Photo Of Terry Taliban... Big Deal?

Hero: A person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.
Heroic: Showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort

 

I don't understand what you're implying by saying it here? It seems like you are saying that they are not heroic for the deeds that they have done?

 

No, you writing that. Joining the armed forces is not heroic. Its what you do when you are are in a corner that could be.

 

I shake my head in shame at this thread; that I risked my life for you. I'm under rocket attack as we speak and you bastards are sat at home with your bikes and your children. The UK doesn't deserve the lions that stand in it's name.

I am shamed.

 

Mate, you joined up - you knew the job. Just keep you head down and be sensible.

 

I would think that while you know you may get shot/shelled/bombed when you join up, I doubt it makes it any better when it happens. While I am not in the forces I have had people trying to kill me in Africa and its not pleasant.

 

One minute he's an remf turd, the next he's a hero. Make your mind up.

 

Im very much of the opinion that those who serve in the military deserve the highest of respect and I don't think that this really is the place for anybody to question that. I can see that tempers are/have been up and I can see that's its a very divisive topic. All I ask is that you keep it civil
Thanks

 

Having read this all the way through, and been frankly surprised by some posts that appear to think that because someone is an enemy and probably due to their religion and ethnicity it's fine to abuse and disrespect their corpse. The only personal conclusion I can draw is someone has a very apt username and it's not tom.

 

The person to whom you are referring has as much right to an opinion as you. Lowering yourself to sly personal insults doesn't reflect too well on you.

 

You are absolutely right fig, he is entitled to his own opinion. An opinion that he is allowed to voice however lightly he appears to treat the death of another person. I whole heartedly disagree with his opinions. If this picture had been posted by the Taliban of a Taliban fighter over a dead British soldier I some how think his attitude may be somewhat different. My 'personal' opinion is that I stand by the above. Whether that reflects badly on me or not.

 

Well after 22 years in the Royal Marines many of them on operations I

well after 22 years in The Royal Marines many of which were spent on operations and a few 'contacts' here and there I agree with what Cranker says.
All this media hyped bollocks of heroism just gets on my tits. Ask any bloke who's been there and done that its the job, its your mates its your Corps that your doing it for. Not so that you can have smoke blown up your arse.
From knowledge there are two types of blokes who go and fight, those that do so, dust themselves down afterwards and crack on and those that hear about in the NAAFI and sing about how tough it is being under attack 24 hours a day. After a few years you usually work out who's who.

 

A lot of people joined the forces - some out of patriotism; some out of work choice; some not being able to get other work; some because of family connection; and unfortunately some because of macho reasons.........

......but a helluva lot of them didn't think they would actually be required to fight.......

........these days, it's more likely someone signing up will be stuck on a front line somewhere.

However, at least it's easier to recognise 'the enemy' than it was in NI........there, the players looked the same as us.

 

I don't think this thread is gonna go anywhere. We all know that an average military bloke will let off a bit of steam after a confrontation, and not necessarily in a politically correct way - they're not diplomats - and we all know that the photo was not a great idea. We all know there are possible consequences to your foe seeing such photos, and we all know the media couldn't give a fuck about that as long as they sell papers.

But it's done, and all we can do is wait and see what gets done about it. Not being a military man, I can't see any glamour in posing for photos next to a cadaver, but is it any different to a racer standing on a podium clutching a faux silver trophy? Hey, he beat his 'enemies' and wants everyone to know.

In war, life is cheap; it would pay for everyone to remember that.

 

There seems to be some misunderstanding to what I have said re: heroes and heroics. I shall quote my own post here.

"There is and has been for a long time, a massive lack of respect for, acknowledgement of and interest in the British Military. Americans soldiers are treated like heroes and British soldiers should feel grateful that Royal Wooton Bassett bows their heads to the funeral cortège? So they bloody should and so should we all. Those men who died or sacrificed a full and wholesome life should be valued for eternity and their names carved in to the public consciousness, their memory not spoiled by some sproggy little remf turd that can't do as he is bloody told."

I am not claiming that I am anything other than an ordinary person. I have said several times that I am no longer serving and have not served since last autumn, I have a different job to do out here which is not an area for discussion on an open internet forum. What I did say was that there is a noticeable difference between the public's considerations towards the Armed Forces in the USA and in the UK. I am specifically referring to those men who have died or lost limbs and access to a 'normal' life in the process of doing their job. Not any old chap that signs up as has been suggested.
The details of the incident shown in the picture in the media are not easily found, nor are they broadcast by that same media. You would have had to have been here or have some connection to the men involved to have any clue what went on. The idea that this young man, or REMF turd as I did indeed call him in my anger, would have known not to behave in this way. Even members of the public, that have received no explicit warning would know not to behave in this way, having seen the consequences in the news.

To then be told, having spent the last 4 years being completely immersed in Afghan culture, that there is no way to say if there will be any after affects or consequences is completely wrong. There is always a reaction and it never goes well for the men and women serving overseas. It encourages the kinds of incidents which lead to Afghan soldiers turning on their ISAF mentors and defecting to the Taliban. So while combat missions may now be over for British troops the training effort continues and the men and women in that role will be under threat because of incidents like this.

As an aside, one's ability to get an internet connection depends only on satellites in space and not on being in a luxury location. What one does during a rocket attack is what one does any time there is IDF incoming and thats to lay on the floor and hope it lands somewhere else. When one is already on the floor in one's sleeping bag counting the detonations whilst chatting on one's phone with people back in the UK one can continue to do this. As I said before, it's very easy to judge and make comment but you're not the one doing it, and shortly neither will I as I'm coming home. My comments are not to 'blow smoke up my own arse' but instead to highlight that the kinds of situations you are talking about are beyond comprehension for the average man or woman in the street.

 

Bollocks. Brainwashing and coercion is what it took.

 

The drill, according to my friend who was in Basra, is to grab her sudoku pad, pen and a torch, and hide under your cot until the all clear is sounded. If Tom grabs his iPad instead, all power to him. Anyway, who can concentrate on sudoku during an air raid? Only a woman.

If there's an OpMinimise going on, obviously going on-line is trickier, as the wireless facility will likely be switched off for the duration.

I hope this helps.