Intersting Story Number 3. Touchy subject this one for alot of people...War. The Mirror today printed a story about 'The War's youngest hero'. This young chap, Pte Alex Kennedy, has been awarded the Military Cross for saving his commanding officers life whilst under attack from Taliban Forces. He is the youngest person to be awarded this prestigious medal since World War II. I'm not writing this to have a pop at him or anyone in the army. What Alex did was amazing. I couldn't do it. He has my upmost respect for doing what he did. Congratulations on being awarded this medal. That is a genuine congratulations.
The reason i'm writing about this is because i genuinely believe the Government should raise the minimum age of signing up to the army from 16 to 21. At 16 you do need parental consent to join up but still, 16! So at 18, well 17 and 9 months, you can sign up of your own free will. I think this should be raised to 21. Some of these people are still teenagers when signing up for the army...teenagers! They still have that natural teenage aggresion and probably don't fully understand what they're fighting for. They see it as a guaranteed pay packet. I know this as i've chatted to a few guys in the armed forces and having asked them why they signed up that's what they said. At 18 they've barely lived at all. They should go out and get that natural teenage aggresion out of their system the normal way...sex and booze. I think that signing up kids up as soon as they leave school is just wrong. When a child leaves school and finds out there are not alot of jobs around waving an army leaflet in their face is not the answer. Give the person a chance to educate thenselves and grow to discover what they want to be. Then, at the age of 21 and having lived a little, they can make an informed desicion as whether to sign up for the army or not. At 21 they will have a far greater idea as to what the army is all about and whether it is for them or not.
I respect anyone who signs up as I couldn't do it. I would be to scared to point a gun at someone and fire it. Call Of Duty Modern Warfare i'm fine with, real life not so fine. Why is Call of Duty Mordern Warfare 2 an 18 but real life army is 16? That seems a little fucking backward to me. How can a compter game have a higher age rating than the real life armed forces. That seriously needs looking at. Also to sign up to the Army Entertainment Corp you HAVE to be 18 and over. So to go and entertain the troops you have to be over 18 but to weild a deadly weapon you don't! You can go out and kill people in the army before you can buy a pint of lager legally in this country or even a pack of smokes. How the fuck can that be right. I can kill people under the supervision of the armed forces but i cannot celebrate with a pint after. Somethings in this country need changing and that is one of them.
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