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.
Was going to leave this, but seeing as you called me out by name...
Should he have squeezed the trigger ? No
We're in agreement.
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.
I've not heard anyone say this is acceptable (least of all me), but it is the reality of the peace deal that the British government brokered.
When you can answer yes to those questions then you are in a position to perhaps pass judgement on a young lad
The courts passed the judgement.
To those like Melmothtw if to prosecute him is your idea of fairness then I am sorry you are wrong.
The family of the dead civilian will disagree. I accept that there are many families of murdered security forces victims who won't get the same, but you don't get justice by denying justice to others (and again, im aware this cuts both ways, but that's the deal the British government brokered so take it up with them).
In the absence of being called out again, I'll leave this thread now.