MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
VIP Send-Off for Falklands Veterans
More than 200 veterans of the Falklands War received a high profile emotional send off as they flew off from the United Kingdom for their 20th anniversary pilgrimage to the Islands organised by the South Atlantic Medal Association (SAMA).
As they prepared to board their civilian charter at Gatwick Airport today they were joined by major political and military personalities of 1982, led by former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. It was a different scene and different atmosphere from the unpredictable danger of the despatch of the naval Task Force in April 1982. Then, as Baroness Thatcher recalls, her determination to recover the Islands was always tempered by the knowledge that an unknown number of servicemen would not return. They would die liberating the Islands ? a fear which, she always says, lay heavily in her heart, despite her reputation as "the Iron Lady" of politics. This time, at Gatwick, on a day of heavy rain, there was a lively atmosphere of anticipation, jollity, and animated conversation, as well as emotion and nostalgia as Lady Thatcher mingled with the veterans, wishing them well. With her were former Falkland Islands Governor, Sir Rex Hunt; the Royal Marines Commander who directed most of the land battles, Major General Julian Thompson; SAMA President, Major General Malcolm Hunt; the Falklands Government Representative, Sukey Cameron; and the entertainer and comedian Jim Davidson, an enthusiastic supporter of the Armed Forces, who has helped to raise money to fund to finance the pilgrimage. These VIPs filed on to the aircraft for a final farewell to the SAMA veterans, led by former Royal Navy surgeon Rick Jolly, whose medical teams saved many lives, both British and Argentine, at their emergency medical station at Ajax Bay, and SAMA secretary Denzil Connick, a paratrooper who lost a leg in the battle for Mount Longdon.
Renewing rapport with Islanders At Gatwick to record the event were journalists and television cameras. The only sadness is that Major General Hunt, a Royal Marines commander in 1982, who was determined to go to Gatwick despite a recent major operation, was taken ill at the airport and had to receive attention. For the veterans themselves this is a poignant and therapeutic journey, which they say, helps them to come to terms with the horrors of war they witnessed, the loss of their comrades, and the wounds that many of them suffered in the campaign. It is also an occasion to renew friendships with the Falklands Islanders who welcomed them with open hearts and open doors as the Argentine invaders surrendered, and are welcoming the veterans' return with renewed gratitude and warm personal hospitality in their own homes. It is a visit, as one 1982 veteran taking part, the Duke of York, says is not to glorify or rejoice, but to remember the sacrifice of those who lost their lives fighting for freedom. He says it is important to pay respect to all who died, including the Falklands civilians and the Argentines, whose cemetery at Darwin is included in his packed programme. The veterans' visit is dominated by visits to battlefields and acts of remembrance. The Duke of York, who fought as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot, travelled to the South Atlantic separately, via Uruguay and Chile, to carry out various engagements, including meetings with British residents and trade representatives, before flying on to the Falklands.
Harold Briley, (MP) London
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