Hangar Shuffle,
Bomber Harris describes the 'thousands' of ground crew in Bomber Command who died (pneumonia, vehicle accidents, TB, and the like) as a result of the austere conditions - hence why he campaigned at the time for a Medal for both air crew and ground crew. Opposed by the Army, of course.
Same arguments 70 years later for deployed personnel supporting air operations over Libya; I recently had a rather heated discussion with a visiting Colonel about this. He contended that staying in a 4* hotel cancelled out operational service. I pointed out that no one was staying in a 4* hotel....but let's not the facts get in the way of a good story.
Speaking of which has anyone seen the latest on the Officers' Long Service medal? There was to be an announcement before Christmas.