Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is fitting that we have this debate today on the 102nd anniversary of the end of the First World War and in commemoration of the 49,000 Irish soldiers who lost their lives during that war. Having the opportunity to address our war heroes who were at Jadotville is significant. On a personal level, I wish to mention Sergeant John Lynch who died in Lebanon in 1997. I was teaching his daughter, Christine, at the time, and I will never forget the loss, tragedy and trauma visited to Christine, her mum, and her little brother, Scott. The military funeral in Newbridge in the church beside the school where I taught is something that will always be with me.

Coming from Kildare and living so close to the Curragh, the issues affecting the Defence Forces are very close to my heart. It is my contention that the veterans of the siege of Jadotville need to be properly recognised. I raised that two weeks ago here in the Seanad. The Minster mentioned that any awards that would be recommended must be seen as having been in exceptional circumstances. The siege of Jadotville was certainly exceptional and the bravery and courage shown by these men were absolutely exceptional.

The Minister talks about the complexities involved in the awarding of medals and the legal position which means he is unable to make awards of the military medal for gallantry other than on the recommendation of a military board appointed by the Chief of Staff. However, there are occasions when we need to find an alternative solution when a set of regulations appear to be unfair. I hope this is such an instance where we can honour the 29 veterans of Jadotville and still protect the integrity of the awards system. I welcome the fact that the Chief of Staff has proposed the establishment of an independent group of external experts to consider the entire case and evidence, and we await the findings of that.

In 2020 Ireland's peacekeepers are highly respected, having played a very significant role in Cyprus, East Timor, Lebanon and Chad. We have to remember that in 1961, this was one of our very first international military deployments. In 1958 a small number of observers had gone to Lebanon, and then in 1960, Irish troops were sent to the Congo as part of the UN force, ONUC. A total of 6,000 Irish men served in the Congo between 1960 and 1964. I recommend that Members read The Poisonwood Bibleby Barbara Kingsolver, which gives a glimpse into the lives of those at the time. One of the largest ONUC engagements in which Irish troops were involved was the siege of Jadotville. The odds at the time were stacked against the Irish contingent. They were lightly armed and had only one truck, two jeeps and patchy radio communications when they were attacked by a larger force of almost 4,000 troops. The Irish commanding officer, Commandant Pat Quinlan, was an astute tactician, and his soldiers repeatedly repelled the attackers. It is a wonder that there were no Irish fatalities sustained given the nature of the onslaught that they endured. Facing insurmountable odds, A Company had to surrender eventually after exhausting their ammunition and supplies. They were held captive for five very difficult weeks until their eventual release and were home in Ireland in December 1961.

The return to Ireland was very difficult. Many of the returned soldiers felt it was better for their careers not to mention Jadotville. There was a sense of embarrassment about the surrender and about some poor decision-making by senior Army officials. According to Commandant Quinlan's son, Leo, five Irish soldiers who survived that siege subsequently took their own lives.It is a shame that so many of them were not alive to see the review of the battle and the awarding of various recognitions, such as the anniversary commemorations of the first deployment in Baldonnel in July 2010 or the unit citation given to A Company. The courage and tenacity shown by Irish forces at Jadotville are not in question. The 29 veterans who served with such bravery deserve to be honoured and I hope the Chief of Staff can find a solution to bring closure to this very lengthy campaign for the veterans, their families and, indeed, many in this House.

Our heroes deserve these awards but we also need to honour their memory and courage by improving the present day situation of our soldiers. Our Defence Forces' pay and conditions remain a huge unresolved issue and fighting for decent pay and conditions for all our Defence Forces is a key objective for me and my party. The impact of poor pay and conditions on Defence Forces families has real and significant consequences in my constituency of Kildare South. I acknowledge the extra €32 million in budget 2021 but more needs to be done. Wives and Partners of the Defence Forces, WPDF, has stated that over the last nine years the Defence Forces have suffered from political neglect and institutional indifference. There are many issues that must be resolved. Last year's agreement on technical pay to increase military allowances has not been implemented. That is completely wrong. Along with our spokesperson on defence, Senator Wilson, I met with PDFORRA and the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, recently and I fully support PDFORRA's desire to be an associate member of ICTU.

The need for troops to quarantine for four weeks for overseas deployment should mean they get extra pay. I ask the Minister to address that issue. Our Defence Forces are currently demoralised due to poor pay and conditions and we absolutely need to treat that as a priority. We also urgently need to improve living conditions in the Curragh and other barracks. The Army Ranger Wing's allowances have also not been implemented.