Ruperts in the field.

A good officer is worth his weight in gold just as a good NCO is. Unfortunately there are plenty of Hooray-Henry types out there that are a liability to themselves and others. The army is pretty good at clearing out the really cliched individuals and a good platoon sergeant will destroy a rupert in very quick time.

All that being said, we've all come across them and we've all been affected by their interesting approach. Contact. Wait out's resident Rupert is Captain Blenheim Lucknow. Wot wot!

Contact. Wait out. #16. Commonwealth.

Contact. Wait out. #16. Commonwealth.

Every unit seems to have at least one of them cluttering up the place. Whether they're Aussies, Kiwis, or South Africans, these colonials are here to drink our bars dry, take our jobs, or pinch our women. Some of them make good soldiers but most of them just like to wear the uniform to impress the females. Whatever the reason, they're here to stay. I only wish they weren't so loud. I'm talking about you Jono.

Contact. Wait out. #15. A Day in the Life. SPSI's

Contact. Wait out. #15. A Day in the Life. SPSI's

If you do really well in your career, and there's nobody else willing to do it, you could get the chance to join a reserve battalion as a Permanent Staff Instructor. The very best, or unfortunate, get to be Senior Permanent Staff Instructors. That basically means you sit in your office for a couple of hours a day and book courses. The rest of the time, you nip off down the gym, disappear off to do recces, or simply vanish for a few days.

It isn't easy though. You're basically dealing with a collection of people that range from almost fit to be regular soldiers to gopping nightmares that aren't even fit to be human beings. Still, PSI's will do anything to advance their careers.

Contact. Wait out. #14. You take your life in your own hands here lads.

Contact. Wait out. #14. You take your life in your own hands here lads.

How many times have you gone into the stores and seen row upon row of shiny new kit that you can't have. It is like being in a sweet shop with no money. To top it off, even though your boots don't quite fit, your uniform is in tatters, and everybody in the stores has brand new stuff, the kit doesn't belong to you. It doesn't even belong to the army, it belongs to the people in stores and they hoard it like Gollum from Lord of the Rings.

Good luck getting an exchange folks and I hope you enjoy the frosty reception.

Contact. Wait out. #13. Déjà vu.

Contact. Wait out. #13. Déjà vu.

So, I was in work and one of our twins came up and asked about the sketches. I'm not sure which one of them it was, obviously, but he didn't believe that I was doing them. I said that I'd prove it, so here's number 13, "Déjà vu". Also, I reckon a nice photo of the lads would be nice so here's one to enjoy.

Contact. Wait out. #12. You've changed.

Contact. Wait out. #12.You've changed.

Where does the Brecon point come from? It has to be one of the most annoying things that somebody can do you in this job especially if it is accompanied with the word fella. The chances are that if somebody consistently uses the Brecon point while addressing people they're a massive chopper.

On a side note, the Americans call this knife hands. It just goes to show you that these strokers are all over the world. Don't forget to tag an NCO that uses this technique.