to think that Gordon Brown was writing with good intentions to the mother of the dead soldier.......does handwriting really matter??

[SquirrelTrap]

I think it is all rather unfair.

I would prefer a scrawled personally written letter than a spell-checked standard Word document letter? I think it is all rather nasty.

I do not think he deserves to be vilified for bad handwriting and poor spelling.

Getting the name wrong is different though.

Its very hurtful to have your dead child's name spelt wrong. It really is.

I dont think the media give a flying feck about that woman's grief however unreasonable or reasonable it seems.

They just want to burn GB at the stake.

I think you are all being ridiculous, people join the military for various reasons, I joined cause I wanted to see the world and make something of my life, I served in the Iraq war twice and yes it is exciting but also extremely scary, we were sent out there without the correct kit and we just got on with it.

There are rubbish prospects for young people and a life in the forces, they don't tell you at the recruiting office about the pants accomadation, they make war seem very glamorous and the pay looks quite good on paper, I was working 18 hour days sometimes and not getting lovely double pay or overtime. I'm not looking for sympathy just people understanding why people join, and why people should be more respectful to the forces.

If a squaddie says that they are not scared when they go on tour they are LYING cause everyone is scared of getting shot/blown up. You also don't know about the years notice you have to give to leave the army......herbie I'm with you all the way.

I am surprised by how angry this story has made me on behalf of Gordon Brown.

While I have every sympathy for the bereaved family, I just find the exploitative and manipulative way The Sun have used this makes me queasy.

I just think it's a fine example of the disrespect our forces are treated to.

I disagree. Thankfully he's not having to write 100's of these letters a day. I'm not botherthered by the handwriting bit, I do think it's disgraceful he couldn't ensure that he got the name correct.

Oh please let's not go down the disrespecting our troops thing. I know it plays well in the US but I thought we had more sense here.

yes, people join for lots of reasons, true, and for some people the trade-off of getting your head blown off must seem worth it if you are from a shitey background. that's one.

and that is, then, the deal that was struck, you get travel and excitement, they get to send you to your death if necessary. do you feel taken advantage of re the pay, notice and housing provision?

(i'm freelance, i don't get overtime, pension, mat leave worth a fuck, holidays etc etc etc so i don't have huge sympathy on that front tbh, and re housing as i understand it there's been nothing to prevent forces families from buying accommodation to rent and move into later so it's a temporary situation. plus, the people i know on bases always seem to have houses that look fine to me).

that doesn't explain the 'military families', as mentioned previously on this thread. (someone said that only 'military families' cna understand the offence.) and it certainly doesn't explain the police, nurses, doctors, engineers etc who could work elsewhere. what's the motivation, apart from escaping a crap life?

This is nothing more or less than bullying a man because of mistakes due to his disability, and I am surprised that anyone would think that that is acceptable behaviour.

I can understand how hurtful it was for Ms Janes that the name was misspelt, but there was no intention to hurt - indeed, the intention was to offer condolences in as personal a manner as possible.

I agree that Gordon Brown would have been equally badly slated had he dictated a letter then signed it - it would be called impersonal and heartless.

I wonder whether every other letter of condolence that Mrs Janes has received is properly spelled throughout? Will she be returning any that aren't to the sender, with red circles outlining any mistakes? I doubt it.

you get a pension, i don't. i'm also getting paid less for work now than i was ten years ago, this is the way of the world these days. i do think people in the public services sometimes don't know they're born, tbh. teachers, council workers etc, they're living in a different age.

re the humanitarian work, the keeping the world safe etc, that is what the job is, surely? that, and possibly getting your head blown off, which i would not put myself up for in a million years. but i'm not sure that makes me less brave, exactly, than people who would.

wahwah as annoying though the Yanks are, they look after their troops 100 times better than we do.

When you join the forces, you become one big family, even now I have been a civvy for 18 months, i would still trust my life in the hands of those guys, it's pride and people are proud to serve their country, without the Forces we would not live in the free country we do today.

I gained the impression you were suggesting that some of the comments here were disrespectful of our troops and my point (such as it was) was that asking questions is not disrespectful and this has been a big thing in the US- any questions or slight criticism and the default position seems to be accusations of disrespect.

without conscripted forces, surely? that's very different.

It is a disgrace for the PM to get the name wrong. In the current climate it should be his business to get it right.

As for all the 'pay and benefits' there aren't that many - even at the higher ranks.

I normally have no time for GB or New Labour, but this is totally unfair on GB. I'm disgusted by the way the Sun have manipulated this mother's grief (and if she was paid for her story I hope she donates it to Help for Heroes or something...)

Speaking as someone who suffered a retinal detachment last year & now have vision in my "bad" eye that is probably similar to GB's ONLY working eye, then please don't criticise his handwriting. I know how mine has deteriorated due to the loss of binocular vision. I'm also not totally convinced they were spelling errors as opposed to his writing style either.

I'm also from a military family & served in the army myself for a few years, but I take the view that you know (or should find out) what you are signing up for...

pension? what's the pay like? btw as a freelancer i am completely exempt from min wage, and freelance is the way the world is going.

and why are these military types doing it, then, if it's so shit? i don't get it.

Wahwah - do you mean there is this thing about never saying ever ever ever a bad word about anyone who may have been in the military?

I feel a bit uncomfortable with all this 'hero' stuff and the making of records etc. to be honest (flame away). Again, it seems to me that record companies / some people in the media are setting agendas for us, in order that they sell records / make money, thereby exploiting the troops they pretend they care about.

People respect people if they deserve it. Generally people would respect troops, but having it rammed down my throat (usually by the Murdoch brigade) is particularly irritating.

To be fair, for some like my cousin it sems like a way to learn a trade and get away from home. He wasn't the happiest soul and didn't stay long. Also found the bullying quite tough, but grit his teeth and got on.

oh yes i do, which is why you don't catch me moaning (much ) about it, because it has many advantages for me. although i would prefer to be employed, having said that, but in my industry there's no chance.

there really are loads of ways to do good, just not close to aeroplanes, if that's the pay-off for dh then that's the pay-off.

The Sun has infuriated me by circling so called errors. Those 'errors' are just his hand writing - I found it legible unlike some of the handwritten letters I have had to type up. Fair enough getting the name wrong is appalling and his personal secretary should have checked it but The Sun are just scoring points and using this grieving mother to do so.

Full details of pay, pensions,careers etc can be found on the MOD website.