Call me an old grouch, if you will, but I find it hard to accept that ex Welsh Guardsman Simon Weston is a bloody hero, but he is being banded about as such on every tv channel in the UK. If I inderstand it correctly, didn't he just get horribly burned when Sir Galahad caught fire in San Carlos Bay, the Falklands Islands ? ( it really doesn't matter what ship or where the incident took place, what matters more is the nature of the incident ). OK, perhaps my time in the service was relatively insignificant, as were the knocks, bumps and wounds I copped when doing it , but I never expected nor wanted to be hailed as a Hero for getting 'em, and therefore can't see why anyone who is injured in wartime should be thought a bloody hero for it ! BG
Those that the media choose to latch onto often don't get to much say in the matter. Not to mention those that come out of a war damaged are often left worse off than those who simply died on the battlefield. I was reading recently that on both side of the Falklands conflict there are now more veterns who have killed themselves than men who died in the actual conflict.
Who said he ever wanted to be branded as a hero? To my understanding when he does shows on the Falklands he does it to raise awareness and to help remember those who fell on the islands. To go through the trauma that he and his fellow Guardsmen went through takes alot of courage, Being shot at in the armed services could be described as a "ocupational hazard" but tbh, being burnt or nearly burnt to death is not a plesant idea. Those who don't understand war and who have never been in one or involved in one, will say someone like him is a hero, whether he is or not is up to each individuals interpretation of what a hero is. But has any soldier wanted to be called a hero? I think he would much rather have his friends alive and unharmed than want to be a hero.
hero Well said Dave, you've grown up fast, congratulations. I personally feel that the slurs cast by 'bosworth' are disgusting and totally unnecessary on this forum. You, Dave show much more maturity than the first poster.
its true that the media often calls a person a hero simply because of celebrity ..remember the young woman who was wounded ,capured and then rescued after her support unit took a wrong turn in iraq and got ambushed ...the flag raisers at iwo jima became huge media heros simply for being in a photograph ..much to their own dismay and disgust
hero Simon Weston suffered burns that a WW2 tank soldier would have died from, todays medical science saved him, I have never heard Simon boast of what he has done, somewhat different to some posters on this forum. Perhaps Bosworth can enlighten us about the knocks, bumps and wounds that he aquired during his military service, where and how, and in what? army? navy? RAF, USAF?
Offend our older members - that won't do ! I am genuinely sorry, Merlin, to have evidently offended you so much. That was never my intention, alhtough I do sometimes incline to being controversial and do so in order to generate what I hope would be a significant exchange of conflicting opinions. This is necessary for the purpose of research. Unless I am mistaken, though ( and please do correct me if I am ! ),I ALWAYS cite my sources for anything that I believe may be a tad "controversial", and often only ever make any reference to matters of this nature in order to get them refuted. Insofar as one's personal military history is concerned, yours is both well known and respected, I am sure ; speaking for myself, however, I prefer ( with that subject at least ! ) a little tact and discretion, and as an ex-soldier, I am sure that you, of all people, will understand ! Cheers, BG
Branded a hero. Dave, did I say that he wanted to be branded a "hero" ? What I object to is that he is branded a hero by the press, and (if I wanted to be critical of him, I could state that he :- ) never denies it nor takes pains to ensure he is no longer referred to in that context. However, I don't want to be critical of him, merely the press. BG
Another false hero ! Oops ! Just when I wished to be a little less controversial, as well !! Majorwoody,old bean, the young woman who was captured after her unit got lost in Iraq did not simply become a celebrity as a result of that situation alone, she became a celebrity because the Pentagon conducted a lengthy campaign of lies,half truths and deceptions (including the launching of a bogus attack to seemingly recover her ) and all in order to create a genuine homespun hero and a lot of good media reportage leading to fabulous PR for the US Army. If this is not what happened, amigo,it is certainly how it was reported in the European press ! If you view the matter any differently, please do report accordingly since I would hate to think I was being deceived (more so than usual, that is ! ) by the Press ! BG
Define the word "Hero". I guess everybody has a different opinion about what it takes about a hero. As for Simon Weston, i wouldn't call him a war hero. I would call him a social hero. For he finds the strenght to look in the mirror every morning and face the demons of the past, he has the courage to walk on the streets and doesn't care about the staring faces screaming "oh my god", the strength to keep on going. Most people who got burned that badly would mostly fall in a depression and probably kill themselves. I don't know if you all saw the movie "Windtalkers" with Nicolas Cage. Halfway the movie someone of Cages unit died (friendly fire or stepping on a mine, anyway, a stupid way to die). After that Cage gets the Silver star for an action previously, Cage just gives the medal to one of the dead soldier friends and says "send it to his wife". Later, somebody talks with Cage, telling how nobel it was for Cage to give his medal away. At that point, Cage says "It's already my third silver star. You want to know how i got my first one? My entire unit died but i survived. That's why they gave me a medal. They gave me a medal, for not dying." That shines another light on the hero's with all the medals
In response to your original post :- We kind of have a system for degrees of heroes already - the medal or battle honours system. In the UK it goes from campaign medals which acknowledge the contribution and, yes, courage demonstrated by simply being in a theatre of war right through points in between to the extreme courage that is required to be demonstrated to receive a Victoria Cross - being wounded under fire in "normal" battle conditions probably lies somewhere between the two in that system. It's not a perfect system but is an honest attempt to recognise the human value and cost of war. Personally, I see all service personnel who do their job in war as a form of hero - though some may stand out, they are all in it together. A serviceperson severely wounded in action, such as Simon Weston, has given something of themself of priceless value to a nation that should always be humbled and be grateful for their sacrifice.
A hero for today I entirely agree with the comments of both Lonewolf and Quillin, other than to say that as someone who lost three Great Uncles out of four in WW1, the sacrifice of one's looks is a small price to pay for being regarded as a hero, especially when those who lost their lives , as in the case of my blood kin, never even received a campaign medal. BG
Re: A hero for today I would say that unless you've been in the position of having your face burnt off and having a dying friend slip out of your grip as your hands are too badly burnt to hold him any more you're in no position to judge the relative nature of the price paid. Weston had no choice over the nature of his injuries, or being adopted by the press as the heroic symbol of the Falklands. I fail to see why he should come in for criticism because of it. Weston is rightly admired for what he did after his injuries, such as his involvement in various charitable organisations, when many others would have just hid away and cashed their disability benefit.
