how orderly things are in there...

This is about the ..batman. army batman....response to a times of india blog at http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mocking-Bird/entry/join-the-army-be-a#comment-form
1. This is an age old tradition taken from the British, no doubt. How do the Indian Army now justifies is really to be seen. Recently I read a book on the Gorkha soldiers by JOHN PARKER in which he says, “The relationship between an officer and orderly was close. The later belongs to the former, and in a curious way vice versa.” Now this aspect of vice versa is what we from outside cannot understand.
2. But harder even to understand is that these men are ready to die. An army officer and he told me “I don’t get paid for my work. I get paid because I am ready to die on orders any time for next thirty years of my life.” May be I need to read more. May be I need to get some practical feel of what it is like to be up there under fire. Manas wer do we get the form?
3. An American Gen NEWMAN in his book ‘FOLLOW ME’ touches upon this topic in a very practical and explicit manner. As a new officer (jubilant, energetic and zestful and passionate about everything as they always are) and a new company commander he decided that HE ‘WILL NOT’ KEEP AN ORDERLY. When he announced his decision to his first sergeant, his right hand in commanding the company, he was advised to reconsider. Which he obviously did not. It was much later, he realized that the job was just not eight or nine or ten hours in the office, but it was more about a wholesome dedication that will change him and his perception about everything. he realized keeping his men trained and ready to fight, technically, psychologically and morally with a high morale was something requiring an involvement beyond the professional spectrum of things. At one incidence, the first sergeant told his company commander bluntly- ‘When the training NCO came to you with a problem at home with his wife, you were busy thinking about whether your pants are pressed or not. Now he says he cannot attend the training with the company and we don’t have any other instructor.’ Whether all this makes a case or not, I don’t know. I don’t know, being an outsider what it feels to be like there in the snow capped mountains….Sounds romantic. Would die for that!!! Any one would isn’t it manas? Orderly system still continues in the US army, NEWMANs have realized.