By Patrick Gower
Kiwi soldiers have whipped up a storm of social media criticism for Prime Minister John Key and his decision to choose his son's baseball game over two soldiers' funerals.
At the centre of it was Corporal Luke Tamatea, one of the soldiers killed in Afghanistan.
Cpl Tamatea was a popular soldier, who had another identity on the internet – his Facebook pseudonym, "Gruntlife Secondfirst" – and he used a photo of his dead comrade L/Cpl Rory Malone on his page.
He was critical about Mr Key's decision not to go to the funerals of L/Cpl Pralli Durrer and L/Cpl Malone, killed two weeks ago, instead going to his son's baseball game in the United States.
But Mr Key did not want to engage today.
" have huge respect for him," says Mr Key. "He paid the ultimate price in defence of our country and he has my upmost respect."
Just 11 days ago 'Gruntlife' liked a comment that said: "Our brothers gave their lives for your country... Do you plan on attending more soldiers [sic] funerals – is that why it's ok [sic] to miss these two?"
Another person's comments about the anti-Key post include references to bullet calibres.
Other reported comments from Tamatea include: "If I was a leader of a country I would attend the funerals of our fallen soldiers..... I wouldnt [sic] be at a f****** baseball game!!"
"I can understand why he felt like that," says Russel Norman, Greens co-leader. "I'm sure many of our personnel would have felt strongly."
When asked if he made the right decision, Mr Key said: "I'm just not going to litigate that… have huge respect for him, and I don't intend to engage any further on comments he might have made."
Other criticisms on Facebook from a group of current and former soldiers includes the Government's argument that no vehicle could have withstood the blast from the 20kg bomb that killed Cpl Tamatea, L/Cpl Jacinda Baker and Private Richard Harris.
One says mine-resistant vehicles used by allies in Afghanistan would have been better than either the Humvees or LAVs: "... most of the other REAL MRAP [Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected] vehicles in country could have easily protected the occupants from IED's [sic] that size".
"The professional advice I have had from the Chief of Defence is that our people have the best available equipment – including vehicles," says Minister of Defence Jonathan Coleman.
The Army says it does not ban its soldiers from having Facebook pages, as long as they do not post information online that compromises security. But it's clear many soldiers are using pseudonyms so their bosses can't identify them.
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