A GROUP of Royal Irish Regiment soldiers in Portadown, Co Armagh, have made a plea to their commanders to keep them away from Drumcree this summer, according to a report in yesterday's Sunday Life newspaper.
The report claims the soldiers fear their homes and, families will be attacked if they are seen holding, the line at this year's controversial march.
It is understood that all full time soldiers based at Portadown's Mahon Road barracks have, been put on restricted leave throughout the period of the proposed march at Drumcree.
At last year's Drumcree stand off, some Orangemen hurled abuse at soldiers blocking the way to the contentious route along the Garvaghy Road and shouted veiled threats including that they knew were they lived.
One RIR man is quoted in the newspaper report as saying "If things turn nasty on Garvaghy Road, our families would be sitting ducks." Members of the regiment living in loyalist housing estates in Portadown, where there were riots last July, are said to be worried about their security.
"The boys took a 167t of stick in their own areas last year, especially when the security forces used rubber bullets against the rioters," a full time private told Sunday Life. It took some convincing, to make them realise that the local RIR are not involved in that aspect of security. Many of the boys have wives and children and parents in the estates, and they're not prepared for put them at risk."
Senior army officers are believed to have been approached by worried soldiers living in the area.
Yesterday, however, a British army spokesman would not confirm that any concerns had been raised. The spokesman said. "It has long been policy that, leave is restricted at various times of heightened tensions throughout the year for obvious operational reasons.
"Specific deployment of troops is an operational matter which we do not discuss," he added. "The Royal Irish, like the rest of the army, play an invaluable part in support of the RUC and the fight against terrorism.
"From time to time, however, a soldier may have a complaint or grievance, and well established procedures are available, to, them to have it addressed within the military system."