Teen beauty spot drinkers are ramblers, not rebels
- Dave Burrows
Letter: Look after our Armed Forces first
Wednesday 4th January 2012, 7:45AM GMT.
What has happened the Government’s intention to do right by the Armed Forces? I’ll bet David Cameron forgot this as he sipped champagne over the Christmas break.
It’s shocking to see that some of our soldiers are living in 1950-style accommodation, and make them dream of deployment to Afghanistan so they can have the comforts of a hot shower.
Isn’t it time we stopped giving money to countries that simply don’t need it, especially as we cannot afford it in the first place, and start to look after our own?
You can come to this country, get handouts, free healthcare and lots more without ever paying a penny into the system, yet those who put their lives at risk, or those that (like our elderly have contributed all their lives) are living in poverty and still waiting for treatment in a queue.
Wake up politicians before you’re booted out of power come the next election.
Brendan Ellis
Leominster
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I’m sorry, but what a load of tripe this letter is.
As Johnny Rotten says in the butter advert. “It’s their career choice”.
Those serving know what they are signing up for and do it by choice. Nobody makes them do it.
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Brendem Ellis is correct regarding accommodation and medical treatment for our service personnel. They did as Graham states sign on of their own free will. They were however assured at the signing on stage that the government would honour the Military Covenant and assure them of priority medical treatment.
They have failed on both counts
The rest of Brenden Ellis’s letter is just rubbish
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Show some respect Graham .
Yes it is a career choice ,but it a chosen career many people in this country rely on these people in times of trouble and as such they should be rewarded far better than they are during and after a career in the forces.
Army quarters for non officers are awful, it is good news this government is starting to recognize forces personnel for the job they do in these trouble times .
I would also add if they didn’t sign up “for it” then graham dependent on age do you fancy being forced to do it??? , many young people of today stay in education until 18-23 then tell us all they cant get a job and stay seated on their rear ends.
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Iraq and Afghanistan have come as an unpleasant shock for many of today’s servicemen,most of whom joined in expectation of careers spent in ‘penguin mode’.
For the tens of thousands who were killed in two world wars,service life was not a career choice.They either volunteered or were conscripted..They fought and died and their families were notified by plain brown envelope.
Today’s squaddies live in luxury compared with the conditions they lived in.
The death toll in Afghanistan since the conflict started is less than the number of Allied troops killed every day in WW2 and every hour in WW1.
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Please don’t get me wrong. I hold the armed services in high regard and respect the work they do. However, in reply to Ron, a lot of people sign up to something that they don’t get (Public Service pensions for example).
Yes the Government should honour what they say – but they don’t and this is normally across the board – not just the Armed Forces.
In reply to THE LORD your argument is flawed. I chose not to join the Armed Forces as I do not wish to live that way of life nor do I wish to be potentially killed or injured doing a job. When you sign the dotted line, you know that.
Hats off to the people that choose that way of life – but I refer to my first comment.
You chose to do it.
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I am aware you chose not to join the armed forces but my argument is not flawed , if we did not have a volunteer armed forces do you honestly think the government of this country would not conscript??, if you go on then to say you would refuse then too, that puts you in to a certain section of society that would i am sure be frowned upon .
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I think if we did not have the surplus Armed Services required our Government would not sign up to supporting operations overseas so quickly.
There are always people interested in joining any volunteer organistaions – indeed those that want to join the Army and do it in that capacity do seem keener than their full time collegues.
I would never dream of doing it – does that make me a bad person?. No. I’m obviously not a suitable candidate for reasons that I have and as a result I would not be effective in operations..
My argument is simple. So much so I won’t repeat.
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I think that THE LORDS point is if we didn’t have a Volunteer Army we may need a Conscript Army (to cover all the Governments commitments worldwide).
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Some conflicts we have no choice but to partake in. Some we do. Fair too political I think for this forum.
If we did not have the personnel the government would not enter into certain conflicts or send less people.
Conscription would not be an issue unless this country was being attacked.
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As a recently ex-soldier, having served 22 years, I agree with…….GRAHAM !!
It was my choice to join, and whilst i’d have hoped for far better accomodation (albeit the standard varies dramatically from unit to unit. I’ve had some camps with en-suite facilities!), I can confirm that nowhere on signing up did it mention that all accomodation would be well kept, maintained etc.
They do the best they can with the crap money the government gives them.
Brendans “letter” is just a pathetic moan.
As a soldier, I was more bothered about us losing limbs and getting payouts of £12k when office workers were getting £80k for RSI ! Now thats unfair ;-p
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The standard of MOD facilities in the UK is generally in rag order having been widely neglected and allowed to run down since the end of the Cold War. That’s why so many troops are still in Germany, because there isn’t anywhere habitable for them in their own homeland. Maybe if a few NEETS were conscripted to build new barracks, we could solve two problems at once.
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I’m old enough to have heard of the National Service but born to late to have been subject to it. As a side issue to the above topic & picking up the last statement The Lord makes, would conscription work today for school leavers? I can remember many saying “a few years national service would sort him out” (not directed at me by the way)
Any thoughts?
(incidently, I agree with Graham’s well made points in response to the above letter)
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In these times of army cut-backs, I should have thought that enforced employment of a shower of unskilled, disinterested teenagers would be of little interest to them.
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Just a reminder – there are 3 Armed Forces, not just the Army. Standards of accomodation vary across different bases, both single and married – some good some poor (poorer than most jails). Points to remember is that our Armed Forces have no Union or voice. My husband has served over 35 years and is away from the family home for over 280 days/nights every year. Last year, as well as the 0 percent pay rise they cut his allowances by over £1200 a year. If he is ordered to use his own car for military use he is only paid 25p a mile. To gain this he must insure it at his own cost for buisness use or he gets nothing. How much do our politians get? Whilst the pay has been frozen for two years and 1% average for the following two the Pay Review Body still sit and continue to raise the rent on food and accomodation. Intresting considering they have reduced the food allowance, for those who are ordered to live away from home, by over a third quoting that food prices have dropped! Utter rubbish with inflation at 4-5%.
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I was surprised that so many of the comments disagree with the writer, i’m glad to see that i’m not the only one who feels that way.
There is a frenzy in this country at the moment, of people trying to be seen to be praising troops and fawning over armed services. any minor slight towards them is met with massive indignation & inflated sense of outrage. I think the public are getting a little ‘sympathy fatigue’ at the moment, sick of being told how we should worship at the feet of the armed forces. Don’t get me wrong, they do a great job, my family has a big military tradition, but the choice to be part of that is theirs. They don’t do too badly out of it either – free accomdation, free food, massive tax advantages, pension, etc – this extends to family too.
Does the letter writer have something against firefighters, police, doctors, paramedics, coastguards, etc – many of which put their lives at risk as much (if not more) than military personnel?
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Exactley right Brimondo.
While there are selfless acts of pure heroism that a member of the armed forces steps on a landmine or is involved in a helicopter accident is horrid and unfortunate it does not make them a hero.
Yes, I am suffering from a bit of sympathy fatigue too.
Window cleaners risk falling from ladders, carpenters risk cut from saw or plane. Soldiers risk injury from bullet and bomb. These are not recently realised conditions and members of todays armed forces would have been well aware just what they were letting themselves in for when they signed on the line.
Support the injured fully and correctly on their return to home, there is no excuse not to do so, but do not print thier photos and use ‘HERO’ in the heading…………unless they actually are.
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You both seem a little confused as to what a dangerous job really is. Try this link if you believe that doctors, paramedics and firefighters are the heroes as they go about their well paid jobs….
http://www.careerbuilder.co.uk/Article/CB-127-Job-Search-Britains-Most-Dangerous-Jobs/
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A bit of a specious argument really as we don’t know where the data in that piece comes from or how accurate or biased it is.
Strangely that piece only mentions bomb disposal experts rather than members of the armed forces in general so probably not the best piece to choose to illustrate the point- but good effort anyway.
Perhaps when you are in need of a fire-fighter, paramedic or doctor you might reflect on the fact that you don’t consider them heroes and maybe let them know. See if that affects your treatment by them – I’m sure they will appreciate it.
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Sorry Freddie, perhaps this link will stop you worshipping doctors, paramedics and firefighters.
I would sooner worship the guy who brings my fish to the table or who builds the scaffolding around Shrewsbury Town Centre myself.
It’s from the HSE, have you heard of them?
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http://personal.rhul.ac.uk/uhte/020/Labour%202005/Most%20Dangerous%20jobs.pdf
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Only the USA and China spend more on their armed forces than the UK. Their are two principles when preparing soldiers for the hardships of combat and the hardships that go with it. The UK approach (based upon cost as much as anything) is to treat them mean and then when they are suffering from the discomforts of combat then it is not such a great differential to normal barracks life. The USA approach is to give them all the comforts of home and so they are as fit and comfortable as possible when ready for combat. The results of both are often seen on the frontline and how forces cope. This is especially true if held as a POW (current conflicts aside). You pays your money, you takes your choice. I know what I, and many others would prefer in barracks life, but I am sure it would be different when you are truely tested. Greatness and failure is fine line when underpressure. Both systems have seen much greatness, but at the end of the day it is often the inner resolve of the individual that comes to the fore.
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I’m a little confused here. The letter writer doesn’t mention anything about heroism and no one else either until Brimondo suggests that military personell don’t risk their lives any more than Doctors (how many docs get killed in the line of duty?) and then Buskerman , Roadrunner and Freddo, start to mention heroism.
I’m sure that the parents of the many dead troops being returned to Brize Norton might not appreciate that Doctors, paramedics, firemen etc are doing just as a risky job as their fallen offspring and in Freddo’s statement, where he suggests that they may not do such a good job towards you if you were to mention your lack of respect for these “heroes”, then if that were to be the case (which any sensible person would know is not likely to happen),they could not be classed as being professionals, let alone heroes.
No one is suggesting that all armed forces personell are heroes but to label them alongside doctors, firemen and paromedics etc in the danger stakes, is just plain crazy.
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