I as some of you know live in Canada were for years our fallen heroes were brought down the Highway 401 from Trenton to Toronto and people lined the overpasses and after a online petition started it was renamed "Highway Of Heroes" I am very proud to have stood at over fifteen of these processions but wish I didn't have to be on any at all.For four years the people of Wootton Bassett, a town deep in the English countryside, have played a solemn role in Britain’s war life. Every time a serviceman is killed in Afghanistan or Iraq, his or her body is returned to the nearby base of RAF Lyneham and then driven slowly through the heart of the Wiltshire town. There, hundreds and often thousands of residents have stood silently as the cortège passes by on its way to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
According to an article I was reading today a group has complained about the route their fallen soldiers are driven down and want it to be changed :The tradition so touched Britain that Queen Elizabeth II did something no monarch had done in more than a century: she gave permission for the ancient town to add “Royal” to its name. It is a bittersweet recognition. In September, RAF Lyneham will shut down, and the repatriations will return to Brize Norton. It is now up to Oxfordshire to plan a route that continues the tradition that Royal Wootton Bassett started.
"“I am not sure taking coffins in hearses past schools, past families, past married quarters is necessarily the thing that everybody would wish to see … the focus must be on the families of the dead service personnel. They are the people who care most. That is where our focus is.”
The Ministry of Defence said the route from RAF Brize Norton, where flights had landed until the runway was closed for repair work in 2007, was decided by West Oxfordshire District Council but claimed that the side gate would be used to ensure minimal disruption to normal operations."
You can read the full article on THE TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
A Face Book group has been created called "Respect For Heroes" to protest this decision and you can check it out by clicking HERE or on the photo below :
What a wonderful thing to do.Its so very important to honor what and why these Solders have so bravely sacrificed their lives for.To many have passed threw the years with out the due respect they surly deserve.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of world would this be with out them.
As for the rest,why not pass Schools and Families with fallen hero's coffins? After all,its this in which we fight for.
In Canada the fallen are taken to downtown Toronto regardless of where they pass. The soldier has fallen for the right to pass anywhere so why should any coucil or entity be able to say where the fallen should pass.
ReplyDeleteHow dare these people try to stop us honouring our fallen heroes, they don't deserve to live in our country.
ReplyDeleteIt is important for all members of a society to see the high price that their soldiers pay for the safety of the country. It doesn't matter what country it is. I only wish that America had as much pride for their fallen soldiers as the UK does. Instead of protesting American soldier's funerals we should celebrate their death for what it stands for Freedom. Way To Go UK. Celebrate your soldiers they deserve it.
ReplyDeleteI certainly do not understand why anyone would complain about what this town is doing. This appears to be a very respectful salute to the fallen soldiers. I hope they will be allowed to continue.
ReplyDelete@Christy, you are mistaken if you think the only send off American soldiers get are protests by that Abomination group from Westboro, they are nothing but terrorists in different colors. Thousands show up to shield the families and communities from them. In some areas of the country, I have seen thousands line the roads around rural cemeteries holding flags along the route to a country cemetery. Millions in this country honor and respect and appreciate what our young warriors do and sacrifice. It is a shame that so many only see the negative that the press presents. But as a person who has attended many of these services, I assure you that our young men and women are not forgotten.
It is totally appropriate to pass by homes, businesses, hospitals, houses of worship, and especially schools. What better way to teach the next generation to honor and respect those brave men and women who gave their lives for their country. We must NEVER forget them, nor their families for the sacrifices paid.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all these comments. Remember the children of these fallen heroes. They suffer the loss so much more than the wives. They've lost the only father they had. You can eventually replace a husband or wife but the kids will always miss knowing their only natural dad. Keep them in your prayers.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great show of respect to life in general. I can't believe that someone would think that by going past a school or anywhere else, it might be bad. They need to learn about life and death, it's a part of everyday life for everyone. Let the town continue their very respectful and heartfelt tradition. Those are some lessons we all need to learn.
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