It’s a nice story, but I can’t find any evidence of Gurkhas fighting for us in Korea:
http://britains-smallwars.com/korea/British-Forces.html
http://www.ukans.edu/~libsite/hughes/19990801.mil/msg00208.html
I’ve heard that story, too, in a Reader’s Digest context. Might I suggest that the original anecdote almost certainly dates from World War II, probably from the China-Burma-India Theater, and was simply brought forward into the Korean Conflict a few years later as folklore, or an Urban Legend?
http://www.army.mod.uk/army/organise/infan/gurkha/index.htm#HIST
Gurkha.
This is a complete tangent (maybe not). One of my old company commanders had an infantry platoon in Korea in 1950-1953. The throat-slitting story above, which was attributed to Gurkhas with the British Army, he attributed to Turks. He went on to say that man for man the Turks were as tough and bloodthirsty an outfit as he had ever run into, not excepting the Gurkhas. I suppose the present political/religious situation in the Near East would prevent any Turkish involvement in the present mess, at least official involvement.
…it was in the Falklands. I met him some years later. Two things I remember from his stories: one was that you were always happy when the Gurkhas were assigned alongside your unit, because it relieved all of you from pulling any guard duty. The Gurkhas volunteered for it, hoping against hope that someone would pleeeeze try to get past them!
The other thing I recall is the Gurkha sense of humor as expressed by the “reusable grenade.” Here’s how it works: in an urban combat street-clearing scenario, you and your guys get close to a house. Toss a grenade in, but don’t pull the pin first. When the folks in the house come flooding out the doors, mow 'em down. Go in, pick up your grenade, and proceed to the next house…
Gurkhas aren’t supermen, but very few soldiers anywhere take such joy in their work.
The Gurkhas China Guy mentions as residing in Hong Kong I always see in the foyer of Standard Chartered Bank in Central, and in Louis Vuitton stores. They are very polite men, and seem to be very alert.
If the Gurkhas didn’t accompany British forces into Kuwait and Iraq, why would they be in Afghanistan?
Let’s get back to the idea of an American Foreign Legion. The thing is, we don’t really need more manpower for the Military right now, or for the forseeable future. What we need are reliable, highly trained professional soldiers. I believe we have more than enough people in the US who are qualified. The number of people in uniform is going to drop, not increase.
Mercenaries are notoriously unreliable. We have a hard enough time keeping regulars under control during peacekeeping missions. How are these troops going to be used? If we want overwhelming firepower, the Persian Gulf showed that our regular troops can outclass any military on the planet. The troops probably wouldn’t be usefull as peacekeepers…and besides there are plenty of countries who like sending their regular troops out as peacekeepers, since they get experience and some cash from the UN. Covert Ops? We need reliable people, not unknowns.
So, the only advantage of a foregin legion that I can see is that they would be politically expendable…usable in situations where regulars would be too risky. But I don’t think that would make for good policy decisions. If a war is worth fighting, it is worth fighting. If US leadership isn’t willing to risk US citizens then perhaps the action should be rethought. I don’t like the idea of giving the president a disposable army, it would tend to increase adventourism. Not what the world needs, and not what the US needs.
South African mercenaries, highly trained and disciplined, were effectively used in west Africa.
Should the US have a standing army of mercenaries, though? It seems like a bit if a moot question, since the US already has a formidable army.
A few things about the Gurkhas…
I seriously doubt that Nepal will committ any Gurkhas to the Afghani conflict. They have enough problems of their own at the moment.
With the recent massacre of the royal family, the political situation in Nepal is in an even greater state of chaos than it had been. Their biggest concern right now is the Moaist insurgency which has been gaining strength for the past 6 years and is presenting a serious threat to the current government.
Also remember that there aren’t many Gurkhas to begin with. I don’t have the actual figures, but the entire population of Nepal is only 23 million, so we’re talking about a very small army.
Lastly, I second what doghouse said about visas for foriegners and particularly Nepalis. I nearly bust a gut when Monty quoted the Embassy web site about how simple it is to get a tourist visa. Obviously Monty has never actually tried this. I’ll spare you the details but I have personal experience with several Nepali citizens attempting to get both tourist and immigrant visas for the US. It is no exaggeration to say that it is nearly impossible.
Good grief, some of you can’t freaking read!
Did I ever say simple? NO! I said “it is no more difficult than for any other citizen of a country not participating in the visa-waiver program to get a tourist visa.”
I swear, the illiteratti are taking over the boards.
Monty, your wrong, despite what the web site may say.
Let’s see…we have on the one hand Lucky and on the other hand the offical government agency responsible for, you guessed it, issuance of visitor’s visas. Whom should we believe?
Sorry, Lucky. You lost the contest.
Given the reputation of the INS, I have every reason to believe Lucky’s first-hand account. Monty, have you ever even met a Nepali?
Honestly? Yes.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Lucky *
**A few things about the Gurkhas…
I seriously doubt that Nepal will committ any Gurkhas to the Afghani conflict. They have enough problems of their own at the moment.**
It’s got nothing to do with them. The Gurkhas are a fully integrated part of the British Army and the Nepalese government hold no sway over them.
My father was a British Army officer and he held the Gurkhas in the highest of regard.
owlstretchingtime,
You are correct about the Gurkhas who are employed by the British army. I thought people were talking about the Nepali gurkhas, what with the references to their being familiar with fighting in difficult terrain.
Monty, I don’t want to hijack this thread into one about immigration, but if you had any experience with the US Embassy in Nepal or the INS you would know that the information on the website is poppycock.
Just because you feel the need to dismiss the actual evidence (known in these parts as “cite”) does not automatically mean that I have no experience with the INS.
1st - back when I was married, the wife was (and AFAIK, still is) a citizen of the Republic of Korea. We did manage to get her to immigrate. After the divorce, she returned to Korea.
2nd - A good part of my job for nigh on 20 years in the military was passport/visa agent. As such, I got to do a lot of the legwork for the military family members who were immigrating to the US.
3rd - I also got to deal with the US embassies in the places where I was stationed overseas.
4th - Anecdote ain’t proof. So far, that’s all you’ve posted. I, at least, posted the cite.
My grandfather said he was told in the Chosin Resevoir to not wear the Chinese hats because the Gurkhas would slit his throat at night if he did. He said they would go out when it was so dark he couldn’t see his hands in front of his face and slit throats. He said you would be lying there and feel a slight tap on the head, but wouldn’t see or hear anything.
Erik, just so you know, this thread is pretty old. The last post in it was October, 2001…so, it’s probably not on the radars of anyone who originally participated in the thread. It’s not exactly a relevant subject anymore in any case.
Just wanted you to know. And now, for a bunch of jokes about Zombies (I’d go with the question of whether the UK will be using zombie Gurkha’s in Afghanistan, or just regular Brit zombies).
You know how fish get bigger each time the story is told?