View Full Version : 21st march 1982...
Iknow it seems a strange thing to post but i want to let you know a chapter of my life that sticks with me today......
19th march 1982 i was 12 yrs old and watching the news about the Argentinians invading the falklands.......My heart sank, my god another war.....
21st march 1982 my father comes home from work and gives me his usual grin...I then hear the words that he had spoken softly to my mum...WERE GOING.....My heart sank, my father was going to war.....My father was S/Sgt in the royal engineers....I did not fully understand what this meant but i knew there was a chance that i would never see him again....
I had watched my father for the last 6 yrs do tours of NOrthern Island, trying to keep the peace, hoping that he would not be killed due to terrorism.....
Now i watch my father packing his kit bag and getting ready to be deployed...I had letters from him all the time and i waited for the war to be won.......
Then came the letter i was hoping for..I am coming home......I was glad when i saw my father get off the boat, but i saw a shell of man that went.....
My father said that he had brought us something back, and it made me realise the real horrors of war...Out of his bergen he pulled out an Argentinian helmet.There was a bullet hole in the side and there was still dried blood inside of it.....I do not know to this day where it came from or who it came from i never asked....The sight of a bloody helmet was enough....
1990..The gulf war...i then watched my brother being deployed to the gulf, he also came back a different man.....My family was destroyed by war.....I have read alot of what people have said about Iraq, and i was wondering if they really realise what they effects are on the famillies and the mena and women, that fight and die for their country......
Mostorgers might not find this interesting but some need to know what it is like to watch a family member go to war......I will never forget how i felt....25 yrs later and it is still fresh in my mind.......Wars are to be won, but why so many need to die trying.......
danc1ngwitch
21-Mar-07, 14:43
i think that what you have writen is heart wrenchin, it has brought out deep emotions in me.
I enjoyed reading this, and yes it made a tear come to my eye xxx
Sad to think that the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War will be dumbed down by the BBC. They have apparently decided that sending a full crew to cover the event is going to be too expensive, yet we get endless shows about celebrity this or that.
Thankfully your family members did return from serving their country, albeit mere shadows of their former selves, and that is why it is important to remember the sacrifices, both of life and of a normal life after, made by the brave men and women of our armed services.
I hope you find some comfort in the knowledge that some on these forums fully appreciate the importance of the date....
i know that the falklands war and the war on terrorism in ireland has been pushed back due to the wars of today, but it is made out that the Americans ore the first to suffer at the hands of terrorists....
I saw many good friends in the army die in bomb blasts, the effect it has on the families and the rest of the regiment.....The general public never gets the full picture....The MOD keep it hush until the regiment and the immediate family know the full details....I spent the best years of my life watching wars,watching people die, hearinf of another soldier in the regiment that wont be going home.I think about all those that have suffered and are still suffering.my father has given all he could for the country he lives in....But i watched him fall apart slowly over the years.....He is deaf due to a mine blast, in which his best mate died, they were cleaning up after the war..Theyhad to clear all the mine fields in goosegreen....The war never stops for some, and for some it is only beginning......I will sit here in another five years and hope that the NEWS Channels may just give it a mention...At least some will remember the dead and wounded, and all that the falklands touched, and for the familes of the Gulf war aswell...:(
lassieinfife
21-Mar-07, 15:31
Justine I kow exactly how you feel I was brought up in army.... dad served all over and my brother was in navy and spent plenty time up iceland way during codwar,his ship was rammed and left badly damaged he was lucky all he suffered was a broken arm. All I can say is that my heart and thoughts go out to all the famlies of lost servicemen and women. May their god watch over them
oh hun.. hugs...
your post just about made me cry!
one thing i have to disagree with is that america thinks its the first to be hit with terrorism..
its not that.. where as, in europe it has been an ongoing struggle for years and years.. sept. 11th.. was the first major terrorist attack ever.
and it struck a blow that is still very open and raw.
what you have is a country that has always been so very proud and strong.. just to be struck down in the blink of an eye.
i cannot speak for teh whole country .. but i do know that
all the poeple that i know.. and the place that i grew up.. have very little to do with teh gov.
we pay our taxes, we vote.. and we gurn over the way things are as to the way things were..
but all in all.. we try to be good people and live our lives..
funny how in war.. its not the powers that be.. that are hurt and lives ruined.. but the everyday average people, that are destroyed
oh hun.. hugs...
your post just about made me cry!
one thing i have to disagree with is that america thinks its the first to be hit with terrorism..
its not that.. where as, in europe it has been an ongoing struggle for years and years.. sept. 11th.. was the first major terrorist attack ever.
and it struck a blow that is still very open and raw.
what you have is a country that has always been so very proud and strong.. just to be struck down in the blink of an eye.
i cannot speak for teh whole country .. but i do know that
all the poeple that i know.. and the place that i grew up.. have very little to do with teh gov.
we pay our taxes, we vote.. and we gurn over the way things are as to the way things were..
but all in all.. we try to be good people and live our lives..
funny how in war.. its not the powers that be.. that are hurt and lives ruined.. but the everyday average people, that are destroyed
well i am not going to diasgree or agree about america as i started this for the past wars, but the fact that 655 Argentine soldiers and 255 british soldiers died for their country, can and should never be forgotten....For all those that are too young to know, or remember they should be made aware of what war is like.......Not a bloody masacre like iraq.....The realities of war are going to be with us for many many years and i think that all those that it effects should have their day.....A rememberence for their lost ones.....and changed ones.......i will have the memory of my father and brother going to war with me till the day i leave this earth.....The look was heart breaking and frightening, we all knew there was a chance that this might be the last time we were a family, i am one of the lucky ones.....I mourn for all those that peished for another non worthy cause just a moraless principle..
wow Justine - thanks for sharing that with us - it really made me think about the families of people sent to war - somthing that I've never had to deal with before.
This is what posting should all be about - the sharing of experiences and thought provoking words not arguments of silly little things like the purchase of a camera or not seeing eye to eye with someone elses opinion.
Much love
Vic x
A very thought provoking post. Its a sad sign of our governments since 1982 that more veterans of the South Atlantic have committed suicide than died in the war. This is due to post traumatic stress disorder, a recognised mental illness.
1990..The gulf war...i then watched my brother being deployed to the gulf, he also came back a different man.....My family was destroyed by war.....I have read alot of what people have said about Iraq, and i was wondering if they really realise what they effects are on the famillies and the mena and women, that fight and die for their country......
Wars are horrible things which bring untold misery to millions which is why the threshold for war should always be high.
The notion that if you don't support the war you don't support the troops which has been prevalent lately is completely false and illogical. The way to support our troops is to ensure they are only sent to war as a last resort in defence of our country, after all other options have been given a chance, with the full backing of the people and the international community.
I fear that if the poeple don't stand up and demand justice, make those responsible for starting this war for profit in the Middle East stand trial for their crimes against humanity there will be a lot more stories like yours in a conflict which will last for decades.
...make those responsible for starting this war for profit in the Middle East stand trial ...
:roll: :roll:
Wars are horrible things which bring untold misery to millions which is why the threshold for war should always be high.
The notion that if you don't support the war you don't support the troops which has been prevalent lately is completely false and illogical. The way to support our troops is to ensure they are only sent to war as a last resort in defence of our country, after all other options have been given a chance, with the full backing of the people and the international community.
I fear that if the poeple don't stand up and demand justice, make those responsible for starting this war for profit in the Middle East stand trial for their crimes against humanity there will be a lot more stories like yours in a conflict which will last for decades.
When the falklands started it was because 50 argentine men landed on leith island, supposedly to claim scrap metal..They had been brought over in ships leased, by the argentine govt....They were told to leave....The argentines claimed rights over the falklands for centuries, and vowed they would get it back any way they could......
They then amassed and invaded...What suprised me was the fact that by 20 june 1982 it was over...men died, but nowhere in numbers like those in IRAQ......I see the principle of the reason, but not the logic.....910 men died and countless injured and for what, a mass of islands consisting of 2 large and 300 small islands in the middle of nowhere....
for what i went through i dont think it was worth it, but for the families of those that died, it must have been hell..........
Just being devils advocate here Justine, how would you feel if Spain ever decides to do what the Argentinians did and invade Gibraltar. IMO that would put us Brits in a very awkward position, we have not enough troops or ships available to proctect the Gibraltarian people who consider themselves as British as you and me even if their names are Gomez and Sanchez.
I used to work with someone who was born and rasied on the Falklands - he considered himself as British as many Brits today.
Just because they were a few sheep herders on a rocky outcrop in the South Atlantic did not mean we could ignore them and allow the Argies to walk in and claim the islands as theirs.
While the loss of our troops was regrettable many saw the response by the UK as quite a feat - sailing a fleet of ships all that way in the time frame they did. While many hated Thatcher many also admired her steel in that short conflict. I seriously doubt if the UK could muster such a response again with half of the Navy's ships either waiting sale or scrapping.
This government has torn the heart out of the armed services with cutbacks (just like they are doing with the NHS, even though they say they are pouring money into it) and they send them into conflict or areas of danger poorly equipped. They are not even able to reliably defend themselves with the crappy piece of metal and plastic called the SA80. Years after it's introduction it is still unreliable and prone to jamming under anything but range conditions. An "upgrade" costing millions of pounds still has not solved the problems....
When the falklands started it was because 50 argentine men landed on leith island, supposedly to claim scrap metal..They had been brought over in ships leased, by the argentine govt....They were told to leave....The argentines claimed rights over the falklands for centuries, and vowed they would get it back any way they could......
The Falklands and Iraq are two entirely different things.
The Falklands were recognised as British territory by the United Nations and international law. They were invaded illegaly by a foreign power and the British forces liberated them.
Iraq was recognised as Iraqi territory in international law. They were invaded and occupied illegaly by foreign powers, principally America and Britain. We are doing to Iraq what Argentina did to the Falklands, the "insergents" attempting to liberate Iraq are doing what the British forces did in the Falklands.
The Falklands and Iraq are two entirely different things.
The Falklands were recognised as British territory by the United Nations and international law. They were invaded illegaly by a foreign power and the British forces liberated them.
Iraq was recognised as Iraqi territory in international law. They were invaded and occupied illegaly by foreign powers, principally America and Britain. We are doing to Iraq what Argentina did to the Falklands, the "insergents" attempting to liberate Iraq are doing what the British forces did in the Falklands.
A fair post.
Who's right and wrong is decided by the most powerful, not necessarily who has the moral high ground. It's all a matter of perspective unfortunately...
i know that the two conflicts are different and the intention of this post was just to get people to remember those that did die in the falklands conflict......I am not going into the rights and wrongs of this.....I watched many a family torn apart by a conflict that maybe could have been avoided..
No one expected the brits to retaliate the way they did and the bloodiness of the war....Its a pity that things cant be sorted without conflict....I do not look at what goes on through the eyes of someone who reads about wars, i remember all about the conflicts that have invovled my family and feel for those that are serving in Iraq now....
The only difference that do see is that the country was behind them in the falklands, not with iraq, we want our boys home.....not many agree with the war, unlike the falklands, it had to be done, and was....it could have dragged on but lucky for all concerned it was over in a relatively short time....
Just being devils advocate here Justine, how would you feel if Spain ever decides to do what the Argentinians did and invade Gibraltar. IMO that would put us Brits in a very awkward position, we have not enough troops or ships available to proctect the Gibraltarian people who consider themselves as British as you and me even if their names are Gomez and Sanchez.
due to the loses and the fact that our troops are already deployed in iraq, i would hope that the spanish do not decide to invade gibralter...I lived there for 2 yrs and what a lovely place......it would be such a pity to watch that being destroyed aswell as all the other war torn countries.....hope for a quick end to this conflict.....and may there be many years to the next one.....
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