Soldier Fired For Taking The Piss Out Of A Gate Returns On The Offensive: ‘Brigadier, Did You Tell Super One These Things?’
A Maltese soldier who was fired after a video of him making fun of a gate went viral has gone on the offensive after the Armed Forces of Malta said he had been let go not because of the video, but because of his serious shortcomings.
“Let me ask you a question Brigadier,” begins Godwin Schembri in his Facebook post following the comments
“If I was not a trusted person, not exemplary and a bad soldier, and not good for the force then 1) Why was I sworn in as a drill instructor under your command, teaching the Maltese youth discipline in the Parade Ground and taking them to Passing Out? 2) How come under your leadership and with your permission I was sent to serve abroad with Frontex on multiple occasions? 3) How come I have been chosen since 2014 to serve as the President’s Drill Instructor with her Guard,” he says, going on to list seven points in total.
“And the big one – how come under your leadership in 2018, I was nominated to become a sergeant from a military board if I passed the Selection Process, which I passed?” he asks.
“Did you tell Super One these things? he says in reference to the Birgadier’s recent comments. A picture says a thousand words – for now, see you in court!”
A video showing Schembri passing comments about a new gate that had been installed but was seen to be useless went viral last year
“Look at the intelligence of the Maltese,” Schembri says sarcastically in the video. “No, you can’t pass through the gates, but you can still pass as so…”. He then drives around the gate, circumventing it.
“Then they say they don’t have money for army undergarments, socks and gloves. Well done!”
The firing of Schembri had led many to question the merits of kicking out a trained soldier over a viral video
Schembri’s sister had appealed to the public to condemn those that had shared the video with malicious intentions, and not her brother for “making a joke”.
“It is crystal clear that this soldier had no harmful intentions, but was merely joking with his colleagues as everyone does. Nothing he did warrants his getting discharged, but it seems as though free speech applies solely to those who lie and make stuff up. Meanwhile, those who prick and probe and expose the truth, as my brother did, get punished, because truth hurts. After all, if he wasn’t right, then the wall wouldn’t have been constructed, without a permit, right next to the gate,” she had said.
“That person spread this video the four corners of the earth without weighing up the repercussions of his actions,” she said. “That person should pay the price for how my brother – a family man and a dedicated soldier who gave years of service to the AFM and always did his utmost to progress in his career – unjustly ended up unemployed.”
Did Godwin Schembri deserve to be fired?
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