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Medals (Armed Forces Personnel)

I shall return to that subject later. Most people I speak to are amazed that there is no such recognition. I do not wish to criticise individuals, but I concur with some of the sentiments expressed by my hon. Friend. Under the military covenant, British soldiers must always get fair treatment, be valued and respected as individuals, and be sustained and rewarded by terms of service that match the personal sacrifices that they make. The proposed medal would support the terms of the covenant in helping to show that the troops' personal sacrifice is valued by the nation. On 21 September 2007, the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt, said:"““The covenant says that we do what we do in the Nation's name, that's the way a democracy works—and so soldiers do not ask why; but they do ask for respect and honour for doing what they have been sent to do—which they do with courage and professionalism.””" General Dannatt went on to quote my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces:"““There is not an appreciation or even an understanding among wide sections of the community of exactly what we ask our Armed Forces to do, and we're asking an awful lot of them.””" Awarding a medal for the wounded and the dead would help to explain to the wider community the sacrifices that those young men and women have made on our behalf. I have spoken to a number of families who have lost loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I find listening to their stories very moving. To a man and to a woman, they have no objection to and, indeed, find it hard to understand why some type of recognition is not being given.