02.19.10
Posted in army at 4:48 pm by Les
Hi
Let’s HOPE this is NOT typical — Arhh, ‘Without his rifle’ ?
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The hero who became the 261st Brit soldier killed in Afghanistan complained about being sent on patrol with no rifle, The Sun shockingly reveals.
Sapper Guy Mellors, 20 – blown up as he searched for Taliban roadside bombs – told pals back in the UK just days earlier he wanted to quit the Army because of kit shortages.
Grief-stricken best mate Gio Dainty, 20, said: “He told me he never had enough equipment like other units who had better kit and were better protected.
“On one occasion they even sent him out without a rifle. He told me he was always looking for bombs with his hands.
“He said he never felt valued and people above him didn’t care. By the end of it he just wanted to come home.”
Guy, who was in 36 Engineer Regiment, was serving with the Counter-Improvised Explosives Device Taskforce when he died.
His commanding officer Lt Col Gareth Bex hailed him as “fearless”.
Devastated mum Linda said: “He will always be our hero.” Guy, of Coventry, and Gio were planning to get digs together when he left the Army to train as a fitness instructor.
Gio, a semi-pro footballer, said: “The last time I heard from him was on Facebook the day he died.
“He wanted to serve his country but once he got out there reality hit home.
“When one of his best mates died a couple of weeks ago I think that made up his mind.
“Once he stood on a landmine but it didn’t go off. He couldn’t move. As you can imagine he was absolutely cr***ing it. When he was doing the job he just got his head down and did it. But after that he said, ‘I’m getting out of here’.” The rifle scandal comes after The Sun told this month how soldiers were being sent to the frontline with outdated body armour.
They had already been left short of sand-coloured camouflage shirts – forcing them to wear green. A scathing report by MPs only months ago slammed the supply chain of military kit as “creaking”.
Last night the MoD insisted: “Service personnel cannot deploy to theatre without a personal weapon and would never be sent on patrol without it.”
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01.19.10
Posted in army at 11:30 pm by Les
RAF experts eavesdropped on radio traffic in Afghanistan — and heard Taliban fighters speaking in Brummie and Yorkshire accents.
The voices were detected during top secret spy-in-the-sky surveillance missions over lawless Helmand province.
The revelation proves that growing numbers of British-born Muslims are moving to Afghanistan to fight along side the Taliban.
The conversations were overheard and recorded recently by RAF radio operator linguists on board Nimrod planes in the region, it was revealed yesterday.
The Taliban spoke mainly in Afghan Persian or Pashto — but occasionally lapsed into their home language.
Senior RAF sources said that at those points they spoke in “plain English” with distinctive “Bradford and West Bromwich accents”.
A source said: “The mission specialists could easily jam the Taliban transmissions — but the RAF believes listening in to their plans is much more productive.
“It was quite startling to hear English being spoken with clear Bradford and West Brom accents.
“They reverted to English when they couldn’t remember the Afghan Persian or Pashto — the two local languages — for certain words.”
Three specially-converted Nimrods normally based at RAF Waddington, Lincs, with 51 Squadron, are being used as radio snoopers.
The unit is manned by hand-picked specialists who speak numerous languages and fly in the planes at more than 40,000ft.
They are also trained to operate the highly sensitive electronic surveillance kit, known as “The Package”.
The Nimrods can not only detect and record radio messages, but often listen in to other conversations too.
General Sir Antony Walker, former deputy chief of the defence staff, said: “We seem to have confirmation that fanatical jihadists from Britain are working on the frontline of the war in Afghanistan.
“Eavesdropping seldom has a good image.
“But let’s hope the perseverance and dedication of our listeners-in-the-sky continues to save the lives of our men and women.”
The Ministry of Defence said in a statement: “The Nimrod R1 operated by No 51 Squadron has a highly sophisticated and sensitive suite of systems used for reconnaissance and gathering electronic intelligence.
“However, due to operational security, we are unable to discuss its operations.”
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01.09.10
Posted in army at 1:59 pm by Les
British military medics have saved the lives of two young Afghan girls from Helmand province who were seriously injured by a Taliban improvised explosive device (IED).
While playing near their home in Musa Qaleh, in the north of Helmand province, Kamila, aged three, and Wasila, aged six, were seriously injured by an IED which had earlier been laid by insurgents.
Kamila took the brunt of the explosion and suffered severe head injuries; while Wasila had shrapnel wounds to her stomach, causing liver damage.
Kamila’s father took the children to Musa Qaleh district centre, knowing that coalition troops based there would help.
Their injuries were so severe that a British Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) was mobilised, and the girls were flown in a British Chinook helicopter to the military multi-national hospital at Kandahar Airfield.
MERTs are launched for coalition, local national and suspected insurgent casualties with the requests being prioritised according to medical urgency.
Lieutenant Andrew Jelinek, from the Household Cavalry Battle Group, operates in Musa Qaleh, the area where the girls were injured. He said:
“IEDs laid by insurgents take a terrible toll on innocent civilians. They have had a deadly effect on British and coalition forces but it is the ordinary Afghan people that are hit the hardest.
“Unfortunately, children are the frequent victims of Taliban IEDs and, sadly, the story of Kamila and Wasila is far from unique.
“Back home we think we worry about our kids’ safety when they go out to play but here it’s on a different scale.
“The dangers the local kids face here when they are out playing are life and death.
“The Taliban just don’t give a stuff about them. They plant these bombs knowing kids might set them off but they just don’t care. If they did they wouldn’t do it.”
Doctor Sam Kao, the Canadian attending physician at Kandahar who has seen several tours in Afghanistan, added:
“Before Kamila arrived, we had a young boy with similar injuries who died, so we were all very nervous about her chances of recovery.
“After initial treatment, the signs were not good, as she could not move her left side and was unable to express emotion.
“Although there were to be further complications, Kamila is now interacting with the people around her and even smiling. We consider Kamila our miracle child. She was such a morale-booster, because we see so many kids that do not make it.”
During their recovery at Kandahar the girls went out to the flight line and waved at the helicopters taxiing past, getting very excited when the crews waved back.
With the onset of winter, the girls were presented with new coats and shoes and, for a while, they refused to take them off, wearing them everywhere.
The British neurosurgeon who cared for Kamila commented:
“The majority of people I have treated on each deployment are children under 15 years, and the most common injuries have been as a result of IEDs.
“It is great when it works out, as in this case. It makes it all worthwhile. It takes the whole team to make it work: fantastic ICU [Intensive Care Unit] support, nursing staff and physiotherapists, especially as the hospital is not scaled for humanitarian medical aid.”
Kamila’s father stayed close throughout the girls’ treatment. Through an interpreter he reported that he was very happy with the care that they had received. However, he did have some concerns about what might happen upon their return. He said it would be dangerous, as the Taliban may ask him where they have been.
Kamila and her family will continue to receive medical support from the Forward Operating Base closest to their home.
The girls enjoyed a flight back to Musa Qaleh district centre on board a British Chinook that was returning on routine tasking.
As the helicopter flew away from the hospital, the medical staff were clearly moved by the loss of their young charges, but grateful that the girls’ recovery allowed them to go home.
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12.18.09
Posted in army at 12:44 pm by Les
A teenage British soldier sent a poignant Christmas message home before he was killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan, it has emerged.
Rifleman James Brown, 18, was hailed as a hero alongside Lance Corporal David Kirkness, 24, after the pair died preventing mass carnage in a crowded marketplace.
In a batch of festive messages sent back to families from troops on the frontline, Rfn Brown, from Orpington, Kent, said: “Merry Christmas to my family, dad, Steph, Sam and Ellie, also to my dog Smuttsy.
“Have a good one. Also Merry Christmas to my friends who I am with right now. Merry Christmas.”
The pair, both of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, were blown up while manning a vehicle checkpoint just outside Sangin in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, on Tuesday.
Rfn Brown only joined the Army this year, and had arrived with B Company of 3 Rifles less than a fortnight ago.
Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson, commanding officer of 3 Rifles Battle Group, said: “He had been with the battalion for a desperately short time but was showing the promising signs of a soldier with a bright future.”
Rfn Brown’s family said in a statement: “You were a true hero and will be dearly missed. We all love you so much.
“You died a hero, living your dream, and you will always be in our thoughts. Your actions will always speak louder than words ever could.”
Two suicide bombers on a motorbike drove into the checkpoint and detonated their devices, killing the UK servicemen and two Afghan soldiers working with them. The Ministry of Defence said it was thought the bombers were trying to get into Sangin’s bazaar to launch an attack.
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12.11.09
Posted in army at 9:45 pm by Les
Homeless ex-servicemen and women in central London are to receive a helping hand this Christmas thanks to generous staff at MOD HQ.
Civilians and Service personnel brought in food, drink and other gifts to create hampers after a Corporal and Senior Aircraftwoman (SAC) in the Chief of the Air Staff’s office realised how close Main Building was to the Veterans Aid drop-in centre in Victoria.
SAC Donna Adamson and Cpl Andrena McElhinney sent a general e-mail around the building in November and were overwhelmed by the response.
SAC Adamson said “I expected we’d get enough contributions for a few boxes that we’d store under our desks, but so much came in that we had to look for a store room. In the end we had enough for 57 bags.
“The gifts are all high quality and each box, which contains about £20 worth of biscuits, drinks, chocolates, tinned food and non-perishables, will I’m sure brighten up the Christmases of many Service veterans who are residents at the drop-in centre.
“They have served their country in the past. It’s not for us to judge the circumstances they have found themselves in; we just wanted to give something back to former colleagues. I’d like to thank all those who contributed.”
Veterans Aid is a charity that offers homeless, or about to become homeless, veterans accommodation, food, cash and advice. In addition to the drop-in centre in Buckingham Palace Road in Victoria, the charity has a hostel in the East End.
Veterans Aid came into being in October 2007, but the history of helping homeless ex-Service personnel in the capital dates back to the 1930s when a canteen and recreation room for destitute ex-servicemen was opened at Belvedere Road, Lambeth, South London.
Additional accommodation was obtained, a hostel opened and a night shelter established in co-operation with other societies and, in 1933, the title ‘Embankment Fellowship Centre’ was adopted.
In March 1969 the name was changed to ‘Ex-Service Fellowship Centre’, the cypher ‘EFC’ being retained. During the year 2005/06 the charity provided nearly 20,000 nights of shelter.
Assistant Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshal Timo Anderson, said “It was a great idea of Donna’s and she and Andrena organised the collection of the presents. I congratulate them.
“Their efforts will undoubtedly make a difference and their efforts are ensuring it becomes a regular MOD Main Building Christmas event.”
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12.09.09
Posted in army at 10:31 am by Les
A MAN who marched at a Remembrance Day parade with an impossible array of medals was named last night as carpenter Roger Day, 61.
Neighbours said the keen amateur actor was once thrown out of his local pub in a row over an SAS badge he was wearing.
Mr Day denied he was a conman and said the 17 medals – including top bravery awards – were ‘pukka’.
But medals expert Martin Harrison said: ‘He would be world-famous and some sort of Rambo character – if he had been awarded them all.’ A drive to identify the mystery medal man was launched after he was pictured marching alongside brave servicemen at the November 11 parade in Bedworth, Warwickshire. Mr Day was tracked down to his home in Earl Shilton, near Hinckley, Leicestershire, where it emerged that he is a regular churchgoer who sings in the choir.
He and his wife Maxine, who neighbours said was ‘considerably younger’, wrote and sang a duet welcoming troops back from Afghanistan at a ceremony last month.
Calls For National Cemetery To Honour The Fallen
Mr Day, who wore a beige SAS beret at the parade, insisted his medals were genuine, but said the Official Secrets Act stopped him giving details. He said: ’They’re all proper, pukka campaign medals. Medals I won in conflicts while I was serving with the British forces. All I can say is South Atlantic the Gulf, Kuwait and one or two other stations.’ The medals included the Distinguished Service Order and Military Cross – the highest bravery awards after the Victoria Cross – campaign awards from Korea and the Falklands, medals for both officers and other ranks and foreign decorations.
Mr Harrison, a squadron leader with the RAF Volunteer Reserve and liaison officer at the Bedworth Armistice Day Parade committee, said: ‘It is a ridiculous, ludicrous combination of medals which is unheard of.’ Mr Day also denied being confronted at the parade and admitting he was a fake. He said: ‘I saw it out to its bitter end and then went drinking with some ex-SAS buddies.’ But it emerged last night that he was once thrown out of his local pub after being accused of pretending to be an SAS hero.
One regular at The Plough said: ‘One of the lads who was a soldier pulled him up on it because no one from the regiment would ever wear an official pin badge in a non-military capacity.
’He started getting very jittery and aggressive and started threatening to prove his SAS skills. At this point I grabbed him and asked him to leave.
’He was very scared and looked like he was about to cry, saying, “Sorry, sorry, I won’t do it again” and whimpering. He left with his tail between his legs.’ Graham Gittings, vicar at the local church, where Mr Day was married three years ago, said: ‘I do not think he is pretending. There are pictures of him in the armed forces in his home and he has given talks to church groups about war and peace.’ Hinckley Ex-Servicemen’s Club has launched an investigation. Secretary Paul Savage said: ‘If he has been wearing medals he is not entitled to he will be facing a £1,000 fine and he will be thrown out of the club.
’Most members consider it disgusting for someone to wear medals that do not belong to them. It makes a mockery of everything.’ More News Briefs:
Marines Launch Their First Post-Surge Operation
‘I Saw Them Fight, I Saw Them Fall’ – Dispatches From Helmand
Prince Of Wales To Honour Returning Soldiers, Mercian Regiment From Afghanistan
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10.30.09
Posted in army at 11:19 am by Les
Les: ex KOYLI – 2 LI
These brave young men were fighting for the war that we should NEVER have been involved in, Those poor brave souls who died will never be forgotten
The Last Post :
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Lieutenant Colonel Rob Thomson led his battle group in Afghanistan, and he led those who survived back to London yesterday, ending one of the bloodiest tours of duty in recent British military history.
Twenty-three soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles battle group died under his command and another 80 were wounded. Eleven suffered life-changing injuries, such as amputations or the loss of eyesight.
The survivors followed Thomson as he headed a parade through the streets of Croydon today. And those that were killed, Thomson felt, were behind him still, in spirit at least.
Thomson said the group’s six months in the region had exacted “a heavy cost” as his troops had struggled to secure Sangin and the surrounding area. But he added: “I see every one of those killed standing behind me and telling me to keep going and hold the baton high.”
In the face of growing public concern at the rising British death toll in Afghanistan, he praised the “extraordinary heroism” of his troops and said their sacrifice had not been in vain.
The battalion bore the brunt of an escalating campaign by the Taliban this summer using improvised explosive devices. Five men were killed in a single “daisy chain” bomb attack on 10 July.
Lieutenant Alex Horsfal, 26, commander of the platoon that was hit that day, lost a leg and damaged his hand and was today reunited with friends he had not seen since then. They surrounded his wheelchair as they prepared to march from the Territorial Army centre.
Along with Rifleman Jack Otter, 21, who lost an arm and both legs, Horsfal was one of several amputees to join the parade.
Friends and family of Rifleman Daniel Simpson, a 20-year old father who was killed when the Taliban detonated secondary bombs aimed at stretcher bearers carrying casualties from an initial blast, also attended.
With its combination of marching music and pauses for silence, the parade was equal parts remembrance service and heroes’ welcome.
Hundreds lined the North End shopping street in Croydon, waving union flags and cheering as 100 representatives of the battle group marched in quick time through the streets to a military brass band.
“I support them totally, but I think they should withdraw because I don’t see what good they are doing out there,” said Sue Clarke, 55, a chef who took a break to welcome them home.
Dressed in their desert fatigues and green berets, the troops came to a halt in front of the HMV record shop and stood to remember their fallen comrades. Regardless of their youth – and some were as young as 19 – their often drawn and pale faces told of the stress and trauma of the daily battles with the Taliban in 40C temperatures. The band struck up again and to proud cheers from the crowds the soldiers marched towards a reception at Fairfields Hall where their relieved families and a table groaning under pints of beer awaited them.
Thomson said the dead who were not able to march alongside them had left “a hole in our hearts”, but he said the battle group left Sangin a better place than they found it.
“For me, progress in Sangin has not been dramatic, but we have moved forward, indelibly so,” he said. “Security in the heart of the town has improved, Afghan governance has improved, the bazaar has got bigger, the Afghan army has opened a new patrol base which has reduced the enemy’s freedom to operate and the enemy has come off second best on countless occasions.”
He said his troops had removed six Taliban roadside bombing teams since 23 July.
“The commitment, courage and sheer grit of every man in the battle group has been humbling,” he said. “In extraordinary times, extraordinary men and women have, day in, day out, done extraordinary things for the good of our nation and for the benefit of the impoverished people of Afghanistan. Some as young as 18 have taken the fight to the enemy in some of the most arduous and demanding situations faced by British soldiers for a generation.”
Horsfal told how he had spent more than three months in Selly Oak military hospital in Birmingham and at Headley Court military rehabilitation centre in Surrey before rejoining his troops today.
“What we have managed to achieve is fantastic, although casualties have been fairly high and it’s been a tough tour,” he said.
He described how he sustained his injuries on the battlegroup’s bloodiest day on a mission which involved meeting the Afghan army “to show the locals we were working well together and the Afghan security forces were able to look after their own country”.
“I’ve got to say that the general public have been awesome,” he said. “The change has been in the last few years. The understanding and the sympathy felt towards the army, and especially those who have been wounded, is phenomenal.”
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10.24.09
Posted in army at 1:27 pm by Les
The mother of a teenage soldier killed in Iraq broke down yesterday as she told an inquiry she wanted Tony Blair to be held to account for the “illegal war”.
Anne Donnachie, whose son Rifleman Paul Donnachie was killed in Basra in April 2007, was among a number of families addressing the Iraq inquiry committee at a regional meeting in Bristol.
Earlier this month in a similar meeting in London, Sir John Chilcot, the committee chairman who had invited the bereaved families to tell him the issues they believe he should focus on, was left in no doubt what they wanted investigated – legality, equipment and the role of Blair.
Yesterday it was the turn of Donnachie to add her voice to the growing clamour for accountability, as committee members Sir Roderick Lyne, Sir Lawrence Freedman and Sir Martin Gilbert looked on.
Accompanied by her husband James, she wept as she made her plea. Echoing the sentiments expressed earlier in the hearing by the family of Territorial Army soldier Corporal Dewi Pritchard, who was killed in Basra in 2003, she said: “I lost my son and he was only 18, and I blame Tony Blair.”
Donnachie, from Reading, Berkshire, who served with 2nd Battalion The Rifles, was killed by small arms fire during a routine patrol in the Ashar district of Basra City on 29 April, two years ago, during one of the worst periods of fighting in the area since the start of the conflict.
Pritchard, 35, from Rhondda, south Wales, was one of three military police officers who died when their civilian 4×4 vehicle was ambushed by gunmen.
His uncle, Brynley Pritchard, spoke on behalf of his family, including the soldier’s father Tony, who also attended.
He told the committee: “We believe the war on Iraq was wrong and unlawful. The UK and US could not justify getting it past the UN because of vetoes by other member countries.
“So we believe a conspiracy was formed by Tony Blair and President Bush to invade Iraq under the pretence that Saddam Hussein had an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and was preparing to use them against other countries of the world.
“We believe the true reason for the war was to protect the oil-producing countries of the Middle East, and was therefore motivated by greed. The protection of the oil fields could have been done by the UN and this could have saved 179 British personnel, numerous United States personnel and countless Iraqi civilians.
“Mr Blair should be taken to task by the UK judicial system for lying in parliament.”
Relatives of Private Phillip Hewett, 21, of 1st Battalion the Staffordshire Regiment, Royal Marine Paul Collins, 21, with 847 Naval Air Squadron, and Prince William’s friend 2nd Lieutenant Joanna Dyer, 24, attached to 2nd Battalion the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, all attended.
The inquiry’s meetings with 50 of the bereaved families will end in Belfast next Wednesday. In addition to Bristol and London, it met in Edinburgh and Manchester. The investigation will also seek the views of current and former serving personnel.
Following his initial meeting with the bereaved, Sir John promised them that their views would “help inform the structure of the inquiry and the lines of questioning to witnesses.”
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10.10.09
Posted in army at 7:22 am by Les
An al-Qaeda fanatic brandishes a giant razor-sharp blade in a pose intended to scare British and US troops in Afghanistan.
The knife is too cumbersome to use in battle – but could behead or dismember any hostage his terror group grabs.
The insurgent, also seen sitting with an AK47 rifle, belongs to one of Osama Bin Laden’s “foreign legions” fighting in Afghanistan.
He appears in a new terror video posted online and vows to use the huge blade to achieve a victory for Islam.
The bearded thug was identified as “Abu Askar the German”.
Last night a military source warned: “If anyone needed reminding, this is the face of the enemy.”
Terrorism expert and author Chris Dobson said: “The bloodthirsty threat of Abu Askar the German and his giant cleaver is plain – anyone who opposes us will lose their heads. Fanatical Islamic Jihadists have a record of beheading captives and boasting about it to cause fear among their enemies.
“Abu Askar and his knife are undoubtedly part of the ‘war of the mind’ the Jihadists are waging against the West.
“But they also reflect a growing confidence, especially among home-grown terrorists, that the West is becoming vulnerable.”
A message with the video says Askar belongs to a terror group closely allied to al-Qaeda. It is known to hide out in the lawless Pakistan border region and cross into Afghanistan to launch attacks against British and US forces.
Askar boasted that the terrorists have attracted recruits from all over Europe as well as from Russia and China.
Britain’s Army commander, General Sir David Richards, has sounded the alarm over any possibility of losing the war in Afghanistan to men like Askar.
He said: “Failure would have a catalytic effect on militant Islam because the message would be that al-Qaeda has defeated the most powerful alliance in the world.”
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09.30.09
Posted in army at 8:02 am by Les
Bungling Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth yesterday proved he is NOT up to the job of looking after Our Boys risking their lives on the bloody frontline in Afghanistan.
The minister – dubbed Ainsworthless by angry squaddies – was exposed as a lightweight during a stumbling performance at The Sun’s emergency debate on the war at the Labour Party Conference.
He crumbled after a pounding from families of troops killed and injured as well as from former soldiers.
Mr Ainsworth dodged difficult questions on kit shortages and troop numbers – and was rocked by the fury over compensation for the wounded.
Challenged if he was good enough to be in charge of our Armed Forces, he replied: “That is my job and I will do it to the best of my ability. Other people have to judge whether I’m good enough.”
The Sun staged the emergency debate at a fringe meeting at the conference in Brighton as part of our “Don’t You Know There’s A Bloody War On?” campaign.
Mr Ainsworth was on a panel with forces’ families, former soldiers and opposition politicians.
The treatment of WOUNDED SOLDIERS was brought up by Diane Dernie. Her son Ben Parkinson, 25, is one of the most severely-injured servicemen. The Para lost both legs and the use of one arm when his Land Rover was blown up by a landmine. Ben also has brain damage.
Ms Dernie told the Defence Secretary she had been forced to leave her job. She said: “Why are families punished because we have sons who survived?” And she said despite government promises, wounded soldiers are still not getting fast-track NHS treatment.
SAS hero Stuart Trow, who lost his left leg below the knee in a gun-battle with the Taliban, also slammed the treatment of the injured. The 33-year-old told how he is still in constant pain eight years later.
But he said he had not received compensation because he was injured before a compensation scheme launched in 2005.
Only soldiers injured after that time get a pay out – the others just receive a military pension. Stuart asked: “How is that fair?” adding: “I think it’s an absolute travesty about compensation.”
Royal British Legion director general Chris Simpkins also told how there were serious problems with the new compensation system.
Mr Simpkins said: “It’s up to the wounded to prove the difficulties caused by their injuries. Under this system 81 per cent of claims are being rejected. Under the former scheme it was 12 per cent.”
The Government’s stance on compensation was also savaged by Labour MP Eric Joyce, who quit as the Defence Secretary’s ministerial aide in protest at the treatment of Our Boys.
He urged ministers to drop a legal battle to cut compensation paid to two soldiers. He said: “I find it hard to believe that the MoD will try to reduce this.”
The Defence Secretary was also blasted over KIT SHORTAGES.
Mum Christine Bonner, whose signaller son Darren, 31, was killed by a Taliban landmine two years ago, said: “I know of families who are having to send boots because they do not get the equipment.
“That is scary, to think families are having to provide necessary equipment. It saddens me it might have affected my son.”
The Defence Secretary insisted there had been “huge improvements” in the supply of kit.
But Ms Dernie interrupted and said angrily: “There must be an awful lot of soldiers who are conning their parents into buying them gear that they don’t need.”
Mr Ainsworth claimed the squaddies he met always said they had all the kit they needed. But SAS hero Trow told him the soldiers were simply telling ministers “what they wanted to hear”.
Former Army chief General Sir Mike Jackson also hit out at the civil servants in charge of supplying kit.
He said: “Any officer always has in his mind the well-being of the soldiers. I do not get that impression from the senior civil servants.” Mr Ainsworth was also grilled on TROOP NUMBERS amid calls for more soldiers to be sent to Helmand.
General Sir Mike said: “If this is a decisive year we should act decisively,” He said he was relieved the MoD had finally declared Afghanistan was its “main effort.”
But Sun Defence Editor Tom Newton Dunn pointed out: “If the MoD say Afghanistan is now top priority, why has it taken them three years to know there is a war on?”
Shadow security minister Dame Pauline Neville Jones accused Gordon Brown of starving the military of cash. She said: “It is no secret the Government has not done anything seriously about funding and we are now living with the consequences.”
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