On the military

The military do a job for us all that is as important as it is dangerous. Personally, I have friends in the military that have served in UN peace keeping missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. I have worked in the logistical support chain for the Dutch military, and appreciate the nature and challenges of their work. One of my friends was in Srebrenica in 1995 when that supposed UN safe haven was overrun by Bosnian Serb forces. The Dutch battalion was compelled, coerced and forced on pain of death to cooperate with Ratko Mladic as he rounded up and killed 7,000 men and boys from Srebrenica. Dutchbat were roundly condemned for their actions. I have always resented that. Not because they were Dutch. But because they were soldiers, doing as they were told by their political masters, who did not equip them for the task at hand.