SQUADDIE: I’M NOT FLAKEY BUT I QUIT
Clueless Army ad fury
A SOLDIER who has guarded the Queen has threatened to quit after his picture was used to recruit snowflakes.
Scots Guardsman Stephen McWhirter, 28, says he had no idea his face would appear in the posters unveiled last week.
He told pals he had been blitzed with mocking messages and ridicule from colleagues.
The soldier, based at Wellington Barracks in London, announced on Facebook he plans to quit.
He expressed his fury in a web discussion with other troops.
One squaddie wrote: “Imagine the army taking a photo of you and writing ‘snow flake’ in massive bold letters above your head. “I’d be signed straight off.” Guardsman McWhirter replied: “Don’t f ****** worry, mate, I am.’’
In later posts he said he would formally submit his resignation at the earliest opportunity.
Another soldier wrote: “They have ended his career by corporate bullying and harassment.”
Guardsman McWhirter, from Irvine, Ayrshire, who joined the Army in 2016, replied: “Correct.”
Skills
Army bosses have already been blasted over the posters echoing Lord Kitchener’s famous Your Country Needs You slogan to recruit “snowflakes, phone zombies, binge gamers and selfie addicts”.
Serving troops and veterans claim the ads devised by agency Karmarama undermine soldiers’ skills.
Last night Army chiefs insisted those pictured were volunteers who had been told in advance what the posters would say.
Recruitment chief Colonel Ben Wilde said: “The soldiers were all volunteers who understand that the Army needs to reach out to all parts of society to find the best people. The volunteers were fully informed about the striking language and how it would resonate with young people.”
The Star Says: Page 6