Originally Posted by
huge72
I am a member of the NI vets association and the comments on a similar thread over on their site, are understandably on the side of the soldier. I am in no way saying that this chap is not guilty, indeed he admits to pulling the trigger. But we sit here over 30 years after the event, passing judgement on the chap from our warm cockpits. I served there for 9 years of my career, was shot at, mortared and stoned, I picked up and dropped off hundreds of young soldiers in the bad lands of South Armargh, looked into their 1000 yard stares and just like SASless's Vietnam the average age was 19, mere children. They were on edge everyday of their tours, not knowing where the shot was going to come from. I don't know the whole circumstances of the incident but he was on Sangar duty and would have been expected to cover off people coming and going. It's claimed that they were innocent civilians and earlier in this thread it was said that only 1% of the population were terrorists, but in South Armagh, whether in PIRA or not virtually all the local population hated us. He should not have pulled the trigger, caused this poor chap to die and the family years of grief and heartache., but rather than castigating the soldier all these years later put yourself in his shoes, your 19, on your first tour in the province, you have been told that they are all terrorists or sympathisers and that you have protect your mates. Are you so sure you wouldn't have had your finger covering the trigger just that little bit too close. Its time to put this all to bed, yes he's guilty, yes he has to face the consequences but who are we to stand judgement when we were not there and were never in that situation. So go ahead tear what I have said to shreds, unless you were serving during the longest campaign the Army has ever faced, 38 years, where the security forces suffered nearly 3000 casualties, you will never know.
Agreed
And as long as this goes on there will be "sourness" on both sides, it really does need to be put to bed once and for all for both sides of the troubles, so the Country and everyone can move on to a brighter future, dragging it up over and over again does no one in the whole period in our history any good.