Britain urged to love a man in uniform again

[SO19]

Britain urged to love a man in uniform again
Maurice Chittenden

THE government is to sweep away curbs on servicemen and women wearing uniforms off duty in public as part of a drive to boost popular support for the armed services.

A report commissioned by Gordon Brown to honour those serving in Afghanistan and Iraq will say all service personnel should be encouraged to wear their uniforms on leave.

The curbs were introduced almost 30 years ago during the IRA’s bombing campaign on mainland Britain when military personnel were warned not to wear uniforms off duty.

Defence chiefs believe the advantages gained from wearing uniforms and encouraging the public to fall back in love with the armed forces will outweigh any danger from home-grown terrorists.

Brown’s review will also call for more parades for soldiers returning from the front line and more open days at airfields and naval and army bases.

It is seeking to emulate America with cheap flights for troops and free or discounted admission to theme parks and sports grounds such as Wembley, Twickenham and Lord’s.

Brown ordered the study after concern that servicemen and women returning from war zones were being ignored or even insulted by some members of the public. According to Downing Street, he wants to “encourage greater understanding and appreciation of the armed services by the British public”.

It has been headed by Quentin Davies, the former Tory MP who defected to Labour. Last week he toured Canada and the United States to see how well regarded servicemen and women are there in comparison to Britain.

“There have been some ghastly incidents, including the insulting of British soldiers in Birmingham, and a woman who insulted crippled soldiers in a swimming baths,” said Davies. “People have said they do not get the welcome of their American allies when they go home.”

Davies, whose father served in the RAF in the second world war, added: “There should be more exposure to the military. We are not going to recommend people are ordered to wear uniforms on leave. It is a question of encouragement by example.”

The review also wants Whitehall staff to wear uniforms on days other than Remembrance Sunday, as well as more school visits and involvement from the military. Of 6,400 secondary schools in the UK, fewer than 300 have combined cadet forces.

The review team has already written to British Airways and Virgin Atlantic asking for special deals for service personnel. BA said it had no plans to do so, while Virgin said it already ran a discount scheme for the military.

In America Anheuser-Busch, the brewing firm, has given more than 4m free passes to theme parks such as Sea World and Busch Gardens to members of the coalition forces since 2005. British service personnel on visits to the US have benefited from discounts in hotels and restaurants by showing their military ID cards.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 257655.ece

[sportbilly42]

"......Brown’s review will also call for more parades for soldiers returning from the front line" .......Yikes!!

Just what every squaddie wants when coming back from 'over there'!! Forgets to mention that that will mean more early morning Practise Parades, more kit inspections, boot bulling sessions (Oh joy!! The things I miss! ) Extra security, road closures while Local Regiment XX marches through town accompanied by silent cheers of local apatheic populace as they stumble out of the bookies. Need I go on??

Or perhaps things have changed? Maybe this is what's wanted? Personally would have prefered a shedfull of beer vouchers

[stever]

great times getting back 2 days early from gw1
then having to march into hangar with the rest of the sqn
oh and getting issued desert cam 2 days before we returned so that we could
look good for the relatives and friends what was that all about i will never know

[harry hackedoff]

Britain urged to love a man in uniform again

How did they find out about the first time

Er, not me obviously

Heyup Stever, how`s the bike going

[Tab]

Does that include Traffic wardens

[harry hackedoff]

Well, yeah
Not in my case, obviously
Apart from that fat bloke in Colwyn Bay, I`d rather not talk about that thank you very much

[thesunatclun]

At our pub, we offer a 10% discount for serving members of the armed forces, and members of SAMBA, on food and accommodation. More businesses should do this and I am sure they would if the government encouraged them.

[thesunatclun]

We are calling on the Prime Minister to establish a nationally recognised symbol for businesses that offer a special welcome and discount for members of the armed forces
Many people are concerned that our country does not adequately recognise the courage and sacrifice of members of the armed services, except on special occasions such as Remembrance Day. We should be proud of the members of the armed services for their role in protecting us and their courage should be recognised on a daily basis. Business can help here. At our Shropshire pub we offer a 10% discount on food and accommodation for all serving members of HM Forces and we wish to encourage other businesses to do the same. But it is nigh impossible for military personnel to identify which outlets give discounts. We urgently need a nationally recognised symbol for businesses that offer a discount to the armed forces. We are currently petitioning the Prime Minister to establish such a symbol. We want everyone concerned at the way we are treating our troops to sign the petition at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/forcesdiscount/

Fiona and Graham Didlick
The Sun Inn
Clun, Shropshire
info@thesunatclun.co.uk, www.thesunatclun.co.uk

[SO19]

It's an excellent idea, but it's just a shame there isn't a nationally recognised symbol already, definitely long overdue though - petition signed!

I see you spent twenty years living on the Falkland Islands... what on earth made you want to come back?

[Wholley]

Likewise,petition signed.
I carry US Military ID which guarantees me discount in motels,resturants,etc.
This is done by the businesses themselves not the government which in my opinion is the correct way to show respect for the Military and how we see them.
The British really lag behind the US in this way.It's almost as though your ashamed of your fighting people.

Just my two cents and I admire what your doing thesunatclun.

[just_me]

Also signed. I was really suprised when I heard about forces being so welcomed in the US, I heard it just after I read about the rows in Petersborough where the RAF were banned from wearing their unifrom publicly.
Just wondering, do discounts also apply to Ex-forces?

[Wholley]

Yes they do.
If your a Veteran then your ID lasts for your lifetime.
You get VA assistance ,relocation and PTSD help.

[bodders]

Its a damn good idea. If enough sign then dear old Gordon Brown will be forced to reply. Who knows this government might even be embarrassed into action. I've signed. Tell your friends!

[tom163]

Signed.

[Tab]

Just how often do the Armed Forces leave their camp of duty in uniform. At one time we always had to wear uniform when we left the camp on leave, this allowed the RMP's to crawl all over you at every major railway station. You had to wait until you got home before yo could leave your uniform, off