On the Home Front
Two weeks ago, my friend Gary and I were headed to Tooting to have Pakistani food. Sitting next to us on the train was a British soldier in desert camouflage, with two pieces of luggage: a backpack and a duffle bag. It was hard to tell whether he was going home, on leave, or returning to the United Kingdom after a tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. His face looked tired. The soldier looked like he had been traveling for a while.
Signs of Britain’s current military engagements are scant here, save for the typical wartime posters one sees in tube stations, like this Sky News advert above, or warnings to commuters to report any unattended baggage. Veterans of recent or ongoing conflicts are not as conspicuous or stigmatized as they are in the United States. Enlisted men, in uniform, unlike in Israel, still catch your eye because they are so rare to see.