Harry Expected To Fit Right In In Iraq

British Prince Begins Training For Deployment In May Or June

(CBS)  Britain's Prince Harry, who is expected to deploy to Iraq later this spring, has begun his Army training.

And, from the matter-of-fact perspective of the British men and women already serving there, Basra will be an assignment the prince is well-prepared for, reports CBS News correspondent Richard Roth.

Will Pope, who went to school with Harry, told a British reporter the prince will probably be taking over his tank.

"It's very much a case of learning things here when you get out here and, as long as he just does what he's told, he'll be absolutely fine," Pope said.

As the first ranking royal who'll be serving in a war zone in more than 20 years, Harry's training qualifies him to command a reconnaissance squad, Roth points out. His stature as third-in-line to the throne may qualify him as an object of curiosity, but the soldiers he'll serve with say that shouldn't last long.

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"He is in a position where he is noticed, but … I just think, let him get on with his job," one said.

"When he gets out here, OK, I'm sure that sort of human nature would be to sort of be intrigued by seeing him about. But at the end of the day, he is out here to do a job," said another.

"He's just another bloke to me, and I'm sure he is to everyone else, just another officer in the ranks," said a third.

While rank has its privileges in the military, Roth observes, the British say royalty does not.

If his unit is deployed to Iraq, Harry will sleep and eat with the other officers and enlisted men and women assigned to Basra, which is exactly what he's said he wants to do.

"The last thing I wanna do," he said, "is have my soldiers sent away to Iraq … and for me to be held back home, twiddling my thumbs thinking, 'Well, what about Derrick? What about David?' "

On a troop rotation in May or June, the British say, he'll get his wish.

[figuy30]

do you think prince harry will be tried for murder if he shoots an iraqui insurgent? if this becomes an issue maybe the british government could consult the american government for advice. do'nt let your soldiers and marines kill anyone in the course of doing their jobs, and always be sure the iraqui "detainees" have their "rights". and if another government questions you - always side with the other government against your own soldiers. and if the british should require more advice maybe the ACLU or the U.S. supreme court could be of service. after they consult with bush and cheyney of course.

[middleman8]

traviskaren-- what rock u been hiding under? what the hell do u mean no one goes into the army unless they volinter. I don' feel sorry for your kin, as according to u they volintered to go shot helpless women and children. I soppose u will expect them to let you wear their hard earned meadles(sic). to enlighten your ignorance I spent 4 years in the Korean war, I didn't have to prey on my kins service time. understand???

[ericdobbs]

Not everyone who volunteers for our military volunteers with the same understanding. National Guard volunteers were told that they will likely never serve overseas, and in the past this has been largely true. In this war over 400 National Guard personnel have been killed, which is several times the number killed in the entire Vietnam war (97), which went on for more than a decade and resulted in more than 58,000 American deaths. For official statistics on Vietnam casualties see http://www.archives.gov/research/vietnam-war/casualty-statistics.html .
The lies that were told to the National Guard volunteers are just part of the pattern of mendacity that is typical the administration's management of this war. Our real enemies were in other countries than Iraq. It now seems awfully possible that Bush's oil industry buddies saw Iraq as the one place in the Middle East that had oil that they could control, if only they could get Saddam out of the way. The administration squandered the good will of the rest of the world toward us in our war against Islamic radicals in order set up a docile client state sitting on top of the fourth largest proved oil reserves under any one country.
And now the third in line to the throne of Great Britain is sent on the same errand. Will Harry die for Halliburton?

[traviskaren]

The US is a volinter army because if there were a draft impossed to fight this sham war the responsible people would say hell no go yourself. Posted by middleman8

You are an idiot. The draft was done away with a long, long time before this war ever started. And Jenna and Barbara Bush are not responsible for this war. They are not the ones that voted for the resolution that authorized President Bush to go to war with Iraq. Why should they enlist? Maybe they don't even agree with their father on his politics. Did you ever think about that? Maybe they do, maybe they don't, who knows? But the point is, no one goes in the military in this country unless they want to. And each and every person that goes in knows full well that at some point in their military career they may have to go to war. I have a neice and a nephew that both served in Iraq and I didn't sit around blubbering and whining about them having to fight in a war -and neither did their parents. That's because they VOLUNTEERED for the military and they knew what they were getting into.

[middleman8]

The US is a volinter army because if there were a draft impossed to fight this sham war the responsible people would say hell no go yourself.

[traviskaren]

Well ok then, why just Jenna and Barbara? What about some of the Kennedy kids, let's get a few of them to sign up. Lord knows there are dozens of them. And how about Chelsea? Why hasn't she signed up? Her momma voted for the war. What ya'll don't seem to understand is we have an all VOLUNTEER army. That means you only enlist if you want to. No one goes into the military unless they WANT to. Not one single person in Iraq or Afghanistan or any other military installation is there that was forced into the military. Every single one of them enlisted VOLUNTARILY. Just like Prince Harry enlisted voluntarily in the British army. Get it?

[hober_mallow]

What a refreshing story about someone in the British royalty serving his country. Good luck to Prince Harry.

How about the U.S. royalty? Jenna and/or Barb, when are YOU going to enlist?

[random_radar]

One good thing about British royalty is their tradition of serving in the military and actually dodging a few bullets once in a while.