Such a sad waste...

I don't know why but this news item struck me hard between eyes this morning.

Its specifically made the news of course because the latest British Army death in Iraq happens to be that of a young woman, Second Lieutenant Joanna Dyer, and if that weren't enough to promote it to the front pages then the youg lady in question was on the same officers training course as Prince William at Sandhurst and passed out at the same ceremony in December.

As if all of that wasn't sad enough and as if all of that wasn't enough to focus Prince Williams attentions on what the fuck he is going to be doing in Iraq when he is shortly to be deployed out there with the Blues and Royals, then the saddest part of the news is reading of 2nd Lieutenant Jo Dyers background.

Born in Berlin (I'm making a huge assumption that she is from a military family hence the presence in Germany) she studied at Oxford and gained a degree in philosophy, politics and economics before taking up a commission and a 44 week officer training course at Sandhurst.

Its all such a waste.

Its a common misconception that the foot soldiers who get killed on a daily basis in Iraq and Afghanistan are all "cannon fodder", young lads for whom the infantry was the only chance of a decent job, poorly educated, under achievers for whom the call "make something of yourselves" was the only call that came when they left school.

Well its not always like that, the army attracts graduates too and whatever their educational qualifications they are people with families who are often left alone to sit and stare at pictures on the wall and wonder what would have been if their children had picked a different line of work to the one which requires them to sacrifice themselves for the good of a politicians career.