‘Sacrifice of Border soldiers must be rewarded’

PRESIDENTIAL candidate Gerard Craughwell has called on Defence Minister Paul Kehoe to award medals to soldiers who served on the Border during the Troubles.

Citing the film A Few Good Men, Senator Craughwell said: ‘The experience of our border soldiers reminds me of the Jack Nicholson line about how we live in a world that has walls, and those walls must be guarded by men with guns.

The Irish Army, he said: ‘Stepped up to the mark and guarded our border whilst we slept safely in our beds.’ Yet, ‘We have ridiculous scenarios such as a soldier who left the Defence Forces in December 2015, having served 44 years without getting a medal, and a recruit who joined in January 2016 gets a 1916 commemoration medal.’

Mr Craughwell who served in both the British army and the Irish Army, said: ‘In case anybody thinks I am vying for such an award, I would not qualify because I served on the border for just two days.’

He later told the Irish Mail on Sunday he believed ‘part of the problem is that in trying to be different from the UK we have adopted a nasty attitude where achievement cannot be celebrated’.