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Reply With QuoteOriginally Posted by Ironduke
Hats off to the Brits... thanks for being there with us.
BBC NEWS | UK | British Iraqi pull-out imminentBritish Iraqi pull-out imminent
The end of the UK's military presence in Iraq is imminent after six years.
A memorial service is taking place in Basra for the 179 British personnel who have died during the conflict, attended by Defence Secretary John Hutton.
Defence officials say plans for the withdrawal of British forces in Iraq are well advanced.
They began their official pull-out last month when the UK's commander in the south of the country, Maj Gen Andy Salmon, handed over to a US general.
British troops took a step closer to withdrawal at the start of the year when Basra International Airport - used as a UK military base during the conflict - was passed to full Iraqi control.
BBC News defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt says there is a sense of relief for many British servicemen and women that their final tour of Iraq is winding down.
Some are now serving on their fourth tour, taking them away from home for two years out of the last six.
Our correspondent says many of them will look back with mixed emotions.
Southern Iraq is more peaceful than it was a year ago but when British forces invaded Iraq as part of the US-led coalition in 2003 few people imagined troops would still be in the country six years later.
As British forces prepare to leave Iraq, senior commanders admit they have learned lessons from the campaign.
It was a conflict that showed the strengths and weaknesses of the British armed forces.
There were acts of great heroism but also a force that came under great strain, fighting on two fronts - in Iraq and Afghanistan.
TANKIE. ECO WARRIOR , SAVE THE TREES
I agree 100 Percent....
I thank you as a US citizen... as a father who's son has "bled" with you, as an uncle who's nephews traveled the same roads as you, and as a parent who "lived and died" every time a news report said a solider was killed or wounded.
And you warriors did it in the face of low public support for your efforts...
All I can do is say..... Thank you .......and tip my hat to you.
The redcoats were awesome.
Their leadership was frequently crooked and/or inept, and when the history of this war is written in full and the true stories can finally be told, the Tommies will have proven themselves the heirs of the men of the Thin Red Line that unrolls back through the years, and that History respects.
And the politicians will be known as some of the most perfidious back-stabbers that weren't born in Paris, which is where THEIR inheritance seems to originate.
God Bless You, Thomas Atkins, and may He protect you from your enemies across the water, and from the ones that you protect with your blood that they spill so carelessly.
"The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it, and if one finds the prospect of a long war intolerable, it is natural to disbelieve in the possibility of victory."
- George Orwell
Heart felt thanks ,the nail hit once again firmly on the head B/M , and when they come home and parade thro their towns/cities, i hope the mongrols who wish to protest stay the f##k away and do it from their armchairs , bastard morons
TANKIE. ECO WARRIOR , SAVE THE TREES
Thanks Blues'.. I will send your thanks to my son from you, as we thank your wife and son from us grateful Brits.
Heart felt thanks ,the nail hit once again firmly on the head B/M , and when they come home and parade thro their towns/cities, i hope the mongrols who wish to protest stay the f##k away and do it from their armchairs , bastard morons
Eric.
It's the Soldier
who salutes the flag
who serves beneath the flag
and whose coffin is draped
by the flag
who allows the protesters to
burn the flag
No flag burning on my watch Dave , no F#####R
TANKIE. ECO WARRIOR , SAVE THE TREES
This below is how John Simpson of the BBC, I think their chief foreign correspondent, report on this, and the British stay in Basra. Click into the link to read more.
UK combat operations end in Iraq
30 Apr [BBC] You might expect the mood in Basra to be one of rejoicing, given that an occupying army is pulling out. It is exactly the opposite, finds the BBC's John Simpson.
The British themselves tend to think of their time in Basra as a failure. The Americans told them bluntly that they were much too soft.
They patrolled in berets instead of helmets, and were not allowed to wear sunglasses; they did not want to seem menacing.
That worked well, until neighbouring Iran decided to stir up the militias to attack the British.
There was the famous scene in September 2005, shown on television sets around the world, when a crowd of Iraqis attacked a British armoured vehicle and set it, and its crew, on fire.
The British increasingly allowed the militia groups to behave as they wanted, in order to avoid the kind of battles which would cost British lives.
Public opinion
The government in London knew that public opinion at home, already turning strongly against Britain's involvement in the invasion of Iraq, would be deeply hostile to anything they regarded as a pointless loss of life.
But as a result, women were attacked in the streets of Basra for not wearing Islamic dress, and shops which sold goods that were thought to be offensive were attacked. There was violence and theft.
Eventually the British withdrew from Basra city centre. American analysts said they would be chased out with their tails between their legs.
The Badr Brigade, one of the leading militias, claimed that it had scored a major victory in forcing the British out.
When I went to see the political head of the Badr Brigade, now that the British are leaving for good, I expected him to be crowing over his militia's supposed victory.
On the contrary, Forat al-Shar'a was full of praise for the way the British had behaved in Basra.
They were, he said, cleverer than the Americans, and had treated the Iraqis with great wisdom. ...
I have a problem with the word "cleverer" is there such a word? It has never sounded correct to meThey were, he said, cleverer than the Americans, and had treated the Iraqis with great wisdom.
Well done.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is to know to not use it in a fruit salad.
Its a bit like more betterer than them, but there again it could be more correcterer Dave
TANKIE. ECO WARRIOR , SAVE THE TREES
Well, for us its almost over. Final Patrols have taken place and we can take a short breather, remember the fallen and try to recover as much as is possible in what time we have from the strain that two wars have put on our Forces before we send more troops off to Afghanistan.
God bless our friends and comrades who laid down their lives for the people of a country far away. All our brave men and women who went out with their hands tied behind their backs by those at the top, that went to a conflict that the public never supported.
All those who fell, we shall never forget you.
Last edited by Shiny Capstar; 01 May 09, at 22:09.
Nulli Secundus
People always talk of dying for their country, and never of making the other bastard die for his
Captain, that's quiet a strong worded(para 2) post and obviously it comes from the heart. As an Officer you could see the downfalls..lack of equipment, food, protection, vehicles, aircraft..ad infinitum. I must admit I was infuriated at the lack of prep' and why it took years for our Government to listen. It cost me hundreds of pounds sending my son food and clothing to a theatre of War(Falklands, Bosnia, Iraq and A'stan)..Disgraceful. Would I do it again? bet your a$$ I would.
[QUOTE=Shiny Capstar;637755] All those who fell, we shall never forget you.
SALUTE.................RIP
Last edited by dave lukins; 02 May 09, at 01:31.
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