-Caveat Lector- "The British Forces' Post Office says it's getting 600 mail bags per day and they are all being sorted in a tent out there by a few people. He seems to have stopped writing now, because you could see his morale dropping lower and lower with each one." Anna Ramsden, Surrey.
http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/3724375 Messages home reveal the mockery 7 March 2003 Angry relatives of British soldiers serving in the Gulf are complaining that their loved ones do not have the food, equipment or weaponry to fight a successful war. These are some of the emails sent today to BBC Breakfast News, following an item about the supply problems: "THE AMERICANS call us the Flintstones. This morning we have no running water. There's a dust storm outside and we have no sand goggles. Conditions are not glamorous here." Disgruntled pilot, Kuwait. "Why does my son still not have a respirator or other bits of equipment that he needs? He has been in the Gulf for three weeks and he still has not had a shower." Donna, Essex. "My daughter is in the Middle East and tells me she has rice three times a day. Sometimes they don't even know what is with the rice. The Americans call them The Borrowers. She says 'they have burger bars, pizza huts and shops. We have nothing.'" Shirley, Birmingham. "My husband is in Kuwait and has lost two stone due to having only one small meal a day. He doesn't have the energy to fight. They need food desperately." Housewife. "My son is a helicopter pilot in the Army Air Corps. You would think that protecting eyesight was paramount. Imagine my concern when I received a letter asking me to post him ski goggles because of the sand storms." Margaret, Tring, Hertfordshire. "My two brothers are in the Gulf. One is a Marine Commando and he has written home complaining of not enough food, no hot running water, no electricity and sharing a marquee with 77 other men. "Their weapons have jammed and they have nearly been hit by friendly fire from the Americans. How can this be right? We are sending food parcels but not sure if they are getting through and this country expects him to fight." Katie, Oxford. "My brother is in the Gulf. We have sent him food packages. There are no proper shower or toilet facilities. I even had to send him sunscreen." Debbie, Cornwall. "When my son was in Afghanistan I sent him luxury items only. This time he is writing home to ask that I send him the basics like soap and toothpaste. He and his colleagues are very concerned that they are just not prepared for what they are being sent into." John, York. "My daughter's fiancé is with the 13th Air Assault in Kuwait. He went out on 14 February, he has sent lots of letters home to her but he has not had a single letter she has sent him. "The British Forces' Post Office says it's getting 600 mail bags per day and they are all being sorted in a tent out there by a few people. He seems to have stopped writing now, because you could see his morale dropping lower and lower with each one." Anna Ramsden, Surrey. "Nothing has changed, even the attitude of the politicians. As a former Royal Marine 1980-89 and having served in the Falklands, we had to take all our own kit (boots bergens, etc) and live on 24-hour rat-packs for more than the described period before fresh rations were issued. "The MoD are again ill-prepared and don't care a hoot about the lads on the ground willing to lay down their life." Pete, Wirral. "Things haven't changed. I was in the last Gulf war and I led a chemical recce team. It was two weeks into the war before we received our desert uniform. And we still had not received our specialist chemical vehicle at the end of the war." Chaz King, Nottingham. "My brother is in the Air Assault Brigade and had to buy all his kit. It's scandalous." Stephen, Glasgow. "I deploy to the Gulf tomorrow and have had to buy desert kit as none has been issued. The organisation is appalling and people will die, as we aren't ready." A concerned soldier. "Exactly the same thing happened last time our troops were in the Gulf. My son was deployed then and I received the same letters that parents are receiving now. Within days many of the lads were ill and were begging and borrowing from the Americans. It's a disgrace." Jenny, Warminster. "Our son sailed out to the Middle East and hasn't had enough to eat since leaving home. He has been living in very cramped conditions and is currently sleeping on the floor of the ship. "He has been asking us to send food. Before he left he had to buy a lot of his own equipment." Robert, St Helens. "My girlfriend was in the Gulf. The mail took over two weeks to arrive, sometimes longer." Sean "My son is a Marine. The conditions for the troops are dire - please make Mr Blair listen. It's not his son there." Jill, Worksop. "I saw my brother (Parachute Reg.) off at the station yesterday as he travelled to Colchester ready to leave for the Gulf. He has minimal kit and has spent £500 of his own money. I fear for him and it's gutting to know my younger brother is putting his life under such conditions." John, Manchester. "This brings back memories of the last conflict which I was a part of. No desert uniforms, boots or paint. All the kit I had to start with was issued by the US Marines. Even the grenades I was issued with were dated 1957." Keith, Wellingborough. "The complaints being heard from soldiers in the Gulf region are undoubtedly a symptom of the general state of morale in the military." Bob, Daventry. "I received a letter from my boyfriend today and it confirms everything stated on the programme about shortages of water, provision, loo paper and equipment. My boyfriend is an experienced soldier and would not say these things if they were not true." Anon phone call. "A work friend is in the Gulf and he is not getting enough to eat or drink. We are thinking of sending over food parcels. I do not agree with the war but the troops should be looked after." Edward, Dartford. "My daughter is on a ship, she has asked us to send out bottled water as they have run out and are using desalinated water to drink. Looking on the bright side, I suppose as least she has a roof over her head - many people we have heard do not even have tents to sleep in." Angela. "I am a serving member of the RAF. All my compatriots in the Gulf were not issued with desert combats as 'there aren't any', so they are working in the normal green ones in the searing heat of the desert. Also they have been issued with the unmodified SA80 that does not work very well in the desert. We are not issued with anywhere near good enough equipment." RC, Norwich. Top of page ©2003 Associated New Media Forwarded for your information. 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