Up
until today I had never given any thought to the prospect of a
soldier giving birth on the field of battle. Today's news of the
birth of a baby boy to a Royal Artillery gunner in Afghanistan has
rather altered my perception of modern warfare. As I read the story
on the BBC website images of Tom Hanks in the film 'Saving Private
Ryan' came to mind. His anguished face barking out commands to his
troops in the midst of battle, with gunfire and explosions happening
all around him. “.. more smoke … give me covering fire! …
incoming RPGs … take cover …sniper at 2 o'clock … medic! …
we need more ammo … grenades … mortars ... forceps?”
The
baby, who is in a stable condition, was conceived before the start
of the servicewoman's tour of duty and was born 5 weeks premature at
Camp Bastion after the unnamed gunner complained of stomach pains.
Pregnant
service women are banned from front line duties and all service
personnel, male and female, are given pre-deployment medical checks
based on their role however, women are not routinely given pregnancy
tests.
It
gives a whole new take on the serviceman's slang of 'grunt'.
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