Positive news about UK forces

[King-Osgood-1690]

I wasn't intending to include the links, I accidentally slipped them into the post via a key combination i think.

The best website on the web if you're planning on research, bar none, would be CAIN (Conflict Archive On The Internet), it's the definitive source for information on the conflict with an extensively vast array of information.

CAIN: Northern Ireland Conflict, Politics, & Society. Information on 'the troubles'

[AyrshireDon]

Originally Posted by King-Osgood-1690

I wasn't intending to include the links, I accidentally slipped them into the post via a key combination i think.

The best website on the web if you're planning on research, bar none, would be CAIN (Conflict Archive On The Internet), it's the definitive source for information on the conflict with an extensively vast array of information.

CAIN: Northern Ireland Conflict, Politics, & Society. Information on 'the troubles'

Cheers mate appreciate it every little helps got tones of stuff on NATO and European Defense Force and UK armed forces but no NI conflic this fills a gap.

[King-Osgood-1690]

Rogue Afghan cop shoots dead five British soldiers in cold blood as they drank tea in military compound

Five British soldiers have been killed by a rogue Afghan policeman as they drank tea inside a military compound in Helmand province.

The gunman opened fire on the soldiers with an AK47 during a meeting yesterday with local officials.

The soldiers appear to have laid down their weapons and removed their helmets and body armour as proof of their trust in their hosts.

The Prime Minister said this afternoon that the Taliban had claimed responsibility for the attack, and may have infiltrated the Afghan police.

Evacuation: Casualties are unloaded at a hospital in Helmand in the wake of the shooting which left five British soldiers dead

Deadly toll: Six other UK soldiers and two Afghan policemen were also injured in the attack

The gunman fled the scene on a motorbike, sparking a manhunt in the Nad-e'Ali district.

The families of the dead soldiers - three from the Grenadier Guards and two from the Royal Military Police- have been informed.

Another six UK servicemen and two Afghan police officers were injured in the incident. One is critically wounded.

The dead and injured personnel are believed to have removed their body armour and laid their weapons down when they entered the building in the village of Shin Kalay.

Abdul Ahad Helmandwal, head of the district council in Nad Ali, described how Afghan police and British forces were drinking tea together when the attacker opened fire.

'He first fired on the commander of the police and his deputy then on the British soldiers. He escaped on a motorbike,' he said.

The deaths make this the single bloodiest year for British armed forces since the Falklands War.

As the search for the policeman continued, tribal sources claimed he was a man named Gulbuddin who may have been in dispute with his local commander over being moved between units.

Another tribal source said his family had links to the Taliban.

The attack took place in the Nad-e'Ali district of Helmand Province

The gunman had been with the police for two years. There was speculation he was a deliberate plant sent to infiltrate the force or that he had acted under pressure from insurgents.

Investigators believe he may have had an accomplice. Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel David Wakefield said: 'The soldiers concerned were mentoring Afghan police. They were working inside and living inside an Afghan national police checkpoint.

'It would appear, and it is our initial understanding, that an individual Afghan policeman possibly acting with another started firing within the checkpoint before fleeing the scene.'

He stressed that the attack did not come as a result of any breakdown or fight between British and Afghan forces.

A military spokesman added: 'It's our understanding that one individual Afghan National Policeman, possibly in conjunction with another, went rogue.'

The group came under attack after entering a building inside a secure zone where they were to meet Afghan officials. They had passed through at least one checkpoint.

Casualties were evacuated to the hospital at the main British army base Camp Bastion.

Airlift: A helicopter carrying casualties arrives at Camp Bastion - a fleet of military ambulances can be seen waiting to transport patients

Several wounded men were flown in by Medical Emergency Response Teams using Chinook helicopters and a US Black Hawk.

The injured were rushed from the landing pad to the emergency department by ambulance where hospital medics and consultants were waiting en masse.

Eight are still being treated though it is unclear if the casualties are British or Afghans.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to the soldiers describing their deaths as a 'terrible loss'.

'My thoughts, condolences and sympathies go to their families, loved ones and colleagues. I know that the whole country too will mourn their loss,' he said.

'They fought to make Afghanistan more secure, but above all to make Britain safer from the terrorism and extremism which continues to threaten us from the border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

'I pay tribute to their courage, skill and determination. They will never be forgotten.'

Tory leader David Cameron said: 'I was deeply shocked to hear of the deaths of five British soldiers in a single incident in Helmand Province, and the horrific circumstances in which it appears they died.

'I pay tribute, as will the whole country, to their professionalism and their courage, and send my condolences to their families and their friends.'

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth added: 'It continues to be a difficult year in Afghanistan for our brave people who are operating within the most challenging area of the country.

'We owe it to them to show the resolve that they exhibit every day in building security and stability in Afghanistan and protecting the UK from the threat of terrorism.'

As well as the inquiry by the British Military Police, the local chief of the ANP and the Afghan National Director of Security have begun an investigation at the scene.

The Grenadier Guards were working in a so-called Omlette team, helping to advise the ANP and Afghan National Army in training, tactics and patrol methods.

The shooting is the equal-worst loss of life in a single incident in three years, on a par with five soldiers who were killed by inter-linked bombs in July.

Only once have more members of the British Armed Forces died together throughout the whole war - when 14 were killed in the Nimrod crash in 2006.

The attack also makes 2009 the bloodiest year for the armed forces since the Falklands War.

Up until now, the worst period since the Falklands was 2007, when 89 members of the armed forces died on active service.

The latest deaths bring this year's figure to 93. The death toll in Afghanistan since the conflict began in 2001 now stands at 229.

On Saturday, Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, 30, of the Royal Logistic Corps, died near Sangin in central Helmand Province.

He had been due to fly back to the UK for a two-week break seven days later.

The attack comes just two days after Hamid Karzai was re-elected president after his rival pulled out of a run-off, planned for this weekend.

Peter Galbraith, who left his post as deputy head of the UN mission in Afghanistan amid disagreements over the presidential elections, said the 'rushed' bid to train extra Afghan officers for the poll meant such deaths were to be expected.

'It is a terrible tragedy but it is, I won't quite say inevitable, but it is not surprising,' he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

'The process of police training and recruiting has been very rushed. Normally the police get an eight-week training course. That is actually very short and there isn't a lot of vetting of police before they are hired.

'And actually, in recent months, they shortened the training programme from eight weeks to five weeks because they wanted to get more police boots on the ground in advance of the elections.

'So there was a real rush to recruit an additional 10,000, particularly in the south, particularly in Kandahar and Helmand provinces.

'So it is not totally surprising that people were recruited who may have had Taliban sympathies or were infiltrated into the police by the Taliban although I don't know yet whether in this particular episode that is exactly what happened.'

The undermining of the legitimacy of the Afghan government because of the 'chaos' surrounding the election had also 'created opportunities for the Taliban', he said, sending his condolences to the families of those killed in the incident.

BLOODIEST YEAR SINCE THE FALKLANDS

Killed on his final mission: Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid died this weekend

The deaths of five more servicemen in Afghanistan means that British Armed forces have suffered the bloodiest year of action since the Falklands War.

The death toll in Afghanistan this year now stands at 92, with one soldier who died of gunshot wounds while serving in Basra, southern Iraq.

It also means that the total number of service personnel killed since the 2001 operation to oust the Taliban now stands at 229 and is rapidly approaching the grim statistic of 255 members of the British Task Force killed in 1982 during the Falklands.

The death toll does not include two soldiers who were shot dead outside a military barracks in Northern Ireland in March this year.

The previous highest death toll since the Falklands conflict was in 2007, when 89 members of the armed forces died on active service, mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Most of the Afghan casualities have been caused by roadside bombs and increasingly sophisticated use of Improvised Explosive Devices - the deaths of the three Grenadier Guards and two military police officers is the first time that five servicemen have been shot dead there in one incident.

The grim development comes after eight soldiers died in a period of 24 hours in Afghanistan in July, the bloodiest 24 hours for ground troops since operations began in the country.

The beginning of July also saw the death in Afghanistan of the most senior British officer to be killed since the Falklands War, Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. He died when his vehicle was blown up by a roadside bomb.

That month also marked another milestone with the conflict claiming the lives of more British troops than the Iraq war where 179 service personnel died.

Six soldiers died in October, including Corporal Thomas Mason, from Fife, who died six weeks after he was injured by an improvised explosive device.

In September 2006, 14 British service personnel - 12 RAF service personnel, a Royal Marine and an Army soldier - were killed when a Nato Nimrod MR2 aircraft crashed in southern Afghanistan.

In 2008, 51 members of the British forces died in Afghanistan, compared with 42 in 2007 and 39 in 2006.

Between October 2001, when the mission began, and the end of 2005, five members of the British armed forces died

Read more: Five British soldiers killed in Afghanistan in single attack by Taliban | Mail Online

[AyrshireDon]

Yea was gonna post this RIP to the families the guys were just trying to help out the goverment and that happens

[King-Osgood-1690]

An extremely callous attack, can't even trust the people we're supposed to be handing the country over to.

[AyrshireDon]

Originally Posted by King-Osgood-1690

An extremely callous attack, can't even trust the people we're supposed to be handing the country over to.

I'm not against what we are doing trying to helpthe country but I am starting to doubt the Afgahn people are ready for democracy.

[MFC_LukeCarter]

I feel bad from a personal point of view that I don't take enough interest in our Armed Forces, I have friends who are out there at the moment, whether it be in the RAF or Army, or whatever.

This year I am going to make a concerted effort to keep in touch with daily goings on etc.

[Strange Pirate]

The only way we'll be able to sort out those lalalala holes is by nuking the lot.

[AyrshireDon]

Originally Posted by Strange Pirate

The only way we'll be able to sort out those lalalala holes is by nuking the lot.

Thats the American way



only kidding but WMDs are not the way forward

[Strange Pirate]

What is though? It just seems like it will go on and on forever. How can you win a war against an unknown enemy? You can't win.

[AyrshireDon]

Originally Posted by Strange Pirate

What is though? It just seems like it will go on and on forever. How can you win a war against an unknown enemy? You can't win.

It is winnable the best of the best are there the SAS and the Royal marines if anyone can scour them it those boys.

On a serious note it is a winnable war but it will take time and unfortunately many more casualties our forces are very highly trained but are being let down by a government that will not support them even tho its was them that sent them the sooner the politicians listen the the men on the ground things will improver.

[King-Osgood-1690]

Originally Posted by Strange Pirate

The only way we'll be able to sort out those lalalala holes is by nuking the lot.

And let the planet deal with the consequences for the next few centuries?

We've raped it enough in the past, to the verge of destruction arguably.

[Strange Pirate]

I wasn't being totally serious.

[King-Osgood-1690]

IMPORTANT NOTICE: No media files are hosted on these forums. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website. We can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material.

I AGREE

[AyrshireDon]

The first Merlin helicopter crews are ready to deploy to Afghanistan following pre-deployment training in the United States.


A Merlin Mk3 practises a dust landing in the southern desert of California during Exercise Merlin Vortex
[Picture: SAC Andrew Morris, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

The Merlins, from RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, due to deploy soon, will provide vital support to ground operations and increase the capacity of the UK helicopter lift in Afghanistan by a further 25 per cent.
El Centro Naval Air Facility in California is the US Navy's main training base and has recently played host to crews from 28 and 78 Squadrons.

See GALLERY >>> for more photographs from Exercise Merlin Vortex 09.

The Merlins have been training for the unique challenges of the Afghan environment - the hot, high and dusty conditions.
The entire fleet is undergoing a £45m upgrade programme that will allow the helicopters to improve performance in the harsh conditions and protect against threats.
Modifications include new rotor blades for 'hot and high' conditions and improved defensive aids against hostile threats.
Merlins can carry up to 20 personnel and will provide an additional capability to the Chinook and Lynx helicopters.
<B>Armed Forces Minister Bill Rammell said:

"The Merlins will be a welcome addition to the coalition helicopter force in Afghanistan adding to the capacity of our battlefield helicopter capability and increasing its flexibility."

</B>


A Merlin Mk3 practises transporting an underslung load in the southern desert of California at night during Exercise Merlin Vortex
[Picture: SAC Andrew Morris, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

<B>Commander of the Joint Helicopter Force, Rear Admiral Tony Johnstone-Burt, said:

"Afghanistan presents the most challenging flying environment for helicopters in the world.

</B>

"The high altitude, and temperatures that soar to 50 degrees Celsius by day and rarely drop below 35 degrees at night during the summer months, test aircraft to the limit.
"It has been vital to ensure that the crews are properly prepared in a non-hostile environment. They are now fully ready and eager to support our forces in theatre."

<B>Flight Lieutenant Jim Porter, a pilot on 78 Squadron who spent three weeks training at El Centro, said:

"The pre-deployment training opportunity that the exercise has provided is second-to-none. To operate in an environment that replicates the conditions that we may encounter in Afghanistan so closely is hugely beneficial to all taking part."

</B>
<B>Master Aircrew Gareth Attridge, a Leading Crewman from 78 Squadron, found the training hugely beneficial:

"As an instructor, the facilities and environment encountered during the training in El Centro provided a perfect chance to refresh and practise new operational skills," he said.

</B>

"These have been passed on to the Merlin crews who are shortly to deploy to Afghanistan.
"Combining this training with our previous experiences in Iraq, we feel that we are ready for the challenges that lie ahead."

Personnel from 78 Squadron are already in Afghanistan preparing for the arrival of the first helicopters, which are due by the end of the year.

About time we had those helicopters sent over and they are very advanced aircraft.

Ministry of Defence | Defence News | Training and Adventure | RAF Merlin crews ready for Afghanistan


New ration packs http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/De...ationPacks.htm

His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh joined two young war widows to open the Royal British Legion Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey in London earlier today, Thursday 5 November 2009.


The plot of crosses in memory of those who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan
[Picture: Sergeant Ian Houlding, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

Each year, tens of thousands of little remembrance crosses are planted in the grounds surrounding the Abbey, each one with a dedication written to a loved one or friend killed in battle.
This year, there will also be a plot of crosses to remember those men and women who died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each one will bear a name, photograph and dedicated message.
Joining Prince Philip were Anna Aston and her seven-year-old daughter, Pagan, and Amanda Binnie; both women lost their husbands in Iraq and Afghanistan, respectively.
Their crosses will be a personal tribute to Corporal Russell Aston, who was in the Royal Military Police and was killed in Iraq in June 2003, aged 30, and Acting Sergeant Sean Binnie of The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, who died in a fire fight with insurgents in Helmand province in May 2009, aged 22.
This year's Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal targets support for the wounded and bereaved of Afghanistan, with a sobering poster campaign featuring a young war widow and a double amputee, who is still serving in the Royal Marines.




The Duke of Edinburgh speaking to veterans at the opening of the Field of Remembrance
[Picture: Sergeant Ian Houlding, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

Visiting the Field of Remembrance today was Mr John Lucas who served in the RAF Regiment between 1951 and 1955. Keen to keep the memory of his comrades in the public's mind he said:

"I come every year. I know the wartime generation is dwindling now, but the RAF goes on serving in all sorts of conflicts around the world. I like to remember my friends and I want others to know what they did."

Flight Sergeant Sue Brown teaches at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham and pointed out crosses representing two of her branch's most recent losses to a helicopter accident in Akrotiri.

Another cross, bearing the name 'Corporal M Cook', has special significance for the nursing service.
Flight Sergeant Brown said:

"We now award an annual prize in memory of Corporal Cook to the best nurse in training. I consider it a great honour to be here. Having just returned from Iraq where we lost four lads, I consider occasions like this to be very important."

A remembrance cross
[Picture: Sergeant Ian Houlding, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

Since 2003, the Royal British Legion has provided financial help to over 10,000 Service personnel and recent veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. The Legion represents one-third of all the appeals for higher compensation payments for injuries suffered in Afghanistan, and its campaigns have led to increased compensation awards which have placed an extra £7.5m in the pockets of the most seriously injured.
The Legion currently spends more than £1m per week in its work helping over 130,000 other members of the Armed Forces family - dependants, veterans and the bereaved. This year it hopes to extend its reach to more than 160,000 beneficiaries.
The Field of Remembrance in the grounds of Westminster Abbey, Parliament Square, London, is open to visitors daily between 0900hrs and 1800hrs from Thursday 5 November until Sunday 15 November 2009.
A second Field of Remembrance is situated behind City Hall in London and is also open to visitors daily between 0900hrs and 1800hrs until Sunday 15 November 2009.

A great idea imo to show the families that there loved ones will be treated as heros who gave their lives in the line of duty

[BL4CK_MAMBA]

It's a very difficult war, in which we are justified for being there, because this country allowed men to train and cause 9/11. Not to mention various other terrorist attacks around the world.

[dmp1887]

true man the news delivers negative propaganda all the time. you hear plenty about our soilders dieing, but nothing about how many terrorists they have killed in return.

[AyrshireDon]

Originally Posted by BL4CK_MAMBA

It's a very difficult war, in which we are justified for being there, because this country allowed men to train and cause 9/11. Not to mention various other terrorist attacks around the world.

Which conflict you on about? Iraq was an illegal war and we shouldn't have went there yet Afghan is Legal.

[ayrshirelass]

my late grandfather fought in the 2nd world war and currently as a sister-in-law to one of the current serving RAF troops and cousin to 2 veterans of the Gulf War in the 90s, I will always support the troops even if i don't agree with our government about why they are there.

they fight for their own survival every day as well as our freedom so i'm not surprised the MOD find it hard to get positive news out there.

[AyrshireDon]

Originally Posted by ayrshirelass

my late grandfather fought in the 2nd world war and currently as a sister-in-law to one of the current serving RAF troops and cousin to 2 veterans of the Gulf War in the 90s, I will always support the troops even if i don't agree with our government about why they are there.

they fight for their own survival every day as well as our freedom so i'm not surprised the MOD find it hard to get positive news out there.

Its there but the tabloids feed off the negativity and my RAF Careers officers told me to take what they write with a pinch of salt and back it up by using the MOD website.

One of my mates has just returned from a 4 week tour of Iraq luckily nothing happened when he was there. Where did your Grandfather serve just out of interest?

[King-Osgood-1690]

Mother of dead Afghanistan soldier confronts Gordon Brown over equipment

Jacqui Janes, the mother of Jamie Janes, a soldier killed in Afhanistan, has confronted Gordon Brown over the lack of equipment for troops serving on the frontline.

Mrs Janes made her points to the Prime Minister during a 13-minute phone call.

Mr Brown had contacted her to apologise about a letter of condolence which contained a series of errors.

Mrs Janes had accused Mr Brown of being ''disrespectful'' because the letter began ''Dear Mrs James'' and appeared to contain other spelling mistakes and a visible correction to her son Jamie's name.

Mrs Janes said during the call she had challenged Mr Brown over equipment for troops.

During the conversation, which she recorded, Mrs Janes said: "Mr Brown, listen to me.

"I know every injury my child sustained that day. I know that my son could have survived but my son bled to death.

"How would you like it if one of your children, God forbid, went to a war doing something that he thought, where he was helping protect his Queen and country and because of lack, lack of helicopters, lack of equipment, your child bled to death and then you had the coroner have to tell you his every injury?"

Mr Brown replied: I do understand but I think you have got to also understand that I feel very strongly about this as, as you do."

At one point in the conversation, Mrs Janes said: "I can not believe I have been brought down to the level of having an argument with the Prime Minister of my own country."

Mr Brown denied spelling Mrs Janes' son's name wrong in the letter, and blamed his poor handwriting rather than his spelling.

Mrs Janes told The Sun: ''I was speaking for every serving soldier who is not allowed to speak and every mum, dad, child, brother and sister of every soldier.

''I felt Jamie gave me the strength somehow and I know he would have been so proud.''

Mrs Janes recorded the conversation with the Prime Ministerand The Sun published a full transcript of the conversation.

Mr Brown was criticised for failing to bow his head as he took part in commemorations for the UK's war dead in London at the weekend.

Jamie Janes joined the Grenadier Guards shortly after his 16th birthday and was on his second tour of Afghanistan when he was killed by a Taliban bomb on October 5.

Mother of dead Afghanistan soldier confronts Gordon Brown over equipment - Telegraph

[AyrshireDon]

Man charged with 1977 IRA murder of British Army officer Robert Nairac



David Sharrock, Ireland Correspondent


(PA)



Robert Nairac was killed more than 30 years ago while undercover


div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited {color:#06c;} A man was charged last night with the murder, more than 30 years ago, of Captain Robert Nairac, the undercover Army officer whose body has never been found in one of the most infamous killings of the Troubles.
Kevin Crilly, 59, from Jonesborough, south Armagh, is already facing charges of kidnapping and falsely imprisoning the Grenadier Guardsman, who was 29, near the Irish border in 1977.
Captain Nairac, who was from Gloucestershire, was interrogated, tortured and then shot dead by the Provisional IRA after being taken by force from a pub car park near Jonesborough.
He was driven to a field in Ravensdale, County Louth, just south of the border. After being murdered it was rumoured that his body was dismembered and fed to pigs.
Times Archive

• IRA kidnaps Guards captain in Ulster

• IRA admits killing Captain Nairac

• Officer who was shot 'told captors nothing'

Prosecutors laid the murder charge before Mr Crilly as he appeared at Newry Magistrates’ Court for a routine bail hearing on the two lesser counts, with which he was charged last year.




Although District Judge Austin Kennedy granted Mr Crilly bail he then ordered him to remain in custody after Crown lawyers indicated that they may seek to appeal against the decision in the High Court in Belfast.
In the years after Captain Nairac’s disappearance, three men were convicted of his murder, but police have always said they were looking for more suspects.
Mr Crilly was interviewed by detectives in the weeks after the incident but fled to the United States before officers could arrest him on suspicion of murder.
Judge Kennedy was told today that the suspect had remained in the US for almost 30 years.
Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Barry Graham said that, when he returned, he took another name, explaining that Mr Crilly was adopted as a child and had assumed his birth name of Declan Parr.
“The only reason he returned to Northern Ireland was because he was in a long-term relationship in America and that relationship had broken down,” the sergeant said.
The officer told the judge that he could connect Mr Crilly with the murder charge and the two other counts of kidnapping and false imprisonment

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle6912734.ece

Also is worth a read if you hve the times is the pages on Armistce Day some very interesting articals.

[AyrshireDon]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle6913240.ece

[OptiMAT prime]

I heard that the UK 'forces were now up to date which a bunch of new equipment, and that the only thing they're missing now is a supply of helicopters for emergency Evacs; for this, they rely on the US Troops.

Although I feel for every family member involved in this "War", I cant help but feel the Media blows up the sob stories a bit too much. A man joins the Army training for and knowing what will happen in a combat situation and every incident after that is (hopefully) a series of unfortunate and tragic events, sharing your woes with a news paper is a little too far, for me, to still be counted as respectable.

(understand that the case directly above is slightly different to the point I'm trying to make, as the call was made about a letter of condolence, not about the death itself)

Parents who have children in the 'Forces can't expect it to be a dream, they should rather be thanking every day their offspring is alive and expecting the worst rather than the opposite.

My thoughts are, again, with everyone involved. Someone somewhere else wrote on the forums a true statement that the soldiers out there from the UK believe to be fighting for the man next to them and that's true, and it's a good-a-cause as any. They deserve endless respect and not for civies to spit at soldiers etc. when they come back home.

[AyrshireDon]

Originally Posted by OptiMAT prime

I heard that the UK 'forces were now up to date which a bunch of new equipment, and that the only thing they're missing now is a supply of helicopters for emergency Evacs; for this, they rely on the US Troops.

Although I feel for every family member involved in this "War", I cant help but feel the Media blows up the sob stories a bit too much. A man joins the Army training for and knowing what will happen in a combat situation and every incident after that is (hopefully) a series of unfortunate and tragic events, sharing your woes with a news paper is a little too far, for me, to still be counted as respectable.

(understand that the case directly above is slightly different to the point I'm trying to make, as the call was made about a letter of condolence, not about the death itself)

Parents who have children in the 'Forces can't expect it to be a dream, they should rather be thanking every day their offspring is alive and expecting the worst rather than the opposite.

My thoughts are, again, with everyone involved. Someone somewhere else wrote on the forums a true statement that the soldiers out there from the UK believe to be fighting for the man next to them and that's true, and it's a good-a-cause as any. They deserve endless respect and not for civies to spit at soldiers etc. when they come back home.

We will have our evac choppers within the month as the Merlins have finaly been converted for use in dusty conditions.

I think your right with the media.

I have written that before and its true ask anybody in the forces. I read in an artical with a soldier currently serving with the Royal Scots Guards that the hardest part is not the training, not the endless drill not even on the front lines in combat but seeing a friend get killed and your powerless to stop than.