In World War II, an English reporter who had...

In World War II, an English reporter who had heard so much about the
bravery and elan of the Gurkhas visited a camp just in front of the
enemy lines (Germans). During the course of his reporting, he had
occasion to observe a mission being conducted.


The mission was to airdrop a bunch of soldiers behind enemy lines to
conduct some relatively light action. He watched the commander of the
Gurkhas (a British soldier) pitch the mission and then ask for
volunteers. To his surprise, only about half the Gurkhas volunteered
and were sent off.


Throughly disillusioned with the legends of Gurkha bravery, the
reporter went back home. After the war, he happened to run into a
Gurkha who had been there, and asked him why half the troops had failed
to volunteer. It turned out that none of the squad, both those who
volunteered and those who did not, were aware that they would get a
parachute for the drop. Hence the low turnout.