I saw this story about the delivery of a post box to British troops in Afghanistan a few weeks ago and it got me thinking. Initially I thought that such a simple and rather crazy decision by the MOD could never drastically improve troop morale. But, traditionally mail has been one of the best ways to maintain morale under harsh circumstances – it’s pretty obvious to tell the truth, receiving post makes a person feel treasured and reassures them that they have not been forgotten. It provides a means of escape.
But, throughout history, leaders and politicians have sought out many strange and bizarre ways of maintaining troop morale. Sending Geri Halliwell out to entertain men who are about to go into war for their country doesn’t make much sense but that doesn’t mean it didn’t work. Although much of that might be down to her rather revealing outfit…
Then there was the suggestion that thriller series 24 should tone down its often OTT torture scenes for the sake of the morale of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But, with the advent of the internet, digital cameras, you tube and social networking sites it seems like the troops have taken things into their own hands. This has to be one of the best sax solos ever:
Other musical exploits can be found here. And whilst I don’t condone this particular use of fire extinguishers… this one's worth a watch. Oh and don’t try any of this at home!