Tri-Service
Soldiers' Families 'Sent Body Armour' To Help Them In Iraq
The families of British soldiers fighting in the Iraq War sent them body armour amid fears they were not getting the right kit from the MoD, according to an MP.
The revelations from DUP MP, Jim Shannon, came after the Chilcot Inquiry found troops were sent into the war with "serious equipment shortfalls".
Mr Shannon said families also sent boots and warm clothes to their loved ones.
A soldier acts as top cover on his Land Rover in Maysaan Province
Speaking during the Commons debate on the Chilcot report, the MP demanded better support for soldiers “serving Queen and country”. He said:
"We can't keep sending forces into places they are not prepared to go into, both in terms of equipment and understanding of the reason."
"I wasn't a member of this House at the time of the Iraq War, but I've had constituents come to me who were sending socks and boots and food and body warmers, and on one occasion I'm aware of, body armour to their people in Iraq."
"There is something wrong when our people serve across the seas and we, as families, have to send them stuff that the Army should be sending them when they go out."
The MP warned that veterans of wars including Iraq and Afghanistan had been left without support and the Army had made some redundant just days before they were eligible to receive their full pensions.
He said one Army major had been told he was losing his job on the same day he received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal for his service.
Land Rovers of the Queen's Royal Lancers in Maysaan Province
The Major had fought in the Falklands, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Mr Shannon said:
"These are some of the people who fought for Queen and country, who did their bit, and then when they needed the support back home it fell short, and it fell short with a vengeance."
The Shadow Defence Secretary Clive Lewis, a member of the Territorial Army who served in Afghanistan, paid tribute to the "heroic" families of Armed Forces members but criticised the lack of equipment provided to their loved ones in Iraq:
"There were shortages not just of helicopters and armoured vehicles, shortages with terrible consequences. Day after day we saw Snatch Land Rovers, designed for riot duty in Northern Ireland, blown to bits by huge roadside bombs."
"But there were also shortages of uniforms, boots and even such basic necessities as toilet paper.
"Some units even had to borrow rations from the Americans and one unit became known as 'the borrowers'."
"Some of the soldiers who died in Iraq were still teenagers. It is a disgrace that they were sent there so woefully prepared."
More - Chilcot Report: The Key Findings
More - Comment: Chilcot And The Blair Blame Game
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