today is June 14th... on this day in 1982 argentina surrender to the british forces at port stanley. let's not forget everyone who fought, and died so far away from home. i remember it so well, watching on tv as a schoolboy, an inspiration to many.
Well said, respect to all the lads and lasses of all services who served and who are still serving today. I've a brother who did an Afgan tour and I can honestly say they deserve a lot more than we can ever give them.
I may have told this story before but a mate of mine was a winchman in the RAF and was wintched onto one of our ships, He slipped on the wet stairs and a piece of the hand rail went into him around the groin an up into his stomach. He says he arrived back an hero, flags waving, people cheering, then a few weeks later, left alone and now struggles with his wife, in poor health and forgotton by most. Very sad and true of so many, we should be proud of them and ashamed of us.
It seems to be forever thus. Thankful at the time, brushing under the carpet later. We can be disgraceful
The thing that surprised me down there is how ungrateful the Islanders are. I got the distinct impression in my time down there that the only thing worse than having British troops walking round Stanley. Was having Argies walking round Stanley. They really don't like us at all. It's disgusting that our forces were forced into a war ill-equipped and so far away just to save Maggie in number ten.
Lets remember all people fighting in wars as im sure they are all frightened and do a tremendous job.
Agreed, although frightened isn't a word i'd associate with the finest soldiers in the world. Apprehensive maybe.
My last working day in the air force, after fourteen years, was the 24 july 1982, bad times lost a few good mates, today is not a good day for me, had a few calls to make, and had some in return, and Cyprus the islanders are not ungrateful, my friends wife of forty years is an islander, and she tells me realy nice stuff, things service people and their folk would be proud of, please dont read between the lines. We are very important them, and they only have the highest regard and respect for GREAT BRITAIN, dont forget GB is their mother country, always was always will be. and the Union Jack will always fly overhead. and they are aware of the cost, and sacrifice paid by TOO many.
Aye, agreed lads. Try searching these on you tube:- Pittance of time; Willie McBride; And the band played waltzing Matilda. Really brings home to you the horrors of war & how veterans get forgotton. I cry every time I play them.
Strange time for me growing up in the States and watching the British troops in the Falklands whilst the American media tried to drum up feelings that the British were akin to an 'invading force'.
America actually did much behind the scenes to help Britain at the time. The French on the other hand are indirectly responsible for the majority of our loses during the conflict.
Aye, that's the yanks. Personally, can't ****ing stand the pricks. They kick things off that they can't finish then call out their pit bull, Britain & know fine well we will cow-tow to them. Why can't we have a foreign policy of our own? If the ham shanks want to blow up half the world then let the daft **** get on with it. I despise them. **** army, **** soldiers but well equipped. The last time they won a war was the war of independance when they fought us. lost every one since then.
Strange that since the Falklands the Marines and Paras don't have to much to do with each other... What could we do now if the Argies decided to try and re-take them, borrow some ships?
I remember on the one hand being extremely proud and supportive of our armed forces and the brave and professional manner in the way they recaptured the islands. But on the other hand knowing fine well that Thatcher would milk it for all it was worth to hang on to power and thus create more misery for the working classes.
I want to leave politics behind on this board, will make one only statement, about the leadership in my service career. Sob story if you like, I just call It life as it was. when I left school I was fourteen, my fifteenth birthday was in the summer holidays, until the six weeks were over I was inelligible for benefits, such as thay were, also not allowed full time employment, 1963, Sunderland was an employment blackspot, second I believe to Northern Ireland, although we had three times the unemployed folfs than them, one town,,,, one town with three times more than Northern Ireland. when you went for a job as we all did, that was advertised in the ECHO, just as a shop assistant, in a hardware shop, you got up at four in the morning to be first in the queue, when I got there I was second, a lad,from a poorer familly than mine had been there since midnight, second in a queue of over one hundred lads, got whittled down to six then two, me and my mate Angus who sat next to me at school, he got the job, at sixteen, hitch hiked to London, with no money in my pocket in search of work, had to come home, hitch hikking again, me an my mate were starving, and I mean starving, tried it twice more, third time sucessful, managed to find a job as a labourer in a sheet metal works, after a while I got married and came home, drove laundry vans, worked at Pyrex twice, you name it if it was work, I worked, by chance in the rain I went into the RAF caravan, in Crowtree road for shelter, was going to bluff it out till the rain stopped, the Chief Tech in charge perseuded me to take an apptitude test, and I passed, just about then the Torys opened the air force to people like me, with no accedemic qualifications, previously you needed GCEs , no chance for a boy from Diamond Hall, but I was given the chance, and I took it with both hands, all the way through my service career, I was cared about and looked after, always tough but fair, a great big familly, remember staying up all night for the Thatcher re elections, when she won was over the moon, as all our mob was, THATCHER gave a **** about us, and to the contrary, she did not start that war, but finished it, in Europe the Iron Maiden, got us billions in rebates, given away by others recently, Russia gave her huge respect, and she looked after the mobs, now sadly the mobs are dwindling, to an alarming level, who will protect our shores, your kids even, well for me Thatcher took a bloke with nowt, into a family, taught him three trades, and gave him and his, a brave new world, so like many others of the time, she gave us all something, and for that My family will always remember her fondly.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,sorry about that, never again politics.
