Dear Friends,
As we approach the festive season I just wanted to write to you all and thank you for your support for the National Defence Medal Campaign. The 38% campaign now stands at 5,121 which is great, but well below the numbers we are trying to reach and the Campaign Team are looking at ways in which the Public Awareness Campaign can be greatly increased. Hopefully more on that in the New Year.
Back in July 2015 Brian Sheppard an NDM Member received a letter from the MOD briefly outlining the result of the HD Committee meeting and projected cost analysis for the medal and a comparison of other Nations Awards systems. It was clear from the MOD reply that the UK was completely out of step with all other compatible Nations in regards to Recognition of Service of their personnel and that they (the MOD) intended to bury the issue of the NDM on some very dubious costings and unspecified rational.
After a consultation with the Sub Committee and NDM Action Group we looked at clarifying the award criteria for the NDM and how a new funding model might work. As result of both of the above I wrote to those involved directly challenging their conclusions and refusal to meet with Veterans to discuss how they felt the case for the NDM was weak. A web version of the letter and annexes can be found here:
As always much work is going on in the back ground. Tam Fowler has done sterling work with his Waterloo campaign gaining around 60,000 signatures and the NDM Team are working on new ways to engage with the Government and raise Public awareness.
We still await a decision on our FOI challenge which the MOD are trying to block, which would suggest they have something to hide or why not just tell us in what way they thought the original case was no strong enough?
Can I ask you all to keep spreading the word through friends and family. This issue affects around 6/7 million ex service personnel and we need your support to ensure that your Grandparents, Mothers, Fathers, Sons and Daughters, Aunts and Uncles don’t go unrecognized by the Nation, regardless of when or where they served, are serving or will serve in the future.
So, on behalf of the NDM Team may I take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and thank you for your efforts in supporting the campaign. Take care and all the very best.
Alan McNeilly
Chairman National Defence Medal Campaign
Thank you for signing the petition Official Recognition for our Veterans, can you help spread the word by forwarding the link below to your friends?
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/
