I HAVE just started reading a book on the history of the forgotten war, The Korean Conflict in the early 50s.

More than 1,000 British, 54,000 US soldiers and thousands of our allies lie buried in that cold, hostile country – the government would not pay the money to bring the bodies home.

As a naive 18-year-old I was sent there prepared to pay the final sacrifice rather than be called a coward.

In the book politicians state if we ‘do not fight in Korea we will be fighting on our doorsteps’.

That sounds familiar. Iraq and Afghanistan are what the politicians are talking about today.

Will we be threatened if we are not there? No, we are threatened because we are there.

As you grow old, wisdom is there, as well as the failings of old age. Those brave, young service personnel who are being sacrificed in Afghanistan will be forgotten by politicians but never by their families.

Every moment of every day they will be remembered and the pain and pride will always be there.

We will never win, tribal laws and customs will return and the Afghans who worked for the British will ask for asylum in the UK.

Thousands upon thousands will have to be given protection.

Stop sacrificing our brave, young service personnel, bring them home.

Politicians are not to be trusted, they know nothing of life, as we have seen recently. I feel sad and angry each time the news tells of another loss of life.

Bring them home.

D S L JULIAN, Old Castle Road, Weymouth.