No, not a typo-damaged lust for under-age cetaceans... rather young Prince Harry of A Squadron, the Blues and Royals.
Prince Harry has threatened to quit the Army if commanders refuse to send him to the front line.He told senior officers before recently passing out of Sandhurst as a Second Lieutenant: "If I am not allowed to join my unit in a war zone, I will hand in my uniform."
Good on you, Lieutenant. That's what I want to see in a young officer.
Of course, it isn't that simple, now is it?
Like it or not, Prince Harry is 3rd in line for the Throne of England. That makes him a very lucrative "kill or capture" target.
Okay, it's a dangerous business, isn't it? The Royal Family have thus far not been too shy about risking their own flesh and blood in service, witness Prince Andrew in the Falklands.
So, the concern twists itself to another angle - would Lieutenant Wales' presence put his troops at greater risk, as the jihadis try to score the Big One?
That is a concern expressed by the senior leadership, for whom such things really are important.
The embarrassment for the Army caused by him quitting would be matched by uproar at the notion that while ordinary citizens are allowed to that their main problem is not whether Harry can take the pressure of coming under fire in action � but whether the lives of the men fighting alongside him will be more at risk because he is regarded as a �trophy target� by insurgents.One experienced commander said: "Second Lt Wales will, as far as is possible, be treated like any other officer but there has to be a line drawn as to whether the men he leads might experience extra danger due to his presence. Decisions will be taken by commanding officers based on an accurate risk assessment at the time."
The Sun is reporting that Prince Harry may go to Afstan with his unit. And, that soldiers are supportive of his deploying.
Officially, the Ministry of Defence insists that a final decision about whether second lieutenant Harry will be allowed to fight in Iraq has yet to be made.The Prince has always said he is determined to do battle with his 100-strong unit, A Squadron of the Blues and Royals � part of the Household Cavalry.
They begin a six-month tour of Iraq in the spring. And before that, they are expected to take part in war games and exhaustive preparations for conflict.
The decision over the young Royal is deemed so important it will be made by the Army�s top man, Chief of the General Staff General Sir Richard Dannatt.
But a bandwagon of popular support is growing among the ranks to allow Harry to fulfil his dream of active service. Despite alarm over the possibility of putting the Prince�s life in danger, top brass will find that hard to refuse.
I say Lieutenant Wales is either a member of the unit, or not. If he is, then he should deploy with them, and not send them out with a newbie who hasn't trained with the unit.
If it turns out that every splodey-dope jihadi with a belt of explosives want to martyr themselves - that can be sorted out on the ground over there, based on the actual risks, vice the "might be a problems".
It's a war. Let's not forget the moral(e) aspects. There are some considerations that transcend.
Let Wales fight.
H/t, Heartless Libertarian.
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