General seeks support for troops
A TOP general is to boost the campaign to win the support of the British public over the conflict in Afghanistan.
Armed Forces chief Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, has appointed newly-promoted Major General Gordon Messenger to act as his military spokesman and improve awareness of the mission.
Major General Messenger, a Royal Marine who commanded 3 Commando Brigade in Afghanistan earlier this year and spearheaded the 2003 invasion of Iraq, has been given the job amid fears that the relentless death toll is undermining public support.
Britain has lost 239 personnel in Afghanistan since 2001 – and 102 this year alone.
Earlier this month, Sir Jock said: “The greatest threat to our people’s morale is not the Taliban or improvised explosive devices, but declining will at home.” And yesterday General Messenger, 47, the first member of the Naval Service to win a Distinguished Service Order and Bar since 1957, said: “There is no doubt that public opinion matters to the soldiers on the ground and their morale.”
He added that the public view was being shaped by individual tragedies. “I think it is important that soldiers understand that the public understands what they are doing and why,” he said.
