Hi There,

I left the British Army a few years ago... I have just read your article and much of what you say is true.. Why did I join the army? Because I could not find a job in Thatchers Britain.

The feeling amongst many ordinary soldiers is that they are being used and abused by the government and dying for no reason whatsoever..

I have 2 children and it would devastate me if any of them wanted to join up..

The turnover rate in the forces is huge, because many now see us used as like you say cannon fodder..

No matter how patriotic someone is to Britain and going fighting for it should read about the 1st World War.. Nothing has changed, just to a lesser extent perhaps..

You say that the 2nd World War was a different thing when we were really threatened and you're right.. I agree.. If Britian was really threatened then I'm sure we would meet the challenge, but ..... I cannot get over Colin Powells briefing to the UN about weapons of mass destruction. A total lie that many soldiers are angry about to this day.. Friends and colleges who died based on this lie is hard to accept.. Many a conversation has taken place in barracks about this lie...

The ordinary soldier needs you to keep the pressure on the goverment to not use them in illegal confilcts.. Many soldiers are good people.. Luckily I never had to pull the trigger to end a life.. If I had I seriously think I would have struggled to live the rest of my life with the guilt.. Many soldiers feel like this..

Keep up the good work...
Stuart

But surely a protest to downing street as a way to highlight the wrongs of it is more sensible?

But then again, this is indymedia. You're all fucking idiots.

Hello

While I completly respect your right to freedom of speech and freedom of protest. I think that what you are planning to do on the 27th in Worthing is wrong.

As a soldier who left the army earlier this year and who has served on the frontline of Afghanistan, I do not believe you are protesting for the right reasons.

You may believe that the war is wrong and that is fine, that is your opinion and I respect it. However this is day designed to show support for the Soldiers and their Familys. By turning up and protesting at this event you are no better than the extremist muslims who protested at the homecoming of the Royal Anlians in Luton last year or these people that beat and kill soldiers within hours of them returning from duty.

Also I think that having people turn up in the guise of war victims is incredibly disrespectful. I am sure there will be soldiers attending who have lost their limbs and to have people turn up in a mockery of their situation is in extreme bad taste.

British Soldiers are not out to occupy foreign countrys. While I reconise the Govornment may have its own agenda, there are actually no British Soldiers in Iraq following the withdrawls last year and British soldiers represent a minority force in Afghanistan where there is no oil but a large terrorist group and a repressed population. Having been out there and seen first hand how people are forced to live under the Taliban regime, I completely believe we are justified to be there. Have you been to Afghanistan? Are you in a position to say: "No these people do no need us, let the taliban rule them as they see fit."

Service in the Armed forces is the only option for many young men and women. No one should be discourage from doing a job where the end result is you are a confident, diciplined, proud member of a team. Without the skills I learned in the Army I would not have been able to support myself as I do now.

I do not think you have actually done your research into how the British armed forces operates in Afghanistan. We do not indiscriminatly go around blowing up anything we please. I can safely say that every target I engaged was a legitimate target. I know this because 9 times out of 10 I was shot at first. The other times these people were in the act of placing IEDs or they were about to commit an act which had we not intervened would have resulted in the death of a british soldeir or an Afghani civilian. We do not going around blowing up weddings and children with cluster bombs. The British armed forces do not use cluster bombs as there is a large potential for collatoral damage. We use high precision warheads in the hands of highly trained operators that can only be used after a series of checks and protocols to ensure it is in fact the correct target we wish to engage. As for depleted Uranium rounds, I cannot imagine where you got this information from. First, Depleted Uranium rounds are used against armoured targets (tanks etc.) to achieve deeper penetration against the armour plating. Not against soft targets and personnel as they would have little explosive/destructive effect. Second, British armed forces do not use uranium rounds as the manufacturer Royal Ordinace stopped producing them some years ago. (Source: The Telegraph Sep. 21, 2003) Third the only armament that is capable of firing DU rounds is the main armament of the Challenger 2 Main battle tank, of which there are currently and always will be zero deployed in Afghanistan.

I hope you take this information on board and re-think your actions or at least do some research before you slander mine and your countrys Armed forces.