Has anyone on /k/ participated in a UN or NATO peacekeeping operation?

>walked around
>see atrocity happening
>not allowed to do anything because there's a shit ton of legalities and issues that arise when you shove a multi-national military into a sovereign nation's borders.

Did a couple of tours of East Timor, nothing too hard or terrible really happened.
Was kind of interesting from a deployment perspective, learned a lot about how to set up in technically a 'hostile' (well, not very) location, maintain readiness for anything going to shit and otherwise its just sort of like having to move base really.

Locals where pretty easy going for the most part and happy to see us, met a lot of other soldiers from places like Ireland, Denmark and France, also a lot of fellas from other parts of the military you didn't get to see very often.

>>33986807
That's pretty neat. Aussie? Which Regiment? What sort of equipment and activities did you use/perform?
>>33986771
Dane detected

>>33986826
3rd Combat Engineers- 103rd Signal Squadron
Majority was electrical engineering, comms networks, satellite comms, repairs of gear and sometimes sending out our guys to assist fellas on patrols. Ok really in terms of being there, the prep, lift off and set up was kind of difficult, but its one of those learning experiences that you sort of have to do, to do it right. You can sort of practice and procrastinate about it, but until its time to do it for real- yeah, its actually not as easy as you'd think
Just as a sideline I do speak a few languages (really badly), so a bit of rubbish terp-work too :)

Did that for 2 tours and then transferred over to another squadron after that

>>33986862
>Just as a sideline I do speak a few languages (really badly), so a bit of rubbish terp-work too :)
really neat, I speak some Serbo-Croat and Russian and Italian but have no one to speak to, so I 'unlearn' a lot. To whom did you speak?
>>33986862
>Did that for 2 tours and then transferred over to another squadron after that
happy to hear where you're at now and what you're up to.

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>>33986739
I did ye old Cyprus peacekeeping.
(Op TOSCA0
We were based out of dhekelia (which is still administered by the UK as its our sovereign territory)

Its slap bang between greeks to the south and turks to the north.
every so often some "community leader" would get it into their heads that if they riot and take the base area that we'll up and leave and allow them to flood across the demarcation line

So we got to suit up and beat the shit out of rioters once a week.
otherwise it was sit on a beach, drink beer and get a tan.

I've been given about 3 different peacekeeping medals for that shit.
We're not allowed to wear them with the rest of our gongs so either go straight into a bin or onto ebay.

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>>33986888
>dhekelia

>every so often some "community leader" would get it into their heads that if they riot and take the base area that we'll up and leave and allow them to flood across the demarcation line

>So we got to suit up and beat the shit out of rioters once a week.

I am so intensely jealous of this, imagine being able to beat both Greeks AND Turks with impunity

>We're not allowed to wear them with the rest of our gongs so either go straight into a bin or onto ebay

Dang, why is that? Seems really pointless. Surely you're not poor enough that you've sold them? (no judgement if so, I'd probably keep it)

>>33986879
I'm passingly familiar with a few serbs and croats but cant really speak the language.
I can butcher the shit out of Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Ukrainian, Indonesian, Arabic, bit of Hindi, some vagaries if Italian, little bit of Mandarin, utter rubbish at Japanese and if really pressed I can ruin French to the point they'd get really upset. Not literate in any of them, so if its in moon runes, chicken scratches or some other squiggly lines I have no idea.

After that, did 3 tours of Afghan, 2 tours of Iraq and eventually got medical discharge from being blown up a couple of times too many. Now I just design communications networks, bit of sheep and cattle farming along with some professional shooting (pest control)
Was fun at the time, moved on long ago though.

>>33986906
>Was fun at the time, moved on long ago though.

Sounds cosy af. Enjoy your life anon.

>>33986905
not issued by our army so arn't allowed to be in the medal line.
Its one of three reasons us brits seem like we only have one or two gongs on our chest in comparison with american soldiers

>>33986914
Yeah, can't complain, cheers

>>33986915
Americans can basically get medals for not fucking up to the point anyone notices and managing to hit what they're shooting at.
Always good for a stir and laugh with them though.

>>33986922
the final point being we don't get repeat medals.

a friends father went to Sudan near the end of his career in the canadian air force, he met goerge clooney and drove him around in a jeep for a bit. he also brought back pictures of a really fucked up looking goat thing that I'm sure only exists in africa

>>33987654
btw I have no clue why the fuck clooney was in fucking sudan

>>33987661
I believe I read a Nat Geo article years back about how celebrities were promoting awareness of shit happening in Darfur and the like. Now you've got the craziness in South Sudan and no one gives a shit.