Prince Harry is in Afghanistan, fighting the Taleban

andrewgpaul · Post by **andrewgpaul** » 2008-03-01 12:47pm

Mr Coffee, I think you're missing something; the people that leaked this information were not the ones briefed by the MOD. Given that, your entire argument is spurious.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2008-03-01 01:58pm

I see that Harry was serving as a 'Forward Air Controller', is that the same as a US Airforce Combat Controller?

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2008-03-01 02:37pm

CaptainChewbacca wrote:I see that Harry was serving as a 'Forward Air Controller', is that the same as a US Airforce Combat Controller?

More or less, I believe. It's not some cushy job in a base at all, and it contains real and extreme risk.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2008-03-01 02:56pm

The Duchess of Zeon wrote:
CaptainChewbacca wrote:I see that Harry was serving as a 'Forward Air Controller', is that the same as a US Airforce Combat Controller?
More or less, I believe. It's not some cushy job in a base at all, and it contains real and extreme risk.

I was gonna say as much. A combat controller is pretty badass special forces, and if that's what Harry is doing, I probably won't make fun of him for quite a while.

Post by **Beowulf** » 2008-03-01 03:46pm

Combat Controller aren't close to the same thing as FACs. The job of a combat controller is to set up a rudimentary airbase in hostile territory, to include ATC duties, until the base is sufficiently well setup that normal USAF personnel to perform those duties, or the air base is no longer needed. This may involve clearing part of a forest for a landing strip.

Tactical Air Controllers are responsible for forward air control.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2008-03-01 03:49pm

A lot of reporters seemed to think he was just like an ATC (well, TAC for the military equivalent). They thought he was stuck in a tower, telling planes their approach vector and holding pattern.

Somewhat removed from sitting on a Warrior, directing F-15s from a CAS flight to drop a JDAM or ten on an area.

Adrian Laguna · Post by **Adrian Laguna** » 2008-03-01 05:20pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Adrian Laguna wrote:What are they going to do, focus their attacks on all British units?
Know what I would do immediately follwing the break of this story?

We broadcast harry's location far and wide; and set a trap for the taliban, when they try to take advantage of it, and try to cack Harry. There will be risks of course, but a chance to get the taliban to attack?

I was also thinking along those lines. The Taliban can't expect to get to Harry unless they come out into the open. If they do, the coalition fucks them six ways to Sunday. If they don't, Harry is in no more danger than any other soldier. Either way, we win.

Mr. Coffee wrote:Secondly, if Prince Harry is somehow in more danger because people know he's deploying with his unit, maybe the Royal Family should reconsider having it's members serve in combat units.

Alternatively, they could stop treating members of the Royal Family like children. The guy's an adult and a soldier, he can make decisions on his own. If he wants to put his life at risk in service to his country, then let him. I have a suspicion that if Harry had gone into auto racing, or some other thing that carries considerable risk to life and limb, nobody would be stopping him. Yet he puts his life at risk doing something useful, and when it becomes public knowledge they bring him home? Bullocks I say.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2008-03-01 05:29pm

It's also not like he's the first Royal to be in the forces. The plan should go the way Shep imagined, with this as a big "come and have a go if you think you're hard enough!" taunt. If the Taliban accept, then NATO rapes them. They don't, and they lose face by being defeated by a single PR stunt.

Mr. Coffee · Post by **Mr. Coffee** » 2008-03-01 05:31pm

andrewgpaul wrote:Mr Coffee, I think you're missing something; the people that leaked this information were not the ones briefed by the MOD. Given that, your entire argument is spurious.

Ok, so how the fuck did they get that information? Oh, because either someone at the MoD told them or one of those news agencies that was supposed sworn to secrecy told them. So take your spurious and cram it up your ass, Jackson.

Point remains, who's the crackhead that thought it would be a good idea to trust motherfucking journalists to keep a secret?

Post by **weemadando** » 2008-03-01 05:41pm

They've already pulled him out. He was back in the UK as of this morning Australian time apparently.

Ryan Thunder · Post by **Ryan Thunder** » 2008-03-01 07:39pm

The Duchess of Zeon wrote: Also, Windsor was a WW1 innovation. The correct name for the dynasty is the very Germanic Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. After Charles takes the throne, it will be Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Battenberg.

Sorry to go back all that way, but am I the only one who thinks its ironic that during the First World War the Germans had "Gotha" bomber planes?

Black Admiral · Post by **Black Admiral** » 2008-03-01 09:13pm

Phantasee wrote:Who are some of these other great Brits?

Harry Flashman's the first to occur to me.

Being serious, 'Bobs' was one of them. Can probably find others, and at least one reputation was deservedly broken in the mountains of Afghanistan (that of Gen. Elphinstone).

FSTargetDrone · Post by **FSTargetDrone** » 2008-03-01 09:57pm

Mr. Coffee wrote:Point remains, who's the crackhead that thought it would be a good idea to trust motherfucking journalists to keep a secret?

Apparently, most of the mainstream media (even in the US) did keep quiet about it. It was first broken by a Australian magazine that probably no one outside of that country had ever heard of, let alone knew existed. Even then, even after a German paper repeated the story, that was back in January and it evidently still wasn't made widespread until Matt Drudge (hardly a journalist) plastered it all over his website. The MoD said so itself.

ray245 · Post by **ray245** » 2008-03-01 10:50pm

Can Prince Harry sue Matt Drudge for endangering his life?

Phantasee · Post by **Phantasee** » 2008-03-02 03:11am

Which Prince was serving in the Falklands War? Brother of Charles, IIRC. Wasn't his ship shot at (and hit, I assume)?

FSTargetDrone · Post by **FSTargetDrone** » 2008-03-02 03:18am

Phantasee wrote:Which Prince was serving in the Falklands War? Brother of Charles, IIRC. Wasn't his ship shot at (and hit, I assume)?

Andrew:

Other British Royals Who Wore Uniforms

By The Associated Press – 1 day ago

Prince Harry is the latest in a line of British royals to serve in the military during conflicts. Here are other examples:

_1982: Harry's uncle, Prince Andrew, flies as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina.

_1945: Harry's grandmother Princess Elizabeth joins World War II's Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service at age 18. She is known as No. 230873 Second Subaltern Elizabeth Windsor, trains as a driver at a military base and drives a military truck in London.

_1939-1945: Harry's grandfather Prince Philip is decorated during World War II for his service with the Royal Navy in combat zones.

_1942: Harry's great-great-uncle — Prince George, the Duke of Kent — dies as a senior commodore in the Royal Air Force in the accidental crash of an RAF flying boat airplane in Scotland.

_During World War II, Lord Louis Mountbatten, a great-grandson of Queen Victoria and an uncle of Prince Philip, serves as commander of the United Kingdom's Mediterranean fleet, commander in chief of Allied forces in the Mediterranean and chief of the U.K. defense staff.

_1914: Prince Maurice of Battenberg, a grandson of Queen Victoria, is fatally wounded in World War I as an officer in the British army.

Post by **weemadando** » 2008-03-02 03:34am

He was actually doing a fairly risky job. Playing missile decoy from what I understand involves some, errr, considerable risks.

Mr. Coffee · Post by **Mr. Coffee** » 2008-03-02 07:59am

FSTargetDrone wrote:Apparently, most of the mainstream media (even in the US) did keep quiet about it. It was first broken by a Australian magazine that probably no one outside of that country had ever heard of, let alone knew existed. Even then, even after a German paper repeated the story, that was back in January and it evidently still wasn't made widespread until Matt Drudge (hardly a journalist) plastered it all over his website. The MoD said so itself.

And? Ok, I've already said how the media could have found out about this story. Already explained how it's their goddamned job to report stories even. But for some reason that still escapes me, certain assclowns around here keep insisting that some Aussie and German rags along with the Drudge Report are just so evil and mean and wrong for DOING THEIR FUCKING JOBS.

Ok, the Royal Family doesn't want one of their precious widdle pwinces hurt? Then look them up in the tower and stop letting them serve in the military. Stop bitching when the Press, who reports their movements anyways, reports their movements in the case of them deploying.

I mean, for fuck's sake... Is this really that hard of a concept to grasp here or does anyone else want to trot out some tired pass-the-buck bullshit about how it's the medias fault for not keeping a secret when their goddamned job is to uncover and report secrets.

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2008-03-02 08:03am

This uncovering and reporting of secrets is just about as journalistic as uncovering and reporting the secret of Paris Hilton's snatch. Except that it has the chance of causing the deaths or endangerment of British soldiers. Unless reading about Paris Hilton's snatch or looking at paparazzi pics of her snatch can contaminate you with venereal diseases.

Mr. Coffee · Post by **Mr. Coffee** » 2008-03-02 08:09am

Shroom Man 777 wrote:This uncovering and reporting of secrets is just about as journalistic as uncovering and reporting the secret of Paris Hilton's snatch. Except that it has the chance of causing the deaths or endangerment of British soldiers. Unless reading about Paris Hilton's snatch or looking at paparazzi pics of her snatch can contaminate you with venereal diseases.

Once again... And? Quite with the fucking emotional outcries and face it, this is what happens when you tell a group of people who's job it is to report things to keep a secret. Eventually the secret's out. Worse, they did it with a secret that is so fucking obvious anyone with an internet connection could have figured it out just by noting the deployment status of Harry's unit and the fact that Harry hasn't been making any public apperances.

If people are so worried about Prince Harry drawing more attacks because of his family, then here's an idea... DON'T FUCKING LET HIM SERVE IN A DIRECT LINE COMBAT UNIT, FUCKHEADS!

Jesus fucking Christ...

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2008-03-02 09:00am

Wait, if anybody could have figured this out then why was the MOD in the wrong to enter into this agreement?

Clearly it stopped the media reporting something they could have easily figured out for over two months.

Mr. Coffee you seem to a little all over the place saying

"Worse, they did it with a secret that is so fucking obvious anyone with an internet connection could have figured it out "

which seems in direct contradiction with your earlier statement that

"Ok, so how the fuck did they get that information? Oh, because either someone at the MoD told them or one of those news agencies that was supposed sworn to secrecy told them."

If the secret could be found out by anybody with an internet connection then obviously it didn't have to come form the MOD or those briefed by them.

Reporting this information didn't serve the public interest in anyway, it was simply cheap sensationalism with the trade off of place people in danger and curtailing a young man's pursuit of his chosen career in service of his country.

Great win for fourth estate here.

Mr. Coffee · Post by **Mr. Coffee** » 2008-03-02 03:05pm

TheDarkling wrote:Wait, if anybody could have figured this out then why was the MOD in the wrong to enter into this agreement?

Clearly it stopped the media reporting something they could have easily figured out for over two months.

I'm saying don't act all butthurt and suprised when you enter into an agreement like that and your secret gets leaked anyways.

TheDarkling wrote:Mr. Coffee you seem to a little all over the place saying

"Worse, they did it with a secret that is so fucking obvious anyone with an internet connection could have figured it out "

which seems in direct contradiction with your earlier statement that

"Ok, so how the fuck did they get that information? Oh, because either someone at the MoD told them or one of those news agencies that was supposed sworn to secrecy told them."

Well, since you're obviously a world class windowlicker, I'll be nice and explain it to you.

First read the article I wondered to about how the information was leaked, and figured it must've been someone at the MoD or someone that the MoD told. Then I thought about it for a second and remembered that Prince Harry is a CELEBRITY, which means that guy gets followed around by photographers (ya keeping up so far?), and those guys with cameras report his goingd and doings to TABLIODS. Being that prince Harry is a member of a military unit, it's not that hard to think that someone noticed that the unit he was with had deployed, Harry hadn't been seen in public for a while, and put two and two together and got four.

Did I go to fast there? Should I pop open MSPaint and make some diagrams for you? Will you stop saying stupid shit in my presence now?

TheDarkling wrote:If the secret could be found out by anybody with an internet connection then obviously it didn't have to come form the MOD or those briefed by them.

Yeah, no shit, Jackson. Hence the difference in posts you poinyted out, oh Great Obvious One. Are you fucking feeble or something?

TheDarkling wrote:Reporting this information didn't serve the public interest in anyway, it was simply cheap sensationalism with the trade off of place people in danger and curtailing a young man's pursuit of his chosen career in service of his country.

Yes, because everything that the media prints or airs has to serve the public good, *I'm a smarmy asshole*?

I mean, there's no such thing as entertainment sections in newspapers or even entire news shows dedicated to what famous people do.... Oh, wait, there is. So, pretty please, with sugar on top, shut the hell up already.

TheDarkling wrote:Great win for fourth estate here.

You know, it's because of people like you that lameness and suck exists in the world... Dumbasses that point out the obvious as if it was some stunning revelation and expect others to congradulate them for noticing things the rest of us figured out a while back. Lurk moar, will you?

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2008-03-02 03:29pm

Mr. Coffee wrote: Well, since you're obviously a world class windowlicker, I'll be nice and explain it to you.

My mistake, I thought you might think "about it for a second" before taking a position and typing away.

Duly noted that your posts don't necessarily contain anything thought out.

Yes, because everything that the media prints or airs has to serve the public good, *I'm a smarmy asshole*?

It should if their is trade off against safety of people.

Lurk moar, will you?

You need to work on you insulting a little, but chin up, if you keep trying I'm sure you will get there.

Mr. Coffee · Post by **Mr. Coffee** » 2008-03-02 03:47pm

TheDarkling wrote:My mistake, I thought you might think "about it for a second" before taking a position and typing away.

Duly noted that your posts don't necessarily contain anything thought out.

So you're one of those people who doesn't know when it's a good idea to not say anything back... "duly noted".

TheDarkling wrote:It should if their is trade off against safety of people.

Ah, so you're one of those misguided little morons that thinks the owrld is all kittens and rainbows. See, here in REALITY, the press often releases stories that might not be in the best interests of the "safety of people". Maybe you live under a rock and don't get much news, but that's how it works, seriously. Asking journalists to not be journalists is pretty fucking retarded, skippy.

TheDarkling wrote:You need to work on you insulting a little, but chin up, if you keep trying I'm sure you will get there.

And you need to work on not stealing oxygen from my planet's atmosphere. Now go the fuck away, you're ruining my afternoon alcohol consumption.

andrewgpaul · Post by **andrewgpaul** » 2008-03-02 05:58pm

The Duchess of Zeon wrote:
CaptainChewbacca wrote:I see that Harry was serving as a 'Forward Air Controller', is that the same as a US Airforce Combat Controller?
More or less, I believe. It's not some cushy job in a base at all, and it contains real and extreme risk.

Actually, you raise a good point; where did that Australian women's magazine (

) get the story from? After all, I doubt they were briefed by the MOD.