Jakes on Royal Marine Guilty

It saddens me to have to break this news so close to Remembrance Sunday but a Royal Marine has been found guilty of murdering a wounded Afghan insurgent fighter. The soldier shot the wounded, unarmed Afghan in the chest telling the dying man: "There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil, you ****. It's nothing you wouldn't do to us." Before turning to comrades and telling them: "Obviously this doesn't go anywhere, fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention."
Even more depressing is we are getting people commentating under online news supporting the Marine. Wise up people! This soldier is a disgrace to those who serve the Crown with honour. There is no honour or courage in killing a captured, wounded man in cold blood. This my dear readers is murder, pure and simple. I am no pacifist, and as horrid as it is, soldiers kill each other in times of war. Its the nature of warfare. But when you have soldiers murdering captured enemy combatants, its not right. It cannot ever be right. Its psychopathic and cowardly. And yes, there are Afghan Taliban soldiers doing the exact same thing to troops but I thought our Army was better than that. Evidently some are not. There is a Geneva Convention for a reason, and if we are going to ignore it, we might as well toss it out the window. This Marine knew he was doing wrong too because he instructed his comrades to keep quiet. He knew he had just committed murder. I support our Armed Forces but I cannot defend killing a wounded man. Only cowards and those with questionable morals ever would.
I shouldn't be so surprised when crimes like this are uncovered because operating in lands where bloodshed is plenty is bound to have negative effects on any normal man. Killing, under any circumstance, isn't natural. It is bound to 'breed' the odd psycho. Violence builds on violence. The rule of the gun is never ending. But I doubt Mankind will ever learn.

To Drummer Lee Rigby

In Loving Memory

This blog will ignore the perpetrators of the truly barbaric murder that occurred on Wednesday. It will not even mention their names, they do not deserve an ounce of attention (sadly our media have given them more than enough but I realise its their job.) Instead this post will remember the victim, 25 year old Drummer Lee Rigby of 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
Rest easy soldier, tragically cut down way before your time. Your country mourns you and is forever in your debt. One of the most heart breaking tributes I read yesterday was a note left near the spot where he died. It was penned by one of the women who cradled the dying man and read:

"I held you as you died, Im so sorry I couldn't do more for you but you will live with me now for the rest of my life, in my heart Im sorry I couldn't do more and hope you are at peace."

Oh how the tears fell! Imagine the guilt and pain of someone who had no reason to feel guilty of anything? The horror of that situation, a kind soul wanting to give more but was unable because help was beyond the grasp of mortal hands. I still cannot read it without feeling a tear roll down my cheek and as well as sending best wishes to Drummer Rigby and his loved ones, I send the same to those three women who the nation, indeed the world, saw cradling this brave young soldier in his final moments.

Captain Alan Williamson, Adjutant Second Fusiliers said this of his comrade: "Riggers was a cheeky and humorous man, always there with a joke to brighten the mood." And you can clearly see this in the photograph. The sparkle is in his eyes, the 'cheekiness' playing around his mouth as if ready at any moment to crack a joke. One of the good guys, you can tell.

Rest in peace and much respect Drummer Rigby, a nation mourns you.