This may be controversial

[Lance Jack]

Dangermouse, glad your boy is ok. Of course he will remember this for the rest of his life, sometimes it will be at the back of his mind, buried deep, but it will always be there. Look after him.

 

[classic33]

1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

And what helped bring that about?

 

[Theseus]

I am also glad your boy is OK.

I have a tenuous connection with this one as well.

The exchange student that is staying with us is attending Penicuik high school, which is not too far from the home barracks. A lot of the kids are affected by this as they either have family or friends that are connected in some way.

 

[User482]

Of what exactly! "Go on" was an instruction, not me making a snide comment.

I posed two questions. Your inability to answer is why I am unconvinced by your assertion.

 

[steve broughton]

A wrongly attributed and often misquoted line but very apt I think.
“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.”
Dangermouse tell your son thanks from an appreciative "civvy shoot"


what a lot of civilians fail to realize is that a soldier does not fight for his or her countries politics or political ideology, nor queen or country or even family, he fights for his mates first and foremost, the guy sat next to him shitting himself in a hole as scared as all of them thats it.

 

[ayceejay]

And what helped bring that about?

Finally, after many attempts to word it right going back 300 years it was public reaction to Nazism that paved the way.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

A wrongly attributed and often misquoted line but very apt I think.
“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.”
Dangermouse tell your son thanks from an appreciative "civvy s***"


what a lot of civilians fail to realize is that a soldier does not fight for his or her countries politics or political ideology, nor queen or country or even family, he fights for his mates first and foremost, the guy sat next to him s***ting himself in a hole as scared as all of them thats it.

True, I'm sure that's the way it is but having never served I take your word for it, but it never alters the political aspect that is always prevalent with a conflict of the kind discussed here...and the army, by default, become a part of that.

The army itself never decides when to go to war and that's a good thing until you realise that the people who did decide to go to war, in this instance, started that war on a lie - namely the WMD one. Other essential things like oil will also, inevitably come into the equation and serve to cast further doubt on the reasons for why 'we' are in Iraq (or Afghanistan).

Like many of you, I'm glad the OP's son is safe - who wouldn't want him to be? My problem is with us being there in the first place and there is no job to finish because sadly, we've exacerbated the problem, not solved it. We armed the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan when it suited 'us' and now we hate them, work that one out?

Blind obedience doesn't always help and yet the voices of those who served in both conflicts may, as with Vietnam, one day decide that the real truth of the matter is just as important as all this Queen and Country bullshit.

 

[slowmotion]

DM, I'm so glad that your son is OK. Leaving aside the political arguments for being in Afghanistan, I have a personal interest in this war. My niece (and god-daughter) is about to join the Army and has always been keen to see action. I think she is entirely mad, but it's her decision. I read a book about Vietnam a long time ago. Somebody in it said....

" You can't take the glamour out of War.....it's like trying to take the glamour out of Sex".
Here's the book. It's worth a read.

 

[Dangermouse]

Thanks for all the comments, I knew there would be differing opinions and I fully respect them, we are all entitled to speaking what we believe in.

If the mods think this is a bit too political please move it into current affairs.

 

[avalon]

The trouble is, war is a way of life for many Afghans. It wasn't that long before the Americans invaded, that the Russians were there. It didn't go too well for them either.

 

[Globalti]

It's heartening to read the OP's optimistic post but having been to Pakistan many times and having dealings currently with that messed up country I am very pessimistic about the future of that neck of the woods. If tribalism, religious fatalism and short-termism can be overcome there may be some hope. As in Africa it needs a whole new generation of young leaders who can distance themselves from the old ways and get on with modernising the countries while not stealing everything.

 

[Cyclist33]

A wrongly attributed and often misquoted line but very apt I think.
“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.”
Dangermouse tell your son thanks from an appreciative "civvy s***"


what a lot of civilians fail to realize is that a soldier does not fight for his or her countries politics or political ideology, nor queen or country or even family, he fights for his mates first and foremost, the guy sat next to him s***ting himself in a hole as scared as all of them thats it.

It's a bit different these days as we don't draft people into the armed forces. You go willingly or at any rate it isn't imposed by the State. There always seems to be so much shock and awe when soldiers lose their lives in a war zone, but surely that is the least improbable thing that one could possibly expect?

 

[Shortmember]

I think we were right to join the Americans when they invaded Afghanistan, because the government of that country was allowing its territory to be used for training and arming of Islamist fundamentalist groups that were waging terrorist style war on the West. If we had shown reluctance to take them on they would have regarded it as a sign of weakness, and it would surely have emboldened them to commit even worse atrocities than the destruction of the Twin Towers.
During the sixties I served in the Army in a trouble spot in the Far East, and non of the 'squaddies' I knew in my unit would have been happy to have been pulled out if the British public had decided that it was a conflict that was pointless and costing too many lives.We would have felt it was a defeat, and all for nothing.

 

[User482]

I think we were right to join the Americans when they invaded Afghanistan, because the government of that country was allowing its territory to be used for training and arming of Islamist fundamentalist groups that were waging terrorist style war on the West. If we had shown reluctance to take them on they would have regarded it as a sign of weakness, and it would surely have emboldened them to commit even worse atrocities than the destruction of the Twin Towers.
During the sixties I served in the Army in a trouble spot in the Far East, and non of the 'squaddies' I knew in my unit would have been happy to have been pulled out if the British public had decided that it was a conflict that was pointless and costing too many lives.We would have felt it was a defeat, and all for nothing.

9/11 was committed by Saudis. And the people we are now fighting in Afghanistan were armed by us.

 

[theclaud]

9/11 was committed by Saudis. And the people we are now fighting in Afghanistan were armed by us.

You and your obsession with detail!