Disgrace
Posted: Sat 28 Mar, 2009 6:36 pm
Not from me but if it's true it's a bloody disgrace.
Colleagues of Sappers Patrick Azimkar, 21, and Mark Quinsey, 23, who were shot dead eight days ago in N Ireland , wanted to hold a special "ramp service" on board a RAF Hercules aircraft as final farewell to the dead soldiers.
But the Ministry of Defence refused to allow the service to take place after claiming the soldiers were not killed on duty.
The coffins of the dead soldiers were placed in two hermetically-sealed steel containers, covered with bubble-wrap and place in the hold of a civilian aircraft along the with passengers' luggage on Friday evening,
The bodies of the soldiers Murdered in Northern Ireland were flown home without ceremony. This has angered members of HM Forces: "British troops have spoken of their anger following the disclosure that the bodies of the two soldiers murdered by dissident republicans were shipped back to the UK as freight."
"We have been told that the soldiers were not allowed to have a ramp service because of political reasons. We were told the Government didn't want anything that would look like the Troubles had restarted.
"As far as we are concerned these soldiers were shot dead in uniform by terrorists and they should be treated in exactly the same way as if they were killed in Afghanistan. To send their bodies back to the UK as freight is outrageous."
When a person joins any branch of HM Forces they are effectively on duty 24/7/365.
The Government are asked to review the crass rules that allowed this to happen.
The Government are further requested to amend the rules on Ramp Ceremonies
I don't often forward stuff on, but in this case I felt I couldn't not forward it on. It's an absolute disgrace.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Soldiers-on-Duty/
Colleagues of Sappers Patrick Azimkar, 21, and Mark Quinsey, 23, who were shot dead eight days ago in N Ireland , wanted to hold a special "ramp service" on board a RAF Hercules aircraft as final farewell to the dead soldiers.
But the Ministry of Defence refused to allow the service to take place after claiming the soldiers were not killed on duty.
The coffins of the dead soldiers were placed in two hermetically-sealed steel containers, covered with bubble-wrap and place in the hold of a civilian aircraft along the with passengers' luggage on Friday evening,
The bodies of the soldiers Murdered in Northern Ireland were flown home without ceremony. This has angered members of HM Forces: "British troops have spoken of their anger following the disclosure that the bodies of the two soldiers murdered by dissident republicans were shipped back to the UK as freight."
"We have been told that the soldiers were not allowed to have a ramp service because of political reasons. We were told the Government didn't want anything that would look like the Troubles had restarted.
"As far as we are concerned these soldiers were shot dead in uniform by terrorists and they should be treated in exactly the same way as if they were killed in Afghanistan. To send their bodies back to the UK as freight is outrageous."
When a person joins any branch of HM Forces they are effectively on duty 24/7/365.
The Government are asked to review the crass rules that allowed this to happen.
The Government are further requested to amend the rules on Ramp Ceremonies
I don't often forward stuff on, but in this case I felt I couldn't not forward it on. It's an absolute disgrace.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Soldiers-on-Duty/
