Right...where to start. I'm assuming that certain individuals in this thread aren't just trolling? Though I wish they were.
@ OP - Yes it is horrendous and this doesn't even tell half the story. Almost every single individual who goes on operations comes back with PTSD. It's not 5%, its 95%. The support network is not large enough. Entire units come back to the UK not even knowing that they all have it and are expected to just have a little holiday and get back to work.
yeah... nevermind the hundreds of thousands of aghanis and iraqis that dont have a home, their countrys battered and their children dead
I presume therefore that you choose to send most of you disposable income to afghan families without a home do you, Mr. Charity? Because the emphasis in Afghan is on reconstruction and has been for years, or did you miss that memo? Did you also miss the fact that the Terrorists are the enemy, not Coalition Personnel?
Contrary to some people's beliefs the Armed Forces do not target civilians but unfortunately the Taliban make it very hard to guarantee this. Many civilians choose (often for monetary gain) or are coerced to become a terrorist for some length of time. However more recently many of the fighters have been foreign mercenaries paid for by outside influences.
I find it hard to sympathize with these people, as i hate the army. For all i care they can live of insects.
I don't know why you have developed an irrational hatred of the armed forces. But it is clealy just that since you've managed to tarnish 200,000 people with the same brush without good reason.
That is disgusting. These guys deserve more than you ever do, I don't want to imagine the hardship they are put through on a daily basis, with piss-poor gear, crap pay and attitude like that facing them when they get home. Every single last one of them is a -snip- HERO.
Don't appologise, you are right.
Wow.... is it honorable to join the army KNOWING you only do it so the governments can get their hands on oil? They're not heroes, they are ignorant dumb fools who join the army, not knowing the reason and consequences.
We won't get our hands on the oil...but it actually makes sense, if you take the time to think about it, that we have good relations with stable oil producing countries. Protecting economies is massively important.
It happens all the time.
Letting the Taliban have Afghan is not a sensible option. If we gave them Afghanistan then they would be in a very strong position to take Pakistan, or at least get control of the nuclear warheads. I consider the Taliban a brutal people, they have been terrorising the populace of afghanistan ever since they took the country by force during the 90s. No one is defending them, right?
Whether you agree with war or not, these soldiers are just doing their job. It's the government you should blame the casualties and Collateral damage on, not the soldiers, they are just doing what they are told and most of them disagree with what they are doing themselves, but it's their job and they have to do it.
People join the forces for various reasons, most for the lifestlye. I joined for that and the belief that when I go to a war-torn country in some little way I can make people's lives a little bit better. It's the same reason I joined the police and I still believe it. Even if the mission isn't believed in anymore there is still potential for a more positive outcome for all involved.
I don't think that anyone is ignorant enough these days to join up not expecting to go to war or even expecting to come back without some kind of physical/mental illness.
They deserve a bit more then the avarage epmployee in every country since they do dangerouse work as a living. they have that packed in their salory and maybe that is why people thinks that going to the army is a good idea. they need to check the darksides aswell ...
The salary of a grunt is about 17k plus a few operational bonuses. There are many jobs out there which earn more and you don't get shot at. I wouldn't join for the money.
They CHOOSE to do this job, they should not have any more rights and/or help than any other person. Unless you mean salary.
Yes they should. The job is infinitely more stressful.
The armed forces and police service are agents of the law and they should be viewed as a positive influence.
Nobody should have to choose to join up and just accept that they may end up on the streets afterwards. The job is fine, welfare issues afterwards are not. So fix the latter.
Ah come on. They are american and have different ROEs. The US culture is gung-ho second ammendment stuff so they are trigger happy. With UK ROEs you basically have to stand somewhere stupid and wait to be shot at before you can even ask for permission to engage. You find that ROEs follow the culture of a country. US cops have guns, ours don't etc...
No, but the US aren't operating in the same area as our English troops, so I can't commemt :X
Actually they are, US marines have been assisting in Helmand for sometime.
Questions?
