to show my support for the Armed Forces

[CuntPuffin]

Following yesterday's atrocious incident, I chose to wear a Help for Heroes shirt today. I have just been told off by a colleague, saying it was insensitive and inappropriate.

Bearing in mind I am ex-force as is my husband, I disagree and am proud to show my support for our Armed Forces. And told him this in fairly clear words.

Have I got this really wrong, or has he?

[ZombiesAreClammyDodgers]

YANBU.
if I had one I would wear it too.

[GoshAnneGorilla]

PeacefulSeagull - thank you for mentioned about the US. It is important to note that OTT rhetoric doesn't actually translate into providing decent care and treatment for "Our Boys". In a decent society HfH wouldn't need to exist.

I also absolutely think the Armed Forces should be open to criticism, just like any other public body. Otherwise you end up with things like the Deepcut barracks deaths, which were swept under the carpet.

[littlediamond33]

wear it with great PRIDE. I would if i had one.My thoughts are with the soldiers family and friends.

[WilsonFrickett]

if you are wearing it to show support for the troops and of the poor soldier who died who cares.

But how does someone know that's why you're wearing it? How can someone know that just by looking at you? And again, we're talking about workwear, not what people wear when they're out shopping. The standards for what you wear at work are different.

[noddyholder]

Well they marched through brighton wearing the t shirts and rattling buckets so I would say that is pretty well hijacked Luckily they were run out of town by a huge crowd of locals and the police. Apparently they think the Pavilion is a mosque which shows the intelligence level

[AuntieStella]

I think EDL might have difficulty hijacking H4H, given its royal and other high profile supporters.

[seeker]

Well, I care abut making my peaceful neighbours worry that I might be a racist thug.......

[pigletmania]

Even if it's been hijacked by EDL who has also hacked many British symbols to support their racist ideologies, if you are wearing it to show support for the troops and of the poor soldier who died who cares.

[seeker]

If the t shirt has been hijacked by the EDL then, while muslim people would have no right to be offended by it, they might justifiably be very wary.......

[peskyginge]

Yanbu and I like the assumption from quite a few on here that people who have Muslim beliefs would be offended by h4h......is that not a racist opinion in itself?!

[pigletmania]

Yanbu wear it with pride, forget the PC dogooders. Supporting the Armed forces, and showing support to the soldier who lost his life does not mean you support racism or Islamophobia.

[AuntieStella]

You can hold the viewpoint that you support the Armed Forces, pretty much regardless, because it is not they who decide the missions they are deployed on. Britain is not ruled by the military.

The responsibility for whether it is right or moral to engage force rests squarely with the Government who decide on the campaign, its parameters and its legality.

[Ilovemyself]

No problem lovecat. I am learning to be as specific as poss with posts on here lol.

[Lovecat]

That's not what you said, to be fair, Ilovemyself. You made what was on the face of it a very sweeping statement that to be patriotic was to "support" our armed forces/products/people. No mention of degree or exclusions.

From reading your post I took you to mean that if you didn't support the armed forces (no matter what they do) then you weren't a patriot. My apologies if that's not the case.

[Saltire]

Iii dont support H4H all the time either for the reasons given bt Lt Eve. Instead we give to RBLS and rafbf and saaffa

[Ilovemyself]

Lovecat. Where did I say defending it right or wrong?

I didn't.

Of course we would be horrified if a British person committed a similar act of terrorism in another country. Or a British product caused death or misery. Or if our armed forces acted in a way they shouldn't. And in those cases we would be ashamed a Brit could do such a thing.

So I stand by my original statement about patriotism. I was patriotic before yesterday and will continue to be for the rest of my life.

[noddyholder]

Agree lovecat

[Blueandwhitelover]

i intend wearing mine to school tomorrow, exdh was forces, my dad was forces and I assist with a support group for children of serving servicemen and women.

[HesterShaw]

Is he the one who compared patriotism to being a loving parent, someone who loves the good things about their child, but who wants the bad things to improve. If you support the bad things about your country, then patriotism becomes nationalism or jingoism.

[AuntieStella]

H4H helps only those of recent conflicts because that it what its founders chose to do.

Others, notably RBL and SSAFA, help those from any conflict.

[Lovecat]

"part of being patriotic is supporting British items. Or people. Or armed forces."

Sorry, but bollocks.

Loving your country does not mean defending it right or wrong. One of the things I like about being British is that we're not blind to our faults.

Kneejerk patriotism makes me very uneasy. In fact I'm with Samuel Johnson on the subject.

[KittensoftPuppydog]

I think that there is nothing wrong with wearing it and showing support. Especially at the moment. It doesn't mean you are racist. It just means that you won't be intimidated by nutters.

[ThenWeTakeBerlin]

LtEveDallas Why don't H4H help all service personnel?

[Ilovemyself]

So what is wrong in being patriotic. You can be proud to be British ( or English in my case) and still have respect for every other nation.

And part of being patriotic is supporting British items. Or people. Or armed forces.

As long as being proud of your differences does not entail bigotry to those not like you what is the trouble.

[jcscot]

I don't get this idea of "Support for the Armed Forces", either through Armed Forces Day or by wearing a H4H shirt.

Quite frankly, as a forces wife, neither my husband nor I feel any need for pats on the back or applause because of the job he does - which he enjoys very much. He get his fulfillment out of doing the very best he can no matter what his role or post, not because someone wears a shirt. I don't like the overtones of nationalism/patriotism

I don't see that wearing a shirt shows solidarity with the dead man or his family - we can only guess at the sorrow and distress that they must be going through and my heart does go out to them. I doubt, but I may be wrong, that lots of people wearing forces shirts will make them feel any better.

I have always felt uncomfortable with the whole H4H thing (and I have donated to them) because I feel that the money and services they provide, which are much needed, should be provided by the government as part of the military covenant. I also feel uncomfortable with the "heroes" tag - not everyone who serves is a hero, wounded, dead or alive. |It cheapens the word and the actions of those who are truly heroic. However, I accept the catchiness of the name and the ease of marketing it provides.

I think if people really want to support the soldiers, sailors and airmen, then they should badger their MPs to uphold the government's end of the Covenant.