[BITList] Where do they find these people ???

[John Feltham]

UK MoD.


Heartless defence bosses are snubbing RAF medics by refusing to award  
them Afghan service medals.

Dedicated teams have evacuated thousands of badly wounded troops home  
from the war zone, saving dozens of lives.

But MoD red tape says they do not qualify for a regular campaign medal.

More than 200 doctors and nurses from the Tactical Medical Wing's  
Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, based at RAF Lyneham, Wilts, are  
affected.

It is the latest blow to Forces' morale - and as part of our Don't You  
Know There's a Bloody War On campaign, The Sun demands the injustice  
is reversed.

Applications submitted by the medics to the MoD's medal office  
recently have all been turned down.

Despite spending months in Afghanistan, the nurses do not spent 30  
days continuously in the country, which is the ground troops'  
criterion for the Operation Herrick gong.

They have also been judged not to qualify under RAF pilots' rules,  
flying 30 combat sorties over the country. One RAF medic said: "It  
would mean so much to all of us. We don't understand why we're left out.

"The loadmasters on our flights get the medal, and we go everywhere  
they go - it makes no sense.

"Nobody does the job for medals - every one of us is in it for trying  
to save as many guys as possible, and we work our socks off to do  
that. But it would be nice to get the recognition that we've served  
our country."

A total of 2,469 sick troops have been flown home by the teams from  
Afghanistan in the past three years.

Spending up to ten days in the war zone at a time, the teams pick up  
the wounded at Kandahar Air Base on C17 giant jets or Tristar troop  
transporters specially fitted out with intensive care bays.

It is then an eight-hour flight to Birmingham Airport or RAF Brize  
Norton, Oxfordshire. On learning of the medals snub, veterans minister  
Kevan Jones has ordered Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Jock Stirrup to  
look into the rules urgently to help the medics.

An MOD spokesman said: "The aeromedical teams provide excellent care  
to personnel being evacuated from theatre. The military chiefs are  
reviewing medal qualification criteria and they are best placed to  
make recommendations on the need for any changes."

These MoD desk jockeys are amazingly stupid, what is needed is a good  
sort out of the rabble and get some real people in place.


ooroo

Bad typists of the word, untie.