Mar 21, 2012
Soldier faints while waiting for the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall
A soldier faints before Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales arrive for a wreath laying ceremony at the National Monument at Akershus Fortress on March 20. (Chris Jackson / Getty Images)
Poor guy. I imagine his nose and ego are both in a pretty poor state right now…
(via MSNBC)
* * * * *
RULE # 1 DON’T LOCK YOUR KNEES!!!
I was going to say the same thing.
My first though as well.
LOL was about to say the exact same thing!
I bet those other guys feel pretty cool though, because those hats are rad out of my mind.
the sad thing is that none of the other guys can even if they wish get him back up… stupiduty…
In Britain a soldier would be punished for breaking rank and helping his comrade, in America they would have their asses handed to them on a platter for allowing a fellow soldier to fall unassisted.
Very interesting the contrast. Britain says every man for himself, and America says never leave a comrade behind. Ever.
It’s more “Don’t flinch, don’t break rank; uphold the dignity of the Crown” than every man for himself. Kind of like “Keep calm and carry on” (which has its roots in WWII). That said, I think it’s a silly policy for ceremony. But you can bet they wouldn’t leave a comrade behind in combat. Ever.
- An American in Britain
No matter where a soldier is from they will not leave a comrade behind.
i think it depends on the kind of person they are not what country they are from. some might leave a comrade behind.
If you could see the whole picture, which at least on my computer crops it, there’s a soldier on the far right that it looking down at him, clearly wanting to help.
Anyone else notice that the unconscious man is holding an automatic rifle with a knife on the end of it?
ha ha ha, you made me spit a little coffee on my computer :)
Looks like some of the other guys’ knees are also locked. Bad idea.
And all I can think is “what stupid hats.”
I always keep my knees a little bit bend just in case I faint. It’s worked so far. Honestly, though I do feel sorry for the guy with no one helping him out. I’m sure it’s totally a culture thing – less attention on the thing that’s not in line – or something like that.
Man, that’s like a sniper’s dream. Shoot one and watch as the remaining troops remain standing and waiting for the shot…
Dedicated planking
Yeah – I see their still sticking with the American Revolutionary War military formation. Let it go already…
At least nobody knows who he is, you can’t see his face!
You insecure Americans who are falling all over yourself to put down another country seem to know nothing at all about formal occassions. Here in the US, I’ve seen three children do this ( lock their knees and faint). One at her sister’s wedding, one at a chorus performance and one at a music recital. The response in each case was identical to this one. The rest of the participants carried on as if nothing happened and someone who was not participating stepped forward, helped the child off stage and saw to their wellbeing. I’m sure the same thing happened here.
In both countries ( and perhaps most or all) we’re taught that when we’re on stage or marching in formation ( which American troops do too), and there’s a mishap, that we’re toignore the incident and carry on as before. To do otherwise would draw attention away from the event and it also spares the person who fainted ( or ripped his pants, etc) embarrassment. This is also advised in etiquette books.
Here’s something else: they’re not British. The Akershus Fortress is in Norway. So I say, if you’re going to criticize or praise someone, be sure you know who they are.