The criticism dished out to Wantage war hero Claire Griffiths was staggering.
The 33-year-old Staff Sergeant with 3 Logistic Support Regiment grabbed national headlines over the summer after becoming the only British woman to drive combat vehicles on patrol in Afghanistan.
S/Sgt Griffiths today tells the Oxford Mail how the hardest part was being away from her family and she had been hurt by negative publicity she had received from some about her six-month tour.
She admitted reading online criticism from other women that she was a “bad mother” for leaving her daughter at home had cut deep.
Some questioned whether a mother should leave her child to fight for her country.
It was a patronising and sexist suggestion – nobody mentions the thousands of fathers that do exactly the same thing.
Most mothers would not be expected to shelve a career after having children.
As you can read today, young Nicole was never far from her mother’s thoughts. There is no doubt S/Sgt Griffiths is a mother the youngster will be truly proud of.
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