IT is quite incredible what the British military has achieved and is continuing to achieve with very limited resources. Yesterday, I was aboard one of the Royal Navy minesweepers as it prepared to sail for possible war in the Gulf. Morale aboard was absolutely fantastic eventhough in a few weeks time the crew could be asked to fight a war. That is what they are paid to do, I hear you say. Yes, but apart from trying to contain the Saddam Hussein threat the British military are also fighting fires and carrying out other civil tasks. The British Military has been asked to deploy its biggest Task Force for 20 years but at the same time providing fire cover. All this with half the manpower of a decade ago. As we know your average squaddie, sailor, or airman and woman gets less than a firefighter at the moment. Britain is proud of its military and rightly so. I also feel that it is quite fantastic how flexible the armed services are. Britain cannot pack the military punch it did of yesteryear but one thing for sure the people at the front are the best of British. Hopefully, the two minehunters which left our shore yesterday will not be called to action. One thing for sure, if they are they will certainly prove their worth. There is plenty of sentiment against a war with Iraq and quite rightly so. It is interesting to note that the only people who are not questioning the war are those who will ultimately have to fight it. Britain should be very proud and hopefully the two Gulf bound vessels will have fond memories of their time in Majorca.
Jason Moore