THE COST OF WAR.

A couple of days ago, one of the neighbors had this post up.

And from it I took this pic:



Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, on a recent visit to the 4th Regiment The Rifles, a mechanized infantry regiment based in Bulford, Wiltshire.

To be frank, I don't care much for the Duchess and certainly not for her husband, the Prince of Wales.

What moves me in this photo is not the Royal.

It's the maimed soldiers.

Look at them.

See what they have sacrificed.


From the Daily Mail, April 30, 2010:

"More than 100 soldiers have had limbs amputated after being blown up by roadside bombs in Afghanistan, official figures showed yesterday.

And as many as 40 have lost more than one arm or leg after being caught in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack, figures released today show.

Many soldiers – some still in their teens – have been terribly maimed.

They include Sapper Matthew Weston, of 33 Engineer Regiment, who lost both legs and his right arm after he stepped on a mine during a foot patrol in Sangin, in Helmand Province, in June last year.

And Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson who doctors described as the most severely wounded British soldier to ever to survive after a landmine explosion in Afghanistan left him with 37 injuries, including severe brain damage, memory and speech loss, multiple fractures and the amputation of both legs...."

I do not post these pictures to undermine the war effort; you know me better than that. I've been supporting the war from the get-go and have no intention whatsoever to change my stance.

We did not ask for this conflict. An insane and inhuman belief system called islam forced it upon us, notwithstanding the fact that western soldiers saved muslim asses on several occasions (Kuwait, the Balkans...).

As a reward we got 9/11, even though that was "only" the most visible operation, the one that shook us all wide awake - since they had been murdering westerners, military personnel and civilians alike, for decades prior to that fateful september day.

We cannot, and should not, walk away from this war. We must continue until the enemy is dead or gives up.

That said, we should honor those in the frontlines, who sacrifice life and limbs for our freedom. The following photo shows sapper Matthew Weston, 20, of 33 Engineer Regiment, who lost both legs and an arm after stepping on a mine during a foot patrol in Sangin, Helmand Province in Afghanistan, in June 2009.





Life goes on for Matthew, and he has to face its challenges with far less potential than you. Matthew, and so many other veterans, deserve and need our support.

Many sites offer the possibility to donate for the wounded soldiers. I just picked this one, from abovementioned 4 Rifles.



They gave far more than 2£ a month. Don't - hold back.



MFBB.