Veterans?

I received an e-mail last week asking me to support a campaign to provide all veterans of military campaigns with free travel passes. I had a problem with this. Although it sounds very good on the surface what worries me is who is a veteran? During world war two my father was a member of the Auxiliary, later the National Fire Service and so spent all that war protecting the homes and families of the members of the armed forces. Although stationed at Chelsey he could be sent anywhere in the country at a moments notice leaving my mother and sister at home in Chelsey. He got none of the perks of those in the military because he was a civilian with civilian rations and the like. Was he a veteran of the second world war or not. He got no medals or great parades he just got on with the job of making sure that there was a green and pleasant land left for the military to come home to. There are a large number of people who were (are) in the same position as my father found himself in, should they be denied free travel? The situation with the Gurkhas has brought the subject of veterans to public view and it is good to see that justice has been done by them. Anyone who puts their life on the line for this country should automatically have the right to live here in the Islands of the Mighty. What we must do is be very sure just who has put their life on the line for us.

While on the subject of war heroes it is amusing going on tragic that the Nazi BNP has chosen to use the image of a Spitfire on their Euro-election leaflet. The amusing bit is that apparently the pilot of this particular Spitfire is Polish.