From a British Soldier.

If we no longer respect our fighting men and women, the future of Britain itself is in peril.
By COLONEL JORGE MENDONCA

Just imagine that you are a British soldier returning from a tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. For the past few months, you have been putting your life on the line for your country. Every day, you have faced the risk of death from bomb and bullet.

As you arrive back in Britain, you feel a mixture of relief, exhaustion and pride in your service.

Yet your return seems at best to be a matter of supreme indifference to the public. There are no crowds at the airport, nor any large parades.

You are expected to disappear quietly from view, so that the country can concentrate on important issues like Pete Doherty's drug rehabilitation programme or the next winner of ITV's The X Factor.

In some cases - such as that of 39-year-old reservist Corporal Scott Garthley, who was blown up by a Scud missile in Northern Kuwait on the first day of the invasion in March 2003 - there is outright hostility.

Taken to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham in a lorry, because there were no ambulances available, he was dumped in A&E, then asked to remove his Army uniform in case it offended anyone who was against the war in Iraq.

He needed 20 operations on his stomach, shoulder, throat, knees, bladder, spine and bowel.

Increasingly, it seems that we soldiers serve a nation that considers us an embarrassment, that simply doesn't want to know about us.

In the USA, troops have an honoured place in society. They are cheered in the street, given priority in queues, on transport and in shops, and often have their restaurant or bar bills picked up by grateful citizens in recognition of the unique demands they experience... But there is hardly the same eagerness to honour the military in Britain... the state is manifestly failing to fulfill its side of the bargain. Its attitude towards the overstretched Armed Forces today seems to be all take and no give - as I found to my own personal cost when I had to face a court martial for allegedly failing to prevent abuses by my soldiers against Iraqi detainees in 2003.

Though I was subsequently cleared of any wrong-doing, I saw the whole episode as a profound injustice. I became so disillusioned that when told I might have to face further disciplinary proceedings, despite having been cleared by the trial, I resigned my position.

I felt utterly betrayed by the senior military echelons and the Government which I had served to the utmost of my ability.

The affair smacked of the double standards that now prevail towards the military. Soldiers are expected to face far greater dangers than anyone in normal civilian life... It would be absurd for any soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan to behave like those two Police Community Support Officers who recently refused to jump into the water when a tenyearold boy was drowning and ended up being praised by their bosses for following the correct procedures.

Yet when anything goes wrong, there is no recognition of the unique circumstances in which the military operates. Instead, the civilian law, in all its politically-correct glory, is used against the Armed Forces.

...Back home, accommodation for serving personnel is a scandal, often worse than social housing in the deprived inner cities.

Nor do soldiers enjoy anything like the compensation given to civilians, despite running far greater risks.

This disparity was graphically illustrated by the award of just £152,000 to Paratrooper Ben Parkinson, who lost both legs and suffered severe fractures to the skull, spine, arms and pelvis after being blown up by a landmine in Afghanistan.

His payout compares miserably with the £484,000 awarded to an RAF typist who developed a repetitive strain injury in her thumb.

...The values of the military, like patriotism, selfsacrifice, toughness and courage under fire, are deeply unfashionable in a society obsessed with victimhood. For successive generations brought up with politicallycorrect pieties about the guilt of the West, the idea of being willing to kill or die in the national cause must be incomprehensible. This cynical exploitation of the Armed Forces must stop. Iraq may seem a distant war which affects none of our lives. But history tells us that a vibrant, efficient and motivated military force is vital for our national security.

And it is not overstating the case to say that if we continue denigrating our fighting men and women, the future Britain is in peril.

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Soldiers turned away from bar after funeral. Two Royal Marines were refused entry to a bar just hours after a colleague's funeral because they were in uniform. The two servicemen went for a drink at the Walkabout bar in Liverpool city centre following the funeral of Corporal Ben Nowak at the city's Anglican cathedral. Cpl Nowak, 27, who served with 45 Commando, was one of four people killed in a bomb attack on a patrol boat in southern Iraq on Remembrance Sunday. His two colleagues, who were among 1,000 mourners at yesterday's funeral, were turned away by staff at the door of the bar. Stunned bystanders shouted at the bouncers and told them to show respect to the servicemen. [Old news, I know, but I'm shocked it ever happened.]

Harrods bans soldiers on Poppy Day. A serving Army officer was banned from entering Harrods on Remembrance Day in case his uniform upset other shoppers. Lieutenant Daniel Lenherr had just taken part in a parade honouring Britain's war dead when the London department store turned him away at the door... Mrs Lenherr, who lives in Tidworth, Hampshire, said: "We were horrified when we were refused entry on a day when we honoured the men who sacrificed so much for our freedom. I find it sad this can happen." The store has stood by their dress policy, saying: "There is a long-standing tradition at Harrods that would normally preclude customers who are wearing non-civilian attire from entering the store. "A lot of people assume that somebody in uniform is either there on official duty, which could cause them alarm, or they assume they're a member of staff and ask them where the lavatories are and so on.

Thanks to Rogue Gunner for the links!

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This makes me soooo angry. I had no idea that British soldiers are not treated well in their own country! I know that most European countries, maybe except France (the irony!), are anti-war, maybe even anti-American, but I thought they would at least treat their own soldiers with dignity and respect. They ought to be given a rousing welcome when they get home from the frontlines!
This reminds me of one of Blackfive's old entries- about the Brits, I mean. I think he posted an address where people can send them letters, because they might not be getting any. Well they ought to get thousands.