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Upset over blood-stained dog tags Army 'blood-stained tags' denial
(about 2 hours later)
The mother of a soldier killed in Iraq has spoken of her shock after her son's blood-stained dog tags were sent to her almost three years after he died. The Army has denied a claim from a mother that her dead son's dog tags were sent to her almost three years after his death "covered in blood".
Rose Gentle's son Gordon, 19, was serving with the Royal Highland Fusiliers when he was killed by a roadside bomb in Basra in June 2004.Rose Gentle's son Gordon, 19, was serving with the Royal Highland Fusiliers when he was killed by a roadside bomb in Basra in June 2004.
Mrs Gentle, 43, from Pollok, Glasgow, wants to know why it took so long. Mrs Gentle, 43, from Glasgow, said she was "shocked" by the tags' condition.
She added: "I was a bit shocked to find them covered in blood, I won't wash it off. It's all I have left of Gordon." An Army spokeswoman rejected the claim and said the dog tags were clean when they left headquarters.
After her son's remains were repatriated to the UK, Mrs Gentle noticed that his dog tags were missing. She said: "When the dog tags left the headquarters to go to the family's nominated third party they were 100% clean."
The spokeswoman said they were sent by a very experienced officer and "no-one in the Army would do anything to upset the family".
Mrs Gentle, 43, from Pollok, was reported to have said she wanted to know why it took so long to deliver the tags.
After her son's remains were repatriated to the UK, Mrs Gentle said she noticed that his dog tags were missing.
She said she telephoned and wrote to officials asking for the return of the metal discs, worn by military service personnel on a chain around their necks.She said she telephoned and wrote to officials asking for the return of the metal discs, worn by military service personnel on a chain around their necks.
The dog tags were finally returned to her through a family friend, who had been asking the Ministry of Defence for the release of the tags.
'Warn families''Warn families'
Mrs Gentle, who has been campaigning since her son's death to bring British troops home from Iraq, said: "I've been asking for these dog tags for the last three years and they were posted to me through a friend two weeks ago." The dog tags were finally returned to her through a family friend, who had been asking the Ministry of Defence for the release of the tags.
Mrs Gentle, who has been campaigning since her son's death to bring British troops home from Iraq, told the Daily Record newspaper: "I've been asking for these dog tags for the last three years and they were posted to me through a friend two weeks ago."
When the tags were passed to Mrs Gentle, she said they were blood-stained.When the tags were passed to Mrs Gentle, she said they were blood-stained.
"I think they [the Army] should warn families about this sort of thing before sending it," she added. "I think they [the Army] should warn families about this sort of thing before sending it," she said.
"I'd also like to know why it took them three years to hand them back.""I'd also like to know why it took them three years to hand them back."
The MoD said it was unable to comment. The Army said it was not normal procedure to return dog tags and the spokeswoman said she did not know how long it took to return the dog tags.