If Carlsberg did jungle soldiers!
In the 1980s, I did a jungle trip to Sarawak in Borneo.
The team included a squadron from 22 SAS, members from other squadrons, SBS, Oz SAS, Para Patrols, Delta…and the all important attached ranks to keep everything flowing.
It was one of the top trips to the jungle in my military career.
With so many lads from different units, it was a terrific time to swap ideas from experiences, and thoughts for the future.
During one of the get-togethers, we were discussing the UK’s School of Infantry’s idea of changing jungle rations, and what they were deciding to entail.
There was talk of a more palatable choice of rations. I sat there supping my Milo, thinking that they haven’t taken jungle patrolling whatsoever into account.
The International choice, getting away from the glum but routine Brit menu made it obvious to me that members of a patrol would be shitting at different times of the day. Causing pandemonium to the patrol routine.
At the end of the day, food is pretty low in the pecking order of what needs to be carried on an operation in the jungle.
Food is fuel…that’s it. There’s no sitting down to a table with a candelabra and being waited on. Most of the time, it’s boiling up the bag of food in your mug and using the boiled water for a brew… basic but workable within the patrol routine when not operating under a hard routine (close to the enemy and eating cold).
One of the lads (nationality rhymes with tank) said that he would love the thought of the new proposed rations, if he could get hold of them back in his homeland. I doubled down on the thought of remaining regular and the fact that food is only fuel when it comes to ops.
I explained that every morning on patrol, I evacuate my bowels at 4.50am precisely.
I then went on to say that the only problem is that I don’t wake up until 5am.
Laughter all around, but everyone agreed on the reality of keeping regular, and the fact that for jungle patrolling…food is only fuel.
Keep what works.
Bob Shepherd 
Cracking photo umpire ! Is that DJ Shipley near the bottom right ? I have never served but have great respect for anyone who has and have some close friends amongst them. Top blokes to a man, sadly they are pretty physically wrecked and they are still so young. My buddy Adam was a marine who did a couple of tours of Afghan he is a midget so they used to send him down all the holes which was fun he said, handy for us though when one of the lads drops his keys down the drain on a night out we got the cover up and he was straight down and found them. He turned 40 last month and has already had both hips replaced, he is happy though. Lovely family, works as a woodsman so gets to spend the days in peace with his dogs and a fire on the go. My other bud Rohan is in a bit of a shit state so try to keep in touch, I used to go to the gym with him (another marine) he was hands so the fittest bloke I have ever met and a real gentleman, he wanted to do the full career but wrecked his back and is now on a building site ( nothing against builders we would be fucked without them ) just sad to see how much he misses it all. The one thing to a man that I know of the guys who have served is they will always be there no matter what if you need help, are humble and have wicked senses of humour. It’s an honour to call them my friends. Thanks for the picture Bob, I have always been a military history geek so it’s always nice to hear your truth from your life. All the best to you and your family. Sincerely, Luke