[BITList] Fwd: Poppy Appeal

[John Feltham]

The poppy Appeal commences on 24th October. Please read this.



They are doing their bit.....please do yours by reading this and  
forwarding it to someone else:



The average British soldier is 19 years old.....he is a short haired,  
well built lad who, under normal circumstances is considered by  
society as half man, half boy.  Not yet dry behind the ears and just  
old enough to buy a round of drinks but old enough to die for his  
country - and for you.  He's not particularly keen on hard work but  
he'd rather be grafting in Afghanistan than unemployed in the UK .  He  
recently left comprehensive school where he was probably an average  
student, played some form of sport, drove a ten year old rust bucket,  
and knew a girl that either broke up with him when he left, or swore  
to be waiting when he returns home.  He moves easily to rock and roll  
or hip-hop or to the rattle of a 7.62mm machine gun.


He is about a stone lighter than when he left home because he is  
working or fighting from dawn to dusk and well beyond.  He has trouble  
spelling, so letter writing is a pain for him, but he can strip a  
rifle in 25 seconds and reassemble it in the dark.  He can recite  
every detail of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either  
effectively if he has to.  He digs trenches and latrines without the  
aid of machines and can apply first aid like a professional  
paramedic.  He can march until he is told to stop, or stay dead still  
until he is told to move.



He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation but he is not without  
a rebellious spirit or a sense of personal dignity.  He is confidently  
self-sufficient.  He has two sets of uniform with him: he washes one  
and wears the other.  He keeps his water bottle full and his feet  
dry.  He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never forgets to  
clean his rifle.  He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes and  
fix his own hurts.  If you are thirsty, he'll share his water with  
you; if you are hungry, his food is your food.  He'll even share his  
life-saving ammunition with you in the heat of a firefight if you run  
low.


He has learned to use his hands like weapons and regards his weapon as  
an extension of his own hands.  He can save your life or he can take  
it, because that is his job - it's what a soldier does.  He often  
works twice as long and hard as a civilian, draw half the pay and have  
nowhere to spend it, and can still find black ironic humour in it  
all.  There's an old saying in the British Army: 'If you can't take a  
joke, you shouldn't have joined!'


He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short  
lifetime. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have  
fallen in combat and he is unashamed to show it or admit it. He feels  
every bugle note of the 'Last Post' or 'Sunset' vibrate through his  
body while standing rigidly to attention.  He's not afraid to  
'Bollock' anyone who shows disrespect when the Regimental Colours are  
on display or the National Anthem is played; yet in an odd twist, he  
would defend anyone's right to be an individual.  Just as with  
generations of young people before him, he is paying the price for our  
freedom.  Clean shaven and baby faced he may be, but be prepared to  
defend yourself if you treat him like a kid.
He is the latest in a long thin line of British Fighting Men that have  
kept this country free for hundreds of years.  He asks for nothing  
from us except our respect, friendship and understanding.  We may not  
like what he does, but sometimes he doesn't like it either - he just  
has it to do..  Remember him always, for he has earned our respect and  
admiration with his blood.

And now we even have brave young women putting themselves in harm's  
way, doing their part in this tradition of going to war when our  
nation's politicians call on us to do so.


When you receive this, please stop for a moment and if you are so  
inclined, feel free to say a prayer for our troops in the trouble  
spots of the world.


  I wouldn't dream of breaking this chain - would you?









  
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