AT AN age when many of today's youngsters are suffering the trauma of moving to a new type of school or college, the 18-year-olds of a previous generation were receiving a letter telling them to report for duty in the armed services.

Their purpose was to police trouble spots throughout the world and to stand as a bulwark against possible invaders from Eastern Europe.

When the Korean War broke out, in 1950, National Service was increased to two years, plus a period on reserve. Many national servicemen found themselves in the front line and more than a thousand were killed in Korea.

National servicemen were more likely to be sent to Korea than regular servicemen because, we were told, regulars would be needed in this country for training purposes.

For being put in this situation, national servicemen received no recognition except that, 10 years ago, they were issued with a badge which our Prime Minister has, on more than one occasion in Parliament, referred to as a Veterans Medal.

The National Service Veterans' Association has been campaigning for a National Defence Medal such as the Queen has approved for Australians and is about to do so for New Zealanders.

Our government has totally rejected the claim and the Ministry of Defence is ignoring correspondence on the subject.

Help is at hand, however, in the form of Lib Dem MP Ed Davey. He is willing to move an early day motion calling 'on Her Majesty's Government to rescind its decision not to more appropriately recognise our veterans by the award of a National Defence Medal and instead to establish a working group to work with the Committee on the Grant of Honours Decorations and Medals with a view to implementing a National Defence Medal as soon as possible'.

I would call on all readers who have respect for our armed services, past and present, to spread the word and also to urge their MPs to support the motion.

JAMES DARBON Greenford