Page 19 | Double amputee war hero who inspired Prince Harry to start Invictus 'disagrees' with Duke's claim British press did not cover stories of wounded in Afghanistan as Colonel says his popularity is dwindling with veterans

Mycatisthebestever · 03/09/2023 20:55

Please do carry on berating me @JamieFrasersfurrysporran for giving my opinion on the past few days on here.

JamieFrasersfurrysporran · 03/09/2023 20:57

Mycatisthebestever · 03/09/2023 20:55

Please do carry on berating me @JamieFrasersfurrysporran for giving my opinion on the past few days on here.

Just sharing my opinion like you have

JamieFrasersfurrysporran · 03/09/2023 20:59

What's wrong with people sharing their personal stories?

ArcaneWireless · 03/09/2023 21:03

Time to depart for the day I feel. Away to dance round with the hoover.

I’ll leave this here.

Face like stink optional.

mpsw · 03/09/2023 21:13

AngryGreasedSantaCatcus · 03/09/2023 19:12

And that is a genuine,reasonable, justified criticism of Harry and his comment.

He's not the sharpest tool in the box, (to put it mildly)rather than a liar, which in most instances seems to be the case.

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I assume that Harry has heard of The Millies, as Invictus Games was a winner in 2015

The Sun Military Awards - Wikipedia

The Awards no longer going - did not re-start after pandemic suspension. But in their heyday they were broadcast prime time on ITV

AngryGreasedSantaCatcus · 03/09/2023 21:27

@mpsw do we have to go over it again?

What Harry said seemed to have referred to those three wounded soldiers in particular. He talked about them right before that sentence. He started that sentence saying he was angry about what happened to them, then right after that the media weren't covering IT.

He never said they never covered or did anything or named any particular paper, even if some chose to take it personally.

That's why that poster's criticism is valid , and generalised harry said no one covered anything ever .. what about the x,y,x are frankly BS, regurgitated "facts" from the tabloids.

And, regardless of what Harry meant, the sun took that comment and made it entirely about THEM with their "we care harry", "Harry accused media outlets, like The sun" etc. They were never fucking mentioned.

StormzyinaTCup · 03/09/2023 22:41

Just catching up.

What Harry said seemed to have referred to those three wounded soldiers in particular. He talked about them right before that sentence. He started that sentence saying he was angry about what happened to them, then right after that the media weren't covering IT.

So what was it he expected from the media? Did he want the British media to run a story specifically about these three men? Is that what the severely injured servicemen wanted at that time?

I think most people aren't really buying into that interpretation, he was using it as an opportunity to get in another dig at the British media, another case of engaging mouth before brain and the Sun, amongst others, calling him out on it (again).

The Sun joined forces with Help For Heroes back in October 2007 so pretty much as soon as it was formed, Harry was not evacuated on that plane with those three injured soldiers until Feb/March 2008. The Sun (amongst others) had already been highlighting widely the plight of injured servicemen for six months!

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4584651/help-for-heroes-tenth-year/#:~:text=But%20their%20plight%20was%20hidden%20from%20view.&text=That%20was%20until%20October%202007,The%20response%20was%20phenomenal.

The epic story behind Help for Heroes as it celebrates its tenth year

TEN years ago the bodies of British soldiers were being flown home from Afghanistan and Iraq on an almost daily basis to a public outpouring of grief. There were also hundreds of servicemen and wom…

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4584651/help-for-heroes-tenth-year/#:~:text=But%20their%20plight%20was%20hidden%20from%20view.&text=That%20was%20until%20October%202007,The%20response%20was%20phenomenal.

ALittleTeawithmilk · 03/09/2023 23:15

Mycatisthebestever · 03/09/2023 15:45

A bit like Harry's stories then? Unless you think he has more up his sleeve?

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He probably does have more up his sleeve. But it’s beside the point.

He’s said what he needs to say - there’s nothing new being added, so the ongoing repetitive criticism about everything, including criticism of manufactured stories and non stories about him, has reached the point of absolutely crazy.

jeffgoldblum · 03/09/2023 23:22

No posters want to debate his words , if he doesn't want criticism he shouldn't say things that are easily misinterpreted!
Nobody should be beyond reproach, it doesn't matter who they are or what they have experienced in the past , if you put it out there it will come home to roost, everyone knows this ! It's universal and applies to us all.

ALittleTeawithmilk · 03/09/2023 23:41

jeffgoldblum · 03/09/2023 15:49

Does it matter when or if the same criticism is ' regurgitated' ( odd choice of words there!)
If people feel strongly about it , then they should be allowed to voice it!
Some people are still voicing criticism from 20 years ago on some threads!

No one’s saying they aren’t allowed.

No one’s forcing anyone to be silent. Obviously.

I am saying the constant criticism over these two people is extreme. ‘The why ‘ it’s happening to the point of being extreme is now the subject of academic studies.

AngryGreasedSantaCatcus · 03/09/2023 23:44

StormzyinaTCup · 03/09/2023 22:41

Just catching up.

What Harry said seemed to have referred to those three wounded soldiers in particular. He talked about them right before that sentence. He started that sentence saying he was angry about what happened to them, then right after that the media weren't covering IT.

So what was it he expected from the media? Did he want the British media to run a story specifically about these three men? Is that what the severely injured servicemen wanted at that time?

I think most people aren't really buying into that interpretation, he was using it as an opportunity to get in another dig at the British media, another case of engaging mouth before brain and the Sun, amongst others, calling him out on it (again).

The Sun joined forces with Help For Heroes back in October 2007 so pretty much as soon as it was formed, Harry was not evacuated on that plane with those three injured soldiers until Feb/March 2008. The Sun (amongst others) had already been highlighting widely the plight of injured servicemen for six months!

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4584651/help-for-heroes-tenth-year/#:~:text=But%20their%20plight%20was%20hidden%20from%20view.&text=That%20was%20until%20October%202007,The%20response%20was%20phenomenal.

Just got broken on another thread (my own stupid ass fault) so yeah sure, you and the Sun are right and know better what he meant, what it all means.I'm wrong.It doesn't really matter that much anyway.

mpsw · 04/09/2023 09:03

AngryGreasedSantaCatcus · 03/09/2023 21:27

@mpsw do we have to go over it again?

What Harry said seemed to have referred to those three wounded soldiers in particular. He talked about them right before that sentence. He started that sentence saying he was angry about what happened to them, then right after that the media weren't covering IT.

He never said they never covered or did anything or named any particular paper, even if some chose to take it personally.

That's why that poster's criticism is valid , and generalised harry said no one covered anything ever .. what about the x,y,x are frankly BS, regurgitated "facts" from the tabloids.

And, regardless of what Harry meant, the sun took that comment and made it entirely about THEM with their "we care harry", "Harry accused media outlets, like The sun" etc. They were never fucking mentioned.

Yes, it seems we do.

The press didn't cover IT because (as I pointed out in my post just before the slew of pigeons and penguins being gone over yet again) there was a deliberate MoD policy of privacy for the detail of injured personnel until they were well enough to make an informed decision on whether they want their personal medical information in the public domain. If unlikely to recover to that point, the families were given similar advice.

That was, of course, at a time when contrary to assertion, the circumstances of returning veterans was very much front and centre in the popular press (I cited The Millies as one example of this)

Or do you mean some other IT - other than the two things he was talking about at the point: a) no coverage of the injured he was travelling with and b) no coverage generally

PrincessOfTigger · 04/09/2023 11:07

I wondered what the whole pigeon thing was about, I knew the meme but never got why posters on MN found it so hilarious

Roussette · 04/09/2023 11:17

PrincessOfTigger · 04/09/2023 11:07

I wondered what the whole pigeon thing was about, I knew the meme but never got why posters on MN found it so hilarious

I don't. I find it rude.

PrincessOfTigger · 04/09/2023 11:22

Roussette · 04/09/2023 11:17

I don't. I find it rude.

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I’ve been seeing it everywhere & never got why… not even funny. but apparently it’s code to trigger a pile on.

Samcro · 04/09/2023 11:22

it was awful

JamieFrasersfurrysporran · 04/09/2023 12:27

It's nasty

ALittleTeawithmilk · 04/09/2023 13:20

I’ve seen it used too. It’s Good to know, PrincessTigger, that it was code to trigger a pile on. Thank you. People can be infantile. And nasty.

StormzyinaTCup · 04/09/2023 15:51

Over the years across MN I have seen penguins, squirrels, snakes, pigeons, crabs, grey rock and klaxon ‘code words’ all being used for certain purposes. I have seen one or two regular royal thread posters ( pro and anti PH) utilise these methods of ‘communication’ on other MN topics over the years. It’s not against guidelines so 🤷‍♀️

Tis the weird world of MN ( where of course participation is 100% voluntary).

AutumnCrow · 04/09/2023 16:06

mpsw · 03/09/2023 19:09

Then he said "I was angry about what happened to these guys,I was angry the media weren't covering it, I was angry I got pulled out."

Hee seems to have been completely unaware that the MoD has (and as far as I am aware, still has) a deliberate policy of not commenting on injuries until the people concerned have recovered well enough to make an informed decision on whether they want to become potentially identifiable to the press. If very unwell, then it becomes the family's decision, but again one that they are advised to defer until after the first shock of serious injury

Medical confidentiality matters, and Harry shows a lack of understanding in expecting it to be breached

Especially as around that time, there was considerable (and pro-veteran) coverage in the tabloids (and broadsheets, and broadcast media) about veterans - it was around the time of the founding of Help4Heroes, which had massive levels of positive coverage.

Also, The Sun began The Millies (awards for military personnel) in 2008, and some injured veterans, such as Ben Parkinson, were honoured with their stories fully known

Thanks for this. It's a very informative post that seems to have been skipped over, along with your subsequent post about the same subject of medical confidentiality & what was happening and known at that time.

Anyway, without using the weird wavey hand button, I wanted to send a message of appreciation.

MrsFinkelstein · 06/09/2023 17:57

@StormzyinaTCup re "So what was it he expected from the media? Did he want the British media to run a story specifically about these three men? Is that what the severely injured servicemen wanted at that time?"

To me it indicates how affected he was by the sight of those 3 severely injured servicemen. We know he was very protected while he was deployed, and he was a gunner on a helicopter, so IMO he had always been somewhat removed from battle. Was that the very first time he'd ever seen such injuries "on the field" as it were? Battlefield hospitals are brutal, it's not clean and clinical at all. The sights, sounds and smells can be hugely traumatic when you first see them.

And Harry was well aware of The Sun "Millie awards" - he attended at least 1 of them and presented awards.

https://www.royal.uk/speech-prince-harry-sun-military-awards

Has anyone got any updates on viewing figures for Heart of Invictus? I still can't see it on my trending or within the Top 10 on my NF - but that maybe more to do with my algorithm.

I hope for the participants sakes it's a success.

pilates · 06/09/2023 18:24

Nope not in the top ten. I read somewhere that it is too long which may be why it’s not as successful as anticipated.

MrsFinkelstein · 07/09/2023 10:23

pilates · 06/09/2023 18:24

Nope not in the top ten. I read somewhere that it is too long which may be why it’s not as successful as anticipated.

That's a shame for the participants sakes.

Maybe it's too many episodes? A lot of the NF docs that did big numbers were single episodes: Epstein, Athlete A, Miss Americana. But they do have series docs that did well: The Last Dance, Wild Wild Country, Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey. But they were on unusual subjects.

TLD is about a really famous basketball team known worldwide and a backstory that is intense. The others I mentioned were totally unbelievable, off the wall weird stories that hooked you right in (cults). Plus they were released during Covid when everyone wanted box sets to pass the time.

Timing of releases and societal "moments" can play a big part.

ALittleTeawithmilk · 07/09/2023 10:53

5 hours of a documentary is a lot, but at no time was I bored. Nearly a week later, and the stories of the Veterans have stayed with me.

Roussette · 08/09/2023 07:28

Here is who POTUS is sending to Dusseldorf to support the US veterans at Invictus.
Does anyone have any idea who we are sending?

Double amputee war hero who inspired Prince Harry to start Invictus 'disagrees' with Duke's claim British press did not cover stories of wounded in Afghanistan as Colonel says his popularity is dwindling with veterans