Today we hear that another two soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, taking the number to 142 killed in action and a total of 171 killed including accidents and illnesses. My sympathy to their friends and families.
The decision to honour the next of kin of servicemen and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as previous wars including Korea, Malaysia, Kenya, the Falklands and Northern Ireland, was in recognition of the "lifetime grief" they had to endure, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said yesterday.
I welcome this award but it's such a pity it is not also being awarded to those who have been injured during recent conflicts. They too deserve recognition.
Posts
23 comments:
Pity the Cross reads EIIR
How stupid can they have been to have overseen that.
What did they do to the old post boxes with that crest?
I had not heard of this, but it genuinely sounds like a decent thing to do. Not honoring those 'merely' injured in conflict can seem a little mean. The Americans have awarded hundreds of thousands of Purple Hearts since the Great War. Something less grand would still show gratitude.
How long before muslims complain that this medal is offensive as it is a christian symbol?
I welcome this award but it's such a pity it is not also being awarded to those who have been injured during recent conflicts. They too deserve recognition.
I was working with a Lt Col in the Army a year or two back. He pointed out that the Americans were getting fancy new body armour that the Brits were missing out on. However, in his words the Americans were sending back more "vegetables" than ever before, soldiers who had "survived" explosions but whose innards were mush.
His honest opinion was that most soldiers, being active hearty types, would rather not survive with such injuries and the resulting loss of quality of life. Obviously that would depend on the individual and the nature of the injuries, but his main point was that we very rarely hear about the many injured soldiers, only the dead ones seem to count for the media. Good on you subrosa for remembering the injured.
There used to be a brass "wound stripe" worn on the sleeve in the Great War, whatever happened to that?
Why does The Gummint not publish regular updates on casualties besides burying the news of fatatlities? Peodo Jackson has had millions of tributes, our armed forced sod all. Bloody Socialists.
O/T Subrosa, Goodnight Vienna never receives my updates, the last he had was March. Did you or do you still have this problem?
Yes bugger lugs it is a shame but HM Forces pledge allegiance to E11R.
It may seem a nice gesture to give to "families", but in this modern world "families " are less defined than they used to be.
A serviceman's family might be his girlfriend by whom he has a child, but his parents may not think she deserves to have the medal having known him for only a short time. Also a serviceman might not be attached to anyone but his parents are divorced. Who gets the medal? Etc., etc.
I'm always suspicious of any gestures to the military by Gordon Brown. The phrase "lions led by donkeys" still applies.
Some injured, in fact many Mek, require help and care. Their compensation is usually around £20,000 which doesn't pay for a carer for more than just a few months if it's needed 24x7.
Yes some acknowledgement of the injured would have been even better. Not that I underestimate the lifelong pain of the parents/family left from those who have been killed.
Scunnert, you read my mind so often. I thought about that when I was typing the post.
Forfar loon, I've met some injured although not in recent years, and I agree with the Lt Col. Many wished they could just disappear. For very fit and active men to be reduced, in some cases, to a hell of a quality of life, destroys souls.
Conan, I don't know about that. I'll try to find out and get my own MISR onto it.
OR the MoD publish them. Somehow this government decided injured personnel didn't warrant a press release.
That's a problem I thought about Andrew and it's a hard one to solve. Even years ago when marriage was the norm, who got any medal? Usually the wife not the parents and if the parents and the wife didn't see eye to eye then they were left isolated once again.
Conan, I've been directed towards this site where you may find some info:
http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16475
Thanks subrosa.By the way I'm still looking for a photo with the bowler hat;¬)
Bowler hat Conan? You've lost me now.
Talking about teenage dress sense, or rather lack of it subrosa.
Ah right Conan, I shall have a look. Had an email from MISR and if you really want to know about the brass wound stripes, the Imperial War Museum will know. You're exceptionally lucky, I seldom even get a reply if I send a 'how are you' email. :-)
Perhaps there should be a medal for the victims of the UK military?
Anon, do expand your comment.
They shall not return to us, the resolute, the young,
The eager and whole-hearted whom we gave:
But the men who left them thriftily to die in their own dung,
Shall they come with years and honour to the grave?
"Mesopotamia"
Rudyard Kipling
The answer's NO Billy.
Post a Comment