FALKLANDS veteran Simon Weston attacked Government plans for disbanding the Cheshires saying it will lead to a loss of support for the Chester-based regiment.
The ex-soldier who sustained severe burns during the Falklands War spoke out this week after visiting Chester to speak at the Your Champions event.
He said proposals to abolish four British infantry regiments and merge their personnel within larger units, leading to the end of the Cheshire Regiment in its current form, would mean losing the vital support of the area in which it is based.
'The Cheshires have always had such a strong reputation,' said Mr Weston. 'They come from the whole of the North West. The Government would make a huge mistake because if they turn them into blind dead infantry it doesn't draw from the locality. It doesn't interest anyone. People love ownership, like football teams.'
He added: 'The defence review is so shortsighted it's unreal. They are trying to cut the Army and turn it into what in the US are reservists - not as professional.
'Having spoken to people who served in the Far East campaign in the Second World War, the people who served the best were professional soldiers. The same can be said for what is going on in the Gulf. If you look at the way the Americans are conducting themselves they have serious problems with discipline.
'The majority of the British are regular soldiers and they conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism.'
He added: 'The TAs do a very good job but the people who do best are the regulars. The reason they want to get rid of them is that they only have to pay the TAs for a certain amount of weekends per year, a fortnightly camp per year and active service which could be 4-6 weeks. They have to pay the regular Army whether they are in a war-zone, training or sitting in a camp for 12 months a year.
'It is not about efficiency, not a new way of fighting, not a new type of warfare. It's purely to do with accounting.'
In response Greg Stringer, Press officer for the Ministry of Defence, said: 'It's certainly the case that the MoD and the armed forces are keen to give the TA and other reserve forces greater relevance and integrate them better into the services. Discussions are under way at the moment to look at the use and the role of the TA and reserve forces. This work should be announced in the coming weeks.'
Mr Weston also voiced his opposition to the Iraq war, saying: 'I supported every conflict that we have been involved in - apart from this one. Iraq had nothing to do with terrorism.'
