Ed Horgan calls for armed Gardai to counter Al Qa'ida threat

by Tim the Magician Tue May 30, 2006 20:19

"This joke of a countrys army [Ireland] refused to take me on when I wanted to serve this country back in the 70s/80s when if you might remember jobs were short."

This appears to be the heart of the matter.

The army trained me,fed me educated me thru college,let me see plenty of this world"

The Bundeswehr? Doubtful

"paid me and gave me more benefits,and pension than this little country or "army" could ever give me."

Bundeswehr pay and benefits are about one third of the Irish equivalents.

"Wow you served in Leabanon and Liberia,see any actual combat?"

Did you?

"If I was to tell you which one you would only be involved in name calling and the usual American killers,etc."

A special unit so secret that you can't give it's name. How original

As for the Kommandant...er sorry.Commandant...whats that in a real rank in a real army anyway?

It's actually an appointment used in the Bundeswehr, as you would know if you had really served with them.

"Actually WTF are you posting on this kind of a group anyway?"

Why are you, if you're really who you claim you are?

They are incompetant,despite having their training from the Best Ranger unit in the world ,the US Ranger unit of FT Benning GA.

"They are slovenly,look like and act like thugs.And DO NOT deserve the title of "Elite"When was the last time the goon platoon ever pull off a Entebee,a Mogadishu,or a Princess gate rescue.If you are a genuine SF[which I doubt] you will know what I mean."

YOU don't: Entebbe, Mogadishu, Prince's Gate

You are fine at playing "war games"but in the big bad world the rest of the elite units take you lot as a joke!In a civillian capacity,I would hire an Irish ex ranger to be a janitor and thats about it.The last one I had anything to do with,thought he could run the show within 24 hours.He was a compleate fuckup that even a civillian security officer had to show him how to do the job.I had to dismiss three of them out of hand on a private security contract,for being drunk while on duty,they all talked a very good war,and that was it.
Typical Irish,Big heads,all mouth,no balls,little action.

Sounds like you're a civilian security guard, an avid playstation player (Rainbow Six?) and reader of 'Soldier of Fortune' Magazine

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by C Thu Nov 17, 2005 20:00 craig.ennis at gmail dot com na

The Irish Independent (registration required) reports that a group of Irish soldiers in Liberia have attacked a group of Liberians.

A crack unit from the Irish Army Ranger Wing has rescued a group of captive villagers who were being beaten and raped by gunmen from renegade Government of Liberia (GOL) forces.

Twenty heavily armed Rangers, part of a special UN operations task group, stormed a container where the 35 men and women were being held prisoner and rescued them.

The Ranger patrol detained the renegade commander, known as "Prince", and the deputy commander of the GOL forces during the rescue operation.

The rest of the kidnap gang is believed to have fled across the border into Guinea.

Acting on an intelligence tip-off, the Irish troops were dropped by helicopter into the town of Gbapa in the northern sector of Nimba county and about 300 kilometres north-east of the Liberian capital, Monrovia.

. . .

The two suspects, who are part of a group loyal to former Liberian president Charles Taylor, were then handed over to local police following the rescue on Tuesday evening and were transferred for questioning yesterday to a police station in Monrovia.

Many of the hostages were taken to a medical centre for treatment by local doctors and Irish medics as a result of the rapes and beatings inflicted upon them while in captivity.

by Joe Public Wed Nov 16, 2005 23:21

So Walter, the truth is you have a personal grudge against a ranger because of your wife and not because they kicked your ass in a war game.

"Its only a game" he says, but yet your own boys werent the best. Shocking to think that 1st and 2nd belonged to cops and not soldiers. Maybe the ERU should be over there.

Now Walter, why dont you provide some evidence of your boys amazing achievements, how about it?

And finally, bragging on the net that you kicked his ass so soooooooo lame.

by Eoin Dubsky Wed Nov 16, 2005 18:51

The article contains only one direct quotation, and that's the one from Dr. Horgan about Ireland supporting the war in Iraq.

Ed and many others who have spoken out in Ireland against the use of Shannon Airport as a foreign military airbase have tried to use humour and irony at times to get the message across. That may have been what he and Dr. Horgan were doing, in which case it seems to have been lost unfortunately along the way (by the Indo journalist and some others).

I think it goes something like this: If Irish people are okay with Shannon as it is, then they should be glad to acknowledge and deal with the risks involved. I can't imagine why Ireland would have agreed to allow the CIA capture and interrogate terrorism suspects in Ireland if they believed that there are no international terrorists here to speak of.

That may be what they were trying to say, I don't know. The journalist only left us one direct quotation, and it's not much to go on.

by typical Shinner Wed Nov 16, 2005 17:26

typical shite from the shinners

they are named rangers because the original concept and training took place back in 1969 in Fort Benning in the US with the American Rangers

bigoted sectariansim on show again from the shinners

by Barry Wed Nov 16, 2005 17:14

Bad enough they go for jolly weekend sprees with the SAS but they name their unit after Glasgow Rangers football team . Pah , typical .

by Joan Public Wed Nov 16, 2005 14:50

Liberia is the answer to the question regarding Rangers losing their lives on operational duty

by A10 Wed Nov 16, 2005 14:35

If you read the posts previous to this instead of running away on your keyboard,you would read that I am not,
And all your ASSertations have been answerd before .
Try coming up with somthing orginal

And I Did meet plenty of these guys as you call them.My wifes Ex was one of the Irish rangers and I did tell him what I thought of his unit in a back alley.
It was over in five minutes.Irish Rangers Nil.German einzel kampfer one. I also posted that I had the unfortunate experiance of having to "work"with them as ex Irish rangers
So I will say it again.Irish rangers are worth in the real world NOTHING!
Oh BTW in the start of this thread somone asserted that Irish Rangers have laid down their lives.Somone tell me where???Proably accidental discharge in a pub!

by Joan public Wed Nov 16, 2005 14:13

It seems to me that A10 is a bit of a walter mitty

Bosnia was the first depolyment of German troops outside Germany since WW2

German troops have not seen combat since WW2

Not only are the ARW highly regarded here but also internationally,

A10 please why dont you meet some of these guys and tell them what u think of them?

by A10 Wed Nov 16, 2005 14:12

I heard from colleuges at the Bonn war games ,that ,that is all they are good at. WAR GAMES.

Until they actually pull off a mission,hostage rescue,or whatever in the real world.They CANNOT call themselves ELITE!!!! And from what leaked documents I can find here,the last HRT mission exercise of storming a plane as studied by the GSG9 and SAS would have been a 100% mission failure,with death of hostages and rescue team.

PLUS being THIRD does not make you the best,contrary to what the Irish independant might think.Not only that there is a German proverb;A blind hen occasionaly finds a seed of corn.The Irish ranger wing have been competing for ASFIK 15/20 years in this.About time they get somwhere near the top three.
Yeah Joe,they TRAIN they do not FIGHT in any of those places mentioned in your previous post,Intresting one there as well...IRAQ !!!!!.Hmmm well,then we really cant claim to be "neutral" anymore can we?????
I belive the "Hereford gun club"[AKA SAS] Dont think much of them either.It is referred to Paddy pissup week.Alot of training in the officers mess,not much in the killing house.

by Joe Public Wed Nov 16, 2005 04:40

"Army Rangers among best elite forces
The Irish Independent
23-Aug-2003
Michael Lavery

*******************************
ARMY Rangers out-shot, out-ran and out-maneuvered dozens of special forces teams from around the world in a gruelling contest.

The elite Irish soldiers picked up a bronze medal in the Combat Team Conference this week which tests the skills of special police and military units. Forty-one teams from 22 countries had battled it out.

Austria's COBRA police team came first, with Italy's NOCS police second and the Army Ranger Wing (ARW) third. The Irish came in ahead of such highly skilled units as the Royal Dutch Marines, the Special Task Force from South Africa, Germany's GSG9, Sweden's Special Police Unit and GOE from Portugal.

The competition, held every four years, was organised by Germany's GSG9 at their base near Bonn.

Rangers had to deal with hostage situations, evade attack dogs, swim long distances in the Rhine and hit targets with their H&K MP5 sub-machine guns and 9mm SiG pistols.

The first event involved a 2.5km run down a steep incline. "At the end of the run, the runner picked up his team of four who were roped together and they made their way back up the hill," said the Ranger team manager. "The team were stopped during the first 1km to identify five 'tangos' (hostage takers) from mug sheets that had been shown previously." Getting it wrong meant having to carry a 20kg sandbag for the rest of the run.

"The events tested the skills that a specialist unit would need in an actual intervention, including shooting, climbing, driving, swimming, leadership and making decisions under pressure," he said."

Direct competition between many forces including A10's much loved German forces. Seems his side didnt fair so well.

by Joe Public Wed Nov 16, 2005 04:36

"However, in recent years, following the end of the cold war, Irish Defence Forces Personnel have also found themselves in many other parts of the globe as observers and peacekeepers. Personnel have served in the five countries of Central America, Europe, Russia, former Yugoslavia, Cambodia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Belgian Congo (Zaire), Namibia, Western Sahara, Somalia South Africa Cyprus Lebanon and East Timor" (http://users.bigpond.net.au/kirwilli/unservice/unservice.htm)

"The Ranger Wing train with other SOF groups around the world, including US Army Rangers, British SAS, Australian & NZ SAS, GIGN, GSG9, Dutch Commandos and the Swedish Special Forces" (http://www.specialoperations.com/Foreign/Ireland/Rangers/default.htm)

"the Irish Army Ranger Wing) are the special forces unit of the Army division of the Irish Defence Forces. The unit is regarded internationally as one of the most elite special forces units in the world, along with the British SAS with whom they occasionally train" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Army_Rangers)

by A10 Tue Nov 15, 2005 22:16

Do you think I am going to tell you a peacenick posing as a officer on aboad full of rabid anti war peacenicks about what the Bundeswehr has been doing with NATO and the US armed forces???[You know that orginsation that Ireland does not belong to.But used as a shield in the cold war without paying a penny to?]forces???
plus do you think I would be such a dumb fuck to discuss this in an open forum??Some of us take operational secercy still seriously!!!! Ever hear of cross training with friendly forces??That also can include combat.

Anyway,what ever I posted you would disbelive as much as I would disbelive anyhing you post here.you could claim I looked it up on the net,as I can claim you would do as well.Surprised you, as a "professional" would ask that.

Ever hear of "einzelkampfer"?
Might give you an idea where I am coming from
And anyway,what are YOU posting as an active service person on a board with a bunch of people who would rather piss on you than respect you?
Now ,as to your beloved rangers,plaese tell us when the Irish rangers pulled off an Elite mission raid or anything that a real elite unit like the GSG9 or the Isrealis or the SAS did????I dont think you can answer it because your toy soilders/aka goon platoon NEVER did.As I said you are hot at war games,but have NEVER pulled off a mission[yet] in the real world.So therefore you DO NOT deserve the title "elite"
As far as I can tell your combat experiance is a police mission not much else as obvisouly the German army has more combat experiance than the Irish army.At the moment you are right the und is in Afghanistan,Bosnia,also some have been seconded for training and adviseors to Iraq.
Long after my time.

Maybe you arejust a peacenik that is pretending to be an Irish army officer?[big trouble if you are caught .As bad as impersonating a Garda]

by insult deleted -ed Tue Nov 15, 2005 18:24

insult deleted -ed

A10 claims his great military experience was in the Bundesweht -The German Army. And he rants on about combat etc etc,

Where did he see combat, the Germans have not had their army in combat since WW2 and have only served outside Germany since the balkan conflict?

Me thinks he is lying

by insult deleted -ed Tue Nov 15, 2005 18:19

A10 have u ever seen combat?

as regards Commandant any military person knows its equivalent in rank to Major as in the Irish Army has the ranks of Lt. Col and Col.

As regards the Ranger Wing - it is widely accepted in military circles that the Irish Ranger Wing is one of the best elite units in the world. Wherever they have served beside any other army the professionalism of the ranger wing has been on full view

Any real soldier knows this, as regards comments regarding my posting overseas, junior offcers usually dont get HQ postings, my posting in UNIFIL was as platoon cmdr, while in liberia I was in spt coy.

U sound like a disgruntled person , please elaborate on your experience of combat with the Bunderwehr!!!!!!!!!!!!

by A10 Tue Nov 15, 2005 00:00

A proper army ,the Bundeswehr,which accepted me and whom I consider family,after this joke of a countrys army [Ireland] refused to take me on when I wanted to serve this country back in the 70s/80s when if you might remember jobs were short.Just as well, The army trained me,fed me educated me thru college,let me see plenty of this world,paid me and gave me more benefits,and pension than this little country or "army" could ever give me.
Wow you served in Leabanon and Liberia,see any actual combat?Or was your battlefield a desk back in HQ.I reckon you are some sort of REMF.[If you are service you will know what that means]
If I was to tell you which one you would only be involved in name calling and the usual American killers,etc.

As for the Kommandant...er sorry.Commandant...whats that in a real rank in a real army anyway?I assume it is close to a Full bird Col,so I'll give him that rank.BTW arent you as a "comissioned officer" ashamed of being associating with such a disgrace to your countrys uniform,army and espirt de corps.?Actually WTF are you posting on this kind of a group anyway?

As for the Goon platoon comment I stand over it.
Your "elite" unit is a fucking disgrace.
They are incompetant,despite having their training from the Best Ranger unit in the world ,the US Ranger unit of FT Benning GA.
They are slovenly,look like and act like thugs.And DO NOT deserve the title of "Elite"When was the last time the goon platoon ever pull off a Entebee,a Mogadishu,or a Princess gate rescue.If you are a genuine SF[which I doubt] you will know what I mean.You are fine at playing "war games"but in the big bad world the rest of the elite units take you lot as a joke!In a civillian capacity,I would hire an Irish ex ranger to be a janitor and thats about it.The last one I had anything to do with,thought he could run the show within 24 hours.He was a compleate fuckup that even a civillian security officer had to show him how to do the job.I had to dismiss three of them out of hand on a private security contract,for being drunk while on duty,they all talked a very good war,and that was it.
Typical Irish,Big heads,all mouth,no balls,little action.

by Bob Mon Nov 14, 2005 13:15

Who the hell are you to call the Ranger Wing the goon squad?
Get off your high horse and show a little bit of respect for the people that are willing to lay down their lives and defend the freedoms you treasure so much.

by Hdward Eorgan Fri Nov 04, 2005 11:05

What army did you serve in?

FYI I am currently a commissioned officer in the PDF, commissioned in 1995 and based in Dublin. I have served overseas in Lebanon and recently in Liberia. You my friend I am sure are a walter mitty character. Why call Ed Horgan Col. Ed. he never rose higher than Comandant. Did you serve under Ed, do you know anyone who did serve under him?

As an office I can tell you that people who served under Ed and who are now Comandants themselves cannot recognise him now, in his days in the army he was a dedicated professional soldier now he is a dedicated professional activist not some walter mitty character who beleives he is rambo

by Barry Fri Nov 04, 2005 00:06

is the "king of beasts" ? That sounds like an hallucination in the midst of your jargon laden rant . Do you still play with action man too ?

by A10 Thu Nov 03, 2005 23:47

When the truth or unpalatable items are measured the usual gutless indymedia poster will fall back to insults or accusations of trolling or fantasies.
And for your information the A10 is Still in action ,doing a exellent job of blasting terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan.As well as that the old warthog is a INMHO a good looking fellow,that even the king of the beasts leaves well enough alone! Not only that " Hdward"[Did it take You long to come up with a bastardisation of your heros name????] I did serve in an army,[did you ever serve?]where there are REAL soilders and officers

.Men and women whom "Col Ed" wouldnt be good enough to clean their boots.They are people who even after being treated like shit by their country,would rather die than do somthing as disgraceful as what that "officer"in this joke of an army did.

I wouldnt call "Col Ed" a brilliant career .Anyone who issues an order of fixing bayonets against civillians,is really getting into the Nazi line of things.What else did he do?He commanded a tank squradron on the Curragh.AKA four scorpion light recon tanks.Doesnt make him Rommel,apart from that his battlefield was a big mahogny desk more likely.What real soilders and officers would call a REMF [Rear Echelon Mother Fu$%&r.]
So apart from that what else was his great career????
not only that the man is a disgrace to his uniform,his country.And a hyprocrite.I bet he hasnt paid the Irish people one cent of his soilders pay or pension.
Dont worry though a lot of old soilders cant handle civvy life so they just go barmy in their old age.Not to worry they are just totally eccentric,and harmless.

by Hdward Eorgan Thu Nov 03, 2005 14:25

A10

Edward left the defence forces some 20 years ago and has only become politically active in recent years, around the same time our govt became involved in supporting an illegal war.

ed was a competent and respected army officer in hid day, he did his job like many others, and he didnt live out fantasies on the web by naming himself after US warplanes, like the A10 itself you have had your day and are now just amking a fool out of yourself living a walter mitty existence where you are some military genius named after a warbird

then again I may be wrong maybe you just look like a warthog

by a10 Thu Nov 03, 2005 13:59

The minister confirmed that the Government had been about to send a special team, including two army officers (possibly members of the Ranger Wing), to Iraq.

Their purpose, he said, was to be on the ground in Iraq in case “unpalatable decisions, including military intervention, needed to be made”. Regardless of the meaning behind this statement, it should never have been made in public. Presumably, the Irish Army was not being asked to prepare for direct military intervention in Iraq.

by A10 Thu Nov 03, 2005 13:16

Today in the Examiner letters page.He is ranting on that the Irish Govt was considering sending down an"elite" Irish army Ranger wing to Iraq to be involved somhow in snatching back that Irish journalist what was kidnapped two weeks ago,this is now considerd by "Col Ed" as an Irish act of war against Iraq,and that an an Irish life isnt worth more than an Iraqui life,etc.

Apart from the extremely laughable idea of sending "the goon platoon" from "Dads army"down to a REAL shooting war where real bullets are used,and they would not be up against a couple of Shinners with AKsor thugs with sawn off shotguns.For some political point scoring and photo shoot of our min of defence and foreigin affairs.
The whole idea is outlandish in the extreme that where we are indeed justified in asking of the Iraqui govt[puppet or otherwise] of the right of sending our Special Forces down to aid,assist,or do if the Govt is unable to provide a hostage rescue force to rescue one of their citizens,as an invasion or an act of war!!
Would have been like saying the Germans when they sent the GSG9 in to Mogadishu to rescue the lufthansa jet from the Palestinan crazies on it in the 1970s,that the Germans were planning to take over that country.
Thank God that man has decided to get out of our defence forces and away from anything more dangerous than a feather duster.The thought of a nutter like him in charge of an armed body of men..........

by indie-soc Wed Nov 02, 2005 23:22

I heard it happened during a Peoples' Democracy (?) protest at the Curragh in the 70s.

by guydebordisdead Tue Nov 01, 2005 10:25

Would like to hear the facts behind the rumour about ed horgan as this is not the first time i've heard it.

As for calling for armed gardai to patrol the streets what use would that be against a suicide bomber? More likely that working class kids would end up dead again.

We need to disarm the cops completely and send them back to ballykissangel or wherever they're imported to dublin from.

by Anthony Tue Nov 01, 2005 01:51

A good start with would be to state when and where this incident took place, the context of the incident, against whom the order was given and why such an action was - and apparently continues to be - justified.

Re. the main story, it would be quite worrying that a respected peace campaigner would call for for more guns and armed individuals on city streets in the absence of a substantial threat. Though I would also share R Isible's doubts about the accuracy of the quote and its context.

by Not Surprised Sun Oct 30, 2005 22:01

Interview with Ed Horgan in The Village magazine some months back.

by observer2 Sun Oct 30, 2005 13:47

so? lets hear it , when, where , why, facts!!!!!!

When Did Commandant Ed Horgan order his troops to fix bayonets against protestors in Ireland?

by wha?????????????? Sun Oct 30, 2005 03:14

please tell me more, show the evidence , tell the story,

I never heard this

by Not Surprised Sun Oct 30, 2005 02:18

is the only Irish officer to order troops to fix bayonets against protestors in this country. Something he continues to justify.

by observer2 Sun Oct 30, 2005 00:32

It's a wonder they didn't report that he was in the company of a prostitute when he said it.

We already have armed gardai patrolling our streets, however they are usually preoccupied with the capture of some or other teenage Nigerian they want to "repatriate" on the orders of Oberstgruppenfuehrer McDowell.

by R. Isible Sat Oct 29, 2005 19:07

I'd have thought that the available evidence of what armed police are prone to do would dissuade anyone from arguing this. Perhaps De Menezes' death hasn't taught people about what armed cops are likely to get up to.

Then again, this is the Indo, so perhaps they've taken the quote out of context.