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"You
feel proud but very apprehensive," said Pete Thorpe, whose
son is serving in the Gulf. "People are going to lose their
lives in this conflict. Heaven forbid it'll be my son, but he's
doing the job he's paid for - the job he wants to do and the job
he's proud to do. I'm proud to support him as his father.
His
son, Paul, is a Lance-Corporal with the 26 Armoured Engineer Squadron.
He's in the Gulf waiting for the start of the much anticipated war
with Iraq.
"I'm
very proud of all the lads out there. But I think we should be giving
them a little bit more support than we actually are at the moment.
No
right to strike
"It
is a bit concerning that the British people don't seem to be behind
the troops," he said. "They are out there to do a job.
They have no right to refuse to do that job; they have no right
of strike or of veto."
Pete
is irritated by continuing opposition in Britain to war with Iraq.
"I
think the troops feel a bit isolated at the moment. They get all
the news and I think we've been sending the wrong signals. Our lads
don't get a choice: they've got to do that job. They're going to
need support all the way through this."
Pete
is ex-army so understands what the servicemen and women might be
thinking before hostilities commence: "It's a lot of time standing
around waiting. There's the initial training period when everything
happens. And then there's the lull, which they're in at the moment.
And this is the bit that's going to be the worse because they lose
all contact with everybody.
A
long way from love
"They're
there by themselves; they've got their own thoughts, their own fears.
My heart goes out to them at the moment.
"Once
the action starts, they're fighting in a country that's a long way
away. We don't understand the conditions they're in or the problems
they are facing. If you're in pain or hurt, the last thing you want
to be is away from people that love you - your family and your friends
- although the support they get from the medical teams will be brilliant.
"But
Paul is part of what we call the 'best family in the world', and
we agree. The chances have gone when we've been able to stop the
war. It's going to happen. What we've got to do now is support the
lads that have got no other choice but to fight this war."
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