[Vision2020] UK's Prince Harry fighting in Afghanistan

[lfalen]

Good for Prince Harry
Roger
-----Original message-----
From: Tom Hansen thansen at moscow.com
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:50:28 -0800
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] UK's Prince Harry fighting in Afghanistan

> >From CNN at:
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/yplqq4
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> 
> UK's Prince Harry fighting in Afghanistan
> 
> LONDON, England (CNN) -- The UK's Prince Harry is in Afghanistan and has 
> seen combat, the UK Ministry of Defense confirmed Thursday.
> 
> Prince Harry on patrol in the deserted town of Garmisir, Afghanistan.
> http://tinyurl.com/yq3u56
> 
> He was deployed 10 weeks ago and his fellow soldiers were sworn to secrecy.
> 
> The prince's status is currently being reviewed, the Ministry of Defense 
> said.
> 
> Harry is third in line to the British throne and serves with the Blues and 
> Royals
> 
> His main role has been as a member of a group called Joint Tactical Air 
> Control, or JTAC.
> 
> "As far as I'm concerned I'm out here as a normal JTAC on the ground and 
> not as Prince Harry" he said. 
> 
> In a recent interview with CNN correspondent Paula Newton, Prince Harry 
> said, "At the end of the day I like to sort of be a normal person, and for 
> once I think this is about as normal as I'm ever going to get."
> 
> And in a pre-deployment interview with the British Press Association, he 
> said: "If I'm wanted, if I'm needed, then I will serve my country as I 
> signed up to do." 
> 
> The head of the British Army, Chief of the General Staff Sir Richard 
> Dannatt, said Harry's deployment had been kept secret after striking an 
> agreement with the media.
> 
> British and international media -- including CNN -- had agreed not to 
> report Harry's deployment because of security concerns for him and his 
> unit. The military confirmed the operation after a U.S. Web site broke the 
> news blackout. 
> 
> Dannatt said: "What the last two months have shown is that it is perfectly 
> possible for Prince Harry to be employed just the same as other Army 
> officers of his rank and experience.
> 
> "His conduct on operations in Afghanistan has been exemplary. He has been 
> fully involved in operations and has run the same risks as everyone else 
> in his Battlegroup.
> 
> "In common with all of his generation in the army today, he is a credit to 
> the nation.
> 
> "In deciding to deploy him to Afghanistan, it was my judgment that with an 
> understanding with the media not to broadcast his whereabouts, the risk in 
> doing was manageable."
> 
> Dannatt added that he and senior commanders will now be reviewing Harry's 
> deployment.
> 
> Last year, the military ruled Harry could not be sent to Iraq because 
> publicity about the deployment could put him and his unit at risk.
> 
> State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey was asked about the prince's 
> deployment at a press briefing Thursday. "I leave it to the Brits to 
> discuss," he responded. 
> 
> "We have full confidence that the British government and the British 
> military will make appropriate decisions concerning the deployment of the 
> prince or any other members of their military." 
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Seeya round town, Moscow.
> 
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
> 
> 
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