Should Prince Harry Go To Iraq?

Bit of a contoversy going on here

Prince Harry (3rd in line to the throne) has stated he wants to go to Iraq when his regiment are deployed out there. Apparently HM agrees

Some people (politicos) are trying to stop him

Friends of Prince Harry have denied reports that he will quit the Army if he is not allowed to serve in Iraq.
But they admitted he would be "very disappointed" to miss out, the BBC's royal correspondent has been told.

The Ministry of Defence is reviewing Harry's deployment after 11 UK troops were killed this month, one of the bloodiest since the conflict began.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has told reporters he would be "delighted" if his child wanted to serve in Iraq.

However, he also insisted Harry's future was "absolutely a matter for the military".

The MoD said the matter had always been under "constant consideration", and the final say will lie with head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt.

But Sir John Nott, Conservative defence secretary during the Falklands War, told BBC News: "The danger is that Prince Harry will be hazarding the lives of other soldiers and young officers and I think that's not right."

Harry would struggle with any decision, on the grounds of safety, to change his role and perhaps put him behind a desk

Harry, 22, is currently set to go to Iraq within weeks and has been taking part in preparation exercises.

An MoD spokeswoman said: "It is still our intent that Prince Harry will deploy as a troop leader."

If he doesn't go then the accusations that he's a pretend soldier will follow. As his future will involve being Colonel of various regiments (an honorary title ie not in command) him not going will have implications for the morale of the whole army. Plus it would lump us in with other countries where the rich and powerful avoid combat (no names!)

However if he does go then his troop and all other Blues & Royals units will be at greater risk as the insurgents make great efforts to kill / capture a royal. The scenario of him as a hostage is very frightening

There is a precedent; Prince Andrew flew a Sea-King in the Falklands but the risk of kidnap there was clearly much less. Hid did have close protection but that was only needed during a 'disagreement' with an army helicopter pilot

Your views?

Don't you think that he would be kept under the strictest of guard? I mean those boys couldn't even go out to dance on a Friday night with out the secret guard following and all of scottland yard informed. Perhaps he needs to do this to enlist more of the young potential soldiers that are avoiding enlisting. Or some show to be as brave and bold as the kings of Brittain were in the past, the only difference is that they will not ride out on horse back flailing and brandishing swords but drive in with tanks and high technology. If he does go I hope that he does return saftley I love looking at how good looking they both are.

Walking around with such a high profile target would be the worst thing he could possibly do. Its bad enough over there for the troops but to have the added duty of protecting an obvious target like him while still performing your duties? Come on!

Being assigned to protect him would be like a death sentence. Theyd through every car bomb and exploding 8 year old right at you. Having all the necessary resources following him and surrounding him and protecting would be a completely unwelcome strain.


Or you could pull some hardcore move like letting him get caught and when terrorist demands show up and you think you know where he's being held just blow it all up with him included. Show these hacksaw beheaders and their exploding children that we mean business. Its 5 years too late but we mean business now. At least for a little while. Then we'll lay off and start infighting again and playing this idiotic should I stay or should I go game all the while not doing anything of any consequence except dying.

Hadn't considered the eye-candy aspect but each to their own

The key point is he wants to go and do the job he's been trained for - if it's just a desk job in camp then he might as well not go. That's his view and probably the Army's too.

BTW it's not 'tanks', he'll be in a Scimitar (a 1970's piece of pooh with 'armour' that doesn't stop bullets - just slows them down) Only good thing about it is that it's quick.

He should go, sure. Just as the sons and daughters of American congresspeople should go. If a government sends the armed forces into a conflict, we shouldn't try to protect "the priviledged" if it really is that important to the countries performing the agression (I mean spreading the democracy).

I wouldn't want him in my unit that's for sure. You have to question someone's judgement who shows up at a party dressed like a nazi. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Peace

This is, indeed, an interesting dilemma.

If he goes he puts the lives of others at risk as a result of his "bullet magnet" status and high desirability as a kidnap victim. He will certainly receive close protection from special forces whilst he is there, thus diverting them from other duties which will give rise to claims that further lives have been risked in order to protect him and yet further complaints that other "ordinary" soldiers don't get special protection.

If he doesn't go then a great deal of public money has been wasted in training him to play at being a soldier and someone else will have to go in his place leading to yet another set of complaints that lives are being put at risk to protect him.

He could go and not be assigned to front line duties but this just repeats the problem above that someone else takes the high risk duties in his place and he is still in a relatively high risk environment anyway.

As a result of training him for front line duty without giving sufficient thought to the likely outcome the Royal Family and their advisors have generated a situation where there is no right answer.

I suppose we could just shoot him ourselves before he goes which would solve most of the problems if it wasn't for the prospect of yet another ghastly public funeral and outpouring of grief.

Originally posted by Dr Love
I wouldn't want him in my unit that's for sure. You have to question someone's judgement who shows up at a party dressed like a nazi. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Peace

so what? there are thousends of people that do that
not beauce they are fantaics and so forth jeez
like hes commited a crime of the century

on topic why not?
hes no more valuble then any other man/woman serving out there

Originally posted by bodrulwhy not? hes no more valuble then any other man/woman serving out there

It doesn't have to do with his 'value' as a fellow human being.
It has to do with his being a very high value target to the enemy.

His being there is two very different things -

1 - Very good for him that he's in there with everyone else, and that he isn't 'better' than anyone else.

2 - He is a 'high value' target to the enemy and therefore puts all the other soldiers at higher risk.

I haven't decided which is more important - that he be allowed to risk his life for his country, or that his being there means a greater risk for those around him. I guess that's for the Brits and their soldiers to decide.

Conspiracy note - Considering that many feel he is NOT Prince Charle's biological son ... this would be an easy way for the royals to be rid of him AND for the royals to come out looking like heroes for sacrificing 'one of their own' to the war.

Harry will be a prime target in Iraq, with good reason. Personally, if death awaits him there, so be it. That entire family are a leech on the economy with little to give back but a outdated sense of Britishness. The Empire is long dead, as should the Royals be. If Harry went to Iraq and served the same as every other soldier then I would feel as sorry for him dying as I do every soldier that has before him. But if he is given extra protection and cotton wool treatment, then its just a rich boy playing soldiers, and they get what they get.