“Surely julie is referring to the coffins coming off the plains. I think that they should be buried on or near the battlefield as in the great world wars. Bringing them back quite unnecessarily distresses the families and general public alike.”

“Also rifleman and others who disagree with comments. This is NOT a condolence page BUT a COMMENTS page. There is another section for condolences etc in another part of the online paper and if comments other than condolences were left there I would be the first to complain
No-one is disrespecting anything that this young man has done just the reasons as to why he and others are in such places as Iraq/ Afghanistan

Such a sad sight watching these men coming off the planes

Well done to Wotton Bassett as always for ALWAYS turning out whatever the weather to pay their respects. It is very much appreciated”

“Barely one or two of the comments on here fall below an acceptable standard. It has been a very reasoned debate. I agree, perhaps Rifleman could point out the ones he thinks are wrong.”

“why cant people just leave their condolances and not go on about everything else.a young soldier has been lost so just leave the debate about the war to another time.”

“My thoughts today with the Hammond family and those of the other 3 brave men being repatriated today

Rifleman perhaps you'd like to name and shame the disgusting comments. I haven't seen one. As someone else has said there has been a sensible debate with valid points and comments regarding this article.”

“most of the comments on here are disgusting.
all that should be said is well done young man for doing a job most people havnt the balls to do and thankyou for helping keep the civvies safe at night at home.you did us all proud in plymouth.
r.i.p soldier.”

“Crispin makes an excellent point in a laboured and stumbling way. The government has introduced a new medal which looks at first glance like a silver Victoria Cross. They have failed completely to think about either the changes in our populations interest in or commitment or not to now differing faiths or none and to the likely response of a considerable number of bereaved parents to being handed a small bauble comprising an outdated confusing combination of imagery.”

“Laura. Surely 99% of the comments here are criticising the justness and effectiveness of the decision to go to this war and maintain it. In parallel there is reasonable comment about the need to make the public and potential recruits aware of the kill and be killed factor. Also many contributors have spoken about the inadequacy of military vehicles and other kit. Where is the heartlessness in any of that and why should a public debate about the circumstances of this noble young man's death not include it all? Karen's opening comment yesterday morning set the tone and basis of the discussion which has been maintained on very reasonable terms for two days. Indeed if it were not the end of the summer term much of it might very usefully applied unedited to stimulate a debate or discussion about the realities and consequences of war amongst say 14 to 18 year olds at school”

“Heartless? Or trying to cut through the sugared pill approach? The distress and grief of all those personally associated with or who empathise with them cannot be underplayed but the general presentation of the reports of the campaign and the deaths still fail to deal with the central issue which is that these are losses in a conflict which is not easily justified, is almost inevitably not going to be won or wound up in any advantageous way, and which foremost is leading to a fast escalating number of avoidable deaths. Should we hide that?”

“It concerns me when people question why families ¿let¿ their sons and daughters go into the services. I do not agree with war, and the war in Afghanistan is a totally different debate, but the fact is every country needs service men and women. What would Britain do if we came under attack tomorrow? We need the military and we should be grateful people WANT to join, and they are not made to join up against their will. If people have a problem with the war they shouldn¿t criticise the soldiers, but question the politicians¿ decisions.

My brother is 18 and currently training with the British Army. My family and I are sick to the stomach with worry about his future career in the army, especially after Joshua¿s death, a wonderful young man who we have known for many years. But no matter how much we disagree with his choice, we cannot change his decision. We must support his career path and ensure that he has our blessing.

The recruitment offices avoid detailing the harsh realities, but they do tell you that you will be deployed to a war zone, and if any person joining the services is not aware of what they are putting themselves up for then they are naive. These brave people join up for many reasons, be it a career, an opportunity to gain new skills and experiences, to escape a troubled life etc, people should appreciate that they are putting their life on the line for our country. These soldiers do not go out wanting to die but they know there is a chance they might.

As for the comment about why the bodies are bought back to the UK, have some respect and thoughts for the victims¿ families. We are not in a WW1 or WW2 situation, thankfully, where millions of soldiers were dying and it was not possible to bring all the bodies back. When any of our soldiers are killed they deserve a respectful send off, at home with their families.

I¿m sure many of these heartless comments would not have been made if it were their family member in Afghanistan.”