James Blunt to Wesley Clark: PFO.

Manic Moran

Score one for Mr Blunt.

Excluding a bit of tabloid hyperbole, this story is generally correct and has been confirmed by General Jackson. The Pristina Airport incident made news during Wesley Clark's Presidential election campaign, but the James Blunt part of it didn't get any air time that I'm aware of.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1329822/James-Blunt-stopped-World-War-3-refusing-destroy-Russian-forces.html#ixzz15NHX0Br3

Blunt, a former cavalry officer in the British Army, was leading a NATO column under order to seize the Pristina airfield in Kosovo in 1999.
Facing a 200-strong Russian advance, the then- 25-year-old was given orders to 'destroy' the Russian troops by the Supreme Allied Commander of the NATO Forces in Europe.

'I was given a direct command to overpower the 200 or so Russians who were there,' the You're Beautiful hitmaker has revealed for the first time.
'I was the lead officer, with my troop of men behind us... It was a mad situation.'

He said his men were given orders by the American general to 'reach the airfield and take a hold of it.'

The singer, who has gone on to sell over 11 million albums since leaving the forces in October 2002, risked a court martial by refusing to go along with the orders to attack, a command he feared would spark a major conflict with Russia.

Blunt's instinct was backed by the commander of the British Forces. 'Fortunately, the singer remembered, 'Up on the radio came General Sir Mike Jackson, whose words were, "I'm not going to have my soldiers start World War Three."

Little bit of trivia there, for you.

NTM

Latchy

'Up on the radio came General Sir Mike Jackson, whose words were, "I'm not going to have my soldiers start World War Three."

He ( Jackson not Blunt ) covers this story in his autobiography to .

Holybejaysus

They should have just rigged Cap'n Blunt up to the loudspeakers, that would have clearly the airport in double quick time. Nobel Prize to the usual address thanks....