By JOHN COLES
Published: The Sun 10/03/10
A CORONER slammed the Ministry of Defence over equipment shortages and inadequate training yesterday - as he ruled the first woman soldier to die in Afghanistan and three comrades were unlawfully killed.
Corporal Sarah Bryant, 26, of the Intelligence Corps, was chasing escaped Taliban prisoners in 2008 when a 100kg mine wrecked her Snatch Land Rover.
She died with SAS reservists Corporal Sean Reeve, 28, Lance Corporal Richard Larkin, 39, and Trooper Paul Stout, 31.
After a six-day inquest, Coroner David Masters demanded the MoD examine the Army's shortage of Ebex bomb detectors and armoured vehicles.
And he said: "There was an inadequacy of training for this unit.
Killed in action ... from left, Corporal Sean Robert Reeve, Trooper Paul Stout and Lance Corporal Richard Larkin
"The correct proportion of metal detectors must be reviewed. Snatch Land Rovers were not the preferred vehicle for the operation. There was significant disquiet about those vehicles being the only resource available."
The inquest in Trowbridge, Wilts, had been told by the commanding SAS officer, known as Colonel A, that he repeatedly asked for better-equipped WMIK Land Rovers but was declined.
At least 37 have died in vulnerable Snatch vehicles - dubbed "mobile coffins" - since 2005.
The Coroner pledged to investigate the supply and adequacy of its replacement, the Snatch Vixen.
The inquest heard a ditch where the mine was hidden was not properly searched with detectors. Only one soldier had been trained to use one.
Adam Wilson, solicitor for two of the families, said after the hearing: "We hope the MoD heeds the recommendations."
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/2886221/No-equipment-no-training-no-chance-coroners-devastating-verdict-on-MoD-after-Corporal-Sarah-Bryant-and-three-comrades-killed-in-Afghanistan.html#ixzz0hnmnXn8H
Posted by Michelle Nielsen
Monday, 15 March 2010
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Bikers pay respect
AROUND 15,000 bikers marked Mothers' Day yesterday with a spectacular mass ride through Britain's most patriotic town.
The remarkable display raised £75,000 for the Afghan Heroes charity, set up by a band of mothers who each lost their soldier sons last year.
And the parade through Wootton Bassett, Wilts was a huge roar of support for our frontline soldiers.
Locals have lined the market town's High Street more than 100 times as the bodies of our fallen heroes are repatriated to Britain through nearby RAF Lyneham.
Yesterday thousands turned out to cheer and watch the motorbike display as staggered groups of 2,000 riders passed through the town.
Some 10,000 bikers registered to take part in the event with each paying a £5 entry fee to the charity.
That number is thought to have risen to 15,000 on the day as word spread and riders arrived from all over Britain.
Denise Harris, one of the founders of Afghan Heroes, said she had received dozens of emails from front-line troops backing the event.
She said: "It boosts morale for them. They are so grateful to the general public for their support, and their kindness."
Biker Colin Ainsworth, 62, travelled from Derby on his BMW R1200 GS and said the ride was a chance to pay tribute to those making the "ultimate sacrifice."
The riding instructor said: "It's crucial we show our support for all our soldiers in Afghanistan.
"Today is also a chance to thank the people of Wootton Bassett because they attend the repatriations on behalf of everyone in the country.
"We can't all make it to the town when the coffins are paraded home and this is our way of thanking them for their support.
"All these bikes is quite an incredible sight - there's literally every motorbike you could imagine."
Matt Fairholme, 28, who rode up from Nottingham on a Suzuki Bandit 600, said: "Today is about supporting our boys and girls on the front-line and letting them no we appreciate their sacrifice."
The rally, which attracted motorcyclists from across north Wales, Derbyshire, Yorkshire and the south-east England, was the idea of biker Elizabeth Stevens, 18.
Elizabeth, a mechanics student at the Central Bedfordshire College, had only planned to ride through the town with a few friends.
She said: "Our local bike club was throwing around the idea of a bike run, so I decided to make a Facebook page, and it just took off."
The bikers came on a wide range of machines, including Vespas, Harley Davidsons and high-powered sports bikes.
They met at Hullavington Airfield, just off the M4 near Chippenham at 8am before proceeding to the A429, the B4042 and finally the A3102 to Wootton Bassett.
Wiltshire county councillor Dick Tonge said: "Such an event being organised in Wiltshire recognises the efforts of the people of Wiltshire in honouring the fallen servicemen and women during the repatriation services through Wootton Bassett.
"We worked closely with the police and organisers to ensure the route used by the bikers provides the least disruption possible and is safe for other motorists on the highway."
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/2891819/BIkers-pay-their-respects.html?OTC-RSS#ixzz0iA8KqyT4
Saturday, 13 March 2010
Potential consumers to contact....
Gary Thompson's wife to climb Mount Kilimanjaro
Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 09:52
Jacqui Thompson, who was married to Gary for 14 years, is looking to raise funds for the RAF Benevolent Fund, which helped the family after his death.
Gary 51, a father-of-five from Sherwood, was killed in a roadside blast near Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan in April 2008.
The Senior Aircraftman was part of a routine patrol 1.2 miles west of Kandahar Airfield when his vehicle was caught in an explosion.
Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the largest volcanoes in the world.
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Gary-Thompson-s-wife-climb-Mount-Kilimanjaro/article-1380150-detail/article.html
Jackie Hill, the auntie of Lance Corporal Kieron Hill, spent Saturday collecting toiletries, food and other items to parcel up and send to soldiers serving in the war-torn country.
L/Cpl Hill, of the 2nd Battalion the Mercian Regiment, was on patrol near the town of Garmsir when he was caught up in an explosion.
The 20-year-old Forest fan, from Clifton, joined the Army when he was 16 and went on his first tour of Afghanistan in 2007 – just two days after his 18th birthday.
L/Cpl Hill was the older brother of 19-year-old Reds defender Aaron Mitchell, now a regular in Forest's reserve side.
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Family-fallen-Clifton-soldier-send-troop-parcels/article-1094887-detail/article.html
Posted by: Grace Vernon
Friday, 12 March 2010
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Sunday, 7 March 2010
No Legs Hero: Ill go back to Battle Zone
By ALASTAIR TAYLOR
Published: The Sun 06 Mar 2010
BRAVE James Simpson wants to return to fight in Afghanistan - despite a bomb taking both his legs and part of a hand.
Lance Corporal James, 23, is already walking on prosthetic legs ahead of schedule.
And yesterday he told of his wish to rejoin his comrades on the front line. James, of Guiseley, West Yorks, said: "I love Afghanistan and I would go back tomorrow.
"I enjoy being a soldier. Just because of my injuries my life is not over. It's a new challenge. I am the same person. I lost my legs but I haven't lost my marbles."
James, who met Prince Harry during operations in Afghanistan but didn't recognise him, had a royal reunion at the England-Wales rugby match at Twickenham last month.
He was horrifically injured when a bomb exploded while on patrol last November. His life was saved by colleagues. But James then had to come to terms with losing his limbs and battle an infection because the bomb was smeared with human faeces by the Taliban.
The sniper for First Battalion Yorkshire Regiment had set himself the target of his 24th birthday in July to be walking again. He has also found love with long-standing friend Hannah Naughton, 23. Romance blossomed when she began visiting him during his recovery.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/2880984/No-legs-hero-Ill-go-back-to-battle-zone.html#ixzz0hmtkHu0e
Posted by: Michelle Nielsen
Published: The Sun 06 Mar 2010
BRAVE James Simpson wants to return to fight in Afghanistan - despite a bomb taking both his legs and part of a hand.
Lance Corporal James, 23, is already walking on prosthetic legs ahead of schedule.
And yesterday he told of his wish to rejoin his comrades on the front line. James, of Guiseley, West Yorks, said: "I love Afghanistan and I would go back tomorrow.
"I enjoy being a soldier. Just because of my injuries my life is not over. It's a new challenge. I am the same person. I lost my legs but I haven't lost my marbles."
James, who met Prince Harry during operations in Afghanistan but didn't recognise him, had a royal reunion at the England-Wales rugby match at Twickenham last month.
He was horrifically injured when a bomb exploded while on patrol last November. His life was saved by colleagues. But James then had to come to terms with losing his limbs and battle an infection because the bomb was smeared with human faeces by the Taliban.
The sniper for First Battalion Yorkshire Regiment had set himself the target of his 24th birthday in July to be walking again. He has also found love with long-standing friend Hannah Naughton, 23. Romance blossomed when she began visiting him during his recovery.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/2880984/No-legs-hero-Ill-go-back-to-battle-zone.html#ixzz0hmtkHu0e
Posted by: Michelle Nielsen
Saturday, 6 March 2010
The Iraq Inquiry.. Brown: It wasn't me
By TOM NEWTON DUNN, Political Editor
Published: 06 Mar 2010
GORDON Brown yesterday repeatedly denied ANY blame for the Iraq war and the failings that cost British lives.
The Prime Minister's steadfast refusal to take any responsibility in his evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry provoked fury from the military and grieving families last night.
Prompting the most outrage was Mr Brown's suggestion that Army commanders - NOT him - were at fault over needless deaths in poorly protected Snatch Land Rovers. Lord Guthrie, former Chief of the Defence Staff, told The Sun later: "It is astonishing and offensive to suggest that if officers had had a choice, they would have chosen the Snatch Land Rover."
Mr Brown said he was involved in top-level talks before the Iraq invasion in 2003 - when he was Chancellor - but wanted diplomacy to prevail. When it came to the crunch, he was NOT part of the decision making.
And mistakes in the woeful preparations for nation building of a destroyed Iraq after the war were NOT his either, he said.
He only expressed "regret" that he could not persuade the Americans to do more.
Rubbishing then US President George Bush's post-war reconstruction plans, Mr Brown said: "I never subscribed to the neoconservative position that somehow, at the barrel of a gun, overnight, liberty or democracy could be conjured up."
But he insisted he wrote a blank cheque for Mr Blair to take Britain to war.
Mr Brown's four hours of evidence was the first time he had faced a public grilling over his role on Iraq and its aftermath.
He was heckled by anti-war protesters on his arrival at the hearing, at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster.
After expressing his regret at the loss of 179 British military lives in Iraq, he told the panel of five that the Armed Forces had been given everything they wanted for the conflict.
He admitted for the first time he put the Ministry of Defence under a cash squeeze in the autumn of 2003 - six months after the mission.
But he said: "Every request that military commanders made to us for equipment was answered. No request was ever turned down."
Mr Brown was asked to respond to a series of questions tabled by families of soldiers - up to 37 - killed in the Snatch fleet. He said:
I have to stress, it's not for me to make the military decisions on the ground about the use of particular vehicles.
It's not for me to make the decision, that's for the military themselves.
But what I can say is that when we were asked to provide the money and resources for additional equipment, we made that money available.
That flew in the faces of senior military figures who had already given evidence to the inquiry.
In January, General Lord Walker told the inquiry that all five of Britain's military chiefs threatened to resign in protest at the cuts, brought in just months after Iraq was liberated in 2003.
Former Army head General Sir Richard Dannatt said last night: "Gordon Brown bears responsibility, claiming credit for increasing funding when actually there was a reduction in value."
Susan Smith, mother of one dead soldier, said: "It's very low of Gordon Brown to blame commanders. He was trying to shift the blame."
Her son, Pte Phillip Hewett, 21, was killed with two comrades when a bomb hit a Snatch in Iraq in July 2005.
Mrs Smith added: "Commanders had no options, they couldn't use anything else."
Tory Shadow Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox said: "There have been consistent allegations that, as Chancellor, Gordon Brown was so unsympathetic to the Armed Forces that he denied them what they needed."
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2881055/Gordon-Brown-ducks-blame-at-Iraq-Inquiry.html#ixzz0hmql0ChD
Posted by: Michelle Nielsen
Published: 06 Mar 2010
GORDON Brown yesterday repeatedly denied ANY blame for the Iraq war and the failings that cost British lives.
The Prime Minister's steadfast refusal to take any responsibility in his evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry provoked fury from the military and grieving families last night.
Prompting the most outrage was Mr Brown's suggestion that Army commanders - NOT him - were at fault over needless deaths in poorly protected Snatch Land Rovers. Lord Guthrie, former Chief of the Defence Staff, told The Sun later: "It is astonishing and offensive to suggest that if officers had had a choice, they would have chosen the Snatch Land Rover."
Mr Brown said he was involved in top-level talks before the Iraq invasion in 2003 - when he was Chancellor - but wanted diplomacy to prevail. When it came to the crunch, he was NOT part of the decision making.
And mistakes in the woeful preparations for nation building of a destroyed Iraq after the war were NOT his either, he said.
He only expressed "regret" that he could not persuade the Americans to do more.
Rubbishing then US President George Bush's post-war reconstruction plans, Mr Brown said: "I never subscribed to the neoconservative position that somehow, at the barrel of a gun, overnight, liberty or democracy could be conjured up."
But he insisted he wrote a blank cheque for Mr Blair to take Britain to war.
Mr Brown's four hours of evidence was the first time he had faced a public grilling over his role on Iraq and its aftermath.
He was heckled by anti-war protesters on his arrival at the hearing, at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster.
After expressing his regret at the loss of 179 British military lives in Iraq, he told the panel of five that the Armed Forces had been given everything they wanted for the conflict.
He admitted for the first time he put the Ministry of Defence under a cash squeeze in the autumn of 2003 - six months after the mission.
But he said: "Every request that military commanders made to us for equipment was answered. No request was ever turned down."
Mr Brown was asked to respond to a series of questions tabled by families of soldiers - up to 37 - killed in the Snatch fleet. He said:
I have to stress, it's not for me to make the military decisions on the ground about the use of particular vehicles.
It's not for me to make the decision, that's for the military themselves.
But what I can say is that when we were asked to provide the money and resources for additional equipment, we made that money available.
That flew in the faces of senior military figures who had already given evidence to the inquiry.
In January, General Lord Walker told the inquiry that all five of Britain's military chiefs threatened to resign in protest at the cuts, brought in just months after Iraq was liberated in 2003.
Former Army head General Sir Richard Dannatt said last night: "Gordon Brown bears responsibility, claiming credit for increasing funding when actually there was a reduction in value."
Susan Smith, mother of one dead soldier, said: "It's very low of Gordon Brown to blame commanders. He was trying to shift the blame."
Her son, Pte Phillip Hewett, 21, was killed with two comrades when a bomb hit a Snatch in Iraq in July 2005.
Mrs Smith added: "Commanders had no options, they couldn't use anything else."
Tory Shadow Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox said: "There have been consistent allegations that, as Chancellor, Gordon Brown was so unsympathetic to the Armed Forces that he denied them what they needed."
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2881055/Gordon-Brown-ducks-blame-at-Iraq-Inquiry.html#ixzz0hmql0ChD
Posted by: Michelle Nielsen
Friday, 5 March 2010
Shot between eyes but pilot saves 20
By DUNCAN LARCOMBE, Defence Editor
Published: The Sun 05 Mar 2010
A HERO Chinook pilot was shot between the eyes by a Taliban bullet - but flew on and saved all 20 aboard.
Flight Lieutenant Ian Fortune, 28, had flown in to pick up casualties as a firefight raged between American and Afghan forces and heavily-armed rebels near Garmsir in Helmand Province.
He circled until troops reported incoming fire had calmed down. But as Ian flew in the helicopter came under attack - which continued as casualties were being loaded. Then as he lifted off Ian was shot.
A bullet hit a metal rail on the front of his helmet which is used to attach night vision goggles.
The round then penetrated his helmet hitting him between the eyes. It knocked his head back and caused severe bleeding.
More bullets followed, hitting the Chinook's controls and shutting down the stabilisation system.
But with blood pouring into his eyes, Ian battled with the controls to stop the chopper from spiralling out of control.
Then with the aircraft lurching from side to side he continued flying for eight minutes before landing at Camp Bastion. Ian was taken to the field hospital and treated for his wound.
It is the first time in the nine-year war in Afghanistan a pilot has been shot while in the air.
One senior RAF source said: "This could have become one of the worst incidents of the conflict.
"If the bullet had hit the pilot a millimetre lower, those on board wouldn't have stood a chance.
"And had it not been for the skill of the pilot the result would have been the same."
TV's Mike, 41, who was with a crew from the Discovery Channel, said: "The courage and heroism of the pilot was beyond belief."
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/2879290/Pilot-was-shot-between-the-eyes-and-still-flew-to-safety.html#ixzz0hmsGtVED
Posted by: Michelle Nielsen
Published: The Sun 05 Mar 2010
A HERO Chinook pilot was shot between the eyes by a Taliban bullet - but flew on and saved all 20 aboard.
Flight Lieutenant Ian Fortune, 28, had flown in to pick up casualties as a firefight raged between American and Afghan forces and heavily-armed rebels near Garmsir in Helmand Province.
He circled until troops reported incoming fire had calmed down. But as Ian flew in the helicopter came under attack - which continued as casualties were being loaded. Then as he lifted off Ian was shot.
A bullet hit a metal rail on the front of his helmet which is used to attach night vision goggles.
The round then penetrated his helmet hitting him between the eyes. It knocked his head back and caused severe bleeding.
More bullets followed, hitting the Chinook's controls and shutting down the stabilisation system.
But with blood pouring into his eyes, Ian battled with the controls to stop the chopper from spiralling out of control.
Then with the aircraft lurching from side to side he continued flying for eight minutes before landing at Camp Bastion. Ian was taken to the field hospital and treated for his wound.
It is the first time in the nine-year war in Afghanistan a pilot has been shot while in the air.
One senior RAF source said: "This could have become one of the worst incidents of the conflict.
"If the bullet had hit the pilot a millimetre lower, those on board wouldn't have stood a chance.
"And had it not been for the skill of the pilot the result would have been the same."
TV's Mike, 41, who was with a crew from the Discovery Channel, said: "The courage and heroism of the pilot was beyond belief."
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/2879290/Pilot-was-shot-between-the-eyes-and-still-flew-to-safety.html#ixzz0hmsGtVED
Posted by: Michelle Nielsen
The reality behind film
I’ve watched a million war movies but the only one that’s made me feel like I’m back there is The Hurt Locker 
By NICK FRANCIS
Published: The SUN 05 Mar 2010
IRAQ war film The Hurt Locker is a real edge-of-your-seat thriller and is up for an amazing NINE Oscars this weekend.
It tells the harrowing story of a US bomb disposal team's deadly mission in Baghdad - and the movie's producers were advised by a Brit hero of the campaign, Chris Hunter.
The 37-year-old major is the British Army's most successful bomb disposal expert ever. He has completed multiple tours in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan as well as in Iraq, where he disarmed 45 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), during a single two-month stint.
In The Hurt Locker, lead actor Jeremy Renner - nominated for the best actor Oscar on Sunday - plays Staff Sergeant William James, a reckless and fearless operator addicted to the perils of the job.
The movie - which bagged the best film Bafta last month - makes for compulsive viewing and provides a chilling illustration of the perilous work being carried out by real-life bomb disposal experts in Iraq and Afghanistan, where IEDs now account for 90 per cent of deaths.
Here, in Day Two of The Sun's Oscars Week series, bomb disposal expert Chris tells what he thinks of the film - as well as what life is really like on the front line.
Chris says: "I've watched a million and one war movies, believe me, but the only one that has made me feel like I am actually back out there is The Hurt Locker. It sent a tingle down my spine."
As an ATO - or Ammunition Technical Officer - Chris got so good at foiling bombs in Basra that he became a direct target himself when insurgents left devices intended specifically to kill him.
In one incident, outside a packed hospital in Basra, rebels left a car packed with explosives.
They assumed Chris would open the boot, which would detonate the bomb.
But sensing something was wrong, he sent in a robot to open the boot - and the car blew sky-high.
Chris is one of the lucky survivors of a job which claims many casualties, among them British servicemen Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, 30, Warrant Officer Gaz O'Donnell, 40, and Captains Dan Shepherd, 28, and Dan Read, 31.
Chris says: "I knew Olaf, we served together, and Gaz was a good friend. I was with him two days before he was killed.
"The Ammunition Technical Officers are a close-knit community. It's one thing The Hurt Locker gets across very well.
"The camaraderie between all the guys is huge, but there is also a real diversity in character.
"There aren't many of us doing the job and we have to work very closely together.
"It's incredibly competitive but you also have to watch each other's backs. You can take the p*** out of each other, but if anyone else tries to take the p*** you won't stand for it.
"It takes a minimum of four and a half years' technical and on-the-job training to get to the level those lads were at."
Olaf "Oz" Schmid was killed on October 31 last year as he attempted to disarm an IED in the Sangin region of Helmand province in Afghanistan.
He was close friends with Dan Read, the latest ATO to die in the line of duty. He was killed two months ago.
Chris says: "You never know when it is your last time. All four of those lads were experienced, highly trained and extremely professional. It's just the sheer volume of IEDs these days - it becomes a numbers game."
The ATOs have a term - the Long Walk - to describe their perilous approach to a bomb.
It is done entirely alone to minimise casualties and in a protective suit weighing a burdensome 85lb.
Chris adds: "If you do the Long Walk enough times, chances are something will go wrong one day. It's a very lonely but intense walk.
"To handle it you have to have tunnel vision, blocking out everything around you. It's just you and the bomb.
"Every bomb is unique, so every approach has to be considered carefully.
"It can take hours of crawling along the floor, face in the dirt, in case there's any other ordnance around it or it's been booby-trapped.
"At the same time you're under pressure to deal with it quickly. When a patrol is stopped it's a sitting duck, and an IED often goes hand-in-hand with an ambush."
During his 18 years as an ATO Chris has become skilled at developing profiles of the bomb-makers he has been up against. He says: "It's a game of cat-and-mouse. I could recognise a specific bomb-maker's work by the way it was put together.
"The Taliban are so dangerous because they are sophisticated and quick to adapt.
"Most of their bombs used to be made out of metal, using two saw blades which, when stood on, created a circuit and blew up.
"The British Army realised this and started to counter them using metal detectors.
"The Taliban are cunning, and immediately figured out a way to make bombs from non-metal substances.
"Whenever I hear of an ATO dying in Afghanistan, my heart goes out to the family. It is stressful on loved ones, who never know what could happen to you. Every time you leave for a war zone it could be the last time they see you.
"This is the same for any soldier's family. It takes great strength and relationships become strained very easily.
"An official military term for defusing bombs is Explosive Ordnance Disposal, or EOD. Ask an ATO and they'll tell you EOD really stands for Every One's Divorced."
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/film/2879226/Oscars-week-in-The-Sun-Real-life-stories-behind-the-films.html#ixzz0hmoZB9Jw
Posted by: Michelle Nielsen
By NICK FRANCIS
Published: The SUN 05 Mar 2010
IRAQ war film The Hurt Locker is a real edge-of-your-seat thriller and is up for an amazing NINE Oscars this weekend.
It tells the harrowing story of a US bomb disposal team's deadly mission in Baghdad - and the movie's producers were advised by a Brit hero of the campaign, Chris Hunter.
The 37-year-old major is the British Army's most successful bomb disposal expert ever. He has completed multiple tours in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan as well as in Iraq, where he disarmed 45 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), during a single two-month stint.
In The Hurt Locker, lead actor Jeremy Renner - nominated for the best actor Oscar on Sunday - plays Staff Sergeant William James, a reckless and fearless operator addicted to the perils of the job.
The movie - which bagged the best film Bafta last month - makes for compulsive viewing and provides a chilling illustration of the perilous work being carried out by real-life bomb disposal experts in Iraq and Afghanistan, where IEDs now account for 90 per cent of deaths.
Here, in Day Two of The Sun's Oscars Week series, bomb disposal expert Chris tells what he thinks of the film - as well as what life is really like on the front line.
Chris says: "I've watched a million and one war movies, believe me, but the only one that has made me feel like I am actually back out there is The Hurt Locker. It sent a tingle down my spine."
As an ATO - or Ammunition Technical Officer - Chris got so good at foiling bombs in Basra that he became a direct target himself when insurgents left devices intended specifically to kill him.
In one incident, outside a packed hospital in Basra, rebels left a car packed with explosives.
They assumed Chris would open the boot, which would detonate the bomb.
But sensing something was wrong, he sent in a robot to open the boot - and the car blew sky-high.
Chris is one of the lucky survivors of a job which claims many casualties, among them British servicemen Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, 30, Warrant Officer Gaz O'Donnell, 40, and Captains Dan Shepherd, 28, and Dan Read, 31.
Chris says: "I knew Olaf, we served together, and Gaz was a good friend. I was with him two days before he was killed.
"The Ammunition Technical Officers are a close-knit community. It's one thing The Hurt Locker gets across very well.
"The camaraderie between all the guys is huge, but there is also a real diversity in character.
"There aren't many of us doing the job and we have to work very closely together.
"It's incredibly competitive but you also have to watch each other's backs. You can take the p*** out of each other, but if anyone else tries to take the p*** you won't stand for it.
"It takes a minimum of four and a half years' technical and on-the-job training to get to the level those lads were at."
Olaf "Oz" Schmid was killed on October 31 last year as he attempted to disarm an IED in the Sangin region of Helmand province in Afghanistan.
He was close friends with Dan Read, the latest ATO to die in the line of duty. He was killed two months ago.
Chris says: "You never know when it is your last time. All four of those lads were experienced, highly trained and extremely professional. It's just the sheer volume of IEDs these days - it becomes a numbers game."
The ATOs have a term - the Long Walk - to describe their perilous approach to a bomb.
It is done entirely alone to minimise casualties and in a protective suit weighing a burdensome 85lb.
Chris adds: "If you do the Long Walk enough times, chances are something will go wrong one day. It's a very lonely but intense walk.
"To handle it you have to have tunnel vision, blocking out everything around you. It's just you and the bomb.
"Every bomb is unique, so every approach has to be considered carefully.
"It can take hours of crawling along the floor, face in the dirt, in case there's any other ordnance around it or it's been booby-trapped.
"At the same time you're under pressure to deal with it quickly. When a patrol is stopped it's a sitting duck, and an IED often goes hand-in-hand with an ambush."
During his 18 years as an ATO Chris has become skilled at developing profiles of the bomb-makers he has been up against. He says: "It's a game of cat-and-mouse. I could recognise a specific bomb-maker's work by the way it was put together.
"The Taliban are so dangerous because they are sophisticated and quick to adapt.
"Most of their bombs used to be made out of metal, using two saw blades which, when stood on, created a circuit and blew up.
"The British Army realised this and started to counter them using metal detectors.
"The Taliban are cunning, and immediately figured out a way to make bombs from non-metal substances.
"Whenever I hear of an ATO dying in Afghanistan, my heart goes out to the family. It is stressful on loved ones, who never know what could happen to you. Every time you leave for a war zone it could be the last time they see you.
"This is the same for any soldier's family. It takes great strength and relationships become strained very easily.
"An official military term for defusing bombs is Explosive Ordnance Disposal, or EOD. Ask an ATO and they'll tell you EOD really stands for Every One's Divorced."
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/film/2879226/Oscars-week-in-The-Sun-Real-life-stories-behind-the-films.html#ixzz0hmoZB9Jw
Posted by: Michelle Nielsen
Friday, 12 February 2010
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Mail on Sunday gives 5p from every paper
The Soldiers launch new album... and it's free with the MoS in support of Help for Heroes
digg]By CHRISTINE CHALLAND
Last updated at 10:01 PM on 30th January 2010
Not since the darkest days of the Second World War have the Armed Forces been quite so much at the forefront of our national life. So, perhaps, it is not entirely surprising that a group of serving troops should become one of the singing sensations of the year.
Following the double-platinum success of their debut album Coming Home, The Soldiers - Sergeant Major Gary Chilton, Sergeant Richie Maddocks and Lance Corporal Ryan Idzi - are now preparing for their first 23-date UK tour, which begins on March 16.
But their Army duties and band rehearsals have not prevented them going into the studio to record a special Valentine's Day CD of romantic songs which you will find free with this paper.
Hit parade: The Soldiers, from left, Ryan Idzi, Gary Chilton and Richie Maddocks, are in the front line of fame with a double-platinum disc
To coincide with the release, 5p of the purchase price of today's edition will be donated to Help for Heroes, which supports members of the Armed Forces wounded in conflict.
It's a project that excites The Soldiers. 'Getting back into a recording studio has given us the chance to say a special thank you to everyone who has supported us since we released the debut album last October,' says 41-year-old Gary, a Gulf War veteran who joined the Royal Armoured Corps after leaving school at 16.
'None of us ever imagined that The Soldiers would be so successful. And it's great to know the CD is making a difference to a charity like Help for Heroes.'
Possibly the best-known of the trio is the youngest member, Ryan, 24, who appeared on The X Factor in 2007 singing Lean On Me.
Ryan joined the 20th Armoured Brigade after leaving school at 18 and has served in Iraq and Afghanistan as a reconnaissance soldier. Ironically, it was an attack of stage fright that lost him a place in the programme's semi-finals, something that, thankfully, he's never had to deal with since.
'Being a part of The Soldiers is far more me,' he says. 'I was a bit too young and nervous on The X Factor, to be honest. But being with these guys felt right from the moment we all met up.
'Our day jobs are part of what we are and, hopefully, what we mean to people. The way we sing together and how we get a feel for the songs is pretty special.'
Ryan admits he's the one who is more inclined to let off steam if he's not happy with something.
'I can kick off big time,' he says. 'I'll start shouting the odds if something isn't going well or I'm tired and I've just had enough of going over the same song again and again.
'I'm learning to take a leaf of out Gaz and Richie's book. They're far more laid-back and mature about things but then they are A LOT older than me!
'The lads in my unit have been brilliant. We've all had our leg pulled a bit. When I went back to Germany last week, my sergeant major saw me and yelled out, "Hey, pop star, get that thermal top off, you big nancy!"'
Ryan, who grew up in Caerphilly, South Wales, was sent out to Iraq for six months just two weeks after arriving at his new regiment in Osnabruck in 2005.
During his second tour of Iraq in 2006, again as a reconnaissance soldier patrolling on foot and in military vehicles, Ryan was part of a troop seconded to Baghdad as a driver for high-ranking military personnel.
Free: The CD of romantic songs, released in time for Valentine's Day, comes with today's MoS newspaper
He and two other colleagues escaped injury when they were involved in a mine explosion, but two other soldiers died in the blast.
His final tour of Afghanistan last year, driving the Army's new Mastiff vehicle, ended when he was injured playing rugby. Ryan is now working in a recruitment post in Brecon.
Gulf veteran Richie, 37, who joined the Corps of Army Music as a 16-year-old trumpeter, is now a training supervisor at the Royal Military School of Music based at Kneller Hall in Twickenham.
'I come from a musical family,' he says. 'My father, who died six years ago, was a fine musician who played piano, guitar and was a great singer - he was a big fan of Tom Jones. My four brothers all play music professionally and my two sisters, Lisa and Shirley, are always singing along to something.'
Richie, who grew up in Failsworth near Oldham, started playing the cornet and trumpet at the age of 11. 'Later, I met someone who was a member of an Army band and I thought this sounds like it's for me and signed up,' he says. 'After that it was just a case of auditioning to prove that I had the ability to play at that level.
'As soon as I started playing for the Band of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment I absolutely loved it and knew I'd made the right choice.'
Richie was based with the band in Fallingbostel, Germany, for five years after an initial four-year posting at Catterick Barracks with his regiment. Since 1996, he has been a member of the Minden Band of the Queen's Division, which has involved a number of overseas tours with the Army band.
During a tour of the Gulf in 1991, he worked as a medic as well as entertaining combat troops on the front line with his band. In 2004, during a tour of Iraq with the Army pop group Mind 'n Soul, again entertaining troops, he was a reconnaissance soldier taking part in patrols on foot and in convoy.
'I feel proud nearly every day I'm in the Army,' he says. 'The comradeship and close friendships you form, being part of something which is so worthwhile, is a wonderful feeling.
'One of the best things about my job is that I get to have a giggle every day. I'll always try to find a positive in the situation, being a born optimist, but I'm very lucky to be surrounded by colleagues who take their job so professionally and whose first thought is always about other people.
'Life has never been dull since I joined up, and alongside the feelings of pride there is sometimes sadness. I can remember that when I was in the Gulf and was only 18, a little girl came up to me while I was on foot patrol and gave me a Kuwaiti flag - it's something I've never forgotten.'
The Army is proud of them, too. So much so that even General Sir David Richards, the British Army's new Chief of General Staff, has personally written to each of the boys offering his congratulations on their success.
'He said it was good to see the Army getting some positive feedback,' says Gary. 'Our units have been very good at allowing us the time to record. Our jobs as soldiers will always come first but I think we're all enjoying this chance to sing together.'
Their unique selling point is that not only have they all risked their lives serving on the front line for their country but they are all utterly grounded and devoted to their families and Army careers.
Even though they are still getting over the excitement of being recognised wherever they go, the boys admit they simply feel lucky to have struck such a chord with fans who appreciate the unique, heartfelt blend of their voices. And privileged at the way they have been able to share songs that celebrate the courage and commitment of their comrades who are serving, and the families of those who have been lost fighting.
'It's a tough time for all military personnel and their families,' says Richie. 'We're so proud to be doing our bit to help put the British Army on the map.
'We're still pinching ourselves, knowing there are more than 40,000 followers just on our Facebook page.'
And even though the boys are likely to be rehearsing on February 14, Gary and Richie have already vowed to make Valentine's Day extra special for their wives.
But Ryan, jokingly referred to by Gary as the group's eye-candy, says he's still looking for the perfect woman and keeps himself as fit as possible. 'I'm ready for love,' he declares.
Richie says: 'I'm always doing romantic things for my gorgeous wife Nicci, like buying her flowers and running her big, steamy baths and pouring her a nice glass of wine.'
Gary's idea of romancing his wife Christine, whom he's been married to for 11 years, involves choosing a favourite restaurant and having a good chat over a meal and a bottle of wine.
Having two young children, Aaron, ten, and seven-year-old Megan, who are both over the moon about their dad's new-found fame, Gary says life always seems hectic and so a night out with Christine is a rare treat they always look forward to.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1247374/The-Soldiers-launch-new-album--free-MoS-support-Help-Heroes.html#ixzz0eOTSvS31
Iraq inquiry: Short says cabinet misled on war legality
Tony Blair's cabinet was "misled" into thinking the war with Iraq was legal, ex-International Development Secretary Clare Short has told the UK's inquiry.
She said Attorney General Lord Goldsmith had been "leaned on" to change his advice before the invasion.
Mr Blair "and his mates" decided war was necessary, and "everything was done on a wing and a prayer", Ms Short said.
She quit the cabinet two months after the March 2003 invasion, in protest at planning for the war's aftermath.
In her evidence to the Iraq inquiry, during which she was highly critical of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, she said the cabinet had not been a "decision-making body" and called Parliament a "rubber stamp".
Ms Short, who was given a round of applause after her three-hour appearance, added that she had been "conned" into staying on as a minister until May 2003, despite her misgivings about the war.
'Want to be loyal'
The attorney general provisionally advised Mr Blair in January that year that it would be unlawful to invade Iraq without a further United Nations Security Council resolution.
But he changed his mind a month later after being persuaded to talk to senior US government lawyers and Britain's ambassador to the UN, Sir Jeremy Greenstock.
A definitive statement circulated at cabinet on 17 March 2003, three days before the war began.
Ms Short said there was no suggestion given that he had had any legal doubts, and said that any discussion of the legal advice was halted at that pre-war cabinet meeting.
 | CLARE SHORT'S MAIN CLAIMS Cabinet misled on legality of war Iraq intelligence not given to UK aid officials Ms Short persuaded to stay on with promise of UN involvement in reconstruction of Iraq Cabinet sidelined and Parliament a rubber stamp in decision to go to war Blair arguments on Saddam threat and possible terror links "historically inaccurate" |
She had been "shocked" by the attorney general's advice was so late but was "jeered at" to be quiet by other ministers when she asked why.
Ms Short said that, when she repeated the question to Lord Goldsmith, he had replied: "Oh, it takes me a long time to make my mind up."
In light of the attorney general's "doubts and his changes of opinion" that have since emerged, Ms Short said: "I think for the attorney general to come and say there's unequivocal legal authority to go war was misleading."
She said: "I think he misled the cabinet. He certainly misled me, but people let it through."
Ms Short said that, after the failure to secure a second UN resolution, the government had put out "untrue" claims that France had vetoed it.
But she added that "I believed them at the time. You don't want to disbelieve your prime minister in the run-up to war and you want to believe the leader of your party. You want to be loyal".
Asked why she did not resign earlier, like her cabinet colleague Robin Cook, Ms Short said: "I was conned."
'Much better'
She told the inquiry panel that Mr Blair had promised the UN a strong role in Iraq's reconstruction and further action to resolve the Israel-Palestine situation.
Ms Short said: "I thought that if we got a Palestinian state and a UN lead on reconstruction, that will be much better...
"I took a lot of flak for it. I still think, if we had done those things, it would have been a heck of a lot better."
Ms Short also told the inquiry that she "was seeing the intelligence" to do with Iraq during the earlier stages of preparations for a possible invasion.
But, in late, 2002 she added: "We asked for a briefing... This just didn't come and didn't come... it became clear there was some sort of block on communications."
Ms Short, who now sits in the Commons as an independent MP, eventually quit the government over the lack of UN involvement in the reconstruction effort.
Mr Blair told the inquiry last week that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had been a "monster" who, he believed, "threatened not just the region but the world".
He said British and US attitudes towards the threat posed by Iraq "changed dramatically" after the terror attacks on 11 September 2001, since they highlighted the dangers of potential links between failed states in possession of weapons of mass destruction and terrorist groups.
'Difficult to handle'
But Ms Short told the inquiry Mr Blair's evidence was "historically inaccurate", adding: "There was no evidence of any kind of an escalation of threats."
She also said: "We could have gone more slowly and carefully and not have had a totally destabilised and angry Iraq."
"The American people were misled to suggest that al-Qaeda had links to Saddam Hussein.
"Everybody knows that is untrue - that he had absolutely links, no sympathy, al-Qaeda were nowhere near Iraq until after the invasion and the disorder that came from that."
During an earlier hearing, former head of the armed forces Lord Boyce suggested officials from Ms Short's department had refused to co-operate fully in the immediate aftermath of the invasion because of their opposition to the war.
Mr Blair's former spokesman, Alastair Campbell, told the inquiry that Ms Short had been "difficult to handle" in the run-up to the invasion and suggested there was a fear she might leak things she did not agree with.
But, in his evidence, former Cabinet Secretary Lord Turnbull said such criticism was unfair and Ms Short and other more independent voices in cabinet had been effectively sidelined.
Hilary Benn, who succeeded Ms Short as international development secretary, will also give evidence on Tuesday.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8492526.stm
Posted By: Lottie Mather
Monday, 1 February 2010
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