Quote Originally Posted by jcustis View Post
JMA, I am curious what some of the central reasons were for those guys going over. I have read numerous passages saying that the special ops elements nipped troops in the process, but the screening process was so exhausting I can only imagine strong volunteers went forward successfully.

Was the enticement a combination of better equipment, facilities, and pay, or some of the other intangibles like less emphasis on "conventional mindset" soldiering? Or was it typically a combination of all of the above?
I seem to remember the SAS attracted them early on as corporals or even troopies and the selection took no prisoners. Those that made it stayed on. A few who passed did come back saying that they wanted the regular action the RLI saw than the more exciting ops with longer gaps in between.

The Scouts selection was more difficult than the SAS (I believe) and there were those who dropped out but even those were absorbed into training and even admin/stores posts in Scouts.

There was a lot of the people wanting to become "heavies" as we termed it (moving to special forces and growing a beard), there were others who needed a change after years of the same and facing years more in a high combat environment (they needed a break which few could look forward to). Then there were the senior corporals and sgts with a hundred contacts or more under the belt taking one look at their new 18/9 year old officers and deciding now is the time to make a move. In a lot of ways going to Scouts pass or fail the selection was a good move from a family point of view and seeking a less stressful environment with more time at home. As the fire force took off the periods of boredom between the moments of intense excitement got shorter and shorter and by the end the fire forces were being called out twice a day (not everyone being directly involved in a contact of course)

So yes most of the best NCOs moved on and so did the "not the greatest" but pretty experienced as well. Fortunately the way the fire force operated it was a tight closely controlled environment where the commander could mange the various personalities to the best effect.

Hope that helps.