You may shortly be ordered to depart for the Middle East where you will join
either the 3rd Battalion The Queen+s Own Suicidal Conscripts or the 2nd Foot
and Mouth. The regulars are too busy driving Green Goddesses to be there themselves.
Due to the recent rundown of the Navy and the refusal of P&O to lend us
any of their liners, because of the deplorable state in which they were returned
after the Falklands adventure, it will be necessary for you to make your own
way to the combat zone. H.M. Government have been able to negotiate a 20% discount
on one-way trips with Virgin Airlines and you are strongly urged to take advantage
of this offer (Ryan Air also do a nice little £9.99 trip). Because of
cutbacks in Government expenditure in recent years it will be necessary for
you to provide yourself with the following equipment as soon as possible: Combat
Jacket Trousers (preferably khaki - but please no denim) Tin helmet Boots (or
a pair of sturdy trainers) Gas mask Map of the combat zone (the Ordinance Survey
1:2800 Outdoor Leisure Map of Iraq will do) Rifle Ammunition (preferably to
suit previous item) Suntan oil
If you are in a position to afford
it, we would like you to buy a tank (Vickers Defence of Banbury are currently
offering all new conscripts a 0% finance deal on all X registration Chieftains,
but hurry, as offer is only available whilst stocks last). We would like to
reassure you that in the unlikely event of anything going wrong, you will receive
a free burial in the graveyard of your choice, and your next of kin will be
entitled to the new War Widows pension of £1.75 per calendar month, index-linked
but subject to means testing, and fully repayable should our side eventually
lose. There may be little time for formal military training before your departure
and so we advise that you hire videos of the following films and try and pick
up a few tips as you watch: The Guns of Navarrone
Kelly+s Heroes
A Bridge to Far
The Longest Day
Apocalypse Now
The Matrix
Blazing Saddles
The Desert Song
Mary Poppins
We do not recommend that you watch
Khartoum.
To mentally prepare yourself for your mission try reading the works of Wilfred
Owen or Rupert Brookes. This should give you some idea of what may be involved.
Yours faithfully,
G Hoon, Ministry of Defence.
A Bush - Blair Production
Sponsored by Mars, The Official snack of World War III