Fight against IS: carriers of the queen return to Iraq
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fight against ISIS
Queen bearers return to Iraq
26-09-2022 13:36 hrs
Under the gaze of millions, eight soldiers of the Queen’s Company carried Queen Elizabeth II’s 230-pound coffin through London. The Order of the British Empire beckons them for their efforts. But first they have to go back to Iraq.
Just ten days ago, they carried the late Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch and at the funeral service in Windsor. Now the eight young British soldiers have to pack their things. Because in a few days they will fly back to Iraq, where they are currently stationed in the fight against the Islamic State (IS).
As “The Express” reports, the soldiers belong to the Queen’s Company, the Grenadier Guards of the 1st Battalion. They protect an air base in northern Iraq from which both British and American special forces conduct deep infiltration operations in Iraq and Syria. They also train Iraqi security forces. They were flown to the UK especially for the Queen’s state funeral.
The Queen’s Company gains the tallest and brightest members of each new regiment. The youngest of the pallbearers is only 19 years old. They are “primarily fighting soldiers,” quoted “The Express” as a high-ranking but unnamed source within the military. But it is “this sharp contrast that the men find so attractive. If they were only performing ceremonial duties, it would lose its luster,” I think.
Is the Order of the British Empire waving?
Of the twelve Grenadiers who were selected, eight were ultimately chosen for the final honour. Company Sergeant Major Dean Jones was allowed to make the decision. He served in the British Army for 19 years and served twice in Afghanistan and Iraq. “Jones was instrumental in bringing them together. He is a humble but brilliant man,” said the unnamed source of the soldier standing at the front left of the coffin.
According to reports, the porters were only informed of their assignment in London shortly before departure. After landing, they had barely six hours to get their hair cut before starting rehearsals. It is said that they should not have told their family either. They only found out through the media when they saw snapshots of the rehearsals.
But not only the next of kin are proud, the soldiers have also impressed many politicians, soldiers and celebrities – after all, they had to lift a chest of up to 230 kilos on their shoulders. Demands are now being made to appoint the Pallbearers as members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). That wouldn’t be unusual. This honor was bestowed on the bearers of the late Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965.
