Johnson Beharry is a hero.
Not once but twice this man braved enemy fire to save comrades. His bravery was considered sufficient to have the Queen award him the VC, the very highest medal available to her. Lance Corp Beharry was the first live recipient of the medal since 1965.
Of course most of us reading this, and certainly the person writing it can’t even being to imagine a situation where that could happen. We just haven’t the foggiest idea what it would be to be under fire, to have people wanting to kill us, and to have mates lying hurt, dying even. No. Not for a minute can we transport ourselves to the situation that troops find themselves in. Even if we try really hard, and have very fertile imaginations, it still doesn’t really work.
Lance Corp Beharry was at the Remembrance Day ceremony in London in November, and, as he told the press, watched Gordon Brown fidget through the two-minute silence. All that was going through his head, he said, was "to knock the man out".
Johnson Beharry decided that he would get the man’s attention (probably not difficult as you can imagine that Brown would just love a photo-opportunity with a real hero), and when Brown offered him his hand he simply walked away. Brown was left humiliated.
Lance Corp Beharry had been present at a reception in Downing Street a year before in which Brown had seemed totally disinterested in the servicemen and women who attended. He said “I can’t get over how disrespectful he has been to us. His reaction to the uniform is terrible.”
Needless to say Downing Street trotted out another flunky to say how much Mr Brown respected and admired the forces yada yada yada... the same muck as you would expect from No 10.
But as Johnson Beharry has proved actions speak louder than words, and what we have is a prime minister who starved the forces of cash, lied to parliament about it, lied to the inquiry he set up about it and then tout de suit
e got on a plane for a photo opportunity with the very people he had starved of resources.
Brown uses the military and the war as a political tool.
Although I have grave doubts about a Tory government, particularly as there is really only one, at best two, members of the shadow cabinet worth a job, I hope that Brown gets beaten for his despicable, niggardly, cowardly attitude to these lads doing a job that very few of us would have the guts to do.
Mr Beharry, you already had my deepest respect for being one hell of a brave man... and your actions have only deepened my respect for you.
Not once but twice this man braved enemy fire to save comrades. His bravery was considered sufficient to have the Queen award him the VC, the very highest medal available to her. Lance Corp Beharry was the first live recipient of the medal since 1965.
Of course most of us reading this, and certainly the person writing it can’t even being to imagine a situation where that could happen. We just haven’t the foggiest idea what it would be to be under fire, to have people wanting to kill us, and to have mates lying hurt, dying even. No. Not for a minute can we transport ourselves to the situation that troops find themselves in. Even if we try really hard, and have very fertile imaginations, it still doesn’t really work.
Lance Corp Beharry was at the Remembrance Day ceremony in London in November, and, as he told the press, watched Gordon Brown fidget through the two-minute silence. All that was going through his head, he said, was "to knock the man out".
Johnson Beharry decided that he would get the man’s attention (probably not difficult as you can imagine that Brown would just love a photo-opportunity with a real hero), and when Brown offered him his hand he simply walked away. Brown was left humiliated.
Lance Corp Beharry had been present at a reception in Downing Street a year before in which Brown had seemed totally disinterested in the servicemen and women who attended. He said “I can’t get over how disrespectful he has been to us. His reaction to the uniform is terrible.”
Needless to say Downing Street trotted out another flunky to say how much Mr Brown respected and admired the forces yada yada yada... the same muck as you would expect from No 10.
But as Johnson Beharry has proved actions speak louder than words, and what we have is a prime minister who starved the forces of cash, lied to parliament about it, lied to the inquiry he set up about it and then tout de suit
e got on a plane for a photo opportunity with the very people he had starved of resources.Brown uses the military and the war as a political tool.
Although I have grave doubts about a Tory government, particularly as there is really only one, at best two, members of the shadow cabinet worth a job, I hope that Brown gets beaten for his despicable, niggardly, cowardly attitude to these lads doing a job that very few of us would have the guts to do.
Mr Beharry, you already had my deepest respect for being one hell of a brave man... and your actions have only deepened my respect for you.
Pictures: A hero Johnson Beharry, Brown, and the hero again with his portait.
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