Free Tickets For Forces

[Georgeios]

3) this is not IMO a reason for the free tickets.. more a reason why we maybe should, I think BD's point is to take us all home and away from harm, Its not tax payers money thats being used to fund the tickets eather its the clubs that are doing it

It would be more beneficial for the clubs to donate money to the army to pay for more equipment. I am sure the likes of Celtic and Rangers would love to think that they used money on free tickets when really they could have used it for a better cause i.e. better equipment?

Birdog is right in what he is saying. We aren't stupid, David Cameron is trying to focus the attention away from the deaths of many innocent men, fighting for what, i'd love to know....

Just the army? or do you mean HM forces.. Army are just a small part of it.. Navy, RAF, Marines all different forces..

And I can put my wages on Celtic not giving us a penny, Im glad this post wasnt on P&B..

(BD will tell you, I get paid a small fortune)

[MrsICTFC]

3) this is not IMO a reason for the free tickets.. more a reason why we maybe should, I think BD's point is to take us all home and away from harm, Its not tax payers money thats being used to fund the tickets eather its the clubs that are doing it

It would be more beneficial for the clubs to donate money to the army to pay for more equipment. I am sure the likes of Celtic and Rangers would love to think that they used money on free tickets when really they could have used it for a better cause i.e. better equipment?

Birdog is right in what he is saying. We aren't stupid, David Cameron is trying to focus the attention away from the deaths of many innocent men, fighting for what, i'd love to know....

Just the army? or do you mean HM forces.. Army are just a small part of it.. Navy, RAF, Marines all different forces..

And I can put my wages on Celtic not giving us a penny, Im glad this post wasnt on P&B..

(BD will tell you, I get paid a small fortune)

Sorry, you knew what I was meaning.

I used Celtic and Rangers as an example, i'm pretty sure any sport would rather see men and women safe rather than give them a ticket to a match/game/event.

[Guest birdog]

Just the army? or do you mean HM forces.. Army are just a small part of it.. Navy, RAF, Marines all different forces..

And I can put my wages on Celtic not giving us a penny, Im glad this post wasnt on P&B..

(BD will tell you, I get paid a small fortune)

I hope you are not getting too upset with me mate, I know that the wage a person on a Royal Naval ship with similar rank to me commands far less than I do, especially when leave is factored into the equation. I also mean what I say, you guys have my full support. If it was not for our armed forces we would be in a pretty poor state. I believe that if a precedent is set that one set public servants who put their lives on the line should be entitled to concessions then the same consideration should be given to all those in similar positions and I am not advocating free tickets for merchant seamen, we are as civilian as oil rig men.

Just for clarification, I was under the impression that the marines were a part of the RN in the same way that the RAF regiment is part of the Air Force?

[Georgeios]

Just the army? or do you mean HM forces.. Army are just a small part of it.. Navy, RAF, Marines all different forces..

And I can put my wages on Celtic not giving us a penny, Im glad this post wasnt on P&B..

(BD will tell you, I get paid a small fortune)

I hope you are not getting too upset with me mate, I know that the wage a person on a Royal Naval ship with similar rank to me commands far less than I do, especially when leave is factored into the equation. I also mean what I say, you guys have my full support. If it was not for our armed forces we would be in a pretty poor state. I believe that if a precedent is set that one set public servants who put their lives on the line should be entitled to concessions then the same consideration should be given to all those in similar positions and I am not advocating free tickets for merchant seamen, we are as civilian as oil rig men.

Just for clarification, I was under the impression that the marines were a part of the RN in the same way that the RAF regiment is part of the Air Force?

BD I?m not getting upset with you at all, you know what your talking about and you have your opinions on it, some I agree with some I wont question and some I disagree with but we are all grown ups and there is not insults flying, everyone has an opinion, have we PM?d on this topic lol? As for what you said about the Wages you are bang on, I get about 2/3rds what id get paid in Civvy street doing this job, but to make it up as a single persons I?d get a roof over my head and 3 square meals aday for about 150 a month and free Gym and free holidays to the middle east, free dentist but that?s more to do with if we got posted somewhere new and tried to register by the time we got to the top of the list we?d be posted again (we have to be in good dental condition nothing worse than having tooth ache in a hot sandy place) A Contract (9yrs / 12yrs and if your good 22 yrs), you have to sign up for 22 years to get a good pension so its not really a ?Perk? if anyone worked for any company I?d like to think that after 22 years they too would get a nice pension (We can contabute to it like a Civvy one) On the Free houses front CaleyMad, you only get a house if your Married and its not free, its about the same as you would pay if it was a Counsel house and we pay for everything like you would normaly, Counsel tax, gas and the likes, this is because we are asked to move about every 3 years and to make it as easy as possible they provide Quarters, Me on the other hand have done the right thing in my mind and bought a house of my own so I don?t have to rely on the Forces to put me up in a **** hole (a lot of them are in a bad way)

[Heilandee]

As ex Forces i can't help but think this is just politicing for points from MP's.Forces pay is pretty decent all things considered and while things in theatre can be tough, outwith they can be pretty cushie.Paid time off for college atttendance and penty paid time off for sports if your that way inclined are 2 perks that imediatly spring to mind and accomadation has come along way since the 70's so i'd suggest freebie tickets etc are uneccessary and slightly patronising.Pay the right rate for the job and let the troops decide what they want to spend it on.

Georgios,asked to move every 3 years? i knew loads of lads that did 22 without moving from the Moray coast,policy due to the expense of training,far fewer camps etc has cut down a lot of short postings a great deal.I knew a married guy at Leuchars in the 70's had 13 postings in 12 years!! thats upheaval!

[Georgeios]

dude, Im on my 4th in 9 years... Kinloss and Lossiemouth are classed as Moray base now so we cant jump from one to the other... and if you are posted from kinloss to lossie (It can sometimes happen) you still in most cases have to move the 11 miles too. It also depends on what Trade you are, Aircraft techs will tend to bounce from Sqn to Sqn and stay in the area.. But the other 70% of a camp will be moved when req'd.

197? was the second last proper pay rise we had btw, we got a 9% rise in 1991, since then its just been below inflation.. So it goes in fits and spirts.

I dont want to get in to what I do and what I'd get in Civvy street, but remember you left a good while ago when thing were getting upgraded... this would im guessing have been the last time things got upgraded. The camp Im at just now got a lick of paint not so long ago, before that nothing, Its one of the new buildings (1992) My camp before that it was 1960 blocks, One lad sent a request to keep a pig indoors and in the request put a scaled drawing of it to the permissions people of yorkshire counsel, they turned it down because it was far to small.

[Guest birdog]

I have been doing some reading on this subject since yesterday and the one thing I have learned since then is that a lot of the population are taking their frustrations regarding the war out on our troops and most of the comments I have read from British servicemen have been along the lines of "at least it shows people care" and for this reason I am coming to the conclusion that the move by private companies to show a little appreciation to our troops is a good thing, something which should be totally unnecessary but perhaps required in the current climate. I can't think of anything worse than taking that level of risk then coming home to find that people are turning against you.

I still believe that the government are to blame for the current climate and that stunts like this should be replaced with the return home of our troops but if it makes things a little easier for our guys then I really cannot justify holding such an anti viewpoint. I just hope that people see it for what it is and use their vote accordingly when it comes to choosing our next government.

[Georgeios]

Thank you Birdog.. I dont know why but thanks...

Kinda back on topic, If the club was to turn around and offer a handfull of the CTO forum entery to games free would you take it.....

[Scotty]

Kinda back on topic, If the club was to turn around and offer a handfull of the CTO forum entery to games free would you take it.....

I think people like "bargains" so of course they would !!!

In my own case, the last couple of times I have been home, I have been offered freebies by both the club and by friends and have taken up my friends' offers. However, I am not going to get upset or snooty if I have to pay for a ticket ... Its a privilege or a nice gesture to be offered a free one, but it is not, never will be, nor should it be, a right. [incidentally - when getting a freebie, I have always made sure to spend a fair bit at the shop in return - I guess its a guilt thing !]

As I said in my postings above, I have no problem with any companies offering any group in society an incentive or perk, I just dont think it should be "expected" or "demanded" (not that services personnel are doing that, just the politicos).

Leaving aside all the rhetoric for a moment, I also find myself agreeing with Birdog here. We have all spoken of our respect and admiration for members of the armed forces or emergency services but this particular article has more to do with politicians jumping on a bandwagon and trying to get positive PR than it has to with the welfare of any troops. Let the companies or businesses offer what they want to who they want ... and get the politicians to stay the **** out of it !!!

[DAM]

georgeious, it's surprising how many people think the Armed Forces don't pay for their food and accommodation or don't pay Income Tax and National Insurance.

Birdog, I have served in the Armed Forces (including Ulster) and also a spell at sea and I find your views interesting. In my book there is no way Servicemen should be given free or concessionary tickets. The days of 30 shillings a week have long gone. Personally I would not even think of accepting this "charity".

[Georgeios]

DAM, yes your right, I pay the same Tax contrabutions and NI as any working person (I dont get any tax breaks unless im Serving over seas then its for the time Im not here)

I get what your saying Scotty, the club gave Clydsdale bank free seats lasts year (A whole row) and I took up the offer of a ticket or 11.... but found that even with OF up the row still had 3-4 empty seats.

I have an always will have and pay for my season ticket.. if they give me money off so be it but i pay my way, I think its fair for the guys coming back to get the odd one though, Its a risk I take buying my ticket to weather or not I will be here to watch the game but i feel in my heart that im giving my team somthing that makes a difference, bums on seats, pies and brews bought.... full stand = Full banter

[Guest birdog]

Birdog, I have served in the Armed Forces (including Ulster) and also a spell at sea and I find your views interesting. In my book there is no way Servicemen should be given free or concessionary tickets. The days of 30 shillings a week have long gone. Personally I would not even think of accepting this "charity".

I am not sure what you mean by interesting, the way I see it (now) is that I have heard of stories of people returning from Afghanistan and Iraq and the public being less than supportive, a new phenomena for British troops I believe, and I think that news of private companies showing a little appreciation by giving away a few concessions is raising moral a little.

Having spent a little time at sea you will know that seamen suffer from some pretty bad ailments, my knees are fecked with arthritis due to vibration and have been for more than 10 years, I am not as fit as I should be due to the lack of facilities on board for exercise and the poor standard of food, I have sailed with shipmates missing fingers and/or toes, I know lots of people who have had to retire well before their time through ill health brought on by the job and it is well documented that deck and engineroom hands at sea have one of the lowest life expectancies of any profession. I inhale more noxious fumes than a beagle at a smoking laboratory due to exhaust leaks. Nautilus (formerly numast) are carrying out a study at the moment on the effects of prolonged exposure to vibration on the human body. All this is before you take into consideration the effects of 6 hour on 6 hour off watchkeeping. This link here shows how hazardous an environment a ship is to work on. (if anyone is interested)

My point in bringing this all up was that these are the working conditions I am used to and know about and not to belittle the risks which frontline servicemen face but these guys signed up knowing the risks, as I chose my occupation knowing and accepting risks which I later learned about, a lot of occupations face danger in their every day life but people have the choice to take these risks for the rewards on offer and do not expect freebies or recognition. At the end of the day, during peacetime which is more often than not, service personnel have some of the best facilities at their disposal for leading a healthy lifestyle with little or no risk but during times of conflict they are expected to do the job they are paid for and signed up for.

[CaleyD]

Setting aside the whole "who deserves what and why" argument, I really can't see this as being practical...and it will also bring with it a fair amount of problems/trouble for clubs.

At a time when clubs need every penny they can get, it doesn't make financial sense to increase the number of free tickets they hand out. Furthermore, you have clubs which are situated close to large military barracks who may actually rely heavily on the income they get from forces members paying to get through the turnstiles and could be faced with losing a large percentage of their gate receipts.

You also have the potential for a situation where dozens (or more) fancy a day out at the football and turn up at a club en mass. This can throw stewarding/policing into chaos, not to mention other logistical problems like the potential for insufficient turnstiles in operation to see everyone in to a game on time and the knock on impact on catering etc.

Whilst it's something I'm reluctant to mention as I'm sure I'll be shot down for it, there's also the matter of trouble. I'm not going to point the finger of blame, but it is my experience over the years that anywhere that you get a large concentration of forces personnel turning up for an event it is a recipe for disaster and will often lead to some form of clash with the locals.

Personally I'm of the opinion shared by others on here that it is just politicking, and it's ill thought out and potentially troublesome/problematic politicking at that.

[Guest birdog]

Setting aside the whole "who deserves what and why" argument, I really can't see this as being practical...and it will also bring with it a fair amount of problems/trouble for clubs.

At a time when clubs need every penny they can get, it doesn't make financial sense to increase the number of free tickets they hand out. Furthermore, you have clubs which are situated close to large military barracks who may actually rely heavily on the income they get from forces members paying to get through the turnstiles and could be faced with losing a large percentage of their gate receipts.

You also have the potential for a situation where dozens (or more) fancy a day out at the football and turn up at a club en mass. This can throw stewarding/policing into chaos, not to mention other logistical problems like the potential for insufficient turnstiles in operation to see everyone in to a game on time and the knock on impact on catering etc.

Whilst it's something I'm reluctant to mention as I'm sure I'll be shot down for it, there's also the matter of trouble. I'm not going to point the finger of blame, but it is my experience over the years that anywhere that you get a large concentration of forces personnel turning up for an event it is a recipe for disaster and will often lead to some form of clash with the locals.

Personally I'm of the opinion shared by others on here that it is just politicking, and it's ill thought out and potentially troublesome/problematic politicking at that.

Totally agree with this but if the report on the matter in the Sun on Tuesday is to be believed then it is only Alloa Athletic who have signed up to allow all Services personnel in on production of a current ID card all other venues require that interested parties apply for tickets in advance through their CO.

Edited August 13, 2009 by birdog

[DAM]

Birdog, I have served in the Armed Forces (including Ulster) and also a spell at sea and I find your views interesting. In my book there is no way Servicemen should be given free or concessionary tickets. The days of 30 shillings a week have long gone. Personally I would not even think of accepting this "charity".

I am not sure what you mean by interesting, the way I see it (now) is that I have heard of stories of people returning from Afghanistan and Iraq and the public being less than supportive, a new phenomena for British troops I believe, and I think that news of private companies showing a little appreciation by giving away a few concessions is raising moral a little.

Having spent a little time at sea you will know that seamen suffer from some pretty bad ailments, my knees are fecked with arthritis due to vibration and have been for more than 10 years, I am not as fit as I should be due to the lack of facilities on board for exercise and the poor standard of food, I have sailed with shipmates missing fingers and/or toes, I know lots of people who have had to retire well before their time through ill health brought on by the job and it is well documented that deck and engineroom hands at sea have one of the lowest life expectancies of any profession. I inhale more noxious fumes than a beagle at a smoking laboratory due to exhaust leaks. Nautilus (formerly numast) are carrying out a study at the moment on the effects of prolonged exposure to vibration on the human body. All this is before you take into consideration the effects of 6 hour on 6 hour off watchkeeping. This link here shows how hazardous an environment a ship is to work on. (if anyone is interested)

My point in bringing this all up was that these are the working conditions I am used to and know about and not to belittle the risks which frontline servicemen face but these guys signed up knowing the risks, as I chose my occupation knowing and accepting risks which I later learned about, a lot of occupations face danger in their every day life but people have the choice to take these risks for the rewards on offer and do not expect freebies or recognition. At the end of the day, during peacetime which is more often than not, service personnel have some of the best facilities at their disposal for leading a healthy lifestyle with little or no risk but during times of conflict they are expected to do the job they are paid for and signed up for.

By interesting I should have said that I agree with your views. When you mention noxious fumes I assume you're an engineer? That's what I was and I don't regret leaving that behind, nine month voyages were no joke. At least in the Forces I could walk down the pub for a pint!

[Georgeios]

At a time when clubs need every penny they can get, it doesn't make financial sense to increase the number of free tickets they hand out. Furthermore, you have clubs which are situated close to large military barracks who may actually rely heavily on the income they get from forces members paying to get through the turnstiles and could be faced with losing a large percentage of their gate receipts.

You also have the potential for a situation where dozens (or more) fancy a day out at the football and turn up at a club en mass. This can throw stewarding/policing into chaos, not to mention other logistical problems like the potential for insufficient turnstiles in operation to see everyone in to a game on time and the knock on impact on catering etc.

Whilst it's something I'm reluctant to mention as I'm sure I'll be shot down for it, there's also the matter of trouble. I'm not going to point the finger of blame, but it is my experience over the years that anywhere that you get a large concentration of forces personnel turning up for an event it is a recipe for disaster and will often lead to some form of clash with the locals.

Personally I'm of the opinion shared by others on here that it is just politicking, and it's ill thought out and potentially troublesome/problematic politicking at that.

Ive taken 4 car loads to games before and I'll bet no1 notice the bunch of squaddys/Airmen at the match, look at this weekends match, they were just a group of fans who had issues with our No2 keeper, and they were paying Civvys... Its abit taring with brushes.

He does not talk about letting all Forces in for free, the system has been tryed in other places where its on ticket allocations, Lossie had it last season when the club offered 5 tickets towards the end of the year.. and I'll bet no one noticed due to our stand being so full.. if they gave 5/10 tickets away then that 5/10 more pies sold..... its easy economics...

[DAM]

At a time when clubs need every penny they can get, it doesn't make financial sense to increase the number of free tickets they hand out. Furthermore, you have clubs which are situated close to large military barracks who may actually rely heavily on the income they get from forces members paying to get through the turnstiles and could be faced with losing a large percentage of their gate receipts.

You also have the potential for a situation where dozens (or more) fancy a day out at the football and turn up at a club en mass. This can throw stewarding/policing into chaos, not to mention other logistical problems like the potential for insufficient turnstiles in operation to see everyone in to a game on time and the knock on impact on catering etc.

Whilst it's something I'm reluctant to mention as I'm sure I'll be shot down for it, there's also the matter of trouble. I'm not going to point the finger of blame, but it is my experience over the years that anywhere that you get a large concentration of forces personnel turning up for an event it is a recipe for disaster and will often lead to some form of clash with the locals.

Personally I'm of the opinion shared by others on here that it is just politicking, and it's ill thought out and potentially troublesome/problematic politicking at that.

Ive taken 4 car loads to games before and I'll bet no1 notice the bunch of squaddys/Airmen at the match, look at this weekends match, they were just a group of fans who had issues with our No2 keeper, and they were paying Civvys... Its abit taring with brushes.

He does not talk about letting all Forces in for free, the system has been tryed in other places where its on ticket allocations, Lossie had it last season when the club offered 5 tickets towards the end of the year.. and I'll bet no one noticed due to our stand being so full.. if they gave 5/10 tickets away then that 5/10 more pies sold..... its easy economics...

Well CD, i don't know where you've experienced that. Forces personnel are not angels but in my experience 99% of the trouble I have witnessed or been involved in were started by civvies who thought they were hardmen, after a few drinks. Needless to say they did not try it on a second time.

[Guest birdog]

Well CD, i don't know where you've experienced that. Forces personnel are not angels but in my experience 99% of the trouble I have witnessed or been involved in were started by civvies who thought they were hardmen, after a few drinks. Needless to say they did not try it on a second time.

Matelots are a bunch of pussies though especially the American ones.

[CaleyD]

As you will see, I clearly stated I wasn't pointing any finger of blame...and that's because I have seen trouble started by both sides.

It doesn't get away from the fact that where you get large groups of forces personnel at events, then it vastly increases the chances of trouble. Not saying they shouldn't be allowed to go out in large groups, or that they are the ones always starting the trouble....but that's the way it is.

My experience comes from 20 years as a mobile DJ and Event MC covering most of the North of Scotland....including Army Barracks and Air Force Bases.

The problem comes from the fact that if you find yourself in an altercation with one....you find yourself in an altercation with all. This is pretty much the same attitude as you get with Football Fans and putting the two together could easily lead to large scale problems.

Granted, you can get large groups going along and paying....but it's far less likely than if they were getting in to games for free.

Just saying that it is something that needs to be considered.....along with 101 things that look to have been missed.

[Georgeios]

im my 9 years of living with and in the forces, I have been out with large groups of forces and my civvy friends and never really found trouble to be honest, look at hanger partys.. 99% forces and around 500 people with free or cheap drink, i put hand on heart and say Ive never been to one and it end in tears, we are trained to look out of each other, but maybe im from a differnet bread of forces as i dont ever recall ever having bother, Like you said get a large group of people together you will have a bit of bother regardless, but as ive said and it seem to have been locked over, Ive taken Large groups... well around 20 folk to our ground and was also at 4 dons games with easly 50 folk from our two large bases and never any bother, and the tickets given away to lossie and kinloss was never noticed by any "civvy fans"... and again is says no where that they are looking in to all service people getting in free but a controlled amount.... 5-10 tickets, get them in to the ground see what its all about and then they will come back paying.... In saying that however Kinloss CaleyD is an off base bar and can attract trouble because of that fact.... I think to have the opinion you have is a bit discriminant, I actually know of 6 season ticket holder from one of the moray bases, and 2 have kids tickets too.. if trouble did kick off at a game, cant see it but i know of one season ticket holder that would have it dealt with by monday, and an appolige in Number 1s by the end of that week, we dont only come under Civvy laws but we have our own strickter laws too, it wouldnt happen if it did it would only happen once... BD its not just US Matlaws that are pussys the Air force cant handle there drink.. but do like Vodka and Irn Bru...

[CaleyD]

To be honest, I'd be a bit disappointed to hear of any club who would refuse a local Base/Barracks 5-10 tickets if they phoned up looking for them.....even more proof (if it was needed) that the whole thing is just politicking.

[Georgeios]

To be honest, I'd be a bit disappointed to hear of any club who would refuse a local Base/Barracks 5-10 tickets if they phoned up looking for them.....even more proof (if it was needed) that the whole thing is just politicking.

I'm lost on that comment... as ive said loads of times on this topic, we got tickets from the club last year towards the end, and we have a friendly being played soon for Help the Heros ICT V's Kinloss and Lossiemouth select... I dont think its got much to do with politics more for other reasons like the club show's its appreciation for what the Camps are doing.. and other reasons.... I'll PM them to you if you want...

[CaleyD]

I don't mean the club politicking....I mean the politicians trying to put something in place which shouldn't really need to be put in place as it should happen as a matter of course and trying to win voters over off the back of it.

I still don't think servicemen/women should be able to turn up and flash their card and skip through the turnstiles "by right", but if a CO wants a few tickets to give to a few guys for whatever reason then I've no issue with that provided they weren't taking the p!ss. Likewise, if a club wants to send them a few tickets for every game then that's fair enough as it is their choice to do so.

[Oz647]

Hi all.

I have recently completed 22yrs in the army. During that time I completed tours of the Falklands, Cyprus, Bosnia, Kosovo, numerous stints in Northern Ireland and various other delightful places. Now yes I did choose to join the army, to defend Queen and country. The problem is we are not defending our Queen and country we are defending everybody else's. Now you may say that you knew the risks when you joined, there was a chance you could go to these places, but no when I joined 1984 we didn't fight for everybody else we fought for ourselves. Yes I know the Falklands was a long way from here but it was British. Now I was lucky enough not to go to the Gulf but I lost friends who did and believe me they didn't want to be there either. We don't expect freebies when we return from tours but it is very much appreciated as it shows people care. The biggest boost to morale costs nothing. When we return from tours and parade through the streets and see all the people cheering for us, that is when we feel proud to serve. We would rather have all the money from freebies spent on decent kit. As for the housing, I moved 9 times in 22yrs that I can remember and yes we had some really nice quarters and some right s**tholes but we paid the going rate for all of them and all the council taxes etc. I will never forget my wife bursting into tears when she saw our first married quarter in Tidworth. It was in a block of flats and it looked like something out of Cell block H. They are doing up all the MQs but it will take a long time. The single accom wasn't much better when I joined I lived in a reformed stable block, granted they are building new accom for them now but that stable block still houses troops.

Yes I know that the Emergency services do a fantastic job here, hell, I only got out of raigmore yesterday after having my gallbladder removed.(yes I'm still very sore)But I think that the level of danger is slightly higher in Afgan and I think the boys and girls should be rewarded with freebies like free tickets. Now don't get me wrong, I respect the views of all of you as this is your right but surely you don't begrudge a few freebies to those that are striving and dying in far of lands to keep us safe from the terrorist. No-one asks for these freebies or expects them but what harm does it do to let them know they are respected and cared about.

I for one will still shed a tear every time one of them is driven through Wooton Basset in a hurse because that is the right thing to do.

[DornochCaley]

Hi all.

I have recently completed 22yrs in the army. During that time I completed tours of the Falklands, Cyprus, Bosnia, Kosovo, numerous stints in Northern Ireland and various other delightful places. Now yes I did choose to join the army, to defend Queen and country. The problem is we are not defending our Queen and country we are defending everybody else's. Now you may say that you knew the risks when you joined, there was a chance you could go to these places, but no when I joined 1984 we didn't fight for everybody else we fought for ourselves. Yes I know the Falklands was a long way from here but it was British. Now I was lucky enough not to go to the Gulf but I lost friends who did and believe me they didn't want to be there either. We don't expect freebies when we return from tours but it is very much appreciated as it shows people care. The biggest boost to morale costs nothing. When we return from tours and parade through the streets and see all the people cheering for us, that is when we feel proud to serve. We would rather have all the money from freebies spent on decent kit. As for the housing, I moved 9 times in 22yrs that I can remember and yes we had some really nice quarters and some right s**tholes but we paid the going rate for all of them and all the council taxes etc. I will never forget my wife bursting into tears when she saw our first married quarter in Tidworth. It was in a block of flats and it looked like something out of Cell block H. They are doing up all the MQs but it will take a long time. The single accom wasn't much better when I joined I lived in a reformed stable block, granted they are building new accom for them now but that stable block still houses troops.

Yes I know that the Emergency services do a fantastic job here, hell, I only got out of raigmore yesterday after having my gallbladder removed.(yes I'm still very sore)But I think that the level of danger is slightly higher in Afgan and I think the boys and girls should be rewarded with freebies like free tickets. Now don't get me wrong, I respect the views of all of you as this is your right but surely you don't begrudge a few freebies to those that are striving and dying in far of lands to keep us safe from the terrorist. No-one asks for these freebies or expects them but what harm does it do to let them know they are respected and cared about.

I for one will still shed a tear every time one of them is driven through Wooton Basset in a hurse because that is the right thing to do.

Sorry. I cant agree. I dont mind if there is the odd Armed Forces Personel that gets a free ticket. But you cant give free tickets to hundreds of them in every ground. All call me heartless. But i wouldnt shed a tear.