The worst jobs in war

[the_tyrant]

http://www.cracked.com/article_18796...story-war.html

somehow, being on a S-boat is paradise compared to these roles

[nikimcbee]

Ha! I knew it

In 1942, Joseph Stalin established Order 227 to make it clear that no commander or soldier fighting in the war had the authority to retreat in battle. And anyone who defied the order would be eligible to serve in something called "penal battalions." These separate units of convicts and rejects were intentionally sent to do the ****tiest and most suicidal jobs in the war. They were to be sacrificed so as not to risk "real" soldiers.
Thus, penal battalions were composed of gulag labor camp inmates, disgraced soldiers accused of cowardice and liberated POWs. You read that right ... their own POWs were punished for their stupidity of getting caught by having to serve in penal battalions, and that's if they weren't executed on the spot after liberation. So why not just run away? Because backing them up were barrier troops who were there for no other reason than to kill soldiers who tried to retreat.

Read more: http://www.cracked.com/article_18796...#ixzz14dLqmhih

[Jimbuna]

In the Brit army the pioneer corps must have been an awful job....burying the dead and cleaning out the interior of damaged and destroyed tanks.

[Platapus]

Two words

Graves Registration.

[Torvald Von Mansee]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Two words

Graves Registration.

Came here to say this.

Though I suppose you'd get used to it after a while.

[TLAM Strike]

I can think of another. Forgot what they were called (maybe August would know). But in the event that a bomber caring a nuclear bomb crashed there was a team of paratroopers who were to go in to the radioactive wreckage, retrieve the bomb and guard it until someone could show up and recover it.

[August]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

I can think of another. Forgot what they were called (maybe August would know). But in the event that a bomber caring a nuclear bomb crashed there was a team of paratroopers who were to go in to the radioactive wreckage, retrieve the bomb and guard it until someone could show up and recover it.

Never heard of that particular nasty job but it sounds like something the Air Force might have.

[Platapus]

If there is an accident involving an Air Force controlled Nuclear Weapon, or a nuclear weapon in an Air Force controlled area, the unit that would respond would be EOD and specifically my old unit the venerable 2701 EODS at Hill AFB

We were the USAF's Nuclear Response EOD team.

[August]

Originally Posted by Platapus

If there is an accident involving an Air Force controlled Nuclear Weapon, or a nuclear weapon in an Air Force controlled area, the unit that would respond would be EOD and specifically my old unit the venerable 2701 EODS at Hill AFB

We were the USAF's Nuclear Response EOD team.

That explains a lot...

[Platapus]

I resemble that remark

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Platapus

If there is an accident involving an Air Force controlled Nuclear Weapon, or a nuclear weapon in an Air Force controlled area, the unit that would respond would be EOD and specifically my old unit the venerable 2701 EODS at Hill AFB

We were the USAF's Nuclear Response EOD team.

So that's what you did. I was wondering what your career field was, i just never asked. On a somewhat related note, the Air Force is ALOT more self contained then people realize or other branch's give credit for. There are even a number of people who become airborne or air assault qualified. Something you only think of as being Army.

I think part of the problem is the AF likes to portray itself as "high tech", so you only see the glamor imagery, and jobs in recruiting offices and such. Other part of the problem, is the (very legitimate) image of the AF as the "Chair Force". There are indeed a lot of people who "Fly a desk" in the AF.

[Platapus]

Here is the most accurate Air Force Recruiting video ever made





I just found an actual EOD recruiting video. They never had those when I was in (I don't think they had video when I was first in). But this pretty sums up the job... leaving out some of the more gross stuff of course. :P

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

I can think of another. Forgot what they were called (maybe August would know). But in the event that a bomber caring a nuclear bomb crashed there was a team of paratroopers who were to go in to the radioactive wreckage, retrieve the bomb and guard it until someone could show up and recover it.

I've been on the UK Nuclear Accident Response Organisation, to provide secure comms in such an event (well, a similar event, as we no longer have nuclear bombers , it'd probable involve either road or rail accident now, or non-military nuclear carrying flights!), never got called out for anything nuclear but we did many exercises and sometimes the first to deploy overseas (Sierra Leone, Kosovo, etc... ) from the UK Mil as we were all prepped ready to go. And it would always be on a Friday afternoon after a Thursday cabinet/MoD meeting.

Aside from Graves Registration, simply being one back home to break the bad news, and hearts, would be emotionally shattering

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

Aside from Graves Registration, simply being one back home to break the bad news, and hearts, would be emotionally shattering

*Talking in terms of Police work*

Delivering a death message was always the hardest task

[papa_smurf]

How about been in bomb disposal in the second world war? Everyday could be you last, you have to learn about each new bomb, and it could go off any moment and you'll go up in "the pink mist" as it was known.