Repatriation.

[tarantonight]

Saw this a short while ago elsewhere. Not my words at all, and not aviation based, but says it all really:

'Today two planes have landed in England. One carrying a group of overpaid, underacheiving homesick prima-donnas, the other carrying seven coffins draped in the union flag. Hero is a much over used word these days but I know where my priorities lie! RIP brave soldiers'

Concur.

[Cornerstone958]

I stood alongside the A420 together with 5 standards 50 vets and about 100 others at 1940hrs this evening as these brave lads passed by. RIP:(
CS

[Unchecked]

I totally agree with the sentiment.

However, if you look at a certain social networking site, it's littered with this same message from tens of people who wouldn't bat an eyelid usually at the repat of fallen British troops. The link to the England football team is what compels to cut and paste into their status updates, one feels. Everyone has an opinion or genuine anger about the football, I don't hear many, if any discussing the deaths of 20 in June alone. But hey, if I cut and paste a few words that werent even written by me into a pc, I can pretend I care!

On a side note, shameful of the majority of British newspapers to dedicate pages and pages (literally) to said overpaid pansies, yet armed forces Day merited no more than half a page at best.

My stomach turns.

[VinRouge]

The BBC nearly had my blood boiling today when they were commenting on the lateness of the repat today.... :mad:

[Abbey Road]

One carrying a group of overpaid, underacheiving homesick prima-donnas ......Initially, I really did think you were referring to BA cabin crew. Honestly!

[AYTCH]

At 'Unchecked'.

All the people on the supposed social networking site who have that written that I saw were all mates who are still serving, have served, or families of both. They are all entitled 100% to make the statement they made by cutting and pasting the status you talk of so suggest you 'select neck-retract' or alternatively, clear your friends list of all these pond life of which you talk; you only see status updates of friends if I am not mistaken! :=

[tarantonight]

Unchecked

I am not easily offended, but read your comments with rising anger.

You have never met me, and know nothing about me.

I was merely making the point that halfwits with good eye / foot coordination can earn £170,000 p/w and be treated like gods when young lads (and older) are coming back at the same time having given their lives.

As AYTCH stated, wind yer neck in.

As it happens, I do care. Massively.

TN.

[Unchecked]

As I opened with, I totally agree with the sentiment of the text.

And yes, I am bemoaning those that I know, not your friends or anyone that I know to genuinely care.

So no, I won't be retracting anything, or winding anything in.

I am sorry that you read the post as a personal attack on you, Taranto, but like you pointed out, I don't know you, so why would I bother? I appreciate that things like this posted on pprune are more often than not posted with meaning, I suspect that on facebook they are mainly not. And yes, I am talking about MY friends and acquaintances and also the friends and acquaintances of those I discussed it with yesterday. Of course they, like you and your friends AYTCH, are 100% entitled to cut & paste whatever they want, however I'm just not sure that the sentiment of the words written totally aligns with the point they are trying to get across. I've let my feigns known to them too.

From what I gather, this particular piece of text is spreading like wildfire over facebook etc.... I was only questioning why some people feel the need to post it now, when usually the masses tend not to mention those that have fallen.

[AYTCH]

Good question as to why people felt the need to post this now...well, easy answer.

The fickle hand of fate dealt us the following:

Two aeroplanes landed in England today, one carrying 23 overpaid under achieving footballers with egos to match their wallets. The other carried 7 men whose coffins were draped in the Union Jack, who died in the service of our country. These are the real heroes we should be supporting, these men & women ...who give their lives so we can live in a free world. These are the PRIDE OF ENGLAND...RIP.

How many times is a day like this going to happen? ...Come on...Rarely (unless you are just talking about the football team which seems to regularly arrive back on British soil with a reason to be ashamed) so of course 'posts' like the one above will appear. Especially after all the coverage of the former and hardly anything of the latter.

I for one was pleased this had been posted and even more pleased that many non-mil friends liked it and made positive comments when I posted it as my status! If all it did was rekindle some thought in the populace about how hard life is (and death of course) for the guys out in the sandy places, as opposed to the opulence of footballers' lives, then it has only been a good thing.

[Unchecked]

No, I totally agree. But I had non-mil friends posting it ( who had never posted anything about the fallen) followed by comments from their, I suspect non-mil, friends about how ashamed they were of the football team (still not mentioning the fallen) AND I had military friends posting it, followed by comments from their non-mil friends, still about the failures of the footballers and not about the achievements, bravery & sacrifice of the fallen.

This is what irked me, I should have been clearer in the hope that others would see my point. It did all come across to me personally though that people were using it as a vehicle to vent anger at the England squad, rather than recognition of the sacrifice of our brave and glorious fallen.

[RumPunch]

Over last few days this comment on FB has annoyed me so much , agree with you guys this has nothing to do with football.

bad taste and brings it all wrong into the british way of thinking . Its the worst possible thing to say. Just typifies the UK press.

[Echo 5]

These are the PRIDE OF ENGLAND...RIP.


Don't wish to appear pedantic but shouldn't that read:

" These are the PRIDE OF BRITAIN...RIP."


Just a thought.

[AYTCH]

Yes it should of course read Britain without question, however, the FB posts in question were about the 'England' Football Team and the guys who came back in coffins the same day and not about the 'British football team.