Armed Forces 'should wear uniform in public'

Serving in the RAF in the 70's, we were not allowed to hitch-hike in uniform because of the IRA. I now live in the US where serving personnel are not only not castigated for the sins of their government, they are regarded as heroes. Maybe those who call for a return to National Service have a point!

And wouldn't it also be a good idea for our church leaders to conduct a weekly Sunday prayer for our servicemen and women who risk their lives on our behalf? Would the Archbishop have a view on this or does the issue call for prolonged introspection, further reflection and a spot of study leave?

Multicultural Britain......great place to live, as long as you are not British.

1940: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few". 2008: The above story in NuLab improved, diverse, multi-culti, target-driven, Orwellian, and sick, sick, sick Britain.

We are at risk of getting worked up about allegations that are frankly suspect. Until more details can be supplied on this, I am going to take it with a pinch of salt. Tbh, from the scant details that have been supplied, it seems that the abuse is from drunken yobs instead of politically motivated individuals. What has not been clear is whether the service personnel came into contact with these people in a pub. I think personnel should be seen in public in uniform when going to/back from leave or going to/from work. But the uniform should not be worn down your average pub as it is just inviting trouble (both literally and in terms of negative press). Uniform + British drinking culture = inevitable shameful news stories. At heart of some of the passionate comments on this subject (as there are little detail as to what happened) is the current tension in the relationship between the armed forces and society. This is what a competent govt needs to resolve, but we'll need to wait until the next election for a competent govt to replace the current one.

T Smith You are the weakest link T Smith just upsetting everyone, are you really Ian Hunt who posts utter nonsense?

T Smith has now morphed into S Black. Mods please dump the ignorant dolt . Unlike the people you support ducky our service personnel try really hard not to target civilians. They are not cowards like you.

Smith 4:34 pm, Go back and read Elspeth 4:48 "reconstructing,building schools,digging wells,what do you do for humanity?

Have to say, we are all responsible for our actions - illegal war and the brutal treatment of people does NOT deserve respect - The UK is suffering from collective guilt and people need someone to blame - Hitler would never have achieved his objectives if more German soldiers acted responsibily!! Given the awful situation in countries like Iraq it is no wonder our forces get this kind of reaction from frustrated and voiceless people here in the UK

We'll fly the fly of palest pink The Labout party f***ing stinks But from the way they operate Perhaps white is more appropriate But should it ever dare to be red It's from the blood our troops have shed.

Well done Elspeth. "T Smith" is not fit to tie your husbands shoes. He is a regular abuser and I think we should all report him.

Surely we mustn't offend those "people" who are trying to kill us!

Given that 1 April marks the 90th anniversary of the founding of the RAF one feels that those who verbally abuse the brave men and women of the Royal Air Force should be given ninety lashes of the birch.

To Mr T Smith. As a Ex member HM Forces who served in Iraq (DS 1 amongst other places)Í just want to say that you have no clue what you are talking about. Do not even think about abusing wife's of serving personnel - just go back k to reading the Independent and sip you cappuccino in your North London cloud cuckoo land. As to your human rights friends who follow us around the world - just pray we are there to protect you when you scream for our help. You were probably marching in support of the PIRA in the 80`s. try not to push us too far - you would not have the courage to say it to someone´s face, so do not say it here. We had an old saying in CWR - try not to get in the way of my crosshairs. To all my service brother´s a little saying I picked up from my wife who is a Lt Col with the USMC Semper Fi

Where has T Smith crawled out from? Don't remember that name before. I think he should spend some time with some members of the RAF Regiment in Iraq or Afghanistan so that they can patiently explain their duties to him in words of few syllables and possibly some hand gestures.

It is a tenet of a civilised society that its members should pass freely without let or hindrance in the pursuit of their lawful activities. Abuse - verbal(oral)or not - is a hindrance. Whether to wear uniform or not should be the choice of the individual but, as with all citizens, those in the service of their country, & the uniforms they wear, should be respected.

What about Al Fayed, he who is costing the taxpayer millions with his persistent ravings about the assisination of Di and Dodi, I understand he refuses to serve military personnelin uniform at Harrods. I doubt the DT will post this, I have tried before but it seems Fayed is a law unto himself. Perhaps it is his money that [rotects him.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the same respect that is shown/expected/demanded to the EU(SSR) flag could be shown to our uniformed servicemen.

The solution is very simple: Go into Peterborough, in uniform, in large groups. Any agro ... beat the Hell out of these yobs! Any copper (not back at the Station filling forms) would probably turn a blind eye. GO FOR IT, LADS/LASSIES!!

Rambling Rose, Waste of time, they will just end up getting nicked and have their prints and DNA stolen. Anyway,to be a victim of a hate crime you need to have a high melanine content.

What members of the armed forces should do, any time they are verbally abused in public, is ring their local police and ask for the 'hate crimes' department. Then the police will respond straight away.

Elspeth is absolutely, correctly proud of her husband in Afghanistan: a story that can be repeated in Afghanistan for the past seven years, and Iraq for the past four. The press has studiously avoided reporting the dull good news stories on work that has transformed the lives of Iraqis and Afghans. During my tour of Iraq in 2004 four men, reservists, in their fifties, worked every hour God gave to reconstruct the essentials in Basra. For the first time in over ten years, Basra has water, fuel, electricity and sewage treatment during the summer. None of this was reported, despite several high-profile journalists spending just three days in camp filing their reports on the 'groundtruth'. The same story can be repeated many times over in Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Bosnia, etc etc. Whatever the press reports, Tommy Atkins is not, and never will be, an automaton who will kill indiscriminately. My direct experience has shown that the so-called Playstation Generation and their non-commissioned officers and officers are, to a man and woman, heroes, who do an incredibly difficult job, in often truly horrible circumstances, with professionalism, panache and pride. And without a grumble. We should be extremely proud of them and, rather than make our judgments on what the press feeds (such as the recent, utterly spurious story of the Battle of Danny Boy in Maysan), speak to the men and women who have been there and seen it. You will be humbled and proud of their work. So, next time you see a military uniform in the street, ask them what they have done and what they saw. You will probably find that they are proud of a hard job well done, for the benefit of the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. And, in helping to secure our Islamic brothers' futures, they have incidentally p rotected your right to express your opinions about them on this website.

T Smith my head is not up my A*** I am well aware of facts and abusing me and my loved ones is not the way to go. You are a rude and arrogant little man! You do not intimidate me! Yes I am a very proud and loyal wife and glad my husbands serves his country in the way he does. Pray what is your contribution to British society do you do a public duty?

T Smith on March 7, 2008 4:48 PM Everyone should have a look at the inhuman,and offensive abuse that the above male bigot (I take it that it is a male of some species) has replied to RAF wife Elspeth. This is exactly the abuse that our forces are having to take. T Smith should be vilified and hounded for this disgusting attack on both a woman, and the wife of a serving office.

Vicars too are being targeted and by whom do you think? Muslims dare I say it. I hope there is enough free speech left for this posting.

We need the army on OUR BOARDERS to protect US. Don't let any more invaders in. New Labor is our Trojen horse. Its not just RAF officers who find it unsafe. If you white English just try walking around London at night.

Although I am one of thousands of British citisens who oppose the presence of our armed forces in Afghanistan, I feel disgusted at the abuses hurled at RAF servicemen. If anyone deserves these insults it is those who sent these brave young lads to Afghanistan. The perpetrators of heinous acts of insulting the servicemen must be out of their minds and do not realise what they they are doing. To me they look bunch of idiots who do not realise what they are doing. One wonders what do they expect the army to do? Disobey orders? Do they know what an army mean and how important discipline is in an army? Do they want Britain to be a country without an army? Do they realise, if, God forbid, this country is attacked by another country? It is for these moments that we need an army and it is for these moments that these brave soldiers volunteered to risk their lives. They deserve our respect not insults. Many of them are in Afghanistan against their wishes. The real criminals are those who pushed them in such a difficult situation.

Armed forces personel should wear their uniforms with pride, on or off duty. Those guilty of performing disrespectful behaviour towards the Queen's uniform should be birched. Or perhaps bring back the stocks.

How out of date the PM is. Sailors going ashore for the last fourty years have not worn their uniforms, I was in Cape Town S.A. many years ago and spotted my old ship HMS Centaur a fleet carrier. No mateloes apeared to be ashore. No they were all in jeans and T shirts. In fact if a full Admiral of the fleet in dress uniform walked through Whitehall he would be generaly regarded by most as a cinema attendant or a flash version of the core of commisionaires. The world has changed,Mr Brown.

To the sad T Smith, we all know that when the bombers next strike in the UK (and they surely will), that you will be cowering behind those who wear the uniform and protect you. It's hypocrites like you who are so full of comments like "War is not the answer" yet have no answers yourself. You are despicable

Mr Braun has vays and meens to make you wear the uniform !!

I too would prefer it if servicemen and -women felt free to wear their uniform in public; but if I were in command of any type of military unit, I would think it grossly bad manners for anyone in a position of authority publicly to question my orders without consulting me first. If the Prime Minister thinks that the station commander at Wittering is wrong, he should make his feelings known through the appropriate channels: after all, she is governed by rules that say SHE can't publicly criticise HIS decisions. When I was in the Army, I used to find that many anti-war protesters didn't recognise an Army officer in uniform as such (being female probably didn't fit their stereotype of what a soldier looks like). At least people in Peterborough seem to be better informed, these days! But I also took the view that I wasn't paid to defend only the well-informed and intelligent in our community, anyway...

We need the Army, a few tanks or armoured cars and a Naval detachment plus a few helicopters, like the heavy mob, to move in to the area for a week or so ,call it training purposes!!! A few more night exercises and a bit of real physical muscle would sort these hooded , begarbed , invisible, ungrateful disloyal un patriotic slivers of a disgraceful un British public . As Corporal Jones said in Dads Army 'They love it up 'em '! Make what you want of that. What did Churchill say 'We shall fight them on the beaches' etc on June 4th 1940- well worth reminding yourselves of those magnificent words.

I served 12 in the RAF from the later part of the 80's until the end of the 90's. During this time I never wore my uniform in public..Why?, because of the terrorist threat from the IRA. No one had a problem back then and it was a armed forces wide order, not just one camp. Why is it acceptable to protect the servicemen against IRA attack, but not potential attack from a new breed of terrorist. I feel that Brown's statement that servicemen should wear uniform is an ill advised remark and at worst pushing his fight with terrorism to the shoulders of those not involved. Follow that man in uniform home and know where he lives, his family and children. Before all the people who have written here trumpeting that uniform should be used, try spending a significant part of a service career looking under your car before you get in.

One of the pleasures from my eight years in the Royal Navy was getting out of uniform when I was not on duty. How many of these politicians pontificating have actually served in the armed forces and worn uniform. Was I really supposed to go around in a Collar wearing a lanyard and my best cap which I paid for on replacements. Politicians used to respect the forces back us and let us get on with our duty now the forces are just another political gameplay for labour.

After the way he's treated them, Brown has not business telling the armed forces to do anything. The PM has long since vacated his role as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Not while the riff-raff have more rights than the people wearing them.

The Armed Forces need to be seen in public; The original ban on wearing uniforms in public was introduced to guard against the assassination of service personnel by the IRA and was the IRA's most significant vicotory in that it made the Forces invisible to the British public. As a consequence it isolated an even alienated them, recruiting numbers have dropped, understanding nd respect for the Armed Forces has dropped and saga's like Deepcut have allowed the nedia to portray the military as some sort of menacing monster because it helped raise their circulation to do so. However in this case, there has been an RAF base at Wittering for about 80 years so what's suddenly changed? Who are these 'abusers' of the RAF?Have the people of Cambridgeshire all suddenly become militant left-wing pacifists overnight or is the 800lb Gorilla in the sitting room that no-one dare mention our old friend migration? I'd be keen to understand what part of the community is hurling the abuse before trying to recommend solutions.

T Smith Another one the BBC and Grauniad has done a good job on. Treat it with the contempt it deserves Elspeth.

Reading the comments of most of the readers, it would appear that many people are beginning to be aware of the enormous "fifth column" that now exists in the UK., and can create problems for the future that beggar the imagination...

Don, Police encorouraged not to wear uniforms outside the station? When was the last time you saw a policeman in uniform walking about outside? the last time I saw one he was looking for Ronnie Biggs.

Oh dear oh dear. This subject has run its course. Very poor pstings coming thick and fast. I feel I'm in the bar at half time at The Proms.

Wake up UK before you get totally swamped by PC liberals and such and they take you down the river of New Labour policies of ineptitude.

Good, this can only mean that when the Revolution starts in this country, the military will take the side of the English over the Islamic fanatics and their government protectors.

What next? Chief constable urges policemen not to wear uniform outside the police station, so as not to attract verbal abuse? Duh.

Uniform should of course be acceptable. The people contributing the abuse should be given their own uniforms - ones printed with broadarrows.

As an ex RAF person I think they should fill the town with MP,s and SP,s and tell the police to keep out as they are too Politically Correct, that should sort the yobs out.

I would suggest reading George Orwell on this topic...I have a book of essays of his published under the title of "Why I Write" (which is actually only one of the essays and not the one where he expounds on the English character). He writes about how the English have *historically* hated their own military, have *historically* been abusive to those in uniform, and outlines a number of plausable reasons. He also says a number of other things about the English character that are still completely true.

Brown does a lot of condemning, outrage, disgust and is appalled. Does he do any doing?

John J at 3.32 says it all in his last paragraph. As for T Smith..you are one of the paymasters you refer to. I am presuming that someone holding these views was ecstatic when Labour came to power.

What we need is uniforms for MPs, that way we can recognise them and abuse them in the street for their traitorous actions on Wednesday. For the military, take a leaf out of the Australian book. I remember, during the Vietnam War seeing a bunch of youths abuse an Australian soldier in uniform. His reaction was short, violent and to the point. A nearby policeman studiously looked the other way.

What we need is uniforms for MPs, that way we can recognise them and abuse them in the street for their traitorous actions on Wednesday. For the military, take a leaf out of the Australian book. I remember, during the Vietnam War seeing a bunch of youths abuse an Australian soldier in uniform. His reaction was short, violent and to the point. A nearby policeman studiously looked the other way.

Elspeth, Is that what Bomber Command tells you he's up to. What a loyal military wife you are Elspeth. No doubt desperately well informed and completely unbiased. I don't know if you have any children of your own Mrs Military but if one or two of them had been turned to pink pulp by one of your husbands bombs you'd be thinking a little differantly.Please disengage head from lower rectal sphincter and have a look outside of the RAF WAG's bubble.

Armed forces not to wear uniform in public, policemen to learn Koran, no Christmas decorations lest it offends certain community! Are we slowly giving up our cherished ideals and yielding to these rascals. Next will be, do not fly Union Jack lest it offends certain sections, demolish all church buildings so that they may not be eyesores to certain sections. I think some of the dogooders and PC upholders have gone mad and will sell away this country for pea nuts. Oh! I forgot we have already introduced separate system of banking for a certain community! No wonder so many people are migrating to Australia.

Service personnel should be encouraged to wear their uniforms in public.The presence of our armed forces in towns and cities would do much to remind civilians of the sacrifices that our service personnel make on all our behalfs.Many elderly pensioners would also feel reassured to have a visible presence of the military in areas where the police are singularly absent.

As a wife of a serving RAF officer currently in Afghanistan I find several of these postings insulting. It is far too easy for people to have a go at the military these days. They go where they are told, they do the job they have to with pride and professionalism. My husband is heavily involved in reconstruction in Afghanistan building schools, wells for water. He is not there to kill innocent civilians. Although if attacked he will defend himself and his troops. I thnk people ought to be better informed and stop making ignorant comments based on their lack of knowledge.

What should be made clear to all the public is that it is not the armed services who decide to take action in the world's trouble spots. They just go where the wondrous government sends them. Next time there is a fireman's strike or the foot and mouth mess needs clearing up perhaps the people of Peterborough would like the services to stay away from their town then.

Has our Prime Minister had an attack of common sense? Maybe he can follow it up with actions: a real increase in budget for those sections of the Armed Forces that most need it?

So Mr Brown thinks that servicemen shoud be "encouraged to wear their uniform in public and have the respect and gratitude of the British people". Perhaps Mr Brown could show some gratitude and respect for the Armed Forces by giving proper funding to the Armed Forces who so desperately need it. Or how about more helicopters in operational theatres? Better pay for the Troops? Proper military hospitals and rehabilitation centres for the wounded? That would show that these are more than empty words. I'll not hold my breath.

John Sinclair, The BBC has certainly done a job on you.

Here in France there seems no difficulty about Servicemen wearing uniform in public and on buses/trains. French society regards it as perfectly normal. Many years ago, Royal Naval people travelling to get home on leave (in plain clothes) used to carry a sailor's uniform cap strapped to their bag or suitcase - as a sign of utmost respectability to aid hitchhiking. What would today's yobbos think of that if they saw it?

"El Gordo" steps in? More like El Gordo's missed oportunity to levy a "service personnel in uniform abuse" tax. That's this showers response to any problem, tax or ban it.

Why not just abolish the uniforms and have motley crews - just like this Government lead by scruff Brown?

Captain Bruce said: I am a Royal Navy Officer and wear my uniform in public very often, with great pride and no difficulty. What's your uniform Bruce, not that outlandish Tropical Sunset Orange Crimplene two piece number that you picked up in Iran last year.

Dear Britain: Was multi-culturalism worth it? I cry for the country, whose servicemen cannot wear their uniforms in public. A country where muslim radicals set the agenda. To those amongst you, that still value decency, freedom and democracy: Get out while you can! It really is true what they say: Britain is doomed...

I am a Royal Navy Officer and wear my uniform in public very often, with great pride and no difficulty.

The Prime Minister's condemnation will make no difference whatsoever. Empty words, Mr. Brown, unless you intend to follow it up with burgeoning punishment for the perpetrators of such awful deeds. Squaddie bashing has long been a 'pastime' for local yobbos. Give 'em a taste of their own medicine.

Yes, the ban should be lifted. You wouldn't see Brown risking his life for his country.

The army should wear they uniform,and anyone throws abuse ,just shoot them.this should also apply to all the rif raff in society.

Yes the ban should be lifted. Our troups should be able to wear their uniform with pride. These people should be charged and if they are from abroad (even Europe) send them home never to return.

Aren´t there enough lamp posts for the abusers in England. String em up!

Reading through these comments is so depressing. Not a day goes by when the Telegraph isn't running a comments board on some depressing aspect of life in Britain. Should we be forced to carry identity papers? What do you think about the mockery of our democratic process in the Commons on March 5? Should radical muslims decide if our soldiers wear military uniform in public? Should we be able to vote for our new EU president? Why are drivers so angry and aggressive in Britain? Why are our schools so awful? Why are our children so fat and rude? Why can no one spell? What's wrong with our hospitals? Why don't our trains run on time? What's the problem with our roads? What will tomorrow's whine be? This is not a criticism of the Telegraph, which does an excellent job highlighting how people feel. The problem is this IS how people across the nation feel. Nowhere in the world will you find a more confused, desperate people with so little faith in the future and their ability to deal with it head on.

Ben Katz: "Didn't Hitler say: 'everyone should be able to recognise the bravery and professionalism of our camp guards at Auschwitz and respect the difficult job they do.' I don't think we need more respect. We clearly need some new Nuremberg war-crime trials. BTW when I was serving in the Royal Navy in the 1970s we were ordered NOT to wear uniform when ashore." No, he didn't. Himmler, the head of the SS - Schutz Stafel (protection detachment), originally the Führer's private army bodyguard that became a well equipped Nazi Party army (Waffen SS)whose special task was the extermination of Bolsheviks and/or Jews (which amounted to the same thing according to Nazi "logic")in Nazi ocupied Europe and the USSR, often praised his SS men and said the following at Posen in 1943: "I also want to talk to you, quite frankly, on a very grave matter. Among ourselves it should be mentioned quite frankly, and yet we will never speak of it publicly. Just as we did not hesitate on June 30th, 1934 ["The Night of the Long Knives", namely the Röhm Putsch and liquidation of the Brownshirts' leadership - my comment] to do the duty we were bidden, and stand comrades who had lapsed up against the wall and shoot them, so we have never spoken about it and will never speak of it. It was that tact which is a matter of course and which, I am glad to say, is inherent in us, that made us never discuss it among ourselves, never to speak of it. It appalled everyone, and yet everyone was certain that he would do it the next time if such orders are issued and if it is necessary. I mean the clearing out of the Jews, the extermination of the Jewish race. It's one of those things it is easy to talk about-" The Jewish race is being exterminated", says one party member, "that's quite clear, it's in our program-elimination of the Jews, and we're doing it, exterminating them." And then they come, 80 million worthy Germans, and each one has his decent Jew. Of course the others are vermin, but this one is an A-l Jew. Not one of all those who talk this way has witnessed it, not one of them has been through it. Most of you must know what it means when 100 corpses are lying side by side, or 500 or 1000. To have stuck it out and at the same time-apart from exceptions caused by human weakness-to have remained decent fellows, that is what has made us hard. This is a page of glory in our history which has never been written and is never to be written, for we know how difficult we should have made it for ourselves, if, with the bombing raids, the burdens and the deprivations o f war, we still had Jews today in every town as secret saboteurs, agitators and trouble-mongers. We would now probably have reached the1916/17 stage when the Jews were still in the German national body." [see: http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/genocide/SS2.htm] Himmler did not mention Auschwitz and during WWII Hitler only made obtuse remarks as regards the "final solution", ie the eradication of the Jews (and Bolsheviks and Socialists and Gypsies etc.)from western Europe. I fail to see what all this has to do with serving members of Her Majesty's armed forces. Or is the correspondent whom I have quoted above implying that British armed forces personnel perform duties that are on a par with those horrors perpetrated by Nazi fanatics in black uniforms (I am not talking about members of the Wehrmacht, the state armed forces of the Third Reich), about which horrors our servicemen and women are honour bound not to utter a single word, and if so, why?

The Nazis at Nurembourg pleaded 'we were only following orders' as a defense. It didn't wash.Unfortunately our military have been part of a campaign in Iraq that has led to the slaughter of tens of thousands of iraqi people, including women, babies and kids, whose only crime was to be living in a country floating on oil. OK many may see them as relatively invaluable pieces of humanity because they are (were), afterall Arabs with brown eyes, olive skin and they couldn't even speak English. Sadly these people that our brave men and women in the military have turned to dog meat were in fact as valuable as any other human being.I'm sorry but I'll never see the members of our armed forces who took part in this as 'heroes', and many members of the British Public see them as quite the opposite to this description. The men and women who put down the tools of their trades and professions to join up and fight for Britain during our time of need in the First and Second World Wars were true heroes . Today's average 'professional soldier' is a state funded killer who will fire his gun wherever his paymaster tells him, and a needless burden on the hard working tax payer. Best they hang their uniforms up when walking amongst the rest of us.

personally, I would tend to feel that improving conditions and benefits for wounded and disabled ex-servicemen, not attempting to use the TA as cheap reserves for any purpose or none, and improving security of tenure and pension entitlements for existing personnel would be better regarded as 'showing respect' there's nothing new about service personnel not wearing uniform off the base, or off-duty personnel in uniform being discriminated against - read Kipling's 'Tommy' for more details. it's also a security measure reflecting the fact that we have spent the last 40 years dealing with terrorist threats of various descriptions it's all very well to hear that US service personnel wear uniform at all times, so they do... but they don't have the benefits of multiculturalism, do they? Perhaps if we started the day by saluting the flag in the classroom, aas they do, we might enjoy the same latitude....

Thanks to my dear friend Harry, I was under the impresseion that in all the services, the desire to get into mufti before going ashore/ leaving the barracks or base is very old. As well, restrictions on wearing a uniform, even when ON duty, had been in place in the UK in the not so distant past.

It merely reflects the perverted sense of National pride (sic) that seems to be endemic. The great unthinking that are fed constant drivel and apear unable to form a rational thought are driving this country further and further from Her fair playing God honouring past.

I served in the RAF as a regular. I was and am very proud to have been a member of the Service. I think that these abusers of todays Servicemen and women are cowards and the scum of the earth. The Services are buying and defending the Freedom that these people are living in. Let these abusers go to jail at the very least as traitors and those whilst claiming to be British have their loyalities elsewhere go to their "homelands" and out of Britain. The very freedoms they enjoy today are bought by the lives and hardships of those in the Services today and in the past. How dare they - the abusers - even stand on our streets. God Save the Queen and her Armed brave Forces, they have enough abuse from the Government underfunding without these trators. Hamish

Cameron is as bad as Brown if he does not stand up for our service men ,the abusers should be sent packing, but no we will still be paying them benefits, when will we ever learn.

Good for Brown. The idea that the police should need to protect the military--the people who risk their lives for us all in the nation's service--is appalling. What we should all do is thank every soldier we see, whether or not we agree with the operations. They did not choose the fight, but they are putting everything at risk to fight it. Any soldiers reading this: THANK YOU.

It is I again and want to add an ademdum to my last message. I always went out when I served in America In civvies as it was embarrassing to be met by such a thankful lot who completely met me with such a lot of pride in our struggle together and appreciated our involvement with our friends.This reminds me who our friends really are!

The British are not and please God never will be jingoistic wavers of the flag. Many people believe the expeditions to Iraq and Afghanistan are wrong, and whereas no member of the armed forces should be criticized in the short term for "going along with it" (because in the short term they have no choice) in the longer term they do have the option of resigning. Many have done just that, and there is now a manning crisis. Since we no longer live in a democratic state how else are members of the public to express their abhorrence of what Britain is doing in these countries? Compelling armed forces members to wear uniforms when not on duty is clearly politically motivated, and I hope that it will lead to a fresh wave of resignations. If I were still in the army I would refuse to wear uniform when not on duty as I no longer have pride in it, and if compelled would take the consequences.

I have to tell you - I wouldn't wear my old naval uniform ashore in Portsmouth, ever. And that was before 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan/Iraq. The local, out of control, hyper aggressive anglo saxon youth took great delight in letting us know we weren't liked. One of the problems is that most people in the UK have no understanding of the military and see them almost as outsiders. The problem persists today only now we also have our Muslim parasites joining in. Did it ever occur to anyone that Blair AND Brown are both Scots and maybe their permitted decay of British culture and society by enabling rampant 'multiculturalism' (creating an enemy within) is intentional - as a way of salving their perceived historical injustices.

Does Cameron have a view or is this another issue where he will keep his head low, as he did with the fool Archbishop's wish for sharia law, and release a statement about two weeks later when he can see which way the issue has gone?

We should be honoring our brave service men and women of this country similarly to how they do in the US. Our service men and women have the full right to wear their uniforms in the country they protect and so im asking my self how did this become an issue?

It is disgraceful that serving personnel have been told not to wear their uniforms in public. This is bad advice. They should wear their uniforms with pride. It doesn't matter whether you agree with the War in Iraq or not, that was down to the Government, not our serving forces who go where they are instructed, I believe mutiny is out of the question. Of course there is always a mindless minority who might cause problems, but I suggest that the Forces ignore these people. Unfortunately the 'mindless minority' probably won't get to read these comments. It is also very sad how 'dim' some people are when they don't realise the Forces are not to blame for the War.

Don’t blame the service men/women for the wars. Blame the real culprits, this deceitful government. Blair forced us into these wars, against popular opinion, by telling us lies. Our service people are here to defend us against all aggressors and to help to maintain the few freedoms that this government has left us. I would suggest to all of those foreigners who object to them that they return to their own land of the free. If our brave service people had not done such a great job in the 1930s/40s then this country would be a Nazi state and I suspect that those without Germanic ancestry would not be here.

John Sinclair 12.57pm Do you have a brain in your head, or has it been totally whitewashed over? So try and answer these multiply choice questions, and let us see. What is the British army for? 1. To defend the British people. 2. To partake in international efforts to maintain world peace and stability. 3. To kill women and children in other countries. What do you think it would be like if you were a child in Israel? 1. Frightening to live in constant fear of rocket attacks from people who want to obliterate your country. 2. Great fun to watch soldiers go out and hunt down innocent Palestinians and kill them. How would you as a terrorist get support from people in the West? 1. Tell them about your cause and let them judge if it was just. 2. Get sympathy by inviting foreign media to film children an women throw stones at tanks, and put them deliberately in situations where they are going to be killed. 3. Set up a charity.

It is by virtue of the people in uniform that this "cross section of the community" has the freedom to insult whoever they want, and it is time they were riminded of it. Perhaps we should have a reality TV program like Big Brother, with a "cross section of the community" shut off from the outside world, and two months of living under Facism.

As a former RAF bod, 1958 to 1972, the locals in Britain, particularly the rougher element where always resentful of us lot 'off the camp', and could be abusive or even punchy. You don,t have to be in uniform for them to know who you are. It was the same when I was in the TA in the early eighties. There is nothing new here. And,..... its a RAF camp or station, never a 'base'.

Of course uniforms should be worn in public, and they should be worn with pride. The so called abusers should use what little wit they have to question the motives of politicians whose policy's the armed forces have to carry out.

I think it's appalling that our service personal feel unable to wear their uniforms in public. The government are responsible for sending them into Iraq and Afghanistan. Without our Armed Forces we would be totally defenceless against a possible invasion. Also, our Military play a vital role protecting us from terrorism, which is a real threat, no matter what some may think.

Here in america the armed forces are almost worshipped. I watched in a bar as a guy in uniform had beers bought for him and someone else payed for his burger. The number of people who wanted to talk to him was unbelievable - he was treated like a celebrity. I doubt that our service personnel are treated anywhere near as well. In the end of the day they are just doing their job, a very difficult job. They at least deserve our respect and shouldn't have to hide what they do.

It is a national disgrace that RAF personnel in Cambridgeshire cannot wear their uniform because of abuse from elements of the population. In UK, there has always been ‘friction’ between some elements of the local population, and the Military. During the latter part of my time in the armed forces, although local drunks and dole queue recipients, were not so keen on the idea of attempting verbal or physical abuse with Marine Commandos, we didn’t wear uniforms ‘ashore’ because post 1969, the terrorists, were close to home, and the command structure rightly took the view that it was better not to make yourself or your family an easy target for the PIRA. The station commander of RAF Wittering, should not be criticised. Her job is to maintain the security, safety and welfare of the service personnel, and their families on and off the base. Make no mistake, she has not taken this action lightly, she will have numerous adverse contact reports of incidents from the RAF police, and maybe, from MI5, which suggest a dangerous trend. She is only too well aware of what will happen if there is violent confrontation between personnel from her station, and the public. Whatever the circumstances, the press will have their usual field day, the trash in politics will sidestep, the RAF will get the blame. She has correctly taken the lesser of the options available to her, which would include restriction of the movements of personnel. By doing what she has done, she has defused a situation, which in UK, the services cannot win. There are people in this country who support the enemy. Two weeks back four such fifth columnists were convicted for conspi racy to kidnap and kill a Muslim serviceman. How many more are there out there? The nearly invisible Cambridgeshire police, have tackled this problem with all the predictability of the PC mentality that pervades their lamentable organization, and with abandonment of discretional policing, have abdicated responsibility, by ignoring the elephant in the room, with: ‘no record of any reported incidents.’ What they really mean, is that although aware, because the RAF will have told them months ago, they don’t want to ‘upset’ local ethnic ‘minorities,’ feral drunk youth, or jealous locals, jobless, largely through mass migration of cheaper Eastern Europeans to Peterborough, but can’t say it, in case they fall foul of the local Zampolit. With their current remit, it is better if they continue to stay out of it. My cousin, who lives in Cambridgeshire, tells me that she has not seen a policeman on patrol in the village for over eight years. Though she does have the reassuring presence of service personnel close by, should any crimi nal act threaten her, or her family. Neither will latent statements from Brown and part-time Browne (with an e), do anything positive, in support of the forces they clearly detest. It is all right for them to be seen politically to make statements, for the consumption of a wider public, but should any serious incident occur, they will swing right back to where the votes are. Right now, the location of the ‘votes’ in Peterborough, couldn’t be clearer, ask the police. I’ll tell you what, why don’t we ask all the businesses in Peterborough to put up a sign: ‘Support your Armed Forces,’ and bar those seen to abuse service personnel, from using their establishments. No takers? Not PC. I Thought so. I can assure all British service personnel, that they would have no problems wearing their British uniforms in public, across the United States, except perhaps, they may be slightly embarrassed by the warm hospitality, and constant attention, displayed by a grateful American public. It is really a question for the British. What sort of a country do you want, and what are you going to do about it, because right now, the policies of your government are a very large part of the p not the solution? A country that does not support it’s armed forces, is a failed country.

What a bunch of pansies ......! The problem being that so many RAF personel don't serve in the trenches with the infantry . I doubt whether the Royal Marines , the Paras or indeed the Royal Anglians (the local County regiment recently back from serving with distintion in Afganistan )get any abuse yelled at them . I personally would think twice before name calling a soldier if he had just returned from Helmand or Iraq for fear of what I might get back with interest . I would Margret Hodge and her breathless pinko liberals will be delighted with this development . Send the name callers back from whence they came or invite them for tea with the Parachute Regt on Salisbury Plain so that they can argue the rights and wrongs of the issue .

Perhaps if all Armed Forces personnel had to carry their rifles with fixed bayonets with their uniforms we wouldn't hear of this again?

What a bunch of pansies ......! The problem being that so many RAF personel don't serve in the trenches with the infantry . I doubt whether the Royal Marines , the Paras or indeed the Royal Anglians (the local County regiment recently back from serving with distintion in Afganistan )get any abuse yelled at them . I personally would think twice before name calling a soldier if he had just returned from Helmand or Iraq for fear of what I might get back with interest . I would Margret Hodge and her breathless pinko liberals will be delighted with this development . Send the name callers back from whence they came or invite them for tea with the Parachute Regt on Salisbury Plain so that they can argue the rights and wrongs of the issue .

John Sinclair, 12.50 PM. The "stones and fireworks" of the Palestinians in Gaza also include rockets which they continuously fire into Israel and inevitably cause retaliation. But I'm sure you won't let a few facts deter you from your anti-RAF rant.

Give the military personnel permission to wear sidearms. End of problem.

How interesting that Gordon Brown feels obliged to provide his thoughts on this. It is his very government who has engaged the brave men and women of our Armed Forces in the unpopular and arguably fruitless conflicts that have generated such animosity towards them. I find it despicable that elements of society feel they have the right to abuse members of our Armed Forces, an act which demonstrates their complete ignorance as much as it does their disloyalty to the country.

Having served at Wittering for 25 of my 39 years service this is indeed a sad day. However, the recent decision at the base for personnel to wear combat uniform as normal working dress doesn't help. It pushes the blue uniform of the RAF further into the background. So much so that the RAF now heavily relies upon the Air Cadet Organisation to project its blue footprint across the country.

Wouldn't it be nice if all these folk who get in such a lather about uniforms could become similarly exercised concerning the far greater problems of insufficient equipment, lack of leave, sub-standard ammunition. Properly dressed or no, they are all equally dead when they are outgunned, out manned and out-supported. The indifference of most of us to these factors is of far greater danger to our service men than the bleatings of a number of people who are disaffected by our disastrous foray into Iraq

I served for twenty two years in the Royal Air Force and remember how we were not allowed to wear uniform off duty because of the IRA Scum that was around then,I have also been to Belfast and can understand the need there not to wear uniform. I was in Malasia and even Korea and was proud of my RAF uniform and sometimes had to use my fists if anyone spoke out against me or my service,however I never had to use them in Britain.Only since this namby pamby bunch of socialist took office or exerted their influence in the so called "human rights" campaign.Before then the forces personnel would just go out and "Sort them out" themselves with the police looking the other way and having a Quiet whistle to them selves. John Sinclair,7/3/08 12.57pm sounds a bit like a far lefty with his idea that the RAF was dropping bombs on Lebanon and Gaza,where on earth does this worm crawl out of? Or is his name really as British sounding as his name implies?

The station commander is a woman......

Please sign up if you haven't already to support the Forces. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/supportforces/ Please forward to anyone you know. Many thanks,

John Sinclair thinks that the problems of a few RAF guys and gals getting shouted at is nothing compared with say, innocent civilians getting killed by RAF bombs; he has a valid point of course, although his argument would be a whole lot more convincing if he could accept that fighting the Taliban etc by the use of air strikes, as inevitably sometimes must occur to defeat this brutal force, inevitably will involve civilian casualties, although everthing should be done to minimise this. Remember that the mass-murderers of 9/11 sought to maximise the loss of life; for them, there is no such thing as an innocent civilian. The RAF, like other forces, operate, or are supposed to operate, under the Geneva Conventions. When Al-Quaeda or Hamas or other groups do so, let us know, Mr Sinclair.