“A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child…”
By order of Britain’s Ministry of Defence Secretary Philip Hammond and the various chiefs of the military services, slain drummer Lee Rigby will be enrolled in the roll of honor of those killed in action in the face of the enemy at Britain’s National Memorial Arboretum, as reported by The Daily Mail of London on May 26, 2013.
Hammond told reporters it was “only right that Rigby should be accorded the same recognition as those who have fallen in the line of duty.”
A member of the Royal Artillery Corps, Rigby was killed on a London street last Wednesday by two Islamic jihadists, one of whom stated after beheading the combat veteran “We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you … We must fight them as they fight us.”
The attack took place less than 200 years from the Royal Artillery Barracks in the London suburb of Woolwich. Rigby was a seven-year Army vet already who had a combat tour of duty in Afghanistan’s often lawless Helmand Province.
It was at Helmand’s Patrol Base Woqab that the broad- shouldered “Squaddie,” as the English respectfully have nicknamed their soldiers, put aside his ceremonial drum kit and manned a machine gun in the allied fight against the Taliban and other al Aqeda affiliated terrorists.
In a move that illustrated Rigby’s true character and basic level of decency, once back in the UK he visited the mother of Sgt. Simon Valentine — a solder he had fought alongside who had been killed in combat.
While attending a charity ball, Rigby was pictured in full ceremonial uniform with Sergeant Valentine’s baby nephew — young Simon — named in honor of his hero uncle.
Nicknamed “Riggers” by his comrades in arms, it is exceedingly doubtful anyone made sport of Riggers posing with a baby.
