I heard on the radio this morning that a young Royal Army Medical Corps woman soldier was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry by the Queen at Buck House, for her dedication in going in to treat/rescue injured soldiers in Afghanistan. This is apparently the first time that a woman has received this award which until recently was for officers only. But the medics have a very longstanding tradition of risking their lives by going into highly dangerous situations in order to deal with the wounded. The only VC and Bar (i.e. the VC was awarded twice) was to an RAMC officer in WW1.
And no doubt this young woman when interviewed will say something like "I was only doing my job". Well, just for a moment compare her job with yours!
As for the assertion that those in Afghanistan volunteered to join the Army (and therefore, by inference, deserve what they get) I can only say that in my own experience there are many times when meagre pay or other rewards pale into insignificance. In Northern Ireland I had on many occasions to go into premises to confirm that there really was a suspect device which warranted calling the bomb disposal experts out. Any one could have been a "come-on" with me being blown to bits, as was a friend of mine. So, would those who say "well, he volunteered" be prepared to put their own lives on the line for their country. I strongly suspect not ...
Tony.
|