Through My Eyes

Author: Kasia Yoko
Date: 2014-01-31

The other day a friend came to visit me with his twenty one year old daughter, Kirsty. Kirsty is doing her final year of varsity and then plans to join her boyfriend in the UK.

I asked Kirsty what she was planning to do in the UK but she was not sure. Her plans were not finalised, all she knew was that she wanted to join her boyfriend who recently joined the British army and was being drafted to Afghanistan.

I must admit I was aghast when I found out that her boyfriend, who was born in the UK but spent most of his life in South Africa, (he was two when he left UK) was accepted online to join the army and after a quick training course is leaving to be a sniper fighting for the Queen.

Little Kirsty was taken aback when I looked shocked. She really did not think there was something extra ordinary in her boyfriend's new 'job'. She proceeded to tell me that there were many South Africans that were being drafted with her boyfriend so she did not think he was in any immediate danger.

I always thought that you needed to be pukka English to join the Queen's army, but Kirsty set me straight.

"There are even those guys in turbans." She told me "You know the Indians that wear the orange cloth wrapped on their heads. They are also in my boyfriend's unit."

It made me sad to think that these young men from all walks of life and different geographical positions were being shipped off to a warzone to fight for a country that they cannot call home and for a cause that is still not quite known to mankind.

I sat in silence with Kirstythere was so little I could say, I was just thinking of my own sons. What would I do if one of them came and said, "Hey mom I'm going to fight in Afghanistan."

War is soul destroying and if we're stupid enough to think that our men who go into combat in these God forsaken countries will be coming home unchanged we are kidding ourselves, the pure stress of warfare cannot be erased with a few counselling sessions.

It took me back to an article I read online not so long ago about the posttraumatic stress disorder of soldiers that return from Afghanistan; it quoted "More British soldiers and veterans took their own lives in 2012 than died fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan over the same period.

The BBC's Panorama programme has learned 21 serving soldiers killed themselves last year, along with 29 veterans. The Afghanistan death toll was 44, of whom 40 died in action."

I pray for Kirsty's boyfriend, I do hope he arrives there in down time and that he gets a chance to do some sightseeing. Although with temperatures now below zero he will have to make sure that he keeps dry and warm.

I say a little prayer for his mother and all mothers who have sons on the frontline of any war or conflict, both sides, may your children be spared the pain and suffering. I guess today I am grateful that my boys are safeliving a conflict free life with endless possibilities - I hope your sons are safe wherever they are.

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