Spot the Scapegoat
Whilst I am not one who has ever readily sprung to the defence of the 'top brass' in the ATC specialisation, some of the comments recently fired in their direction on this forum take no account of the individuals involved and their own views. Like many people who have spent 30+ years in this organisation, I have known the Air Cdre and both Gp Capts at HQSTC for many years and, like most people in this position, I believe all three are decent, sensible individuals who are liked and respected.
Whilst I am not in a position to speak for them, I am absolutely convinced that privately these individuals share exactly the same views on this tragic incident as everyone else in the ATC specialisation. As I understand it, they did not recommended that Spot was sent for court martial, this decision was taken by the 'Legal Eagles' and endorsed by a 2 star - they are the people who should apologise to Spot. However, politics will probably prevent the true opinions of the ATC 'top brass' ever reaching the coal face. So, when something is finally released for public consumption, I doubt it will be anything other than the usual banal 'policy' statements we have become so used to over the years. So, all I would say is - don't shoot the messenger, sometimes it's the only message they're allowed to send.