sundaymorningstaple wrote:ksl,
The system in the photo was on the DS (drillship) Chancellorsville and was taken in early '84. That system held 4 men. When on a dive the bell would be launched with 2 men. One acting as a tender inside while one went out and worked and then after a period of time we would switch for the second half. Then button up everything, haul us back to the surface, mate the bell to the deck chamber equalize pressures and open her up and crawl through. It was tight, damp and you didn't ever have a hot meal or hot drink for the duration of the sat.
Were you working from the receiving end in Holland or from the refugee camp side like I was doing here in SE Asia? Either way, not sure how you felt, but for me, a NAM vet, it was like performing a sort of Penance I guess. Personally fullfilling would be the best way I could describe it.
I was engaged in the establishment of the first camp, in our area in Denmark, dis-used school, for 200 + , I worked both sides of the fence, infiltrating the radicals, that was responsible for rioting in the camp, I got on very well with them, they could relate to my position has a foreigner in Denmark evading the the IRA sympathisers from my own City in UK, basically I was also a refugee forced out of my own City of Lancaster, its historically labeled as a violent area where all the Irish end up, when they get off the ferry from Northern Ireland, and where all the Scotish end up, when they cross the border looking for employment, more pubs than houses, and quite a famouse University now.
I'm a catholic with close family in Ireland, that are sympathisers, however i am not, a believer in one religion, I learn from them all, and keep my self to myself!
Iranians soon learnt how to manipulate the social advisors, through, threats and fear, it was an education, working with refugees.
It only took one family to start the ball rolling, although I was aware of what was going on from the inside, and had the means to control the situation, without blowing my own cover, it was quite stressful but rewarding work.
Basically I was there to keep the peace and make sure everything went smoothly, rehousing them and introducing them to Danish culture.
After 3 years the stress was catching up with me, and I was asked to leave, after an incident, where by I was attacked with a bread knife on several occassions.
The police could do nothing, no one could, because the guy was a drug addict and mentally unstable, unable to recieve the help he needed because he could not understand English or Danish, he literally terrorised everyone blackmailing the refugees for drug money, there was no doubt he was an informer, and the authorities didn't know how to handle him, i had disarmed the guy several times, yet the police said the knife had to go in me, before they could do anything.
In the end I had to settle the matter once and for all, and there was only one way to do it, I confronted him, with a translator in front of my superiors, and threatend him, it was at this stage, they decided to lock him up in the mental facility, but he burned it down, and threatend patients, Denmark had never had the experience of working with torture victims, before.
Some of these guys were in fact a danger to society, and a couple of them ended up on murder charges, within the camp and had murdered also outside the camp, it was a disturbing experience. Eventually I found him an adoptive family, who looked after him quite well, until he could be rehoused.
Yes rewarding work! but 3 years was enough for me.
The vietnamese, where never so demanding,
)
No thanks!