In Actual Fact

I first became aware of the extent of ‘blogging because of people like Andrew Sullivan, who keeps a pretty much, purely socio-political blog; and then got to learn just how many people were actually keeping their diaries on line. Now, I’m still not prepared to share all my day-to-day personal details with the wired world, but I am occasionally moved to comment on stories like this. Sergeant Steven Roberts, one of the first casualities of the war in Iraq, a victim of friendly fire, was shot in the chest, he’d had ceramic plates in his flak jacket, but as there weren’t enough for all the British troops to go around, and he was in a tank regiment as opposed to infantry (who’re more likely to be in the open and get shot by distinctly unfriendly fire), he’d been asked to hand his inserts back to someone more likely to need them. In the event they would almost certainly have saved his life. Maybe Sergeant Roberts’ plates did in fact save the life of some infantryman who got a bruised chest and somewhat strengthened religious beliefs. The “swap” which cost Sgt. Roberts his life was the sensible thing to do in circumstances where there were not enough plates to go around. The question of course is, why weren’t there enough? Sgt. Roberts was a combat soldier, even if in an armoured regiment - not someone back in Doha or wherever. I’ve heard the argument saying that if extra combat equipment was rushed to troops in the months before the outbreak of war, it would look as if last-minute efforts at diplomacy had been given up or were at best, half-hearted. Well, if the world hadn’t noticed the sanctions, no-fly-zones, the ignored UN resolutions including 1441, which threatened Iraq with that quaint diplomatic phrase “serious consequences” and all those troops massed in the Gulf, but would have been shocked to learn that Britain had stepped up bullet-proof ceramic plate production, then gosh, that’s okay then.

If all are troops were properly equipped, do you know what it would look like? It would look like we actually appreciate the job they do and the sacrifices they make.