Say what you like about authoritarian regimes, but boy can they do parades. Mark Pyruz has all the latest in martial fashion from Iran’s Military Day festivities. In my favourite photo, the army’s elite 23 Commando Division is pictured showing its gentler side:
How elite can a whole division be, incidentally – or is that just the bitter Brit in me? Later, Mark shows us that the home of Manichaeism still has that old magic:
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These, apparently, are the Asymmetric Special Force (Team White) and the Asymmetric Special Force (Team Black) – can you tell which is which? Quite shocking goose stepping from Team White.
Well, they can have all the fancy-pants uniforms they like, they’re still no match for our Ukranian friends:
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Iran has… ninja? (blinks)
Better, they have Ringwraiths with guns: http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?38091-Iranian-Female-Police-Cadets
If anything, the Iranians are all about style:
http://snappedshot.com/turbo/1103-Awesome-Jobs-Meet-Mr-Official-Iranian-Salute-Guy.html
(has a sudden urge to be the next Official Salute Guy!)
(I won’t fight you for the Official Salute Guy job, rather, I wish to be the next official Ukrainian Amazonian Drill-team photographer).
;-)
Because nothing says professionalism and equal rights quite like a miniskirt.
On a more serious note, these marches are a good sign domestically and abroad that the state has a professional military to use. Just look at the marches they had in the Soviet era. Of course the U.S has them as well, but to my mind they aren’t considered defining moments of a celebratory event.
Of course. . .unless you count the US Marine Corps Silent Drill Team (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y90UPLLo6nY).
Check out the sequence starting about the 3:00 min point and running to about the 5:00 point.
Those are Russians, not Ukranians, Kenneth.
Jack – we’ve been through this before – they’ll always be Ukranian to me: I’m constructing my own reality here.