Some of those commentating on the past seem blind to the fact that 90% of murders in the Troubles were committed by paramilitaries. They want the spotlight on the other 10% and shy away from placing blame at the door of those terrorists who planted the bombs or pulled the triggers. From listening to some commentators one would conclude that the Army and the RUC were responsible for the Troubles. This is a re-writing of the past which we will not tolerate.

I am proud to have served with the Ulster Defence Regiment alongside my father and brother. Anne Cadwallader’s book, supported by the Pat Finucane Centre, besmirches the name of my Regiment and the RUC. The actions of the RUC and UDR led to thousands of lives being saved, lives that will never be the subject of books or news stories. Will the Pat Finucane Centre also produce books detailing the missing pieces of the Enniskillen Bomb investigation, the La Mon investigation or the Ballygawley bus bomb? I think not because it does not fit with their objective to keep the state under the spotlight, whilst the terrorists continue to skulk in the shadows of deception, accountable only to their own conscience, if they have one.

We owe it to the next generation to ensure that those who caused mayhem and destruction in this land do not have their way in rewriting the history of the Troubles. Our young people must understand that those who put on a uniform to go out and protect the entire community helped us to achieve the degree of peace we have today. Without them, the death toll and the destruction would have been unthinkable.