The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
With all the current hoo-ha about terrorism and we have to go get Saddam for “world peace”, the tanks at Heathrow, 48hrs notice before war is declared etc, you’d think we’d be on a state of at least middling alert.
Except it would appear we’re not.
I went to stay with someone over the weekend in the RAF, based at Brize Norton in Oxford. I was told I’d need photo id to be allowed onto the base, no worries I’ll bring my passport.
Arrive at the base and meet the person at the gate, she takes me into the front office and they ask for my photo id so they can fill out the car-pass. I give them my passport and he fills out the form.
Only thing is, he fills my name in wrong.
Instead of putting my surname down, he puts my middle name. Now this is a passport, an official UK citizenship document, and the guy doesn’t read it correctly and leaves off my last name.
So my id pass is incorrect, and any records of my visit to the base are inaccurate. The name they have down as the body on-base isn’t me. I could do anything and they’ve got no way to trace me.
He also asks for my car registration number, I decide to see just how seriously they take security at an active, preparing-for-war RAF base and say “I don’t know it off the top of my head, I need to check it” and wander out to my car. I come back and give him the reg number and he adds the info to the pass (bearing in mind the surname is incorrect).
He doesn’t bother to check the registration number himself with even a cursory glance out of the window – although you cant see my license plate from there anyway.
I’m now in the position of being almost on-base with the wrong name and what could have been a made-up registration number.
We leave the office and head towards the cars, I ask “They need to search my car before they let me through the gate?”
“Nah”
“Alright. So I just show him the pass and they’ll let me through”
“Yep”
“Fair enough”
We drive up to the gate, she goes through and I stop at the checkpoint. Dude on my left in fatigues brandishing an SAR-80, peering off across the base watching a plane take off.
The guard at my window smiles at me as I roll my window down preparing to hand him my pass, he waves me past “Just follow her mate”.
And there we have it, I’m now past security at RAF Brize Norton.
Nobody asked to search my car, despite having a load of drum stands in the back seat – comprising of about 10 elongated metal stands with various boom-arms and whatnot attached to them.
The security didn’t ask to see my pass or my ID.
So I’m on-base with an incorrect name, an unchecked car registration that wouldn’t link to the name they had down, a car full of unidentified metal objects just laying in the back seat and a sports-bag on the passenger seat that nobody bothered the check either at the front office or at the security gate.
It was sunny when I arrived, so I’m wearing a beanie hat pulled down to my eyes and sunglasses – which means the video cameras at the gate wouldn’t get a clear shot of my face.
Anyone even slightly concerned yet?
It gets to about 10pm Saturday night and I’ve spent the past 3hrs in the residency block. I’ve wandered to the loo a couple of times and nodded hello to a couple of people.
We needed to get some tea bags, coke and some bread.
”Could you go to the NAAFI for me if I draw you a map?”
“Sure”
I leave the residency block armed with a hand written map make my way across base to buy stuff.
It’s now night-time, I’m bundled up in a nice big parka with my hat on pulled low because it’s freezing.
It takes me 10 minutes of wandering to reach the supply area with supermarket, bar etc.
I’ve walked past several bays with trucks, jeeps etc in. All un-guarded and just sitting there.
I’ve wandered past a few groups of soldiers and some have thrown the odd “alright mate” at me.
A stranger, at night wandering along obviously reading directions as he stops at each corner and trying to get my bearings.
Didn’t get stopped once by anyone who might have been concerned that a bloke having to check handwritten map is just loose and roaming their RAF base.
Buy the stuff and get back.
Sunday.
We walk down to get some breakfast.
She says “They’re sending off some flights this morning, want to watch?”
“Yeah, sure”
So we wander over to the runways and sit on the grass – she needs to pop to the loo so disappears for 10 minutes.
10 minutes I’m sitting about 30ft from the runway watching a B52 take off. I’m alone, not in uniform and not being hassled by anybody at all, despite the fact a civvie is basically next to airplanes.
End of the day arrives and I leave, she gives me directions to leave the camp.
Again, here’s a guy in an unchecked car, with incorrect ID just driving across camp – passing vehicles and supply depots until he reaches the exit road, where he drives away unchecked again and not having to sign out.
You wonder how these terrorists manage to get away with so much?
Complacency.
The only thing that allowed me onto the base was the fact I was with someone. I had nothing to sign to say I was staying on camp, I had incorrect id, unchecked car contents, a sports bag unchecked, sunglasses and a hat and I roamed all over RAF Brize Norton without being stopped once, even though it was blatantly clear I didn’t belong there, stopping every couple of minutes to check a map.
And the ironic thing?
They were on “increased security” because a couple of anti-war protestors tried to break into that place.
What they should have done was presented themselves at the gate and given them a passport.
I’ve needed more ID to rent movies from Blockbuster than I did to roam unchecked over an active RAF base on increased security.
Sleep well folks, we’re being protected by this nation’s finest.
Except it would appear we’re not.
I went to stay with someone over the weekend in the RAF, based at Brize Norton in Oxford. I was told I’d need photo id to be allowed onto the base, no worries I’ll bring my passport.
Arrive at the base and meet the person at the gate, she takes me into the front office and they ask for my photo id so they can fill out the car-pass. I give them my passport and he fills out the form.
Only thing is, he fills my name in wrong.
Instead of putting my surname down, he puts my middle name. Now this is a passport, an official UK citizenship document, and the guy doesn’t read it correctly and leaves off my last name.
So my id pass is incorrect, and any records of my visit to the base are inaccurate. The name they have down as the body on-base isn’t me. I could do anything and they’ve got no way to trace me.
He also asks for my car registration number, I decide to see just how seriously they take security at an active, preparing-for-war RAF base and say “I don’t know it off the top of my head, I need to check it” and wander out to my car. I come back and give him the reg number and he adds the info to the pass (bearing in mind the surname is incorrect).
He doesn’t bother to check the registration number himself with even a cursory glance out of the window – although you cant see my license plate from there anyway.
I’m now in the position of being almost on-base with the wrong name and what could have been a made-up registration number.
We leave the office and head towards the cars, I ask “They need to search my car before they let me through the gate?”
“Nah”
“Alright. So I just show him the pass and they’ll let me through”
“Yep”
“Fair enough”
We drive up to the gate, she goes through and I stop at the checkpoint. Dude on my left in fatigues brandishing an SAR-80, peering off across the base watching a plane take off.
The guard at my window smiles at me as I roll my window down preparing to hand him my pass, he waves me past “Just follow her mate”.
And there we have it, I’m now past security at RAF Brize Norton.
Nobody asked to search my car, despite having a load of drum stands in the back seat – comprising of about 10 elongated metal stands with various boom-arms and whatnot attached to them.
The security didn’t ask to see my pass or my ID.
So I’m on-base with an incorrect name, an unchecked car registration that wouldn’t link to the name they had down, a car full of unidentified metal objects just laying in the back seat and a sports-bag on the passenger seat that nobody bothered the check either at the front office or at the security gate.
It was sunny when I arrived, so I’m wearing a beanie hat pulled down to my eyes and sunglasses – which means the video cameras at the gate wouldn’t get a clear shot of my face.
Anyone even slightly concerned yet?
It gets to about 10pm Saturday night and I’ve spent the past 3hrs in the residency block. I’ve wandered to the loo a couple of times and nodded hello to a couple of people.
We needed to get some tea bags, coke and some bread.
”Could you go to the NAAFI for me if I draw you a map?”
“Sure”
I leave the residency block armed with a hand written map make my way across base to buy stuff.
It’s now night-time, I’m bundled up in a nice big parka with my hat on pulled low because it’s freezing.
It takes me 10 minutes of wandering to reach the supply area with supermarket, bar etc.
I’ve walked past several bays with trucks, jeeps etc in. All un-guarded and just sitting there.
I’ve wandered past a few groups of soldiers and some have thrown the odd “alright mate” at me.
A stranger, at night wandering along obviously reading directions as he stops at each corner and trying to get my bearings.
Didn’t get stopped once by anyone who might have been concerned that a bloke having to check handwritten map is just loose and roaming their RAF base.
Buy the stuff and get back.
Sunday.
We walk down to get some breakfast.
She says “They’re sending off some flights this morning, want to watch?”
“Yeah, sure”
So we wander over to the runways and sit on the grass – she needs to pop to the loo so disappears for 10 minutes.
10 minutes I’m sitting about 30ft from the runway watching a B52 take off. I’m alone, not in uniform and not being hassled by anybody at all, despite the fact a civvie is basically next to airplanes.
End of the day arrives and I leave, she gives me directions to leave the camp.
Again, here’s a guy in an unchecked car, with incorrect ID just driving across camp – passing vehicles and supply depots until he reaches the exit road, where he drives away unchecked again and not having to sign out.
You wonder how these terrorists manage to get away with so much?
Complacency.
The only thing that allowed me onto the base was the fact I was with someone. I had nothing to sign to say I was staying on camp, I had incorrect id, unchecked car contents, a sports bag unchecked, sunglasses and a hat and I roamed all over RAF Brize Norton without being stopped once, even though it was blatantly clear I didn’t belong there, stopping every couple of minutes to check a map.
And the ironic thing?
They were on “increased security” because a couple of anti-war protestors tried to break into that place.
What they should have done was presented themselves at the gate and given them a passport.
I’ve needed more ID to rent movies from Blockbuster than I did to roam unchecked over an active RAF base on increased security.
Sleep well folks, we’re being protected by this nation’s finest.
Page:
Great post! Well done on the GAD, mate...
Great post there man, well earnt GAD too.
I hafta admit, all in all, I have spent about 5 months living on an RAF base (RAF cranwell, lincoln)
The same thing happened to me kinda.
I needed to go see my boyfriend atthe weekend, went up there but i was late, had no ID or anything. sat around because they wouldn't let me on, saw someone i had met once. I walked over to him and said that i was simons bird and i needed to go to the sgt's mess to get rid of my stuff. Hewalked into the guard room, said she's with me and we walked on together. didn't need a pass, didn't need ID. Just because i kenew a couple of people. I know RAFCranwell is training base, but still. They have thousands of men and women training. I was allowed to walk around the mess, around the runway, around the base on my own
Im joining the RAFin just under a year after i have finished my TA training, I hope it has changed by then
The army is soooo much more secure. Im in the TA now and getting onto bases without official documentation and your ID is hard. They need to know your coming
That sucks sometimes....
The same thing happened to me kinda.
I needed to go see my boyfriend atthe weekend, went up there but i was late, had no ID or anything. sat around because they wouldn't let me on, saw someone i had met once. I walked over to him and said that i was simons bird and i needed to go to the sgt's mess to get rid of my stuff. Hewalked into the guard room, said she's with me and we walked on together. didn't need a pass, didn't need ID. Just because i kenew a couple of people. I know RAFCranwell is training base, but still. They have thousands of men and women training. I was allowed to walk around the mess, around the runway, around the base on my own
Im joining the RAFin just under a year after i have finished my TA training, I hope it has changed by then
The army is soooo much more secure. Im in the TA now and getting onto bases without official documentation and your ID is hard. They need to know your coming
That sucks sometimes....
scoff scoff scoff
Maybe it's just RAF bases then.
The barracks I remember was swarming with armed men, MPs and battle ready tank units. But then, that was back in the West Germany days.
The barracks I remember was swarming with armed men, MPs and battle ready tank units. But then, that was back in the West Germany days.
Insane Bartender wrote:
> Scoff all you like. I grew up on military bases.
Were you like one of those kids in Iron Eagle? Man, that must of been cool. How many secret missions did you get to go on??
> Scoff all you like. I grew up on military bases.
Were you like one of those kids in Iron Eagle? Man, that must of been cool. How many secret missions did you get to go on??
Insane Bartender wrote:
> Scoff all you like. I grew up on military bases.
---
So what?
That makes you an expert on lax security does it?
They teach anti-terror sniping tactics to kids on base then?
It's odd, because when I asked the girl I was with about that exact thing, she just laughed.
"No really, nobody's checked my gear or anything. Would loads of squaddies throw me down and hogtie me should I brandish a rocket launcher?"
"Hardly, the RAF doesn't even have MPs, just regular police"
> Scoff all you like. I grew up on military bases.
---
So what?
That makes you an expert on lax security does it?
They teach anti-terror sniping tactics to kids on base then?
It's odd, because when I asked the girl I was with about that exact thing, she just laughed.
"No really, nobody's checked my gear or anything. Would loads of squaddies throw me down and hogtie me should I brandish a rocket launcher?"
"Hardly, the RAF doesn't even have MPs, just regular police"
Sure, covered by snipers.
*chuckles*
With the wrong name on the pass that wasn't checked with a possibly made-up car license on the pass that wasn't checked.
Mind you, I could have had an anti-sniper suit in my sports bag that wasn't checked.
Or an anti-sniper battle-station, easily constructed from the various metal implements laying on my back seat that wasn't checked.
Failing that, I suppose I could have been wearing anti-thermal goggles disguised as sunglasses and a hat that obscured 80% of my face which could have given the game away as I walked across base with a hand-drawn map.
But I guess I was totally marked-for-death as I sat within spitting distance of departing planes with my sports bag sat next to me.
Snipers....
*waggles fingers*
Woooo-hoooooooo
*chuckles*
With the wrong name on the pass that wasn't checked with a possibly made-up car license on the pass that wasn't checked.
Mind you, I could have had an anti-sniper suit in my sports bag that wasn't checked.
Or an anti-sniper battle-station, easily constructed from the various metal implements laying on my back seat that wasn't checked.
Failing that, I suppose I could have been wearing anti-thermal goggles disguised as sunglasses and a hat that obscured 80% of my face which could have given the game away as I walked across base with a hand-drawn map.
But I guess I was totally marked-for-death as I sat within spitting distance of departing planes with my sports bag sat next to me.
Snipers....
*waggles fingers*
Woooo-hoooooooo
Scoff all you like. I grew up on military bases.
Of course IB
'hidden snipers' with pet dogsharks with lasers on their heads
'hidden snipers' with pet dogsharks with lasers on their heads
Page: