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[–] 110 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Remember, kids, don't lock your knees ~ someone who did marching band for years.

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  • [–] 47 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    I hope that as we all learn to cope with climate change, they let the king's guard wear shorts. Tiny ones, like a postal worker would wear.

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  • [–] 23 points 1 year ago (14 children)
  • [–] 52 points 1 year ago (12 children)
  • [–] 27 points 1 year ago (11 children)

    Absolutely it. Happened to me standing for a memorial service. Lots of stories from military where this happens, and "don't lock your knees" is often taught first thing.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago (10 children)

    Does locked knees prevent you from falling backward or from passing out?

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  • [–] 25 points 1 year ago (7 children)

    Locked knees causes you to pass out. If I understand it correctly, while standing around casually, you still move around a bit, which causes muscles in your legs to contract and relax, which squeezes your blood vessels and helps pump blood back up to your torso. If you lock your knees and stand perfectly still at attention, your leg muscles are no longer doing that, so blood pools in your legs and you grey out at 1G.

    From my own experience in marching band, this is worse in hot weather. I think it's because in hot weather you're more likely to be dehydrated, so less water in your blood = less total volume of blood, and your capillaries dilate in an attempt to circulate blood closer to the skin = more volume in your circulatory system, == less blood pressure in the first place. I never once remember someone passing out during the winter. Happened a lot in the summer though.

    Especially on 9/11/2002. Our genius principal decided we were going to have a memorial service on the one year anniversary of the attacks, with all students and faculty in attendance. There was one facility on campus that could seat all 1200 students and 120 faculty at once: The football stadium. And even then it was a tight squeeze to get everyone into the Home side bleachers...no worries though, we'll put the 40 student JROTC and 120 student marching band in uniform on the field itself. They'll play the national anthem at the beginning and then stand there at attention for the entire 45 minute pointless speech. In the direct sun on a hot and humid Carolina morning. 5 JROTC and 4 from the band passed out.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    Sounds horrible. Up until graduating from highschool, year closing ceremonies were a big thing in schools in my country (Europe). So in some of the hottest days in June-July, you have kids dressed in cheap suits stand on hot concrete in the school’s court, sweating under the scorching sun. Always had somebody escorted out when feeling ill, luckily nothing as bad as falling over. But still, what a pointless thing

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  • [–] -1 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    why was your memorial service in November

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    Intentionally misinterpreting the date on a post that very clearly indicates both geographically and by major world event where it was posted from isn't funny or quirky, it just makes you look like a jerk.

    I'm sure you're quite a lovely person, but please post like it.

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  • [–] 17 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    This looks like a screenshot from an early-2000s strategy game

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  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    It's way older. This happened in the 70s or early 80s. It was at a time when Queen Elizabeth (the one on the horse) was still young enough to ride. And no, you don't get disciplined when something like this happens.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    When was this? Any context?

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  • [–] 18 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    It looks like it's from June 1970 during the Trooping the Colour, which was the Queen's birthday celebration.

    https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/picture/2014/may/28/passing-out-parade-trooping-of-the-colour-photography

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  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    1970?! That photo looks so good for being half a century old.

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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    That's the power of film-based photography. It's why some old movies look good even at 4K

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  • [–] 28 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    "Jeeves, have that man executed." -the queen probably

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)
  • [–] 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    That is a pretty old image. It was the Queen in the image.

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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago

    Do not lock your knees.

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  • [–] 74 points 1 year ago (20 children)

    This idiotic thing should be a crime against humanity, because it's a crime against your "subjects".

    Fucking "monarchies".

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  • [–] 78 points 1 year ago (17 children)

    Happens in every army, monarchy or not.

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  • [–] [S] 69 points 1 year ago* (7 children)

    Seriously I know a ton of guys who do MMA/Boxing and served in the military and they almost all told me their time in the military did the most damage and often it was parad shit that fucked them up. One guy had his first TBI fainting just like this guy and hitting the back of his head on the ground. Or it fucks up their knees and ankles. And no one watches that shit. There is no reason for it, it's just there to entertain the dumb nepobabies that make ip the officer class.

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  • [–] 16 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    The bootstraps people would tell you that it’s about “discipline and order, two things that are essential in a functional military”.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    I love getting rid of my own braincells! Lack of then is essential in a functional military!

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    Military should have safety standard. Marching and falling over is too unsafe. They should only be sent into the heat of battle.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Marching is a highly efficient way to move large amounts of people.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Twirling your gun around isn't though

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (1 child)

    That is done by special drill teams that do that exclusively. The average Marine or soldier just have six or so very basic things they do with their rifle. Those things are almost never done again after boot camp.

    Those things are right and left shoulder arms, port arms, trail arms, and present arms. None of these require twirling.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago*

    I did a tour in a NATO army, in Europe, conscript. I was in a Scout/Pathfinder unit (volunteer, perks), so we had real "kill fast, silently and with prejudice" among other training. However, in peace time we had some ceremonial/escort duties. We did some "essential" drill team duties. I liked to say we were armed majorettes. The kill-gunnery-explosives-orienteering-etc. stuff I could consider useful knowledge/training for extreme situations, but the drill stuff is about the useless-est skills ever acquired.

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  • [–] 18 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    Shit you don't even have to join ROTC/military. You can just join band in high school and you'll get your chance to watch kids drop. Cross country/track.. football. When it's hotter than hell and humid and your stacking pads and pushing yourself, some people just die.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    I don’t think Americans understand quite how militaristic their society is.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I'm talking about this picture, about the "royal guards", a totally stupid idea in the 21th century. This is just more bullshit added to it.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago
    [–] 6 points 1 year ago (10 children)

    Is someone forcing them to do that job?

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    no. They're army veterans who usually take good pride in it.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (1 child)

    They are an active regiment in the British Army. You’re probably confusing them with the Beefeaters, who wear an entirely different uniform, and are mostly ex-service persons.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Probably should have been more specific. Usually the guards are ones who have already been deployed and are coming to the end of their service. They are veterans, just not ex-servicemen.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    If it works like the recruiting works the same way in the US they where probably lied to/tricked.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    I believe the king's guard only recruits from enlisted veterans. They also have to have been deployed to an active warzone. In those terms, it's both quite relaxed and an important position. The pomp and ceremony that visitors see is only a small part of their job.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    That actually sounds like a much nicer option for veterans than the homelessness or underemployment they can experience in other countries.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    It's worth noting that their job has zero room for errors. They are expected to be basically invisible, outside of the ceremonial parts. They are also (I believe) authorised for live fire, at their own discretion.

    They walk a political tightrope, and the last major fuck up I heard about was decades back now.

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