Posted on 01/14/2007 12:23:09 AM PST by West Coast Conservative
ACTION man Prince Harry's guts and skill are about to be put to the ultimate test — as his regiment heads to war in Iraq.
The royal family and army top brass all know he will be a prize target for battling insurgents and factions.
But this week 2nd Lieutenant Harry will get special pre-deployment training — including Arabic lessons — with other key members of his Blues and Royals regiment earmarked to serve in Iraq from April.
The two-day course with the Operational Training and Advisory Group (OPTAG) is ONLY given to troops heading for the war zone.
An Army source said: "This training is exclusively for troops given the green light for Iraq.
"They don't waste time, money and manpower on anyone else.
"If a soldier's in OPTAG training for Iraq then he's going, simple as that."
If Harry is sent it will nail widespread speculation that the 22-year-old prince will be kept away from frontline duties because of safety fears.
Harry will be delighted. He has repeatedly told friends he is desperate to serve "like any other officer".
The specialist OPTAG sessions, to be held at the Household Cavalry's barracks in Windsor, Berkshire, will drill Harry and his comrades in basic Iraqi Arabic in a bid to win over the hearts and minds of the people.
Lectures will also deal with local customs, welfare problems and tough living conditions, including extreme weather changes.
An Army insider said: "They are taught words and phrases from a special vocabulary book so that they may address civilians politely but also issue orders and warnings.
"The prince will get instruction on the geography and climate of the region plus specialised drills that have been adapted just for Iraq.
"This ranges from contact drills — what to do if you or your unit is shot at or bombed — to the way sentry duty is carried out. What Harry and rest will get is the benefit of hard-learned lessons passed on by the men and women who've served before them.
"It's a final phase of training prior to deployment.
"The next step is a dress rehearsal exercise carried out by the entire brigade over several days in the UK.
"Once that's complete they're off to do the business."
As part of the build-up to war Harry will also spend a week on exercise with up to 1,000 other men on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, next month.
Harry will don a special laser suit that will reveal if he has been "shot" in the hi-tech war games.
Tellingly, Prince William, who is also part of the Blues and Royals but junior to Harry in terms of training, will NOT take part in the exercises or the OPTAG lectures.
Instead, he will embark on a troop leader's course in Bovington, Dorset, for five months starting from March.
As second-in-line to the throne he cannot serve in a war zone.
It has also been confirmed he will quit the army after a year before spending time with the RAF and Navy, combined with royal duties.
But young brother Harry is now set to follow in the footsteps of his uncle Prince Andrew, who served in the 1982 Falklands War flying Sea King helicopters on risky battle missions.
A Clarence House spokesman confirmed: "Prince Harry is undergoing this training but no final decision has been made on whether he will be deployed. That will come shortly."
But an inside source source insisted: "Harry's desperate to go.
"I wouldn't want to be the one telling him he can't get on the plane."
Make him color his hair. Nothing will stand out in Iraq more than a redhead. LOL! I should know, I am a redhead myself.
I think I saw something about how prince philip (is that liz's husbands name?) threatened to withdraw from the marriage if he wasn't allowed to serve during WWII, or something like that.
If you hand any member of the upper British upper class a substantial amount of alcohol, you'll be surprised to find out what a fine commander/statesman could be derived hereof:
As a matter of example, check this out:
http://www.chriswoodford.com/church.html
I especially like this part:
In 1915, many people thought Churchill exceptionally brave when he opted for the front line; as an aristocrat, he could have chosen a safe post at headquarters. But as a close friend pointed out: "Hard liquor was prohibited at Battalion HQ… and only sweet tea provided, a beverage by no means to Winston’s taste."
Harry is a true prince who should be made king...
I thought that they were engaged for marriage prior to the war, and he said he would withdraw from the proposed marriage because as prince consort he wouldn't be allowed in harms way.
But Obviously you are much better referenced than I, I only mentioned it that I thought I saw or heard that in one of the billion or so documentary's about liz's wife.
(I just wanted to describe the nature of my mistake, not to counter your info, I don't have much, I just thought I remembered that cuz that is the only real nobility I can find in european nobility, and it looks like it's wrong.)
"that is the only real nobility I can find in european nobility"
Just guessing, but I suspect a European nobleman like a certain Carl Bildt has done more for mankind than you or I will ever be able to pride ourselves of.
As a Swede, I'm glad Bildt is back in international politics (as a consequence of the Conservative triumph in the last national election here in Sweden):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Bildt
I agree. Unlike his Dad, Harry is really setting the example for a Europe that, unfortunately, desperately needs examples of men with cohones. If he makes it though this, he will have earned the right to be King.
Sigh! Again: Prince Charles served in the RAF and the Royal Navy in the 1970s - the same pattern of service William will do as heir apparent. Harry, like Andrew, being second in line, has the freedom to go for the 20 year career option.
Americans!
Yes, I AM an American, but I already knew that Prince Charles was in the Royal Navy. My point is that Harry is setting an example by putting himself in harms way (or at least asking for it). While I can't prove it, I suspect that had there been a war, Charles would have been nowhere near the front lines. If you remove the risk to one's personal safety, being in the military isn't all that different from civilian jobs that requires strict adherence to professional codes, long hours, and significant time away from home (like Airline pilots).
point taken.
I meant imperial nobility in the sense that they do tend to be self serving panzified egoists. It isn't a universal, but it is valid enough for such broad generalizations.
Sides, I'm an American, where a middle classed white guy can be the first black president.
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