Dunkield Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Can you please keep this thread on topic, and refrain from personal attacks otherwise it will be closed/binned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikaveli Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Marty, we love you ex squaddies and all! I served nearly a third of a 23 year Army career in Northern Ireland, my son was born there and I still have many friends there, so though not a local I feel I've earned the right to have an opinion. Here's my take on some of the recent posts. Some young soldiers on check points DID abuse their position, either out of ignorance, lack of correct leadership or sadly in some cases, misguided retribution for killed or injured colleagues. They were a minority. Most I knew were professional, objective and smart enough to realise that abusing civilians would be the IRA's best recruiting sergeant, but as in any walk of life there are always a few idiots. Likewise, as much as I have very personal reasons to abhor the IRA, they didn't have a monopoly on murder. Many of the loyalist murder gangs committed horrendous atrocities too. Add a few rogue policemen and soldiers into the mix and I am deeply grateful that chapter of Northern Ireland's history is (for the most part bar a few dissident scumbags) consigned to history. Since my first tour in 1986, NI has changed out of all recognition and very much for the better. Long may it continue. As I said in an earlier post, my own preference would be for you guys to stay part of the UK because you enrich the union and make us so much more than the sum of our parts. But, it's not for me to decide, it's for the people who live there. So long as any decision is made at the ballot box, then I (and most people i suspect) will wish you well either as fellow UK citizens, or good neighbors. Well said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imissalot Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 A short stint in Girdwood Park in Belfast, then Bessbrook Mill. I did a tour in Omagh in 1994. Glad your here to tell mate shoot straight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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