Military chopper used for Labrador fishing trip

Freakin idiots. I guess they haven't been instructed nor informed about the scandals of the 80's and 90's that were exposed in books like Tarnished Brass..

They may genuinely think they did nothing wrong but life is all about perception and situations like this definately give the military a black eye. Or, they just don't give a fuck and that attitude of entitlement is back bigger and better than ever.

Would canadian taxpayers be upset to see sailors lounging on deck chairs trolling off the quarter deck?

Some Canadian taxpayers are just upset that we have a military at all. Maybe some of them don't pay tax either. They read the Star and the Globe and worship UN peace-keepers.

...or think that those in the UN are all well intentioned, hard working democrats.

Yep, some people have a default mode of 'our military/police/govt=bad vs UN, despotic states = good'

They've been sampling their own wares.

Media litmus test - use government helicopter for fishing trip during budget cuts the post it on Facebook = Fail.

The only thing worse is the silly statement that it is to hone survival skills.

We can lament all we want for the old days when this couldn't possibly interest the media or Canadians but the fact is those days are gone. And I don't buy that this is an attack on the CF, not for a minute. It is an attack on bad decision making by military or in some cases political leadership who continue to engage in what are now considered shenanigans.

Oh it is BS alright. Silly move by whomever approved this. Perception is reality. That said, I stand by my original statement. Some of us in uniform and Harper can do nothing right according to a loud minority.

Trying to pander to the likes of the Star, CBC and Globe is a wasted effort. They will always find something bad to say.

Pendulum effect... nothing more. Only a few years back, mid-Afghanistan, the military could do no wrong. We're done in the sandbox, back to home and duty in the middle of a potential small d Depression, suffering from the horrendous procurement mismanagement stories that continue to build, money mismanagement stories that continue to come to light which means that when these cheeky little stunts have the media light shined upon them and we all look bad.

Frankly, I find no sympathy for the guys who did this, but I do have a lot of anger for the military and political leadership that have led us to this current relationship with the media and public. The military is coming off buffoonish and these little stunts only add fuel to the fire.

Hey middle management do your part and knock it off!

Sympathy? More like .

This is being severely overblown, and from what I hear, it isn't uncommon for pilots to take side trips if their schedule permits it.

A fella from one of the towns close to me flies (or flew) the Hornet. Can't recall his name or if he's still flying, but a few times he has flown a Hornet into the local municipal airport and visited home. Since our local airport isn't a regular stopover point for the Hornet fleet (or any military a/c FTM), the visits stood out.

Made the weekly paper at least once. "Local boy done good comes home" story eh.

So if they flew out, landed and sat on the shore for two hours, that's fine. But if one guy takes out a rod that's a waste of money?

The military has always and will always find a way to make dull routine a bit more enjoyable when and where they can.

As for the Grandmother who's son died, well sorry your son was stupid enough to kill himself. The situations are totaly different.

First, the media/public relationship are different with our military than with your military. Second, your statement on the boy dying in Labrador suggests you didn't read the back story nor have much of a clue about life in Labrador.

But that's okay. Comment on them anyway. It's telling.

By the way, where would you be from where a grandmother has a son? The South? Are you from the South?

Are you not Canadian?
I know all both of them, and most people don't die in it each year (even with the amount of effort they put into it). The kid was stupid, and he paid with his life for his mistake.


Vancouver.

I said son because I believed the Grandmother was rasing the child. Although it has been a while and I may have mixed up the facts.

Sympathy? More like .

This is being severely overblown, and from what I hear, it isn't uncommon for pilots to take side trips if their schedule permits it.

A fella from one of the towns close to me flies (or flew) the Hornet. Can't recall his name or if he's still flying, but a few times he has flown a Hornet into the local municipal airport and visited home. Since our local airport isn't a regular stopover point for the Hornet fleet (or any military a/c FTM), the visits stood out.

Made the weekly paper at least once. "Local boy done good comes home" story eh.

Tell you what, maybe, just maybe, if some dumbass didn't post it too Facebook, we'd be discussing legalization of marijuana with Curt instead. And on top of that, if someone didn't try to defend it as 'honing fishing skills as part of survival training' (which suggests all Griffons fly with fishing rods and tackle boxes in case of a crash) we'd be in a bunfight with Andy over wealth distribution.

We're not, so it appears some form of bedshitting may have occurred.