‘Side Exit’ For Brize Norton Corteges

Oxfordshire County Council hang your head in shame

Royal Wootton Bassett

A funeral cortege of our war dead in Wootton Bassett

A small market town in Wiltshire has earned a special place in the hearts of many in Britain, Wootton Bassett as a community turns out whatever the weather to line the roads as the hearses carrying the coffins our war dead are driven to Oxford, not only in Wootton Bassett but all along the road small parties of ex-servicemen and women and people who just want to show solidarity and support with the families who have lost so much, line the route.

Now Wotton Bassett is to become Royal Wotton Bassett:

Should Women Fight Alongside Men In Combat?

A company of WW2 USSR women snipers on the march

The thorny question for western democracies about women serving in combat has arisen again, this time in the USA.

During both World Wars last century women were increasingly called uponto fill the jobs left by men serving in the forces, and women died in the wars performing these roles.

They died from the effects of making ammunition, the Woolwhich arsenal explosion, women died in the last war serving on RAF stations, anti-aircraft batteries and as nurses, in the biggest US Cemetery behind Omaha beach lie 3 women who died on D day.

During World War 2 only the USSR used women in a direct combat role in large numbers, serving in mixed regiments or as the picture shows in all female units.

Help Make 1000 Miles Apart The Christmas No 1

He is the British Army’s very own Captain Corelli and industry experts are now tipping Captain Xander Rawlins ‘the Musical Captain’ to upset the odds in the race to the Xmas No.1 single.

The 25 year old Grenadier Guard will release his heart wrenching debut single 1000 Miles Apart on 13 December and it has already been marked out as a genuine top spot contender:

As Gennaro Castaldo, Head of Communications at HMV said:

“If anyone can challenge the might of Simon Cowell and the X Factor, then it may well be an artist from this background…we can see the beautiful 1000 Miles Apart as a potential dark horse for the Christmas No.1.”

Shoulder To Shoulder A New Initiative For Combat Stress

Every year, a third of ex-service men and women experience mental illness related to their time in the military.

Combat stress is a side effect of living daily with the threat of death, seeing your friends die violently and killing the enemy. Unlike a bullet or shrapnel wound Combat Stress leaves no visible marks on the person just an internal mental battle of survivors guilt, guilt at your actions, the faces of those you have killed haunt your dreams and the deaths of your friends replayed in slow motion, eventually you fear sleep becuase of the dreams.

One of the more brutal and ironic facts about war is that wars continues killing people long after the last shot was fired and everyone has gone home.

More people who saw combat in the Falklands war have committed suicide since the war ended, than were killed action.

More Money For Mental Heath Problems For UK Forces

Liam Fox time to stop the national scandal of post conflict suicides

More people who served in the Falklands War have committed suicide since the war ended, than were killed in combat operations, just think about that for a moment.

A large number of the homeless on the streets of Britain today are ex-service people, people who have fought for us will tonight bed down in a cardboard box in a shop doorway.

The cause of all this suffering and misery can be directly traced to the effects of combat and viewing sudden violent death, on a daily basis and what happens to the individual after the war is over.

There is very little Aardvark can find to applaud about this Coalition Government, however the news that Liam Fox is taking immediate steps to stop what he calls “the national scandal of post conflict suicides” is very good news

UKHomes4Heroes

The scandal of homeless ex-service people is something that upsets Aardvark a lot, as regular readers of this blog will know, so it makes the blue anteater marginally happier, that yet another organsiation has sprung up to try and help with the problem UKHomes4heroes.com.

UK Homes 4 Heroes is a non-profit charity set up on the 23rd April 2010 to aid our ex service men & women, who have served this country and after leaving, find themselfs in a situation of being homeless for what ever reason, long council housing list’s and low banding
means that they could be classed homeless for a long period,

Gordon Brown’s Shameful Failure To Properly Fund UK Armed Forces

How does Brown have the nerve to go Afghanistan?

The issue of Gordon Brown and funding for the UK Armed forces is back in the spotlight again today, with Brown denying at PMQ’s that he had denied funds to the forces with the unconvincing “Military spending rose every year” and will “increase in the next financial year”.

More lies, spin and deceit, unless the Military spending rose to meet the immediate need, which we know it did not, then Brown is once again being disengenous and it could be reasonbly argued has blood on his hands.

On January 10th Aardvark blogged: “Gordon Brown Repeatedly Blocked Purchase Of Life Saving Equipment For Our Troops“:

The leaked letters show Brown personally overturned earlier Treasury assurances that the Ministry of Defence would be free to spend extra cash on troop-carrying helicopters for Iraq and Afghanistan.

In one letter sent in 2004, Hoon warned that, if Brown refused to back down, “We would have to scale back on major equipment programmes.” He went on to claim that the helicopter programme in particular would suffer.

In addition to Hoon at Chilcot, there were also leaked letters from the MOD

Gordon Brown Repeatedly Blocked Purchase Of Life Saving Equipment For Our Troops

Gordon Brown repeatedly blocked life saving equipment for our Forces

Aardvark’s faith in the natural balance and the order of things was restored in part, by the leaking of the Climategate files. The timing was superb and finally someone with morals and principals who could no longer stomach the lies and hidden agenda of Michael Mann, Phil Jones and the IPCC acted. The Church of Climatology and the ManBearPig believers will say that the CRU server was hacked, the specific content of what was leaked calls the hacking theory into question, unless the hacker was able to spend hours in the CRU network this is unlikely.

The latest leak to do damage to a prolonged and orchestrated lie concerns Gordon Brown; Brown’s whole political reputation has been built on and by lies, deceit, smears and bullying.

All through 2009 arguments raged as stories of equipment shortages especially helicopters, made the headlines. Brown, the Cabinet and Labour supporters all denied the shortage of equipment, launched into a campaign of smears and lies against General Officers and in one instance a family member. The smears and lies got so bad that Bob Ainsworth issued an order to his ministers to stop smearing General Officers.

Just like Climategate and MP’s expenses another person has had enough of the lies and leaked letters where Gordon Brown, as Chancellor repeatedly prevented then defence minister Geoff Hoon from ordering equipment that would have saved lives on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The leaked letters show Brown personally overturned earlier Treasury assurances that the Ministry of Defence would be free to spend extra cash on troop-carrying helicopters for Iraq and Afghanistan.

In one letter sent in 2004, Hoon warned that, if Brown refused to back down, “We would have to scale back on major equipment programmes.” He went on to claim that the helicopter programme in particular would suffer.

The leaked letters show how Brown’s actions during the crucial period of 2002 to 2004 meant that military chiefs were unable to buy new helicopters which could now be in service in Afghanistan.

The lack of air support has forced British troops to take dangerous journeys by road, exposing them to deadly Taliban bombs.

Military chiefs have long complained that the Treasury under Brown starved them of resources. Only now, however, can Brown’s personal involvement in the battles with the MoD be disclosed.

Once again Gordon Brown and Labour have lied and sold our Armed Forces short, there is a General Election coming up and if you care for the lives of our service people then voting Labour is not really an option.

Honour Our Forces End The Tragedy Of Homeless Ex-Service People @HONOUROURFORCES http://www.honour-our-forces.co.uk/

It can be a very short step from one life to another

At this moment in time there are at least 70,000 ex-service men and women homeless in this country, it’s bad enough that they are homeless anyway, but in this freezing cold they are more vulnerable than ever. 70,000 is a number that is difficult to comprehend as a mass of people, let me quantify it, roughly the entire population of a small city like Bath sleep rough every night and everyone of these people have served their country.

A while ago I wrote a blog article about homeless ex-service people for another charity, I still can’t find better words to try and make the point so I am reusing it in part:

This country has failed it’s service and women consistently, and without exception, in the aftermath of every war since we became a so-called modern nation.

A war comes along, we call on our people to fight, and when it’s over we turn our backs on them.

The blame can be attached to every government, be they Conservative, Labour or Liberal, they have all failed monumentally.

More people who saw combat in the Falklands War have committed suicide since the war ended, than were killed in the fighting.

Think about it for a moment, it’s not only a scandal, it’s far worse than that as hundred’s of human tragedies are acted out alone and in the pit of despair.

“You think after serving your time in the Army society will accept you,” he says, “but they don’t and no one helps.”