No, This is NOT A Polish Joke!

[Flip]

I found this little gem on Milnews.

Thursday June 7, 10:06 PM
Stolen keys delay start of Poland's Afghan mission
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's 1,200 troops assigned to NATO forces in Afghanistan will not achieve full combat readiness for up to several weeks due to stolen vehicle keys, the defence ministry said on Thursday.
"We had been told a 10 percent theft rate was likely in convoys brought in from Pakistan, but we had not expected the spare car keys to go missing," defence ministry spokesman Jaroslaw Rybak told news channel TVN24.

"We shall have to send away for spares, so it may take from several days to several weeks for our contingent to become combat ready."

According to media reports, Polish troops taking part in NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan have been assigned to patrol the mountainous border area with Pakistan to search for Taliban guerrilla activity.

The military vehicles used by Polish forces include Poland's Land Rover-like Honkers and U.S.-built Humvees.

http://nz.entertainment.yahoo.com/070607/5/ldn.html

All I can say is - I'm glad this isn't us

 

[Mike Baker]

Hehehe. Big problem caused by a very small thing. Hate to have been in charge there  :blotto:

 

[vangemeren]

That sounds like a lot of keys to be stolen. I wonder if the people that stole them knew what they were stealing.

 

[armyvern]

10% is actually quite low.

Their loss rate for rations lost off the back of the truck on Tiberias/Ziouani/Faouar runs was much higher.  

 

[vangemeren]

I meant the spare keys, not the 10%

 

[armyvern]

I meant the spare keys, not the 10%

Yes I know. I have edited my post to add the winkie, please note the sarcasm with which I speak of their loss rate of food that just happened to fall out of totally enclosed vehicle...

 

[vangemeren]

Seen, sorry about that

 

[geo]

Just imagine the field day the canadian press would have if this had happened to us (I mean Cdn troops)

we'd be toast I betcha

 

[time expired]

  "For the want of a nail"etc. etc.
                              Regards

 

[Command-Sense-Act 105]

Vern, it's funny, in Lebanon the POLLOGBAT used to lose Diesel, thousands of litres of it, from sealed pod trucks... come to think of it so did the Ghanains, too...

 

[pbi]

Vern, it's funny, in Lebanon the POLLOGBAT used to lose Diesel, thousands of litres of it, from sealed pod trucks... come to think of it so did the Ghanains, too...

We had the same problem with the Jordanians in Croatia. Since they had no useful CSS capability, we used to do their bulk fuel delivery. We couldn't understand why they were consuming so much fuel, since their vehs just sat in the compound: we hardly ever saw them patrolling. So, instead of dumping the POL into the bulk storage tank, we started pumping it directly into each vehicle tank. IIRC, there was nearly a 50% drop in fuel consumption. Lesson Number One on UN Missions: Most armies are corrupt.

Cheers

 

[armyvern]

That's pretty much what it came down to for us too PBI,

It mattered not whether they were OPd on the Syrian or Israeli side or posnd in one of the larger UN camps. The PolBatt troops were very obviously not paid what would be considered a liveable wage by our standards. I'm quite sure that, more than greed on their parts, it was the desire to be able to send some extra cash earned home to their families to subsist on.

It kind of wrenchs you in both directions; one knowing exactly why it's occuring, but two being still unable to like a thief.

 

[pbi]

It's more than just that. Don't forget that when we deployed to Yugo, our troops were still not very well paid by Canadian standards (it was 14 years ago...). Not like today. We had some examples of minor Canadian corruption in Croatia, but nothing like the systemic, large scalle stuff  that plagued some of the contingents and of course the UN itself. I think it comes from the fact that an Army reflects its society: corruption and black marketing were standard features of life in communist countries, just as they are still today in many Middle Eastern  and African nations. The Poles probably didn't see much wrong with what they were doing.

Cheers

 

[JackD]

It hasn't changed much for most people in Poland - there is such a difference betwen rich and poor here. And the government tax department and pension plan system does not help. The tax system for small business is abysmal. the wages for teachers  for teachers astonishing  low- I am a college level instructor here.  My wage is 760 zloties after tax and for one one month - 760 zloties - 300 dollars. Try living on that. when building costs are 500 with water extra, gas extra... I know teachers who live on one meal every second day..Yet the rich - Thank your lucky stars you live in Canada. for all the assholes there are, collectively the Canadian society is one that functions because of the characteristics of the people.

 

[zipperhead_cop]

My inner immature adolecent can't get past Polish Honkers.  :rofl:
HEY!  It's not just me.  YOU do a google search on Polish Honkers and see if you only turn up pictures of off road vehicles. 

 

[JackD]

Ah yes the Polish Honkers:  Another translation joke. Actually the beastie was a Daiwoo product manufactured in Lublin  - a basic vehicle - After Daiwoo went belly-up - due to a corruption scandal - and leaving a few hundred people without their pay - the plant was purchased by a Russian concern. Not much is made there now except a few Honkers. I believe and many of the employees do too, that the owners are the Russian mafia, as their pay  and any extra funds needed comes shipped in a black car, in a suit case attached to the arm of a fairly substantial lad wearing a business suit and dark glasses. Other words of Polish you'd love are "Fart" - both a juice and a newspaper - visons of a grand marketing joke  "A fart a day keeps the doctor away!", and  "Get your daily Fart and find out about the latest goverment stink"... Then there is the word "preservatif" - not paint, but a condom. Gotta love languages!