Posted on 09/10/2009 6:19:21 PM PDT by naturalman1975
On a day that has brought tragedy to yet another soldier's family, Gordon Brown has announced he is preparing to send up to 2,000 more troops to Afghanistan in a bid to speed up the end of Britain's involvement in the conflict.
A single tear trickled down the cheek of a brave nine-year-old boy as he saluted a military funeral cortege carrying the body of his hero soldier stepfather.
Lance Corporal Richard Brandon, 24, died when the vehicle he was travelling in was hit by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on September 2.
He should have been home with his fiancee and children - but he selflessly changed his annual leave with a colleague to fight on the frontline.
Today, with tears rolling down his cheeks, Liam Small saluted the coffin of his brave stepfather when he and devastated family members joined hundreds of mourners in Wooton Bassett, Wiltshire, to pay their last respects.
Among the mourners were his tearful fiancee Emma-Jayne Webster, their daughter Kaitlin, three, and his stepsons Martin, 12, and Liam, nine.
Little Kaitlin clutched a 'desert camouflage' teddy bear while Martin and Liam saluted the coffin bearing their beloved stepfather.


(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
This breaks my heart.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.