Lebanon troops home today

Hedgemeister

Lebanon rotation today.
I would like to welcome home our troops who landed back in Ireland today after a job well done.

Jawgap

more here

Morpheus

[MOD]
Infraction issued, please feel free to post political theory in AH or politics in future, not in the Military forum.

I'm moving the related posts to a thread called

"1926 Leinster house King George 5th Royal Oireachtas 26 county provisional Irish Government"

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056954386
[/MOD]

Jawgap

Finnish-Irish Peacekeeping Exhibition in Rathmines



This article from Foreign Policy may also be of more general interest...

The Price of Peace - How much is a U.N. blue helmet actually worth?

"In November of last year, Congolese rebels from the M23 movement advanced on Goma, eastern Congo's largest city. As the rebels took the city, the U.N. peacekeepers deployed there stood by, never firing a shot. That dismal performance revived a longstanding debate about the value of the U.N.'s signature activity. The spectacle of Syrian rebels capturing dozens of peacekeepers in the Golan Heights has reinforced the perception of impotence. But the United Nations -- and a number of outside observers -- contend that, even with their profound limitations, peacekeepers at least mitigate ongoing conflict and help prevent the recurrence of conflict once it has subsided.

The debate over the political and military value of peacekeepers won't be resolved anytime soon. Financially, however, the worth of a peacekeeper is clear: $1,028. That's the monthly sum the United Nations pays to states, per soldier, when they contribute peacekeepers to duly authorized missions. It's a dollar figure that hasn't changed much since the early 1990s, even as U.N. peacekeeping has closed some missions, opened others, and undergone significant reform. The static compensation rate has emerged as a significant point of tension in New York, primarily between the states that contribute most troops to missions and those states that foot the bill for peacekeeping."

Hedgemeister

I served many times as a military member with the UN beginning with the mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in the 60s, through the 70s, 80s, and 90s with the mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
First and foremost the Blue Helmet soldier is not there to fight a war, we were (are) International 'witnesses' on the ground. I cannot speak for what happened in Goma or the Golan, but due to the nature of the peacekeepers work it's quite easy to get captured by one or other of the warring factions in any conflict. Personally, I got 'taken' twice, the first time by a PLO faction in the Tyre Pocket in 1979, then, some months later by the Christian Militia. Both times I was an MP attending traffic accidents and ended up as an unwilling guest of those factions for quite a while before being released. While the PLO were quite civil towards me and my Police partner, a Frenchman, the Christian Militia were a different matter. My partner on that occasion was a Norwegian, and he was mostly ignored, I, as an Irishman, was subject to the vilest treatement because their boss, Saad Haddad, hated the Irish with a passion because Irishbatt stood up to him. We were released only because a brave Irishman negotiated our release by coming unarmed, and alone, to where we were being held. I've no doubt that he saved my life that day. This act of bravery and many many more selfless acts by our troops never get publicity in Ireland of course, where our troops are not respected, but our consolation being that we were / are much admired and respected outside the country.
As far as money is concerned, the UN Charter 'recommends' a payment of 1 x 60 th of the monies alloted to the supplying country to be payed to the soldier. This amount varies from one country to another of course, and Ireland used to pay us our UN money on the day when the US Dollar was at it's lowest against the Pound in the 30 day period after arriving home.
Peacekeeping is a nice little earner for the Irish Government, who never miss a chance to screw the soldier.

discus

Don't know what to say to that, man. You've proper liathrodí!

arybvtcw0eolkf

The best part of going overseas is coming home

rednik

30 years since my first trip, where does time go ???

marketty

Noe Salty Dragon wrote: »

The best part of going overseas is coming home

Wednesdays are pretty sweet too

arybvtcw0eolkf

marketty wrote: »

Wednesdays are pretty sweet too

Why?.

arybvtcw0eolkf

rednik wrote: »

30 years since my first trip, where does time go ???

Time flies.. I'm serving with lads who weren't born when I went oversea's first!.

marketty

Noe Salty Dragon wrote: »

Why?.

Payday!

rednik

Noe Salty Dragon wrote: »

Time flies.. I'm serving with lads who weren't born when I went oversea's first!.

You are now officially an old sweat.