Contact - Afghanistan

[Paratrooper01]

Chopsy coooont! I think you'll find I've done more time on the ground, never mind more fighting! Effing REMFs gobbing off eh? BTW, those new grenade safety clips are a bitch innit?

There's always time for an ally phot mate, even when the rounds are going down! Stand by to be topped when I get back!

Standing by...

[MrC]

Which battalion are you guys in?

[Paratrooper01]

im in the 5th Battalion.

[Greenronnie]

I'm in the 2nd Bn Women's Auxillary Balloon Corps. Spaceman.

[tom_06]

guys was just wondering wat your daily routine is out there?how long are you spending out on patrol etc?also how often do you get to contact family etc back here in UK?
And where the media is concerned i think they have portrayed you in a very good light, giving utmost respect to the dead/wounded and to the soldiers in general. good luck gents, keep up the good work.

[Brian-]

And where the media is concerned i think they have portrayed you in a very good light, giving utmost respect to the dead/wounded and to the soldiers in general.

Utmost respect? They reported some bollocks about cricket before quickly mentioning the latest soldier killed.

[Greenronnie]

And where the media is concerned i think they have portrayed you in a very good light, giving utmost respect to the dead/wounded and to the soldiers in general.

Utmost respect? They reported some bollocks about cricket before quickly mentioning the latest soldier killed.

Hit the nail on the head there mate. Most civvis are more interested in Big Brother than what we're up to. It would be a different story if they could see what was going on day to day.

[Paratrooper01]

The Citizens of the United States give more of a damn about the British Armed Forces than our own people do. In the US a British soldier is allowed to the front of any que out of respect for what we are doing out in Iraq and Afghanistan serving alongside the US. It should be the same in the UK, but nobody gives a sh*t.

[Alfa]

And where the media is concerned i think they have portrayed you in a very good light, giving utmost respect to the dead/wounded and to the soldiers in general.

The media don't have a effing clue!! When the soldier, from the logistics reg I think it was, was killed the other week the news reader on BBC 24hr asked the Kabul correspondant

" is there any sense that even though British troops are loosing the battles with the Taliban, is there any sense that they are winning the war?"

I couldn't believe it when he said that! Thankfully the guy in Kabul put him straight but it was the idea he was portraying the troops as loosing because a soldier had died, it really pissed me off cause this lad gave his life resupplying that garrison so that we could keep fighting and yet this guy wants to make out like it's all for nothing because the Taliban are beating us out there.

I know it sounds harsh, especially from a civvy, but in this kind of war you're always going to take casualties it has to be expected but it's a testament to how good the lads out there are that our casualties haven't been far higher given the intensity of the fighting going on out there.

It just made my blood boil though they constantly undermine the troops risking their lives out in Iraq and Afghanistan just cause they prefer to give bad news as it looks better for the headlines and fits in with their pacifist holier than thou agenda!!

[SO19]

It's absolutely disgusting, I have no respect for the news networks in this country whatsoever. The BBC is without a doubt the worst, their 6 o'clock bulliten last night didn't even mention the latest death and when they do it's always a 10 second footnote at the end of the program ffs. As for the wounded, no chance, when you consider the dead don't even get a mention!

" is there any sense that even though British troops are loosing the battles with the Taliban, is there any sense that they are winning the war?"

What nonsense is that?!

Appalling...

[harry hackedoff]

The BBC is without a doubt the worst

The BBC is without a doubt the best. Sorry to piss on yer bonfire but cnn, or OZ channel ten are so bad they are offensive.
Down here they view all Servicemen differently. `Specially UK Servicemen. Outside the Bunker you don`t see the stuff I post about ANZAC Day Parades etc. It`s incredible the way Royal is cheered even louder than Serving OZ contingents for the simple fact that we can actually march
We`ve had reports about all UK casualties besides the fatalities, with reports based on Beeb footage or from Jayne Hutchins ABC.
The quality of both reporters and presenters does vary and you have to expect that. These people see "news" as a "product" They read the auto-cue without any farking idea of either what they are saying, or how what they are saying will be received by relatives..
Believe me, the oldBeeb has low spots for sure, but it certainly isn`t the worst. E-mail the twats if you don`t like what they say/how they say it
There`s an advert on BBC World with Clive Myaree saying summat about what "good reporting" is and my immediate reaction was to think"how would you know, you farkin eejit" If you saw his reports when he was "embedded" during Gulf Two you`ll know what I mean
He`s never going to be Martin Bell or Johnny Simpson is he
Tries hard, means well. However.....

[SO19]

You're right about the variation Harry, but I still think their reporting has been partuclarly poor, especially their trivialised reporting of the dead.

For me most recently, the written media have been the better of the two, just look at some of the excellent articles both the Telegraph and the Times have ran.

[JoJo82]

I'm in the 2nd Bn Women's Auxillary Balloon Corps. Spaceman.

LIAR! Would have seen you if you were!

How's it looking out there?

[Greenronnie]

I'm in the 2nd Bn Women's Auxillary Balloon Corps. Spaceman.

LIAR! Would have seen you if you were!

How's it looking out there?

Yeah, fair one. It's about time you handed those barrage balloons back in actually!

It's ok, still dodgy. Weather's a bit more bearable now.

[harry hackedoff]

More bearable?
It`s summer up there ffs
Down here I`m freezing me tits off
Only twenty three today and I stayed indoors as much as I could. Brrrr