Army training must identify ill-suited recruits

SIR – Andy Mcnab’s article on military training (“Go soft on recruits and you get soft troops”, Comment, May 7) was absolutely correct.

I joined the Army aged 15 and served for 33 very happy years. I have been on the receiving end of harsh training and also had the privilege of training new recruits.

The process has to be harsh in order to filter out those who are not suited to the forces. The Army has a duty of care to ensure that people who will be unable to cope in a conflict environment do not progress through training. Any new physical regime must, at some stage, test recruits to ensure that they can survive a tough advance into contact; they must be able to engage with an enemy that has no sympathy for tears.

The corporal Mr Mcnab mentions, who filmed himself shouting abuse at a female recruit, should be disciplined for his betrayal of one of the people in his care. But don’t damn the whole system because of one individual who shouldn’t be training recruits.

Major Mike Mckone (retd) Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria

SIR – I completely agree with Andy Mcnab.

At Mons Officer Cadet School in 1950, my intake was told by the regimental sergeant major: “If you don’t like what will happen here, you’d best leave now.”

No one did, and we eventually went off to fight in places like Korea and Malaya, returning to civilian life well-equipped for the future. Martin Mears

East Ord, Northumberland