Good news for Jenna and Barbara Bush!

[jenm]

Prince Harry has been deployed in Afghanistan for the last 10 weeks serving with his battle group. Sons and daughters of high profile people can serve in combat zones if they so choose.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle3454535.ece

[zoeyz]

Prince Harry has been deployed in Afghanistan for the last 10 weeks serving with his battle group. Sons and daughters of high profile people can serve in combat zones if they so choose.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle3454535.ece

I'm pretty sure Prince William cannot. He's the heir, Harry's the spare. I also wonder if they were trying to keep it under wraps that Harry is serving. Now that the world knows, will he have to leave there?

ETA: It looks like they are reconsidering his deployment for security reasons now that the world knows he is there. From CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapc...tan/index.html

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The UK's Prince Harry has been serving on the frontline in Afghanistan and seen combat, the UK Ministry of Defense confirmed Thursday.

He was deployed 10 weeks ago and his fellow soldiers were sworn to secrecy.

The prince's status is currently being reviewed, the Ministry of Defense said.

Harry is third in line to the British throne and serves with the Blues and Royals.

His main role has been as a member of a group called Joint Tactical Air Control, or JTAC.

"As far as I'm concerned I'm out here as a normal JTAC on the ground and not as Prince Harry" he said.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "The whole of Britain will be proud of the outstanding service he is giving. For the last 10 weeks, he has joined the thousands of members of the British Armed Forces who have served with such distinction in difficult circumstances in Afghanistan since 2001."

In a pre-deployment interview with the British Press Association, he said: "If I'm wanted, if I'm needed, then I will serve my country as I signed up to do."

The head of the British Army, Chief of the General Staff Sir Richard Dannatt, said Harry's deployment had been kept secret after striking an agreement with the media.

British and international media -- including CNN -- had agreed not to report Harry's deployment because of security concerns for him and his unit. The military confirmed the operation after a U.S. Web site broke the news blackout.

Dannatt said: "What the last two months have shown is that it is perfectly possible for Prince Harry to be employed just the same as other Army officers of his rank and experience.

"His conduct on operations in Afghanistan has been exemplary. He has been fully involved in operations and has run the same risks as everyone else in his Battlegroup.

"In common with all of his generation in the army today, he is a credit to the nation."

Dannatt added that he and senior commanders will now be reviewing Harry's deployment.

Last year, the military ruled Harry could not be sent to Iraq because publicity about the deployment could put him and his unit at risk.

[KimberlyW]

Well, they could if they wanted to (m)

since it is an all volunteer military. Everyone who is serving made the choice to serve.

[zoeyz]

And from CNN today, poof, he is withdrawn from service nt

nt

[jenm]

nt

Once it became public, they knew they would have to withdraw him. Matt Drudge (rhymes with sludge) learned about it and made it public.

It has certainly done a lot to help Prince Harry's public image as a party boy.

[zoeyz]

Once it became public, they knew they would have to withdraw him. Matt Drudge (rhymes with sludge) learned about it and made it public.

It has certainly done a lot to help Prince Harry's public image as a party boy.

That's my point. If it is known that a child like Prince William, Prince Harry, or Barbara or Jenna Bush are serving in a combat situation, it is unsafe for them to do it. I'm not interested in how it was made public. If it weren't Matt Drudge, it would have been somebody else.

[Legolady]

Why isn't Chelsea serving? GMAB.

McCain has 2 kids serving currently I believe.

L

[Jeannie]

Why isn't Chelsea serving? GMAB.

McCain has 2 kids serving currently I believe.

L

He does - and I think one son just came home

FWIW, I think GWB is a huge hypocrite about the war, but not because his daughters aren't in the military. That's irrelevant.

[jenm]

He does - and I think one son just came home

FWIW, I think GWB is a huge hypocrite about the war, but not because his daughters aren't in the military. That's irrelevant.

Oh, I agree that it is irrelevant to GWB's position. I don't know that hypocrite is the right word to use when talking about his position and the Iraq war.

My initial post was in reference to Jenna's comment to the press that it was stupid to even consider that she should serve. I don't think it was stupid for someone to ask her if she would consider serving in the military. It is highly unlikely that she would ever do so, imo, but I base that on her personality not on her father being POTUS.

Plus, I will admit that I find the idea of Prince Harry being in the military and serving in a combat zone fascinating (OTOH, the cynic and conspiracy theorist in me thinks that he has been in rehab and the whole thing was made up. LOL!). The sense of duty that the royal family lives their life by interests me--although Prince Charles' affair with Camilla still bothers me even now that they are married.