Cenotaph ban on wounded war heroes

This struck me as a bizzare decision - am I right to have my tinfoil hat on and feel the government is ashamed of service personnel injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, or is this standard policy and perfectly acceptable?

[quote="The Observer]Families accuse government of being 'ashamed' of victims of war in Afghanistan and Iraq as British Legion has to tell them guidelines do not allow serving soldiers to take part in Remembrance Day march past

Serving soldiers horrifically injured in the Iraq and Afghan conflicts have been refused permission to join today's main Remembrance Day parade, prompting angry accusations that the government is 'ashamed' to have them seen in public.

Jamie Cooper, 19, the youngest Briton seriously injured in Basra, had hoped to join the march past at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. He is one of a number of young soldiers recuperating from injuries suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan the Royal British Legion had wanted to include in Britain's centrepiece remembrance ceremony.

But last week, the head of the Legion contacted Jamie's's father, Phillip, to say that government rules for participating in the parade stipulated that only veterans, not 'serving soldiers', could take part.[/quote]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/military/story/0,,2209307,00.html

Before anyone else says it, yes, I'm outraged.

 

Mangled and tangle
Off Ski
Hale and Harty
Oh Welcome Cornet Windsor, Please lay a wreath.
john
I ****ing hate this Nue Labour Gobshoite.
Thats Flucking Onest.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/military/story/0,,2209307,00.html

Before anyone else says it, yes, I'm outraged.[/quote]

Perhaps next year only those with blonde hair and blue eyes will be allowed to participate. This government sickens me.

 

I really hope that this is not true, and that this government are not that ashamed of those that have paid the price for their mistakes that they would also take their dignity.

However very little surprises me anymore about this government!

 

Ladies and gennlemen, the time for a coup is getting nearer...

One day, I will sit down and try to catalogue all the outrageous, illegal and disrespectful bullshite perpetuated by the soviet mob currently in residence in Downing St. It will take a while, so I will be needing donations of Old Holby, NATO tea and egg banjos. In return for your generosity you will have a document which will equate to the mother of all rants. I've thought about doing this because a thread like this one comes up at least twice a day on ARRSE, all of the same formula. Nueu Arbeit do something illegal/ridiculous/to pi55 on the graves of our servicemen, there is a lot of telegraph-rustling (and name calling) and everyone awaits the next fusking outrage. Something like the Prime Minister having to read the National Anthem of the country he 'leads' of a FUSKING CUE CARD, for instance, or falling asleep during a festival of rememberance. My thought is that if done (reasonably) objectively, it would be something some journo might pick up on... Actually, thinking about it - could it be a team effort sort of like the Wiki - where everyone contributes something that Neue Arbeit have done which is naughty? Things like

- The 45 minute thing
- Poor old David Kelly
- Cash for honours - and how that cockroach like jug-eared cnut survived in office despite how he was the first serving PM to be interviewed by Plod.
- The seven and a half million pointless new laws brought in to avoid the remotest possibility of offending anyone
- Tax money (and we could do with some juicy figures) pi55ed up the wall on quangos (a name and shame would be excellent) where it should have been spent on other areas - not specifically defence either - perhaps buying mops and Parazone for the NHS.
- How that 'target oriented policing' has led to a fusking huge rise in crime, how Gubmint statistics for violent crime tend not to include murder or sexual assault, and, ah yes, its come back to me- that grinning vacant mong bitch Smith used the good name of the Armed Forces for a fusking playground jibe.
- How half of the cabinet were members of hard-line communist groups at university... notably the ARMED FORCES MINISTER.
- How our 'system' allows behaviour like Galloway's to go unpunished - ze Germans would give short shrift to an MP who claimed £130,000 expenses but only made 12 appearances a year in the debating chambers.

Whoops. *rant off.

 

Send Key setting over!

 

"government rules for participating in the parade stipulated that only veterans, not 'serving soldiers', could take part."

Having just watched most of the parade pass through the arch either there are a few walts or somebody forgot to tell those in Ginger suits that they were not allowed on the parade!

 

Only in little real little minded very small u.k.

 

Are the senior members of the Royal family who are colonel in chief and such like "honorary" positions or are they de facto "serving" and thus should not parade if the rules are as stated?

 

HRH Prince William has just laid a wreath for the first time... surely he is classed as serving, only having passed out of Sandhurst a year ago!?

Watching the Cenotaph parade on BBC, there has been a chap, Andy Stockton, on who lost an arm in Afghan. It didn't mention whether he was serving or not, he just said he'd been asked to parade by a charity which helps wounded limbless soldiers.

 

Does BLESMA not parade aswell could they not parade with them?
Seems a bit harsh surely the minute you sign on the dotted line gives you the right to parade ex or not?

What was Prince Williams medal for?

 

This has come from a reputable source imo (guardian) i am absolutely fuming!! i was also refused the right to march after being medically discharged after Iraq. Call a general election i say and ditch chav labour.

 

Jubilee medal

 

I think it was BLESMA that Andy Stockton said had helped him out.
They appeared, sadly, to have a fairly large contingent within the parade.