Apologies if you find my comments pretentious Phil. I don't think we are really hitting it off are we, sensing a wee bit of friction! I only say what I say based on my experience as an employer and from my time in the forces and out (I've spent a roughly equal amount of my working life in both). I'm certainly not saying it makes me better than you or anyone else. I can say with absolute certainty though that my lads who are ex-forces turn up on time and are not afraid of hard work. In general they are organised and have good attention to detail. I also find them to be very honest. I don't know about you but those are qualities that I value incredibly highly as a construction industry employer.
All I can say is that you don't last at all long in the military if you have no integrity. You will be booted out very quickly by your commanding officers.
Re military law vs. civilian law I am just saying it how it is. If you don't like that I'm sorry but it's certainly the case that military law demands a much higher standard of character and integrity than civilian law does. It's not uncommon for service people to be charged for a crime in the military where no equivalent civilian crime exists. A good example would be someone who is married commiting adultery. You will not be prosecuted for this in civilian life as it is not a criminal offence, although you may well be dragged through a civil court by your spouse for it. This is actually an offence in military law and people doing this are held in very low regard by their commanding officers. In particular where it damages operational effectiveness of the military people have certainly been sacked for it before. There are various offences in military law where someone not acting with integrity can be charged with no corresponding offence in civilian law. This is fact, it's not just my opinion.
There are of course exceptions to the rule, I'm not saying everyone who leaves the military is 100% honest and full of integrity, nor am I saying that everyone outside is a lying toe-rag. The military prison at Colchester is certainly proof of this. I am simply stating my experiences as an employer and having worked on both sides of the fence so to speak. All I am trying to say is that in an environment where you are relying on the person next to you to potentially save your life, there is no room for people with no integrity who you cannot trust.
I may be reading into your replies to much but am I detecting a bit of a dislike for military people in general? I'm assuming from your replies that you've never been in the forces, am I correct?
Ray, what do you think? I imagine you employ a fair few ex-military staff down your neck of the woods?
