Comments on: Supporting Our Boys

By: Arthur

Arthur — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:59:36 +0000

Good post. Talking my language.

There is, however, another thing that soldiers sailors and airmen want: governments to stop conniving in the destruction of their own country.

People join the armed forces for various reasons, but at the back of their minds (and for many, right there as the number one reason) is a sense that there is something patriotic in what they do.

Therefore, when they see their government failing to face up to subversive groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir they get angry. When they see the transfer of sovereign rights, the very rights they are serving to protect, to the EU they begin to wonder. And when they see governments pursuing an economic and welfare policy that is slowly driving us towards the rocks, they ask themselves a question: is it worth it?

By: Euan Stewart

Euan Stewart — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:48:20 +0000

I agree with Dominic if the two largest wars ever fought could not change the treatment of veterans then nothing really can as both of the World Wars affected damn near every single person in the country. We all jump on the bandwagon about how great all service personnel are but we always fail to back that rhetoric with action and resources no matter if we agree or disagree with the reasons for a war. For example the Falklands Conflict was a war that had the support of the populace after all we were attacked and people rooted for our forces but after the war was over little support materialised. It is often said more service personnel died as a result of suicide after the conflict than died in the conflict itself hopefully the same does not happen after the current conflict in Afghanistan is over.

By: Jed

Jed — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:37:02 +0000

I have been to war in the RN, I have “supported combat operations” in the TA, but I was not infantry and have never been in a firefight, so I count my self as one of the hypocrites too. Why ? Well because generally I blame U.S. politicians for most of our current woes, and for most of our dead and maimed – and yet, the yanks do a much better job of helping their ‘vets’ upon return from ops. Can you see the British Army setting up an organization like the “Wounded Warrior Battalions” ?

As for your excellent table of budgets that could be used to buy Chinooks – again, it shows the appalling state of politics as a whole in the UK – “government by sound bite” – shades of the fall of the Roman Empire…… :-(

By: Subrosa

Subrosa — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:41:46 +0000

A good idea would be for you to make a list of ways in which the public can help. Those who have knowledge know about SSAFA, H4H etc are fine, but give those who would like to help some idea as to how to go about it.

It’s my aim to keep the Afghan war in the public’s eye for my own reasons and certainly not for a mawkish or hypocritical angle.

Maybe you could do something about Combat Stress refusing to use volunteers on the basis of ‘risk of confidentiality’ breeches.

Remember we’re all different. Some people show their respect in gushing adulation, others quietly from the sidelines.

By: DominicJ

DominicJ — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:40:01 +0000

This is nothing new, if anything, its better than normal.
Men of the Royal Navy, fresh from defeating the Spanish Armada, were refused leave and starved to death on their ships.
Wellingtons victories and his brave boys in Portugal and Spain were celebrated greatly, and then the brave boys ungracious enough to survive being shot came home maimed, a drain on the parish, looking forward to a (short) life as a beggar on the streets.

People complaining about the failure to introduce platoon level UAV’s (me) should remind themselves of the fight to retain the musket over the rifle, or the refusal to even consider aircraft carriers or earthquake bombs.

Unfortunately, this isnt ever going to change, if mass conscription of the first and second world wars cant touch it, what could?

This is why I’m so strongly in favour of the high intensity/short duration strategic raid option, its all the public are prepared for.