I have to hand it to England's Prince Harry, the young British Army Officer who was thwarted in his efforts to join the War on Terror in Iraq after the heads of the Royal Family said "Absolutely NOT!"

He took the rebuke to his dedication in stride and when no one was looking headed straight to Afghanistan where he joined the War on Terror fighting Al Qaeda's minions there, the Taliban. OK, I'm exaggerating about how he got there; he did it by convincing his elders that he could and should stand up for freedom.

But he did display a remarkable focus on the objective and adjusted his tactics, as a true military professional would, and ultimately accomplished his mission.

Unfortunately for the British Army, and the free world, word of the Prince's participation was leaked on the Drudge Report website and immediately became a media sensation, which means he now is going home early. British Army tours in Afghanistan usually last six months, according to news reports, while Prince Harry has served 10 weeks.

Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup, Britain's defense chief, decided to pull Prince Harry out of the combat zone because news of his presence there is seen as adding another layer of risk to him and his fellow soldiers.

As a result of the exposure on the Drudge Report, the Defense Ministry released video of the prince serving in Helmand Province. I saw news clips of the Prince firing what appears to be a .50 caliber machine gun, my personal favorite weapon, and felt a tremendous sense of pride and admiration for that young man. He obviously did not join the military just to wear the uniform and benefit from the reflected glory of others who put their lives on the line.

He went out to do the right thing for his unit, his country, and the free world. That kind of dedication is common in the military services, although it is rarely publicized by the MainStream Media since it goes against the accepted wisdom that the terrorists are just misunderstood victims of capitalism, and only need some attention and heartfelt discussions to put an end to their savagery.

But by going into combat against terrorism, the Prince has circumvented the political manipulators in the world media, because the entertainment segment of that same media carries far more weight and will cover his service regardless of what the political bosses do.

I am sure that the Prince is not happy with the decision to make him leave early, but he still is quite an example for his age group in the free world. Unlike the non-military youth of the Vietnam generation, which allowed itself to be suckered into taking action on behalf of the murderous communists, the non-military youth of this generation seem to be disconnected from the War on Terror - except those who live in European neighborhoods that are terrorized Islamo-fascist thugs.

There is a saying in the United States that the American military is at war, but America is at the mall, which unfortunately I find to be reasonably accurate. We haven't been attacked since 9-11, and the Democrats, through the communist dominated MainStream Media, keep saying we don't need to be fighting terrorists in Iraq, so therefore far too many Americans believe there is no threat.

But Bonny Prince Harry has shown that there still are people in this world, even people of privilege, who understand what is at stake and are willing to stand up for freedom and personally get involved. Why this had to be publicized on the Drudge Report only Drudge himself knows for sure, but even though the prince now has been yanked from the front lines, his actions still will be viewed in a highly favorable light.

Prince Harry has been serving in Afghanistan's volatile southern Helmand province since mid-December, according to news reports. His deployment had been disclosed to reporters under embargo, meaning the media was on its honor not to report on it, due to safety concerns for the prince and his regiment. Once again the free press strikes a blow at the free-world military.

In what we colonists see as typically British understatement, the defense ministry said it "deplored" the leak by "elements of the foreign media."

"However, this was a circumstance that we have always been aware of and one for which we have had contingency plans in place," defense ministry officials said. So chalk one up for the British Defense Ministry, knowing in advance it couldn't trust the World Terrorist Media.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the prince had demonstrated that he was an exemplary young officer. "The whole of Britain will be proud of the outstanding service he is giving," he said.

Harry, 23, is the first member of the Royal Family 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.

Prince Harry was supposed to go to Iraq with the Blues and Royals regiment in May last year but the assignment was canceled because Al Qaeda terrorists threatened he would not make it home alive.

The Prince trained at Sandhurst military academy and joined the Blues and Royals cavalry regiment as a cornet, the equivalent of a second lieutenant. After his request to deploy to Iraq was turned down, the prince threatened to quit the army if he was kept from combat assignments due to his position in the Royal Family.

Well, now he has seen combat, and I don't want to hear any bad mouthing going on about how long he was there. Any combat veteran can tell you that it doesn't take long to become a veteran once the shooting starts.

The Prince is now a member of a select brotherhood, and he can stand with pride for the rest of his life, knowing that he did what was right; he was where he was needed, when he was needed.

The Price has stood up for freedom, liberty, and the best of humanity, and his service is all the more remarkable for the fact that he could have avoided it altogether.

For that we owe him our deepest appreciation.