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I have just got home from attending the civic parade in Maidstone this morning that was held to welcome home 36 Engineers from their recent tour in Afghanistan.

'Attending the civic parade' may sound rather grand so I should say immediately that I was there just as a member of 'joe public'.

Maidstone is 'home town' to 36 Engineers, who have the dubious distinction of being the regiment in the British Army who have spent most time serving abroad in recent years. I have no connection with this regiment, although I do have a son who is a serving member of HM Armed Forces. I stood in the pouring rain and got soaked to the skin, along with many, many others, and was happy to do so to honour these proud men and women, including a Gurkha contingment, and their families.

The smiles on their faces as they paraded in their desert uniforms past the crowds who were enthusiastically clapping, cheering and calling out "thank you" told me that they realise they are appreciated - and quite rightly so.

Well done Mike and as a past serving member of the armed forces, such attendances really are appreciated. It's a lonely job sometimes and you do wonder what the folks back home really feel, especially when the press can at times distort the truth.

Welcome back 36 Engineers.

GG

Very nice sentiment Mike, thanks for the post.

On the flip side, I have a very interesting side to this story. Maureen and I are dinner hosts to two girls from Afghanistan (from Kabul.) They are full scholarship students, and we bring them to our home regularly for dinner and some escape from study. We love them very much, and have known them for quite some time now. Knowing them has enriched our lives beyond anything I could have predicted. Through them we have got to learn a great deal about the hardship these amazing people have endured for years and years. The work we all do in Afghanistan is very appreciated by the average Afghani, and what your Engineers are doing is appreciated by them. Somehow the news on TV never really gets that point across.

The press distort the truth ? Surely not, the UK press are always honest and true, thats why they give the minority of  loud mouthed cowards so much publicity and ignore the vast majority who are proud and thankfull towards our service men and women.

Well done Mike, I'm sure that all decent people feel exactly the same for our boys n girls out there. I've done lots of work at MoD sites particularly Portsmouth Navel base and I've met some great people over the years.

Talking of Afghanistan, I'm having an Afghan curry just now and very nice it is indeed  ;D

......and that's where it's really sad Bob. All too many people in this world just seem to accept at face value that what they see on the news or read in the newspapers is gospel truth. We see it time and time again where the media heavily slant their reporting to sensationalise stories in order to increase sales or improve viewing figures. I think all we can do is live by our own moral code and hope for the best. I think that what you and Maureen are doing is marvellous and I'm very pleased to hear that you feel so rewarded for doing it. I reckon you undoubtedly have a better understanding of Afghanistan from these 2 ladies than you would get by watching TV or reading a newspaper!!