Dannatt tells troops to prepare for death.
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: In sight of the sharp-end, Oxon.
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Better equipped
"He'd be better off making sure the troops are better equpped thus obviating the need to be spiritually equipped"
Amen to that!
I speak as the father of a soldier serving in Camp B..
Amen to that!
I speak as the father of a soldier serving in Camp B..
Join Date: Jul 2004
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Dannat shows himself as an honest man again. A rare quality in a senior commander. I do not think he is peddling his own credo (it wasa Christian audience after all). Is he saying more than Shakespeare puts in the mouth of King Henry V before battle? (Act IV Sc 1):
"Every
subject's duty is the king's; but every subject's
soul is his own. Therefore should every soldier in
the wars do as every sick man in his bed, wash every
mote out of his conscience: and dying so, death
is to him advantage; or not dying, the time was
blessedly lost wherein such preparation was gained:
and in him that escapes, it were not sin to think
that, making God so free an offer, He let him
outlive that day to see His greatness and to teach
others how they should prepare."
The Forces have always espoused PPPPP: doesn't that go for our final journey too? It is not necessarily even about absolution or making peace with a personal deity (or one's relatives!). I have seen that those families suffer the most where a person dies who has made no will and given no indication of what obsequies he or she would have liked.
Whether of any faith or none, my thoughts are with colleagues in danger by land sea and air, wishing them safety, comradeship and hearts at peace, whatever befalls them.
"Every
subject's duty is the king's; but every subject's
soul is his own. Therefore should every soldier in
the wars do as every sick man in his bed, wash every
mote out of his conscience: and dying so, death
is to him advantage; or not dying, the time was
blessedly lost wherein such preparation was gained:
and in him that escapes, it were not sin to think
that, making God so free an offer, He let him
outlive that day to see His greatness and to teach
others how they should prepare."
The Forces have always espoused PPPPP: doesn't that go for our final journey too? It is not necessarily even about absolution or making peace with a personal deity (or one's relatives!). I have seen that those families suffer the most where a person dies who has made no will and given no indication of what obsequies he or she would have liked.
Whether of any faith or none, my thoughts are with colleagues in danger by land sea and air, wishing them safety, comradeship and hearts at peace, whatever befalls them.
Hellbound
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Fawkes, agree to an extent that we should ensure our people are prepared for the practical things (wills and insurance included), but the spiritual side is up to the individual....
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I thing CGS has realised that the pay, conditions and allowances are now so shocking that he must use his convictions to say ' you will get your reward in heaven chaps '.
So fight for God then, that'll make it a Crusade. I'm sure his comments will go along way to placate the Muslim communities view on 'The War Against Terror' (interesting acronym).
So fight for God then, that'll make it a Crusade. I'm sure his comments will go along way to placate the Muslim communities view on 'The War Against Terror' (interesting acronym).
My reaction to some of the responses here was going to be, "Oh, for God's sake..." until I realised that might be misinterpreted in the context.
However, it strikes me as more than somewhat off that people are laying into the senior officer who everyone seemed to agree is doing his best to get the best deal going for the troops. "Concentrate on preparing them physically"? Does anyone doubt the general isn't doing his all on that front? I'm sure he would be saying the same thing if every soldier had £1,000,000 of protective kit and was being paid the same as a cabinet minister, so snide comments about trying to distract people from pay and conditions are entirely out of order and say more about the commenter than the general.
However, it strikes me as more than somewhat off that people are laying into the senior officer who everyone seemed to agree is doing his best to get the best deal going for the troops. "Concentrate on preparing them physically"? Does anyone doubt the general isn't doing his all on that front? I'm sure he would be saying the same thing if every soldier had £1,000,000 of protective kit and was being paid the same as a cabinet minister, so snide comments about trying to distract people from pay and conditions are entirely out of order and say more about the commenter than the general.
