Ascension : The Parents' Iraq War
Submitted by The Islander (Islander Internet Editor) 30.07.2009 (Article Archived on 13.08.2009)

The announcement of the Iraq Inquiry has once again forced me to relive my role in the Iraq War.

I was born on the British Island of St Helena and have lived on the sister Island of Ascension for the past forty years.  Since the age of fourteen, one of my sons wanted to join the British Army.  David remained determined and gradually developed into army material. As parents, we experienced an exceptionally proud and emotional day when he, just sixteen, and his brother left home to join the British Armed Forces.  St Helenians have always played a part in serving and defending our King or Queen and Country.

As a British soldier David made good progress in his chosen career and was probably oblivious to almost everything else.  I became more and more concerned as disturbing world events unfolded and details emerged, from the UK Government, on Iraq’s nuclear capabilities.  I realised that a major conflict was becoming unavoidable, and that it would almost certainly involve our children.  My patriotism and my faith in New Labour provided me with confidence that Britain would do what it takes to protect its citizens, our values and our way of life.   I had a healthy admiration for Prime Minister Tony Blair and his exceptional leadership.  His energy and skills had set new standards in politics; an intelligent and educated individual that had a unique ability to command trust and inspire the people he represented.  Clearly he was a man of wisdom and insight, one who certainly could not be easily misled or wrongly influenced.  I sincerely believed the best interests of the British people were in good hands as our Prime Minister declared his intentions to send my child and others into war.  I was totally convinced by the reasons he gave and proud that my son would carry St Helenian loyalty alongside the United Kingdom in this just cause.  To help me deal with my fear of the unknown, I considered the possible consequences of war, and privately and deliberately started preparing myself mentally to deal with the news of serious injury or worst.   

As British troops were moved from Germany to Kuwait, diplomacy was overtaken by events.  The last phone call from our son before he left Kuwait and crossed into Iraq was a cruel consolation for his mum, and this left me offering reassurance and support on the outside and numb on the inside.  As I called to mind David’s face, I gave him a few words of encouragement then simply said take care and God bless before handing the phone back to his mum.  Only a parent that has experienced it can fully understand what it is like to have their son or daughter sent to war.  After quietly observing a mother struggling with that pain, I gently explained why we should support the decision to invade Iraq, and to find the nuclear weapons and secure them.  Saddam Hussein was known to show no mercy towards his own people, so it would be suicidal to stand idly by and allow such a tyrannical mind to have weapons of mass destruction at its disposal in a world of growing terrorist activities.  

As coalition forces started the shock and awe bombing, I dared to imagine the terror, destruction, injury and death inflicted on the innocent Iraqi civilians particularly the old, parents and children.  The radio, tabloids and television kept us fully informed.  The ‘embedded reporters’ brought the horrors of war, and what our loved ones were doing and enduring, from the battle fields into our home.  As the days passed, I questioned the cost of the war in human terms and, more so, when the fate of a young Iraqi boy reached my TV screen.  The child had both arms missing from the shoulders as a result of a war authorised by a controversial United Nations Resolution.  No nuclear weapons were ever found and it has been confirmed that the Intelligence information upon which the decision to invade Iraq was based on, was false and misleading.  Soon there is to be an inquiry into the Iraq War.  Tony Blair is likely to still insist that all those that lost their loved ones and those that were maimed, from both sides of the conflict, should allow God to be the judge of his decision to invade Iraq.  He is also likely to claim that as a result of his decision the Iraqi people, regardless of the continuing turmoil and slaughter in their country, can at least now enjoy democracy, human rights and freedoms.  If he does, it will expose the contradiction that I am forced to live with: as the British Government was determined to invade a Sovereign country at any price, rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Ascension are refused in the name of the British taxpayer. 

All three of our sons now serve in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces; one has recently returned “home” after serving seven months in Afghanistan.  St Helenians have always remained loyal and proud to serve their Queen and Country, but it is of paramount importance for our young men and women that serve in Her Majesty’s Forces that the mistakes of the past should not be repeated in the future by their political leaders. 

Unlike our fellow parents, who my heart goes out to, our child returned safe from the Iraq war, and the nightmares have now all but disappeared.  David has since married and they have a beautiful baby daughter.