Re: Medals and decorations of Fiji propagate PJM forum.
John Cooper wrote:
Body count less in the Falklands Conflict than the Malayan Emergency
Malaya/Borneo veterans did their bit, John. You and I both did our bit. And you and I do not do body counts. And you and I honour our mates who died in the Far East and in the Falklands. And you and I will remember the dead of all combatants in all wars.
Because that's what we do. Because we did serve, and we'll never forget.
We'll never forget - whether the campaign was 40 years ago or whether it was 25 years ago.
We shall be there next year to remember the 25th Anniversary of the Falklands campaign. The Government are planning major events, I hear.
Err ... that prompts a thought. Going back to the point you make as quoted above, was there ever any commemoration for the Malaya/Borneo campaigns?
I can’t remember one. I can’t remember any events on the 25th anniversary - and none are planned for the 40th (we can change that - but the establishment won’t be too pleased with how we can do that!).
Nothing to do with Malaysia being in an ex-colonial country where that independent sovereign state successfully defended itself (with help from Malaya/Borneo veterans) from terror and aggression? Nah!
Nothing to do with anything not British being not respectable in these matters? Nah!
Nothing to do with Gordon Brown preferring his Veterans Day - carefully chosen to coincide with the 40th Anniversary on the Malaysian Peninsula and thus eclipse our Anniversary? Nah!
… even I couldn’t think thoughts like that!
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BarryF, who fought for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia