Princess Incognito Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1770 This article really struck a chord with me, possibly because I have two close friends who are actually serving in Basra and Kabul at the moment. My view is that this is shocking treatment of brave people who are willing to put their lives in danger. Whether you agree or disagree with the fact that there are British forces in Iraq or Afghanistan in the first place (I certainly have deep reservations about them being there) surely those soliders who are simply obeying orders and risking their lives should be treated with a certain amount of respect and dignity. It was not their decision to be there and it will undoubtedly be a challenging and dangerous tour of duty that they are undertaking whilst they are there. We should be proud of those who had the courage to go to such troubled and volatile countries and show them the support they deserve. To return home and be treated like this must make them wonder why they bothered going. It is no wonder that the British Army are having trouble recruiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Take Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1770 This article really struck a chord with me, possibly because I have two close friends who are actually serving in Basra and Kabul at the moment. My view is that this is shocking treatment of brave people who are willing to put their lives in danger. Whether you agree or disagree with the fact that there are British forces in Iraq or Afghanistan in the first place (I certainly have deep reservations about them being there) surely those soliders who are simply obeying orders and risking their lives should be treated with a certain amount of respect and dignity. It was not their decision to be there and it will undoubtedly be a challenging and dangerous tour of duty that they are undertaking whilst they are there. We should be proud of those who had the courage to go to such troubled and volatile countries and show them the support they deserve. To return home and be treated like this must make them wonder why they bothered going. It is no wonder that the British Army are having trouble recruiting. I agree with most of your post, but I don't think you can argue that 'it was not their decision to be there' making it seem like they went out of some altruistic motive. They're employed by the government to do a job and not one of them didn't know the risks of being in the army when they joined. Having said that...soldiers! - stripping! Why were there no pictures? Bloody daily mail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Incognito Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 As i said before, it may be that I am not being totally objective here as I do have close mates in that position. I would agree that it is their job and that they are aware of the risks involved (a lot of them appear to relish the challenge and to that extent I would also agree that not all soldiers choose to go for entirely altruistic reasons). However, I would say though that, in my experience with the friends that I have mentioned, neither of them ever seek to receive special treatment because of the danger of the job. They just get on with it. Neither of my friends "big themselves up" as heroes for what they have done as part of their job or would expect parade after parade in their honour on their return. However, they probably would expect the courtesy of allowing them to enter their home airport in their uniform rather than change on the cold tarmac. All that being said, you are totally right and I can't believe that the first thing that didn't strike me was the lack of photgraphic evidence of the stripping squaddies!! What on earth is wrong with me?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalpuppet Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 The last thing you want after flying back from theatre is to walk around in your kit! Who thinks up these stupid stories!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Incognito Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article...inal/article.do Well the incident has caused a bit of a stir - another link. Point taken Immortal Puppet, no doubt they do want to shed their kit as soon as possible! I suppose that the point that I was making was that they were not even allowed entry into the airport to change there. To disallow soliders from entering the building so that they can change in the toilets is ridiculous and unnecessarily harsh. I just don't agree that it is acceptable treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalpuppet Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 We never used to be allowed to travel in uniform because of the terrorist threat, i dont imagine much has changed other than it is not domestic terrorists wanting to kill and mame us but international terrorists that would love a big coach full of uniformed soldiers to target. 95% of the lads dont want to wear kit out in town anyway, more comments from soldiers would give these stories a more honest view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Old Git Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article...inal/article.do Well the incident has caused a bit of a stir - another link. Seems to be the exact same story, I guess they're part of the same group? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemonday Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Is the Wail ever interested in balanced reporting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyboarder Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Our brave lads, risking their lives in (insert arena of big business interest here), wearing the uniform with pride.............. Yaaawn... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalpuppet Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Thats right, i forgot about your years of service and therefore understanding of the men and women who give up their lives for the greater good. /golfclap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonan3 Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 The only thing that separates it from an average Daily Wail story is that it didn't lay the blame directly onto Gordon Brown. 'Around 50' out of the 200 chose not to wait for the arranged transport to Brize Norton, even though they were informed that they would have to change out of uniform as there is a ban on troops wearing uniform in civilian airports and "most changed outside." So, with typical attention to detail, we're not informed exactly how many chose to change out of uniform, nor how many of those did so outside on the runway. Not even a story - except for a Wail reporter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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