An unlikely 'recruit' has joined the debate about the techniques used to recruit schoolchildren into the Armed Forces.
Celtic League in recent months has reported opposition from politicians in various Celtic countries and also the significant stance taken by the Educational Institute of Scotland to oppose recruitment in schools.
Now a former SAS soldier has added his voice to the controversy. Chris Ryan, a member of the Bravo Two Zero mission in the first Gulf war and author of a book about the mission, The One That Got Away, has said, in an interview with the Sunday Herald, he would not recommend a life in the army. He said " I enjoyed my 10 years but the life of the military has changed. These promotional videos they show of joining the army isn't what the reality is."
However this was no 'Pauline Conversion' as Ryan added, ""Our soldiers do an outstanding job. I wouldn't try to dissuade someone from joining, but I wouldn't recommend they follow in my footsteps."
Of course Mr Ryan is entitled to his opinion however, it might be difficult to persuade the family and friends of Baha Mousa who, died in the custody of the British Army in Basra, that British "soldiers do an outstanding job".
In addition the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) whose report on detention conditions in the Basra sector said that men were:
“made to kneel, face and hands against the ground, as if in a prayer position. The soldiers stamped on the back of the neck of those raising their head. The suspects were taken to Al-Hakimiya, a former office used by the Mukhabarat (the Iraqi secret police) in Basra, and then beaten severely by coalition forces personnel.”
is unlikely to endorse the view that British soldiers in Iraq are doing "an outstanding job".
J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
25/05/07
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