On behalf of my country ...

I would like to apologize to the U.K. today.

I am horrified to hear the news story that although the British press (not generally known for avoiding sensational news) agreed to stay mum on the matter of the deployment of their prince, the American press discovered this item, and outed him to the world -- even stating the place of his deployment. Of course, now the soldier must return home. He risks his own safety and the safety of his men now that his location is known. I am ashamed of our free press and its lack of practical, ordinary, good sense. We seem to be a country now completely convinced that soldiering is so contemptible that we can treat it as if it were tantamount to getting caught on a date with a celebrity not your spouse. Go ahead. Take the pictures. Write the story. What does it matter? All "public" people are fair game, eh what?

Eh, no. Once my own daughter is deployed, I'll be less than thrilled if her exact location is broadcast around the globe. Of course, no one knows my daughter - she isn't a "bullet magnet." So for me, the risks are minimal. But for the British royal family, and all the British troops under the command of the prince, this is not the case. Wanna serve your country, Harry? Too bad. We gotcha.

The secret is out: Prince Harry has been serving on the front line with his British army unit in one of Afghanistan's most lawless and barren provinces. Harry is the first royal to serve in a combat zone since his uncle Prince Andrew flew helicopters during Britain's war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands in 1982.

British officials had hoped to keep the 23-year-old's deployment secret until he had safely returned, but they released video of Harry serving in Helmand Province after a leak appeared on the U.S. Web site the Drudge Report.


Dear U.K.

I'm sorry.

Signed,
A soldier's mom in the U.S.