How Britain treats its troops
Crappy (via the London Daily Mail):
Scores of soldiers flying home from Afghanistan on Christmas leave were ordered to change out of their uniforms on a freezing runway before being allowed into a civilian airport terminal.
Troops were told not to be seen in public in their uniforms – which they had worn with pride while risking their lives during months of intense fighting against the Taliban.
Last night the Ministry of Defence and bosses at Birmingham International Airport blamed each other for the indignity suffered by the soldiers – which comes amid mounting anger over the treatment of British troops returning from war.
One soldier, who was ordered to undress for “security reasons”, said: “It is an insult to the entire Army to force guys who’ve been fighting in Afghanistan to obey some jobsworth rule when all they want to do is get home to their families.
“So much for a nation proud of its servicemen. The temperature was Baltic on the runway but most of just wanted to get home so we cracked on.”
The December 23 flight, carrying 200 personnel, had been diverted from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to Birmingham because of bad weather.
The troops were told they could either wait for coaches to take them back to Brize Norton or else travel home via public transport – in which case they must change into civilian clothes before entering the terminal.
Around 50 chose the latter option and, because there was no room in the cabin, most changed outside.
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Categories: They don't support the troops
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Crappy indeed. Somebody over there has crap for brains.
No way would I ever tell servicemen there is anywhere they can’t wear their uniforms. That uniform is a badge of honor and they have earned the right to wear it!
Unreal.
The once mighty British Empire is truly no more. Shame on the Brits.
Apparently, the UK has liberals too! How sad.
When I was in the Marines, we were not allowed to wear the dungarees off-base, except to and from – no stopping.
However, I seriously doubt there is any such rule in force which civilians are allowed to enforce at an airport.
The swine who watched these soldiers change were in the presence of more balls in that moment, than they could normally see in a lifetime.
May the soldiers be blessed, and may their defamers have the fleas of a thousand camels infest their armpits.
Too bad the British people don’t speak up about this type of behavior.
In US airports, since the beginning of the US war on Iraq, service men and women are stopped and thanked by many people like me.
Flights I have been on have given soldiers first class seats, and they are allowed off the flights first if requested by the pilot—often to applause.
How does this contrast with the Birmingham airport. Are they under Sharia law? Who was responsible for this?
Actually, the British government has treated its troops badly for a long time. Even after the Falklands war in 1981 or 1982, the brave British soldiers were treated shabbily by the government. When the Falklands war ended, the British government arranged a huge victory parade. Incredibly, wounded veterans were not allowed to march in the parade. Soldiers who had lost arms or legs or whose faces were disfigured by the war, were told that they would not be allowed to march in the parade. The government thought that the public viewing of wounded soldiers would detract from the sunny victory parade it wanted to stage. And of course, the opposite is true. Wounded soldiers, who have given their full measure of sacrifice, would lend meaning and purpose to an otherwise silly parade. But when you let bureaucrats manage anything, this is what you get.
Maybe unarmed solders makes a target in a public where extremist are numerous.
It appears that the airport authority officials in Birmingham, England are suffering from the same malady as the airport authority officials in Oakland, California …
Head and brain suffering from lack of oxygen due to placement where the sun doesn’t shine …
During the start of air combat operations during Desert Storm we were ordered to not wear our uniform shirts when driving from the base to our quarters. Our command structure was afraid (due to credible intelligence estimates) the tolerant people of Southern California (mostly peace groups) would target GIs in uniform for acts of violence.
I was also required to wear civilian clothes working arms control treaties picking former Soviet Union arms control inspectors up at SFO. This came about because the anything goes folks of the bay area couldn’t stand to see a person in a military uniform and we had several close calls with assaults from the indigenous population. Not that all people of the Golden State feel that way about our military (having grown up there after Dad retired from the USAF in Sacramento) I know better.
Too bad they didn’t decide to divert the flight into RAF Mildenhall (USAF base which is a travel hub in Europe) when they couldn’t land at RAF Brize Norton they would have been very welcome by our troops and treated much better.
This same thing happened here in the U.S. just last year to a group of Marines, I think it was, at an airport out west somewhere. Does anyone remember that?
gregorystephens
see my post #9
No surprise from me here.
Remember, the left in England, like here, supports the troops! /sarc off
Liberalism smells as bad in Britain as it does here.
Thanks Desert. Just found it http://michellemalkin.com/2007/09/30/what-happened-to-our-troops-in-oakland/ I knew I’d read it somewhere.
This is an outrage.
Ed #8
I think you’re right that the order was for the soldiers protection, although it could have been handled better. I this on the internet.
Plot to Behead British Soldier Foiled
Military.com | January 31, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, England – Counterterrorism police arrested nine men in an alleged kidnapping plot Wednesday – a plan that reportedly involved torturing and beheading a British Muslim soldier and broadcasting the killing on the Internet.
The kidnapping plot was the first of its kind to be uncovered in Britain, according to counterterrorism officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
This is from a country that won’t force Muslim women to forgo the veil for security purposes. We can’t rely on ‘Not So’ Great Britain any longer. It is a shame what they do to their military.
They should be ashamed and they really don’t deserve the freedoms that they enjoy for treating their military poorly who risk their lives every day.
This must be why the allowed themselves to be captured by the Iranians. Iran treated them better than the UK does.
TOMMY
by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
I went into a public-’ouse to get a pint o’ beer,
The publican ‘e up an’ sez, “We serve no red-coats here.”
The girls be’ind the bar they laughed an’ giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an’ to myself sez I:
O it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, go away”;
But it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but ‘adn’t none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-’alls,
But when it comes to fightin’, Lord! they’ll shove me in the stalls!
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, wait outside”;
But it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide,
The troopship’s on the tide, my boys, the troopship’s on the tide,
O it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide.
Yes, makin’ mock o’ uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an’ they’re starvation cheap;
An’ hustlin’ drunken soldiers when they’re goin’ large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin’ in full kit.
Then it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, ‘ow’s yer soul?”
But it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll.
We aren’t no thin red ‘eroes, nor we aren’t no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An’ if sometimes our conduck isn’t all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don’t grow into plaster saints;
While it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, fall be’ind”,
But it’s “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there’s trouble in the wind,
There’s trouble in the wind, my boys, there’s trouble in the wind,
O it’s “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there’s trouble in the wind.
You talk o’ better food for us, an’ schools, an’ fires, an’ all:
We’ll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don’t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow’s Uniform is not the soldier-man’s disgrace.
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!”
But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country” when the guns begin to shoot;
An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please;
An’ Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool — you bet that Tommy sees!
as timeless today as it was then..
There is rarely a day on http://www.fark.com that there isn’t some nonsense coming out of Britain. They try to be so politically correct, it has become almost insanity there. Brits are leaving in droves and illegal immigrants are moving in…so many of them the government ignores them. Even there “Homeland Security” has illegals working for them.
DaveC, you beat me to the punch. I was just about to post the same. I think the comments on this thread chould be locked as there is nothing more to be said. Mr. Kipling said it all then and sadly, it is still true today.
This stinks to high heaven – just another sign of the collapse of British culture.
Sadly this will probably be seen as a good [PC] idea here by the likes of Pelosi, Reid, Kennedy and the latest traitor Hutchison.
Not unusual for the limeys to piss on their warrior class. They write songs about it(Thank you Kipling):
Tommy
I went into a public-’ouse to get a pint o’beer,
The publican ‘e up an’ sez, “We serve no red-coats here.”
The girls be’ind the bar they laughed an’ giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an’ to myself sez I:
O it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, go away”;
But it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins,” when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it’s “Thank you, Mr. Atkins,” when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but ‘adn’t none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-’alls,
But when it comes to fightin’, Lord! they’ll shove me in the stalls!
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, wait outside”;
But it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide,
The troopship’s on the tide, my boys, the troopship’s on the tide,
O it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide.
Yes, makin’ mock o’ uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an’ they’re starvation cheap;
An’ hustlin’ drunken soldiers when they’re goin’ large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin’ in full kit.
Then it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy how’s yer soul?”
But it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll.
We aren’t no thin red ‘eroes, nor we aren’t no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An’ if sometimes our conduck isn’t all your fancy paints:
Why, single men in barricks don’t grow into plaster saints;
While it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, fall be’ind,”
But it’s “Please to walk in front, sir,” when there’s trouble in the wind,
There’s trouble in the wind, my boys, there’s trouble in the wind,
O it’s “Please to walk in front, sir,” when there’s trouble in the wind.
You talk o’ better food for us, an’ schools, an’ fires an’ all:
We’ll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don’t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow’s Uniform is not the soldier-man’s disgrace.
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!”
But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country,” when the guns begin to shoot;
An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please;
But Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool – you bet that Tommy sees!
God save us.
Read this over at Powerline and we are not far from this same PC BS.
“Defense Department Critic of Islam Sacked”
I have made it a point to hound, ridicule and demand that local authorities not allow this type of “Vietnam War Behavior” to enter our current public discourse.
I have written school and college presidents to denounce their allowing similar things happening on campuses (public campuses).
I encourage UK readers to write your thoughts to the airport and the ministry of defence about this event.
It looks like the same guy who pulled this in Oakland, found a job across the pond. They need a Michelle Malkin over there, how do you say Boo-Freaken-Hoo with a Brit acent?
Dave C – solid post – I was thinking the same thing. Sad how so little has changed for the soldier since Kipling’s day.
Current governments tend to treat us soldiers as a fire alarm – kept away from the public and only broken out when desperate, then ignored once the job is done.
Quail Britannia!!
Ours is not the only Western culture being overrun by the forces of political (in)correctness and liberalism.
God help us all.
It sucks but, after I had to read some of their “so-called” newspapers, the Guardian and Independent, I believe it!
The superfluous amount of anti-war, anti-America hysteria these two papers have whipped up over there is unfounded and mind-numbingly bad! Very bad indeed!
And that’s not cricket, old chap!
Are thees not the same people that have to serve at least two years in service for their government? So they can be treated like this.. just shameful..
I watched “The Chronicles of Narnia” again last week. At the beginning of the movie, German bombers fly over London and drop their loads. It made me think – You know, if Islamic jihadists had an air force they’d certainly be flying over London right now doing the same. So soon they have forgotten.
yeas that liberal MoD! The Mod hates the troops!
Any society that doesn’t treasure those who protect it will not be around very long.
Winston Churchill is turning over in his grave.
I still believe that the order to change into civilian clothes before taking public transportation was for the soldiers security rather than ill will of their troops. Birmingham has a high muslim population and past plots to kidnap soldiers and kill them may still exist.
True, the matter could have been handled better, but we should not bash the Brits too much as they have been our best ally in the war on terror.
what was the reasoning behind it? ’security reasons’ is not an answer.
Wouldn’t want to offend all those terrorists and terrorist sympathizers (Muslim and Anti-War loons) who are wandering through the airport now would they?
Just trying to clarify – was it the military ordering them to change, or the civilian authorities. If the latter, they have absolutely no jurisdiction or right to do that, and I hope they soldiers take legal action. I would’ve flat out refused and marched through the airport in uniform – let’s see them do something about it. Unless I was ordered to change by a superior officer.
If American social democrats could have their way, the same thing would happen here! This would be teh Democratic leadership’s fantasy world.
Remember the United Kingdom is a sovereign country with its own laws and regulations. As an American I would hesitate to assert what the standing orders are from either the military or civilian jurisdictions and I would not assume that the legal remedies are the same as they would appear to be in my country. They may be similar to those in the US or they may not be.
Would that be the make soldiers get dressed on airport tarmacs fantasy, or the airlines having security procedures fantasy? I long for the old days when you just whined about NAMBLA and France.
There is no story here. The military command screwed up, stated they would fix it, now we can go back to worrying about creeping sharia.
Thanks for clarification.
Personally I’d be hunting for heads, but that’s just me.
Are we sure that they weren’t forced to change because of the military’s rules? I know the Navy and Marines might fly troops home in uniforms which aren’t allowed to be worn in public. For example, you’ll never see a Marine flying commercially in a camouflaged uniform. I also know that the Brits are even more strict about dress uniform rules in public.
Something very similar happened to my unit once, but the senior officer decided to allow everyone to break the rules since we were returning home from a difficult 6 month deployment. He wasn’t exactly taking a “career” level risk, but someone more anal retentive might have ordered everyone to change.
Iseem to recall that the British treated their Navy even worse. Blimey Mate. Here comes Captain Bligh. They have a bad history concerning their military. Seems like we are starting to treat ours the same way. So Sad
“whined about NAMBLA and France.”
Oh, now I get it…
Since Rick invokes Churchill, I’m reminded of his putdown of hidebound admirals when he became First Lord of the Admiralty before World War I. When they invoked navy tradition in response to Churchill’s modernizing measures, he replied that the navy’s oldest traditions are “rum, sodomy and the lash.”
This is appalling. PC has gone insane in Great Britain and people are all in a tizzy about offending Muslims.
I can’t believe it has come to the point that a nation with the proud past of England doesn’t support its military anymore. It’s a disgrace. I agree…Churchill is turning over in his grave. But then, looking back, after WWII was over and Churchill had gotten his country through that horror, they threw him out. They have a past history of not appreciating the brave and honorable.
I envision poor Englanders swimming the channel from Portpatrick to Whitehead, NI, to escape sharia law…Taliban will have a ball (pun!) with the Premier League soocer stadiums…tsk tsk
Looks like Oakland and Britain have some thing in common!
the brits have lost it!!! sorry to see what used to be nice people go downhill.
A previous poster mentions these troops landed in a part of Britain which has a lot of Muslims.
If the risk of suicide bombers or suicide shooters is so great that the troops have to change to civvies something is seriously wrong!
KCK #26 You have the right plan. Talk-talk-talking without ACTION does nothing.
Call-write-organize!
I personally don’t believe changing clothes lessens the security risk to the soldiers. Their demeanor and appearance usually give them away anyway.
I sat next to a soldier on a flight who was not in uniform and I knew right away who he was. Clean-cut, good-looking, short-hair, nice muscles, and polite with great manners. Not your usually college student.
I don’t know about this individual case but it has been the standard practice of the British Army for many years now that Soldiers are not to wear their uniform while off duty.
This was due to the threat from the IRA who were actively seeking to kill British servicemen. I saw this danger first hand When i was stationed in Germany there was an attack on soldiers about 400m from the camp, by the IRA. Although not wearing uniform doesn’t take the risk away it lessens it considerably.
While agreeing that our country doesn’t give our troops the recognition they deserve i think a lot of the comments on this thread are not based on knowledge of the situation in the UK.
The IRA were mostly funded by misguided Americans who have some old romantic notion of the “old country” where the big bad British army is oppressing poor Irish farmers who just want to live in peace!!
While the method in this incident may not be to everyones liking, it is ultimately a security issue for the soldiers safety.