Singer of One Hit Wonder Prevented World War Three

[Farnhamia]

The link in the OP contains a 30 second audio clip from a radio interview with Sir Michael Jackson confirming Mr. Blunt's account, and referring to Mr. Blunt by name.

This isn't a new story though; it's been doing the round for years, and the OP link is from an interview Blunt gave in 2010.

Here's a newspaper version of the same story from the same year: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/peopl ... 34203.html

Captain Blount - as he then was - was a captain in the Life Guards in 1999, and was the lead officer at the head of the NATO column advancing on Pristina airfield. This is a matter of public record which can be checked by anyone with the inclination.

However, note that it's not so much that he personally refused to carry out Wesley Clark's order, but rather that he queried the order and then stalled for long enough for Sir Michael Jackson to countermand the order.



Blunt / Blount claims he would have refused to carry out Clark's order anyway; there's some room for speculation on that point - and our American cousins might well query the bit about "a victory for British common sense" - but otherwise the account is entirely factual.

Blunt was a recon officer, he questioned the continued validity of an order to recon and gain a foothold when the airfield was occupied by Russians. Since British Junior officers require more hand holding it took a British General to explain that if you can not occupy it do the next best thing and encircle it.

Not really, no.

[Greed and Death]

Blunt was a recon officer, he questioned the continued validity of an order to recon and gain a foothold when the airfield was occupied by Russians. Since British Junior officers require more hand holding it took a British General to explain that if you can not occupy it do the next best thing and encircle it.

Not really, no.

*Yawn* can't trust British sources they are not gun ho enough to understand American Generals.

[Anachronous Rex]

Meh. Russia wouldn't have gone to war over an incident with 200 soldiers.

Not unless they threatened to gay marry them, or something.

[Lordieth]

My camo's brilliant.
My aim is pure.
I saw a contigent.
Of that I'm sure.

[Surfistan]

That's beautiful, it's true.

[Rubiconic Crossings V2 rev 1f]

James Blunt and Micheal Jackson prevented World War III? There is nothing about this story that isn't friggin awesome.

Indeed

I see no reason to believe James Blunt's account of what happened.

How I larfed.

And this is why we can't have nice things.

Well I think we can...the bad guys however perhaps not so much...?

Smells like bullshit.

'fraid not.

Smells like bullshit.

The bit about the rush for the Pristina airport and Sir Mike telling Clarke to go jump in the lake is valid and confirmed.
Dunno about mr.Blunt himself.

Indeed. As for Mr Blunt...in charge of a recon squadron from the Life Guards. A captain I believe.

I see no reason to believe James Blunt's account of what happened.

Smells like bullshit.

The bit about the rush for the Pristina airport and Sir Mike telling Clarke to go jump in the lake is valid and confirmed.
Dunno about mr.Blunt himself.

The link in the OP contains a 30 second audio clip from a radio interview with Sir Michael Jackson confirming Mr. Blunt's account, and referring to Mr. Blunt by name.

This isn't a new story though; it's been doing the round for years, and the OP link is from an interview Blunt gave in 2010.

Here's a newspaper version of the same story from the same year: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/peopl ... 34203.html

Captain Blount - as he then was - was a captain in the Life Guards in 1999, and was the lead officer at the head of the NATO column advancing on Pristina airfield. This is a matter of public record which can be checked by anyone with the inclination.

However, note that it's not so much that he personally refused to carry out Wesley Clark's order, but rather that he queried the order and then stalled for long enough for Sir Michael Jackson to countermand the order.

"The direct command [that] came in from General Wesley Clark was to overpower them," he said. "Various words were used that seemed unusual to us. Words such as 'destroy' came down the radio. We had 200 Russians lined up pointing their weapons at us aggressively ... and we'd been told to reach the airfield and take a hold of it. That's why we were querying our instruction." The end result was a victory for British common sense. "Fortunately," Blunt recalled, "up on the radio came General Sir Mike Jackson [commander of the British forces], whose words were, 'I'm not going to have my soldiers start World War Three.' He told us, 'Why don't we encircle the airfield instead?'

Blunt / Blount claims he would have refused to carry out Clark's order anyway; there's some room for speculation on that point - and our American cousins might well query the bit about "a victory for British common sense" - but otherwise the account is entirely factual.

Indeed not a new story...interesting nonetheless. As for British common sense...I believe the encircling enabled a peaceful deescalation of a situation that would have gone badly awry had the Para's gone in gun blazing. I still hold that Clarke completely lost the plot when he gave the order to attack the Russians.

it's so sad that a man who has the guts to flick the Vs at the mad americans has his name used as rhyming slang for a lady's whoo-haa

It has a certain ring to it...

This isn't a new story though; it's been doing the round for years, and the OP link is from an interview Blunt gave in 2010.

James Blunt talked about this when he was on Top Gear years back. 2007 now I've looked it up.

Yeah he was and they did talk about his time in Kosovo...mainly about his guitar being strapped on the outside of his Saracen

James Blunt? World War Three? Gotta be joke in there somewhere...

I'll edit in a pun when I think of one...

Need to add in his singing career as well surely?

James Blunt? World War Three? Gotta be joke in there somewhere...

I'll edit in a pun when I think of one...

I'll be blunt here, I don't think there are any.

Perhaps not!

So I am guessing he has a new album coming out soon. If he has I don't really think the BBC should have run this story.

Did he change his name from Blount so that it rhymed better?

No idea...just popped up on my news feed...

James Blunt talked about this when he was on Top Gear years back. 2007 now I've looked it up.

I was thinking "James Blunt? Is he a credible source?" but now that you assure me it was on Top Gear! That's some major cred right there.

Well that and he was the officer in charge of the op to get Pristina airport...

So I am guessing he has a new album coming out soon. If he has I don't really think the BBC should have run this story.

Did he change his name from Blount so that it rhymed better?

Perhaps concerned that with that spelling fans might mistake him for Blondie.

Except Blondie made far more enjoyable music

I was totally expecting to get RickRolled when I clicked the link in the OP.

Not funny. You have no idea of my utter and complete hatred of anything Astley. Never ever, even in jest, suggest that I would do something as heinous as that. There is a special place in hell reserved for him. Well there would if I believed in hell. Actually if there was it would sufficient for me to renounce my atheism.

I was thinking "James Blunt? Is he a credible source?" but now that you assure me it was on Top Gear! That's some major cred right there.

I was addressing the age of the story, not its veracity. As you well know....

Edit - Hah, just looked at the date of the BBC article...... 14 November 2010 Last updated at 13:24

yeah it is an old one...but still does not negate the debate...

Wow. I didn't know that!

NSG - better than University!

I was totally expecting to get RickRolled when I clicked the link in the OP.

Um ... did http://www.bbc.co.uk arouse suspicion?

I was addressing the age of the story, not its veracity.

Yeah, I was farting around.

Top Gear have broken some genuine stories, more I think by the good intentions of their guests than any journalistic skill or background research on their part. For that matter, the hosts aren't as gormless as they seem, they have researchers.

Like the Mexican "supercar"?

Core of this story: Making from something small to a major story who does it good in the newspapers. No matter what he did, he would never cause a major war.

errrr....

So he was ordered to kill the Russians facing him, he saw their faces, in a crowded place.

And he did not know what to do.

Is that a lyric?

I'll be blunt here, I don't think there are any.

Reality sometimes looks like a Monty Python sketch. This situation pretty much was its own pun, even though I'm not entirely sure how that even works.

I reckon we'll find out shortly....

Core of this story: Making from something small to a major story who does it good in the newspapers. No matter what he did, he would never cause a major war.

So you can say with absolute faith in your words that leading as assault on 200 Russian soldiers would not have sparked a large international incident, possibly a war between superpowers?

Evidently!

So he was ordered to kill the Russians facing him, he saw their faces, in a crowded place.

And he did not know what to do.

No ... if we believe him, he knew what not to do.

Trenchfoot has infected your brain if you can't tell the difference.

mmmm trenchfoot! tasty!

Hurdegaryp

Hurdegaryp - yep there we go

[Ashmoria]

Seems that James Blunt, singer of a world wide hit "You're Beautiful" refused an order from Wesley Clarke to attack a Russian contingent that was holding an airport during the dark days of the Kosovo war.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11753050

Singer James Blunt 'prevented World War III'

Singer James Blunt has told the BBC how he refused an order to attack Russian troops when he was a British soldier in Kosovo. Blunt said he was willing to risk a court martial by rejecting the order from a US General.

But he was backed by British Gen Sir Mike Jackson, who said: "I'm not going to have my soldiers be responsible for starting World War III."

Blunt was ordered to seize an airfield, but the Russians had got there first.

In an interview with BBC Radio 5 live, broadcast on Sunday, he said: "I was given the direct command to overpower the 200 or so Russians who were there.

"The soldiers directly behind me were from the Parachute Regiment, so they're obviously game for the fight.

"The direct command [that] came in from Gen Wesley Clark was to overpower them. Various words were used that seemed unusual to us. Words such as 'destroy' came down the radio."

The confusion surrounding the taking of Pristina airfield in 1999 has been written about in political memoirs, and was widely reported at the time.

But this is the first time Blunt has given an account of his role in the incident.

Blunt, who was at the head of a column of 30,000 Nato troops with his unit, told Pienaar's Politics it was a "mad situation".

He said he had been "party to the conversation" between senior officers in which Gen Clark had ordered the attack.

"We had 200 Russians lined up pointing their weapons at us aggressively, which was... and you know we'd been told to reach the airfield and take a hold of it.

"And if we had a foothold there then it would make life much easier for the Nato forces in Pristina. So there was a political reason to take hold of this.

"And the practical consequences of that political reason would be then aggression against the Russians."
Court martial

Asked if following the order would have risked starting World War III, Blunt, who was a 25-year-old cavalry officer at the time, replied: "Absolutely. And that's why we were querying our instruction from an American general.

"Fortunately, up on the radio came Gen Mike Jackson, whose exact words at the time were, 'I'm not going to have my soldiers be responsible for starting World War III', and told us why don't we sugar off down the road, you know, encircle the airfield instead.

"And after a couple of days the Russians there said: 'Hang on we have no food and no water. Can we share the airfield with you?'."

If Gen Jackson had not blocked the order from Gen Clark, who as Nato Supreme Commander Europe was his superior officer, Blunt said he would still have declined to follow it, even at the risk of a court martial.

He said: "There are things that you do along the way that you know are right, and those that you absolutely feel are wrong, that I think it's morally important to stand up against, and that sense of moral judgement is drilled into us as soldiers in the British army."

Blunt left the Army in 2002 to pursue a career in music, later scoring a worldwide hit with You're Beautiful.

Well there you have it...good old British professionalism trumps Rambo-esque shoot first ask questions later.

Also another great example that US military leaders tend towards the fucking nuts side of the spectrum. Still had been Westmoreland in charge he's have done a MacArthur. So for the purposes of debate...is it good that Clarke's subordinate General Mike Jackson told Blunt to ignore the direct order given from Clarke to attack the Russians?

Needless to say I would be of the mind that it was. I would also say that Clarke should have been relieved from duty pending a "are fucking insane?" evaluation.

I believe that "one hit wonder" refers to the singer not the song.

[Anachronous Rex]

Seems that James Blunt, singer of a world wide hit "You're Beautiful" refused an order from Wesley Clarke to attack a Russian contingent that was holding an airport during the dark days of the Kosovo war.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11753050



Well there you have it...good old British professionalism trumps Rambo-esque shoot first ask questions later.

Also another great example that US military leaders tend towards the fucking nuts side of the spectrum. Still had been Westmoreland in charge he's have done a MacArthur. So for the purposes of debate...is it good that Clarke's subordinate General Mike Jackson told Blunt to ignore the direct order given from Clarke to attack the Russians?

Needless to say I would be of the mind that it was. I would also say that Clarke should have been relieved from duty pending a "are fucking insane?" evaluation.

I believe that "one hit wonder" refers to the singer not the song.

Would also be a good nickname if he was a sniper.

[The Romulan Republic]

Thank God for the British.

Weasley Clark can go fuck himself. In my opinion, he should have been charged with crimes against humanity. If risking the destruction of civilization for one airport isn't a crime against humanity, what the fuck is?

And it's frightening how easily something like this could happen in Syria.

[TaQud]

well you learn something new everyday.

[Tlik]

Hurdegaryp

Hurdegaryp - yep there we go

It was all worth it for that...

[L Ron Cupboard]

*Yawn* can't trust British sources they are not gun ho enough to understand American Generals.

Gun ho? I suppose that is more appropriate than the original gung ho.

[Greed and Death]

*Yawn* can't trust British sources they are not gun ho enough to understand American Generals.

Gun ho? I suppose that is more appropriate than the original gung ho.

I wont use gung ho since I have studied Chinese and realize the american usage makes no sense.

But if it involves guns Gun ho is fine.

[The Tiger Kingdom]

And once again, a nice story (which I believe trends towards the probably-has-some-basis-in-fact side of things, Mr. Blunt's probably slightly exaggerated personal role in it notwithstanding) will not stop the NSG Let's-All-Shit-On-America train.
edgy gaiz suuuuuuuuuper edgy
EDIT: Also, even the wiki says the existence any of Clark's supposed orders to "destroy" or deal with the Russians by force is "still debated", and seem to exist purely apocryphally.
The most likely thing that happened is that the command was confused as to exactly what was going on at the airfield and the orders given were contradictory and unclear as a result - not "WOOHOO RUSSIANS! CUE GUILE'S THEME, LET'S KILL DEM LOL".
Because the latter is not really how modern warfare works ever since we got rid of MacArthur.

[Agritum]

And once again, a nice story (which I believe trends towards the probably-has-some-basis-in-fact side of things, Mr. Blunt's probably slightly exaggerated personal role in it notwithstanding) will not stop the NSG Let's-All-Shit-On-America train.
edgy gaiz suuuuuuuuuper edgy
EDIT: Also, even the wiki says the existence any of Clark's supposed orders to "destroy" or deal with the Russians by force is "still debated", and seem to exist purely apocryphally.
The most likely thing that happened is that the command was confused as to exactly what was going on at the airfield and the orders given were contradictory and unclear as a result - not "WOOHOO RUSSIANS! CUE GUILE'S THEME, LET'S KILL DEM LOL".
Because the latter is not really how modern warfare works ever since we got rid of MacArthur.

Go home and be a family man!

[The Tiger Kingdom]

And once again, a nice story (which I believe trends towards the probably-has-some-basis-in-fact side of things, Mr. Blunt's probably slightly exaggerated personal role in it notwithstanding) will not stop the NSG Let's-All-Shit-On-America train.
edgy gaiz suuuuuuuuuper edgy
EDIT: Also, even the wiki says the existence any of Clark's supposed orders to "destroy" or deal with the Russians by force is "still debated", and seem to exist purely apocryphally.
The most likely thing that happened is that the command was confused as to exactly what was going on at the airfield and the orders given were contradictory and unclear as a result - not "WOOHOO RUSSIANS! CUE GUILE'S THEME, LET'S KILL DEM LOL".
Because the latter is not really how modern warfare works ever since we got rid of MacArthur.

Go home and be a family man!

I'm sure that's in the lyric of some James Blunt song, ironically.

[Srboslavija]

Yeah, something happening in Serbia is going to trigger a world war.

Get real.

[Dyakovo]

I see no reason to believe James Blunt's account of what happened.

How I larfed.

So you automatically believe every celebrity's claim?

[Ayreonia]

My camo's brilliant.
My aim is pure.
I saw a contigent.
Of that I'm sure.

They aimed at me at the airfield
There was many a Russian man
But I won't loose my bullets at them
No, I'd rather hang

[Aquafireland]

Well, this is quite touching.

[The Serbian Empire]

So he was ordered to kill the Russians facing him, he saw their faces, in a crowded place.

And he did not know what to do.

More like he knew the Russians could nuke the entire earth much like salting the world.

[Seleucas]

Well there you have it...good old British professionalism trumps Rambo-esque shoot first ask questions later.

Also another great example that US military leaders tend towards the fucking nuts side of the spectrum. Still had been Westmoreland in charge he's have done a MacArthur. So for the purposes of debate...is it good that Clarke's subordinate General Mike Jackson told Blunt to ignore the direct order given from Clarke to attack the Russians?

Needless to say I would be of the mind that it was. I would also say that Clarke should have been relieved from duty pending a "are fucking insane?" evaluation.

Chalk up another reason to despise US foreign policy and General Wesley Clark. I never much cared for Blunt's song, but I think that is far outweighed by his refusal to give in to this kind of mindless bloodlust.

[The Corparation]

Meh. Russia wouldn't have gone to war over an incident with 200 soldiers.

Not unless they threatened to gay marry them, or something.

This brings a whole new perspective to the battlefield. Chaplains have traditionally been seen as noncombatants, only fighting if they have to. But now? with Gay Marriage based warfare? Weaponized Gay Marriage will completely undermine their position as noncombatants under the rules of war. Gay Marriage based warfare would this probably violate the Geneva Convention. Clearly this is another reason to ban Gay Marriage World Wide.

[The Tiger Kingdom]

Well there you have it...good old British professionalism trumps Rambo-esque shoot first ask questions later.

Also another great example that US military leaders tend towards the fucking nuts side of the spectrum. Still had been Westmoreland in charge he's have done a MacArthur. So for the purposes of debate...is it good that Clarke's subordinate General Mike Jackson told Blunt to ignore the direct order given from Clarke to attack the Russians?

Needless to say I would be of the mind that it was. I would also say that Clarke should have been relieved from duty pending a "are fucking insane?" evaluation.

Chalk up another reason to despise US foreign policy and General Wesley Clark. I never much cared for Blunt's song, but I think that is far outweighed by his refusal to give in to this kind of mindless bloodlust.

...Can you actually cite the orders in which this "bloodlust" was established?
No. Nobody can, except a handful of people (who can only do so according to their recollections and nothing else), none of whom were actually privy to what was going on in terms of command there.
Again, which is more likely:
A) That the US commanding elements there were confused about who exactly was at the runway (as is extremely common in a fluid, fast-moving combat situation) and as a result, orders were confused and perhaps were mistakenly more hostile than they needed to be,
or B) WOOHOO USA GONNA KILL DEM RUSKIES HUR DUR
Think very carefully.

[Vitaphone Racing]

How I larfed.

So you automatically believe every celebrity's claim?