Sir, - As the daughter of a retired Irish Army officer, I come to the debate on the continuation of Irish involvement with UN peacekeeping missions from a personal perspective.
Growing up, my father served numerous tours of duty with the UN in Lebanon and the Sahara Desert. My mother had to cope with many questions from a small, upset child asking why she couldn’t have a “normal dad” who came home from work every night. Her response was simple but perfectly reflective of values that I don’t believe are unique to my family: “He’s away helping people less fortunate than us and it’s our job to support that." In many ways, her response inspired my own career in public service.
Yes, Ireland as a nation and society is not without its challenges, but we live in a country where, thankfully, war is only experienced via the news. Why would we step away from a longstanding, well-respected commitment to helping those who don’t have that good fortune? - Yours, etc,
STEPHANIE CREMEN,
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Raheny,
Dublin 5.
