AN IRISH MOTHERS LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND, RESPECT OUR IRISH SOLDIERS

Dear People of Ireland

I am writing to you in ref to the comments I see in press and Social Media declaring we Don’t need an Army or military presence, its a waste of Tax payers money,

I see you constantly run down our soldiers and slag them off saying all they are good for is filling sand bags! Would that be because when your home or business gets flooded our soldiers are there in a flash to help you in your hour of need? remember also An unlocked house will always be burgled!

As you are aware we as a nation are committed to the united nations treaty and because of this we commit to serving in the countries that they are protecting, I will not state weather I agree or not with this situation, however I will say as a mother of a wonderful young man who has progressed through the military and the daughter of a father who served along with being the sister of a brother and sister who have also served in the Irish army, I am very proud of them.

Three of the four family members in the Irish Army have served overseas in the service of protection of the people of the country they are sent into, I take offence to your comments and your disregard for what these soldiers do when they are abroad while representing the Irish defence forces, they put their own lives on the line every single day to protect others.

I continually read posts online of people saying sign a petition to stop certain countries mistreating their people but if we send in our lads to help protect these people our lads get slated for doing what they have been asked to do.

On the 17th May 2016 I Inhaled a breath as my son boarded a flight for Lebanon/Syrian boarder and I didn’t Exhale until my son touched down in Ireland on the 17th November 2016 after completing 6 months abroad, You have absolutely no idea what it feels like to have a child serving over seas in a volatile area where Isis is very close and active

Yes, I am aware it was my son’s choice to enter into military services at the age of 17, it may not have been my choice for him but I take pride in the fact that His father and I ensured that our children were always encouraged to make their own decisions in life and take the responsibility for those decisions.

I never thought he would go on to do what he has done with his career in the military, he has excelled in every task he set out to do and more, perhaps part of me did not want him to succeed and maybe give up his position in the military because i am selfish and don’t want to see my son in harm’s way, but he did excel and because of that he goes into areas that I don’t like.

the fact that he is now 31 yrs old and got married a few months ago does not stop me worrying each day, as any mother will tell you it makes no difference how old they are they are still your babies until the day you die.

I am very proud of the my son the man and how the military has helped turn him into the man he is today, caring, protective, charitable, a man of honour and stability and a man who goes out of his way to help so many people even in his civi time, I have seen him struggle on a soldier’s wage and worry about paying his mortgage as lets face it a soldiers wages is one of the lowest paid jobs there is, you dont join the army for a high wage you join it because you are a leader of men-women, you show loyalty in your personality and you have discipline and a purpose in life.

How many of you have had to sleep in your cars as you could not afford the petrol to drive to work and back, because a lot of soldiers did that, how many of you would stay in a job that cut your wages to peanuts? Not one of you, but many Irish soldiers had to do it and still went to work every day.

how many men or women out there can honestly say they have a soldier’s personality? they don’t go around whining over little things, no, they make positive changes and get on with it and they are able to follow rules and regulations, they are team players and because of these traits they save lives while putting their own at risk.

How many of you can say you trust your co worker in the office or any job? not many i would think, however a soldier has his comrades and they unite to protect each other at all times when its called for, they have each others backs, not many of you can say that.

So the next time you feel like condemning our soldiers because your brain has nothing else to give out about stop and think about how you contribute to others in your own life and when you can say you are prepared to lay down your life for the protection of others then I will listen.

Rant over,, Well done to all our Irish Soldiers you have done our country proud!!!

By the way, Congratulations to my Son Peter O Halloran who has taken his military training and education one step further and is now helping people all over the world to lose weight and live healthy lives with his food plans at PPT Fitness & Nutrition, PPT Fitness Facebook   PPT Fitness INSTAGRAM I am very proud of the fact that you are still giving your time to save lives in a different positive way. good for you keep up the great work.