Taken from Arrse.co.uk, http://www.arrse.co.uk/Forums/viewtopic/t=137452.html, and deserving of a wider audience;
I’ve just heard on Sky News that Christina Schmid, widow of the RLC bomb disposal expert Staff Sgt. Olaf Sean George Scmid has been made redundant from her job. As we all know, Staff Sgt. Schmid was cruelly killed while quite literally making safe his last bomb, on his last official day of Afghan duty. To describe the man as a War Hero doesn’t do him justice; including the bomb that took him out he personally dealt with 65 IEDs. If ever there was a better case for a posthumous bravery medal then I’ve not come across it.But that’s not the point of this post. It seems to me to be utterly cruel and incredibly inhumane, that on top of the grief of losing her husband Christina is now without a job and has a young daughter to support. I’d imagine that at the moment she’s still caught up in the shock and daze of having to deal with Olaf’s death, and working will be the last thing on her mind until at least the New Year. But my God, how cruel and wrong can it be, that she now hasn’t got a job to go back to when she most needs all the help that she can get?
I’ve been listening to this articulate, brightly intelligent and determined woman on the news all week, and can’t help but be moved by the heartfelt and immensely self-controlled tributes she’s been paying to her husband; it’s almost like she’s become his personal battle-standard bearer, such is her respect and devotion to his memory and deeds. It makes you feel proud to be British; we don’t just know how to make great men and soldiers – we know how to make great girls too.
So here’s the point of this post: Arrse is a wide community and between us we all must have a broad range of business, professional and work contacts and skills. Are there any self-employed forum members out there? Any company directors? Any ex-Squaddie’s who’ve done okay for themselves and can pull a few strings? Anybody who might know somebody or have contacts that can get Christina a job, if and when she’s ready to return to work, in her own good time?
I haven’t a clue where Christina’s based or what her profession is, but she’s clearly a well-spoken, professional woman and a great communicator that would be an asset to any business. I just think it’s disgraceful and appallingly bad luck that she’s now out of a job, and Jesus Christ this shouldn’t be allowed – not at this point in her life and with all that’s she’s given to our country.
I’m hoping and praying that when she’s had time to grieve and is ready to return to work some public-spirited and wise individual will give her the great job that she so clearly deserves. If there are any budding Richard Branson’s or Lord Sugar’s surfing this forum then please do the decent thing and make a space for Christina in your company – pull some strings because we owe it to her and her husband. And the same goes for any senior government figures who might be taking a snoop; you say you support the troops – well do so and help this brave widow get back on her feet.
Now, I don't know if this is true or not, but if it is it deserves a wider audience. If you read the article on Olaf in the Sunday Times today, you would have been moved by the man's bravery and heart in the face of what he was doing.