We did not receive a hostile reception from the people of Carterton on our march against the continued occupation of Iraq (Oxford Mail, December 4) and I hope we didn't deter too many shoppers. However, as Christmas approaches, we should be mindful of those young and older men who won't be enjoying Christmas this year.

One of the people speaking at the end of the rally was a man on crutches, an ex-serviceman, Tony Flint, who had fought in the first attack on Iraq over a decade ago.

He is suffering from the after-effects of depleted uranium used in that and subsequent wars.

The word 'depleted' is a bit of a misnomer as the substance will continue to contaminate for the life of the solar system.

It is the waste product of American nuclear power plants and so is given free to the armaments industries to be used as an extremely hard material for penetrating weapons.

It has contaminated Tony's kidneys in a life-threatening way. It was rather shocking to hear from him that as many as three ex-soldiers are dying every week from the effects of the depleted uranium used in that first war on Iraq, many at about the age of 40.

This substance was also used extensively in the Balkans, Afghanistan and in the second attack on Iraq, this time in cities.

This is just another example of the ruthless way these wars have been conducted, with terrible collateral damage to civilians and causing dreadful genetic defects in babies being born in those countries as well as in our own soldiers.

When we have leafleted against these recent wars in Oxford, very often it is soldiers and sometimes even officers who will come up to confide in us that they are not happy about the wars to which they have been committed.

Add to this the new law imposed under this Government to refuse our soldiers the conscience clause under threat of life imprisonment.

I think that it is very important that we who are relatively free should speak up for them.

NUALA YOUNG Tree Lane, Iffley, Oxford