Originally Posted by
Hughes500
Having been there, yes with HM forces but interestingly in an Irish Regiment of the British Army where 60 % of our soldiers came from the North 30 % from the south the remaining 10% from Uk mainland ( half my family comes from Ballymena before anyone asks ) so speak with a reasonable amount of experience.
To all of you I would ask the following questions
1. Been shot at by someone who is not in a uniform and hiding in plain site amongst the civilian population ?
2. Been in a riot where people are throwing petrol bombs at you with the intent to kill you ?
3. Watched a baying mob drag 2 soldiers from a car and beat the **** out of them and murder them infront of so called Catholic Priests ?
4. Seen Catholic Priests on UTV say it is disgraceful that The British Army shot dead 7 of 8 terrorists in an ambush saying it was unfair as they were hiding and not in uniform ?
When you can answer yes to those questions then you are in a position to perhaps pass judgement on a young lad. Should he have squeezed the trigger ? No, but and it is a big but ,the other side gets off scot free so where is the so called justice, where is the fairness? To those like Melmothtw if to prosecute him is your idea of fairness then I am sorry you are wrong. With your attitude you will never get anyone to defend our country and its freedoms. I certainly would not sign on again and with the attitude of some of you where you think it is acceptable for one side to be given an amnesty and the other side ( and the side that was legally put there )not to be given the same is unacceptable.
Hughes I have the utmost sympathy for the situation you were placed in, the murder of young innocent British Soldiers who were there under orders was abhorrent, evil, vile, monstrous....but firing on the back of someone is against the Army's ROE, let alone the civilian law implications.
These young men were failed by their State in my opinion, but putting the back of a civilian in your sights and pulling the trigger.....this is at BEST reckless endangerment, at worst.....I don't want to say.