Nigegilb - I wasn't trying to defend Loader at all, my only fear is that the ill-informed public would ignore our plight if we merely complain about our leadership. The lack of overhead protection is criminal enough when we ask our personnel to spend up to 6 months in that evironment and it is more a case that our seniors are spending their time with their fingers in their ears hopng the problem will go away. We can all cope with a little hardship, but it is the cumulative effects that worry me. Remember we live in a time of spin when it is the image of doing something that is more important to our leaders - both political and military - than actually being able to do something.
Perhaps if Channel 4 ran a Big Brother series in Basra then the public would actually take notice. The public, our leadership and our political masters are so far removed from what we do that we don't feature on their give-a-5hit-ometers.