GSS you have not yet explained who in Northern Ireland would be what you consider to be "independent"?

As it was a sectarian conflict that would automatically rule out the majority of the population.

All loyalists and all nationalists/republicans and their supporters.

The common perception is that UK forces favoured the loyalist side, but when you consider that the security forces were deployed to keep both sides apart and convince both sides of the futility of violence, I'd say they were fairly neutral. The common perception is also skewed by the fact that the nationalist/republican side did more to hit the civilian population of Northern Ireland and mainland UK than the loyalists did. Nationalist/Republican sympathisers/supporters are great at mentioning "Bloody Sunday 1972" yet are strangely reticent about mentioning "Bloody Friday" of the same year (To refresh your memory GSS - 22 bombs planted in Belfast City Centre all times to go off within 2 hours indiscriminately targeting innocent civilians and designed to overwhelm the emergency and security services) It was only due to the magnificent work done by the emergency services and the security forces that the death toll from that particular outrage was not far, far higher.

The security forces were there to prevent loss of life, the various paramilitaries were there specifically to take life and cause death and destruction (Joe McCann even turned going out to buy a cinema ticket into an attempt at taking life - sounds very much to me that Joe McCann got the "justice" he dealt in himself as a combatant in what he viewed as a war).

I have never served in the British Army GSS, served alongside them though and unlike you at least my experience of the province comes first hand.