Thursday, May 18, 2006
Royal Green Jackets to be axed in defence cuts!
Read this
Another good regiment bites the dust!At a time when the current situation in Iraq seems to be getting worse,not to meantion our increased deployments to Afganistan and our ongoing commitments in Bosnia,Kosova,Belize,Sierra Leonne the Falkland Islands and Possibly next Iran,it makes you wonder that instead of decreasing our already hard streached and under funded army we should be expanding it with more regiments and funding not less. How can the government justify axing regiment after regiment when we quite clearly don't have enough troops as it is?
When is enough going to be enough?Already the Royal Navy have no Carrier aircraft,thanks to the axing of Sea Harrier,due to defence cutbacks,if,God help us,the Falkland Islands were invaded again(it was only 24 years ago,remember,since the last one!)we would be unable to send a task force without asking the US for air support.Ask the Americans?Lord Nelson will be turning in his grave!
With the proposed disbandment of The Royal Green Jackets,the axe will fall in 2007 when it is merged with three other regiments,200 years of Honourable service to the crown will end.Its unique individual Regimental identity will cease to exist forever.The government fails to understand the concept or importance of regimental identity.A soldier dosn't join the army he joins a regiment,because of its Regimental identity,who they are and what they have done.It is forged in battle and paid for with the blood,sweat and courage of its soldiers,from the feilds of Waterloo,Flanders and Normandy to modern day Iraq and Afganistan and it is that history of honour,service,duty and comradeship that is handed down to its soldiers and prized above everything else.
What motivates a soldier to put himself in harms way again and again?Patriotism,Duty,honour?Not wanting to let your mates or the Regiment down?All of the above.Take away a soldiers identity and you take away the reason for being a soldier.All the government are doing by axing another regiment is weakoning our defense and putting lives at risk.
Another good regiment bites the dust!At a time when the current situation in Iraq seems to be getting worse,not to meantion our increased deployments to Afganistan and our ongoing commitments in Bosnia,Kosova,Belize,Sierra Leonne the Falkland Islands and Possibly next Iran,it makes you wonder that instead of decreasing our already hard streached and under funded army we should be expanding it with more regiments and funding not less. How can the government justify axing regiment after regiment when we quite clearly don't have enough troops as it is?
When is enough going to be enough?Already the Royal Navy have no Carrier aircraft,thanks to the axing of Sea Harrier,due to defence cutbacks,if,God help us,the Falkland Islands were invaded again(it was only 24 years ago,remember,since the last one!)we would be unable to send a task force without asking the US for air support.Ask the Americans?Lord Nelson will be turning in his grave!
With the proposed disbandment of The Royal Green Jackets,the axe will fall in 2007 when it is merged with three other regiments,200 years of Honourable service to the crown will end.Its unique individual Regimental identity will cease to exist forever.The government fails to understand the concept or importance of regimental identity.A soldier dosn't join the army he joins a regiment,because of its Regimental identity,who they are and what they have done.It is forged in battle and paid for with the blood,sweat and courage of its soldiers,from the feilds of Waterloo,Flanders and Normandy to modern day Iraq and Afganistan and it is that history of honour,service,duty and comradeship that is handed down to its soldiers and prized above everything else.
What motivates a soldier to put himself in harms way again and again?Patriotism,Duty,honour?Not wanting to let your mates or the Regiment down?All of the above.Take away a soldiers identity and you take away the reason for being a soldier.All the government are doing by axing another regiment is weakoning our defense and putting lives at risk.
