war hero..Not mine

[parmnion]

Usually on patrol in belfast soldiers will be in groups of three with a backing vehicle in the middle of the road as they walk the street.Would there really be a chance for the IRA to set the dogs on steve after he was blown up when his back up was in the same street.



Could it just be that steve was walking back from the pub, back to barracks and just happened to be the poor soldier who got it after months off intelligence and recon by the IRA to discover routes from pubs that the squaddies use to get back to barracks.


war? were we at war?

Steves just an unlucky bastard imo....sorry if this offends, but i don't see steve as the pantomime war hero he is being trundled out for bb's purposes.


This isn't a dig at steve, it's a dig at bb for uttering complete ****e about someone ho was in the wrong place at the wrong time on a saturday night.



Don't believe me, tough, I couldn't give a ****, I know A man who served with him.:xyxwave:

[Alpertinator]

No you're point is valid. The IRA events weren't exactly a war, as far as I know there weren't exactly a load of firefights. Mostly just bombs goin' off.

But to be fair, I reckon some soldiers were hurt trying to disarm explosives and such, whilst on active duty. That's just my speculation though.

Anyway yeah, I don't know what happened to Steve exactly, but you're right he's not neccesarily a war hero. He's a guy who was in the military and was badly wounded by a bomb.

But errr... you know a fella' who served with him, so what was he actually just on the way back from the pub on a Saturday night and you know this? Or did you just make that up?

[craiga1993]

it was a roadside bomb that blew him up. during the troubles these were going off daily. there was one on my road that killed three people. then there was one in the centre of the city of newry a few months ago that shook my whole house and i live 3 miles away from where it went off. it may not affect you in mainland gb but it's an ongoing battle over here between republicans and unionists. i hope i don't seem patronising lol. but i do agree with beso in the sense that bb seem to be using him as a tool to make the whole group seem more diverse and that they chose their housemates well. i just hope the general public don't pull a rachel and let him win out of sympathy or because he's nice. rant over :) lol

[Mr XcX]

I know I may sound like a bitch but I think just because he is a war hero it is no reason to put him into the big brother house

[Frank E]

No. They had been on peacekeeping patrol and were walking back to the barracks.

It might not suit your Republican revisionism but it was a Wednesday.

[supergirthuk]

It may sound harsh but I liken him to an ex-footballer pundit who is bitter towards the player these days for the money they earn. It is a shame that he isnt getting the financial support he claims many injured soldiers can claim nowadays but I dont think BB is the forum he should be using to address this. There must be thousands of people soldiers and non-soldiers in similar situations to him and the government would rather spend our money on the london olympics. He should be addressing the government through the proper channels rather than taking up room in the BB house and boring us all to boot (ok pun was intended). If all the channels have been exhausted then Im afraid his only course of action is becoming an MP and ripping us off via expenses.

[Shasown]

Just to put the record straight, patrols are done in groups of at least four, so that pairs can cover each other, often one brick (team of four+) will move down one street and another brick will move down another street in the same direction and at the same time, its called multiple patrolling. These teams will support each other if needed or act as cutoffs in the event of a shoot.

If an IED(improvised explosive device) goes off, the standard operating procedure is not to enter the area in case of secondary devices or an ambush, if you are in the area and able to, it would be expected you administer first aid to any casualties then get them out of the area. (Warrenpoint was a case of secondary devices being left where the responding troops were expected to park up in response to the original device).

It is possible he was left lying for an extended period during which time the area would be checked for secondaries, and cleared to ensure a sniper or machine gun team werent waiting to take on those going to help, during this time its possible a local mutt had a chew on him, a human body is just meat and bones after all.

As for being a hero, no he wasnt a hero being wounded, his actions afterwards may be deemed heroic by some, helping the local disabled basketball team and yachting to raise money for service charities etc.

At the time he was in Belfast, troops didnt go on the piss to the local pubs, especially not in the Falls Road area (very Republican Area) they werent allowed to. Not unless they wanted to be picked up and face a night of questioning by a local ASU(PIRA Active Service Unit) and end up being dumped somewhere with a 9 mill in the skull.

[setanta]

Ah, I have relations in Warrenpoint. Nice little spot.

[Shasown]

Ah, I have relations in Warrenpoint. Nice little spot.

Errr not for 2 Para.

[setanta]

Errr not for 2 Para.

Well yeah, I'd say not back then alright.

[Shasown]

No you're point is valid. The IRA events weren't exactly a war, as far as I know there weren't exactly a load of firefights. Mostly just bombs goin' off.

But to be fair, I reckon some soldiers were hurt trying to disarm explosives and such, whilst on active duty. That's just my speculation though.

Anyway yeah, I don't know what happened to Steve exactly, but you're right he's not neccesarily a war hero. He's a guy who was in the military and was badly wounded by a bomb.

But errr... you know a fella' who served with him, so what was he actually just on the way back from the pub on a Saturday night and you know this? Or did you just make that up?

Oh there were more than enough firefights and snipes, often the firefights were as a result of a patrol being in the wrong place at the wrong time, bumping into an ASU.

In the early part of Op Banner(the conflict over there) it was mostly shootings and petrol bombs, when effective tactics like multiple patrolling, etc were introduced the number of shootings went down, IEDs and landmines were used, when effective IED search and disruption equipment was introduced PIRA went back to sniping with higher powered longer range weapons, body armour was beefed up including ceramic plates so shoots werent as effective.

Also as the terror effect of actions in NI lessened pub bombings in the uk came into style, later attacks in Europe etc were used.

Try this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Provisional_Irish_Republican_Army_acti ons#1989

The incident involving Steve Gill is 10 May 1989

There are also pages for breakaway IRA organisations etc Loyalist organisations etc. Links are near the bottom of the page.

[billy123]

self edited i wont sink to the level of some here.

[billy123]

proof that beso is wrong with his claim that steve was walking home from the pub (it would actually be an idiot that would believe in the first place that british squaddies would finish work and go to the place full of people that are trying to murder them with cowardly bombs but hey thats what he claims)
beso:"Don't believe me, tough, I couldn't give a ****, I know A man who served with him."
really? would you be willing to give me that name i have an interested party that would like to know who that might be ;)
a pm would be fine.

what steve said in the house was the truth.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/telegraphchristmasappeal/6797452/Telegraph-Christmas-Appeal-I-didnt-want-to-see-my-see-myself-as-disabled.html
It was the end of their patrol and Private Steve Gill and four other soldiers were walking back to their barracks in Belfast. As they passed the back of a pub in the Falls Road, Private Gill, who was bringing up the rear, saw a bright flash. A split second later he was hurled across the road and slammed into a wall.
It was a classic IRA bomb, made of Semtex, nuts and bolts, packed into a beer barrel, and detonated by a terrorist sitting in the pub.


Instinctively, Private Gill put his hand to his head, a gesture that saved his life as his hand stopped a huge piece of metal penetrating his skull.
He had one leg blown off, another hanging off, an arm about to fall off, and a half-brick embedded in his face, blinding him in one eye.
Yet the only pain he could feel was in his little finger. “I had no idea what damage had been done. My body couldn’t cope with the pain and all I could think about was my sore finger,” he says recalling that night from the calm of his home in Cosby, near Leicester.
As his comrades rushed to his aid, local IRA sympathisers saw that he was still alive and set an Alsatian onto him. It started to rip off bits of his flesh but was quickly shot dead by a soldier. The locals also blocked the road to delay the ambulance.
As Private Gill lay on the ground losing blood, a corporal thrust his hand inside what was left of Private Gill’s leg to hold the artery and stem the blood loss to keep him alive until the medics arrived. That saved his life.
He was in a coma for five days and woke up in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, dazed and drugged, his proud but heartbroken mother standing by his bedside. Angry and confused, he ripped the tubes out of his body.
It was three more days before he knew the extent of his injuries: he had lost two legs and an eye, but his arm was saved and reconstructed.
It was, he says, the darkest period of his life. “I was 19, due to be married that year, and looking forward to a long career in the army. And there I was, I’d lost parts of my body, which knackers you for the rest of your life, and my career was blown out of the water.”
He had joined the army at 17 and was in Belfast with the Royal Anglian Regiment. He was “blown up”, as he puts it, on May 10 1989, two weeks before he was due to go home at the end of his tour.
Today, 20 years on, Mr Gill has come to terms with his injuries in a way that seemed impossible in the months after the IRA struck, when his weight dropped to five stone and he felt so angry that he often thought that life was not worth living.
It is certainly worth living today. Mr Gill, who has two artificial legs, is married to Deon and they have five children, including an 18-month-old daughter, Pinki. “Having a family makes a huge difference,” he says. “They are fantastically supportive and I have big responsibilities as a father.”
Mr Gill also leads a remarkably active life. Encouraged by his wife and backed by the British Limbless Ex Service Men’s Association charity (Blesma), he has become a keen and talented wheelchair basketball player and coach.
“I didn’t want to go at first because I didn’t see myself as disabled,” he says with a hearty chuckle. “I said I didn’t want to mix with all those people with no legs.”
In 2005, he went white-water rafting in Scotland with Blesma and has also been abseiling, quad-biking and clay-pigeon shooting. Mr Gill, a non-swimmer, passed a crewing course and last year sailed across the Atlantic, from west Africa to Barbados, in a 65ft yacht. He also sailed in the Fastnet Race from Cowes to Ireland. Both yachts were crewed by amputees.
“Blesma has been fantastic,” he says. “Through them I’ve done things that I would never have even thought about doing when I was able-bodied. They make you think not about what you can’t do any more but what you can do, and it’s surprising how much that is.”
Blesma has also helped with practical matters, such as adapting a car so that Mr Gill can drive using just hand controls. “That’s made a huge difference, allowing me to get out and about.
“I didn’t know much about Blesma until they got in touch,” he says. “They advertised in the magazines but I thought it was just for old men from the world wars. But they told me everything I was entitled to and have really helped to improve my life.”
As we talk, workmen are installing a stairlift at his home, organised by Charlie Streather, his welfare officer at Blesma, “an awesome bloke,” he says.
“I resisted for a while but I’m getting older now and I need a bit of help getting up the stairs,” he says with a deep, hearty laugh.
“The kids love it. They can’t wait to get home from school and have a go. They think it’s a fairground ride.”
Mr Gill laughs a lot. He says his sense of humour has helped him to get through. He points to a tattoo on his arm. It bears the date of the IRA explosion, May 10 1989, next to an image of a bomb.
He is grateful for the help he has received from Blesma and likes to gives something back. He, and other veterans injured in earlier conflicts, including Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands and Sierra Leone, visit young, wounded soldiers when they come back from Afghanistan and Iraq.
Mr Gill talks to the servicemen – and their parents – at Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham, sometimes just two weeks after they have been injured, when they are deeply traumatised by what has happened to their bodies.
He is usually “matched up” with soldiers who have suffered similar injuries to him. “It helps them a lot,” he says. “They find it reassuring. They can see that I have got through it and coped and am doing some interesting things, and it gives them hope that they will get through it, too.”
The soldiers returning from war zones today receive far better treatment and support than in Mr Gill’s day. Improvements in medical science mean that more wounded soldiers survive than in the past, and there is also political pressure on the Government to be seen to be giving proper care to those injured in the controversial wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Many of today’s wounded soldiers receive compensation – though many of the payments are considered too low – and are also helped to resume an Armed Forces career, not on the front line but in a non-combat area such as administration.
Mr Gill is pleased that the support for wounded soldiers has improved immeasurably in recent years but he says older veterans are not given the same treatment, in particular the latest, hi-tech artificial limbs.
His life is still tough, but he says there are many worse off than him. “Many lads never make it home,” he says. “We should never forget that. I am lucky to be alive and I have a lot of good things in my life.”
* To make a donation to BLESMA, or any other of the Telegraph's four Christmas charities:
1 Call 0870 043 3759
2 Visit www.telegraph.co.uk/charity

[Stankleberry]

Beso sucks.

[stonedape]

Steve has every right to be there and I don't blame him for "making a political point" or whatever reasons he has. I don't even blame him for playing it safe/mute. The man doesn't have legs, this show could give him some. Doesn't really matter how it happened, he has to want that money 100x more than anyone else.

That said, it's really crappy for the an entertainment/popularity show and I've regretted his casting since they called his name.

[billy123]

Beso sucks.
agreed i have tried and tried and in the last couple of days i thought a happy medium had been reached but no well screw it im done :sad:

Steve has every right to be there and I don't blame him for "making a political point" or whatever reasons he has. I don't even blame him for playing it safe/mute. The man doesn't have legs, this show could give him some. Doesn't really matter how it happened, he has to want that money 100x more than anyone else.

That said, it's really crappy for the an entertainment/popularity show and I've regretted his casting since they called his name.
these daily arguments that are taking place online is why he is there he has caused more debate than any housemate and for that he is a great choice im in no doubt that people are sure where my opinion lays but i have tried and tried to put aside differences and mend fences with varying degrees of success and now im done its over no more i will not tolerate having efforts to make friends thrown in my face by bigoted imbeciles.

[Frank E]

Steve has every right to be there and I don't blame him for "making a political point" or whatever reasons he has.

Quite right
Shabby wanted to represent squatters in a good light.
Govan wanted to represent blacks in a good light

So Steve has every right to want to raise awareness for injured servicepeople.

[billy123]

Quite right
Shabby wanted to represent squatters in a good light.
Govan wanted to represent blacks in a good light

So Steve has every right to want to raise awareness for injured servicepeople.
he also has his buddy farley that is a big part of his life that he wasnt allowed to take with him but he hasnt even mentioned yet.
http://www.dogsforthedisabled.org/Campaigns/Steve_Gill

[Frank E]

he also has his buddy farley that is a big part of his life that he wasnt allowed to take with him but he hasnt even mentioned yet.
http://www.dogsforthedisabled.org/Campaigns/Steve_Gill

Thanks for that.

[Angus]

Instead of the respect they deserve for putting their lives on the line in the service of their country, soldiers are mocked and derided. Now we have a thread speculating on whether steve "deserved" to be blown up by IRA scum. For those who were not around when England was on permanent alert against IRA terrorism, no doubt it's the fault of unfortunate bomb victims for being in the wrong place at the wrong time when they were blown to kingdom come. The terrorists weren't fussed who they killed; babies, children, elderly folk - everyone was a target not just soldiers. The IRA at that time were the Taliban of today - so thank God for men like Steve who sacrifice so much and have to live with the consequences without much help from the country they were prepared to die for.


Steve was 19 years old, in the army, and following orders when his life, as he had planned it, was changed forever, and now 20 odd years later people on a reality tv forum are questioning whether it was his "own fault". It's unbelievably disgusting, insensitive and offensive, not only to Steve but to his friends and family, and other injured and maimed servicemen.

By all means dislike the man if you find him boring or repugnant, but don't use his disability against him to judge him as a person. That to me is the very essence of discrimination.

[setanta]

Instead of the respect they deserve for putting their lives on the line in the service of their country, soldiers are mocked and derided. Now we have a thread speculating on whether steve "deserved" to be blown up by IRA scum. For those who were not around when England was on permanent alert against IRA terrorism, no doubt it's the fault of unfortunate bomb victims for being in the wrong place at the wrong time when they were blown to kingdom come. The terrorists weren't fussed who they killed; babies, children, elderly folk - everyone was a target not just soldiers. The IRA at that time were the Taliban of today - so thank God for men like Steve who sacrifice so much and have to live with the consequences without much help from the country they were prepared to die for.

Steve was 19 years old, in the army, and following orders when his life, as he had planned it, was changed forever, and now 20 odd years later people on a reality tv forum are questioning whether it was his "own fault". It's unbelievably disgusting, insensitive and offensive, not only to Steve but to his friends and family, and other injured and maimed servicemen.

By all means dislike the man if you find him boring or repugnant, but don't use his disability against him to judge him as a person. That to me is the very essence of discrimination.

Yes, it's a silly thread, but there's no need for such emotive and provocative language Angus.

[Angus]

Yes, it's a silly thread, but there's no need for such emotive and provocative language Angus.

I lived in London during the worst periods of IRA terrorism when everyone was being searched in and out of the department stores, stations, theatres etc, and post boxes and rubbish bins were sealed to prevent bombs being planted. I was working in central London at a time of high terrorist alert, and we lived in a permanent state of fear all the time. There were many bombing incidents in London as well as the rest of the country in which innocent men, women, children and babies were killed or maimed.

Specifically, on 17 December 1983 my worst nightmare came true when I was caught up in the Harrods bombing, and whilst not injured myself, saw people killed and injured in front of me, which traumatised me for some time. So yes, I will use "emotive" language, it's a part of my life that is still very vivid in my mind, and I don't require telling as to how to express myself.

I have no beef with the Irish people in general , but I do with the IRA whose terrorist activities were not just directed towards government targets like the poor buggers in the army, but towards innocent civilians who had no say in the conflict at all, so in my book they will always remain murdering cowards, and I have no intention of apologising for my opinion.

[WOMBAI]

Instead of the respect they deserve for putting their lives on the line in the service of their country, soldiers are mocked and derided. Now we have a thread speculating on whether steve "deserved" to be blown up by IRA scum. For those who were not around when England was on permanent alert against IRA terrorism, no doubt it's the fault of unfortunate bomb victims for being in the wrong place at the wrong time when they were blown to kingdom come. The terrorists weren't fussed who they killed; babies, children, elderly folk - everyone was a target not just soldiers. The IRA at that time were the Taliban of today - so thank God for men like Steve who sacrifice so much and have to live with the consequences without much help from the country they were prepared to die for.


Steve was 19 years old, in the army, and following orders when his life, as he had planned it, was changed forever, and now 20 odd years later people on a reality tv forum are questioning whether it was his "own fault". It's unbelievably disgusting, insensitive and offensive, not only to Steve but to his friends and family, and other injured and maimed servicemen.

By all means dislike the man if you find him boring or repugnant, but don't use his disability against him to judge him as a person. That to me is the very essence of discrimination.

Excellent post!

[MojoNixon]

Usually on patrol in belfast soldiers will be in groups of three with a backing vehicle in the middle of the road as they walk the street.Would there really be a chance for the IRA to set the dogs on steve after he was blown up when his back up was in the same street.



Could it just be that steve was walking back from the pub, back to barracks and just happened to be the poor soldier who got it after months off intelligence and recon by the IRA to discover routes from pubs that the squaddies use to get back to barracks.


war? were we at war?

Steves just an unlucky bastard imo....sorry if this offends, but i don't see steve as the pantomime war hero he is being trundled out for bb's purposes.


This isn't a dig at steve, it's a dig at bb for uttering complete ****e about someone ho was in the wrong place at the wrong time on a saturday night.



Don't believe me, tough, I couldn't give a ****, I know A man who served with him.:xyxwave:

So it was holiday camp then? And you know a man who served with him? I call that BS.

[MojoNixon]

I lived in London during the worst periods of IRA terrorism when everyone was being searched in and out of the department stores, stations, theatres etc, and post boxes and rubbish bins were sealed to prevent bombs being planted. I was working in central London at a time of high terrorist alert, and we lived in a permanent state of fear all the time. There were many bombing incidents in London as well as the rest of the country in which innocent men, women, children and babies were killed or maimed.

Specifically, on 17 December 1983 my worst nightmare came true when I was caught up in the Harrods bombing, and whilst not injured myself, saw people killed and injured in front of me, which traumatised me for some time. So yes, I will use "emotive" language, it's a part of my life that is still very vivid in my mind, and I don't require telling as to how to express myself.

I have no beef with the Irish people in general , but I do with the IRA whose terrorist activities were not just directed towards government targets like the poor buggers in the army, but towards innocent civilians who had no say in the conflict at all, so in my book they will always remain murdering cowards, and I have no intention of apologising for my opinion.

Sadly some of young as*holes forget these things. They believe that UK & US soldiers are nazis, and everyone else are just "peace loving freedom fighters".

[Angus]

Sadly some of young as*holes forget these things. They believe that UK & US soldiers are nazis, and everyone else are just "peace loving freedom fighters".



True enough - but why do some idiots slag off those in the armed forces who are only doing their jobs and following official orders? Who do these morons think preserve our freedoms and defend us against our enemies? I guess I get more het up about this issue because of my personal experiences, but it isn't ancient history.

The enemy might have changed but we are still in the middle of a terrorist war in this country, and living in a major city like London, a prime target for terrorists, we are always watching our backs. It's not that long ago we had 7/7 and its never far from my mind whenever I get on the tube or a bus.

[setanta]

I lived in London during the worst periods of IRA terrorism when everyone was being searched in and out of the department stores, stations, theatres etc, and post boxes and rubbish bins were sealed to prevent bombs being planted. I was working in central London at a time of high terrorist alert, and we lived in a permanent state of fear all the time. There were many bombing incidents in London as well as the rest of the country in which innocent men, women, children and babies were killed or maimed.

Specifically, on 17 December 1983 my worst nightmare came true when I was caught up in the Harrods bombing, and whilst not injured myself, saw people killed and injured in front of me, which traumatised me for some time. So yes, I will use "emotive" language, it's a part of my life that is still very vivid in my mind, and I don't require telling as to how to express myself.

I have no beef with the Irish people in general , but I do with the IRA whose terrorist activities were not just directed towards government targets like the poor buggers in the army, but towards innocent civilians who had no say in the conflict at all, so in my book they will always remain murdering cowards, and I have no intention of apologising for my opinion.

And don't start thinking that I'm in any way condoning the atrocities that did happen , but I'm merely suggesting that strongly worded comments don't really help matters, especially since both sides have their own particularly horrific memories to share during that period, and it's foolish and misguided to be comparing the Taliban to the Provos in N.I.