Chris Cole FRSA

This month I want to write about a difficult issue - that of our military in places like Afghanistan, and the media coverage it receives. There is something in the media just about every day, often critical of our involvement in military operations in those countries. And there is also, sadly, the frequent news of deaths and injuries of some of those who have served in these conflicts, as well as news of the suffering that war causes to civilians who get caught in the crossfire.

Plymouth is a military town, with a long military tradition. As such, we hear this kind of news maybe more than others, and our local media, on the whole, is supportive of the troops and pays respect to them in their coverage, which is as it should be.

In the small church fellowship which I pastor with my wife Kerry, one of our young men recently returned home after a three month tour in Afghanistan. He came home safe and sound, and also matured by the experience and with a different perspective to the one he had before he embarked. This is our only real connection with the war, and as we love this young man and want the best for him, it could be easy to allow emotional reasoning to unduly influence our own opinions of what our leaders are doing in regard to the conflict.

However, the issues behind the war are complex, and most of us do not have nearly enough information to make a sound judgment on the rightness or otherwise of our involvement. In most of life's issues it is those who are involved and have the full picture who are best equipped to make informed decisions. We elected our government democratically, to lead and carry the weight of the responsibilities that face them in these difficult times, and as I have said before in this column, one of the Bible's commands to Christians is to pray for those in leadership.

In order that we can all do our part, great or small, and also have a better understanding, it is important that our media comments as objectively as possible on these issues. The media has tremendous influence in our society, and is a wonderful platform for debate. Those of us involved in it have to hold the tension between this freedom of expression and the need to consider the best interests of all concerned.

The democratic right to protest, to influence change for good and to voice opinion is built into the foundations of our society, indeed those rights are there because of the Christian heritage of our nation. But we should always remember that our responsibilities should balance our rights in helping us have the wisdom to know what is helpful and constructive, and what is simply hot air, or worse destructive to good government.

Recently, a friend of mine met a young veteran of the war who had some serious injuries. He was coping remarkably well, and when asked what he thought of the leadership he was upbeat and positive in spite of his own condition. This young man certainly had the right to complain, but he didn't. Instead he honoured those he served with and was making the best of what life had given him. That was an example to us all.

General Sir Richard Dannatt, the Chief of General Staff, has done much over the last three years to improve the welfare and pay of armed forces personnel. He is now retiring from the post, but he is respected by his men because he leads from the front, and currently he is in the midst of some political controversy over his requests for more equipment for his troops. As a young Afghanistan war veteran said to a friend of mine "He'll take the stick or take the glory, that all goes with his job." General Dannatt's Christian faith is well documented by the media, let's pray that he and his successor receive God's grace, wisdom and strength to make good decisions, along with all those in leadership in this terrible conflict.

This article was originally published in the Plymouth Shopper, a group of 7 localised community newspapers produced by Cornerstone Vision, reaching 62,000 homes every month in Plymouth. Each edition carries positive news stories and features, and provides local businesses, community groups and organisations with a very localised media platform to reach their own area.