Panorama (Suicide Amongst Soldiers)

I have just watched this and spent a fair bit of time either wiping tears away or getting really blooming angry!!!

I honestly didn't realise there was such a lack of support for our soldiers and war vets. I am appalled. No matter what the rights and wrongs or the who did what when's of war, our Govt are sending these men and women to war on their behalf and the very least they deserve when they return is a little bit of bloody support! They aren't even passing on medical records of suicidal soldiers to civilian medical staff when they get discharged!!!!!!!!!

If you haven't seen it, get I player open and watch.

To any guys and gals on here who are serving or have served in the armed forces, I salute you! Thanks. A million times.

although not enough, i think it is getting better although still alot who leave become homeless and downward spiral due to not being able to feel like they can fit in to normal life

[Pete7]

What is supposed to happen is on discharge your medical records are transfered to Smedley Hydro (SH) in Southport (NHS Records place) so when you register with your new civilian doctor they send a request to SH and your records are then sent to your new GP. The problem is soldiers are used to life being organised for them, trips to the Dentist are a parade, fail to turn up and its a one sided interview with the Sergeant Major without coffee

So the idea of having to register with a GP and a Dentist is put off especially by those who perhaps really need help. Thankfully it really is a minority of cases and a lot of work has been put in over the last 10 years for service personnel including a good resettlement package, advice on housing, jobs, finance etc. The Regiments and Corps also have support organisations along with SSAFA & Royal British Legion to catch those who slip through the net. Some still do and it's not perfect but if someone just disappears when they walk out the gate for the final time it's difficult to know what more can be done for them.

With any large employer (the MOD has 200k service personnel at anyone time and 750k retired in receipt of a service pensions) sadly some peeps will have problems, its not unique to the MOD.

Pete

[Fallout]

I don't know how any infantry can go from tours and shooting people/watching mates die, to normal civy life. Ignoring PTSD for a moment, it'll just put life in perspective. For example, I know a squaddie (through a friend, so not well) who rides about on an R1 without insurance, tax etc. Why? Because really, when you've seen your mates get blown up and had people trying to kill you for months on end, who gives a feck about society's stupid red tape? Getting arrested? Big deal.

It really doesn't surprise me a lot of them have problems fitting into mundane life after combat.

Pete, the thing that gets me is that the MOD won't assist vets after service if their PTSD wasn't diagnosed inservice. But sometimes PTSD doesn't rear it's ugly head until they are discharged.

As for the fact they are a large employer and bound to have some with problems, that doesn't wash with me I'm afraid. At the end of the day, these guys and gals are putting themselves in the firing line for our country and therefore, our govt should be doing its utmost to ensure they are getting at least the offer of any and ALL assistance they might need. I realise there will always be some who won't take the help and there's nothing anyone can do in those circumstances.

Fallout, yeh, this is part of then problem. I don't think those of us who haven't witnessed war can fully understand it but life across here must seem trivial at times compared to the life and death situation in Afghan or Iraq. Surely there should be some sort of rehab for guys coming home and leaving the military instead of just 'don't let the door hit you On the way out...'

[Fallout]

My uncle has done it all in the military. I won't go into details, but basically he couldn't hack normal life. He did loads of jobs after like security, police, armed police, body guard etc. and none of them could fill that void. He is the bizarre sort that craves the action rather than suffers PTSD from it though. All the things he did meant he just couldn't do a mundane job afterwards and derive satisfaction from the sort of things we'd find fun or a rush. He's over 60 now and still in other countries shooting at people. I suspect if he hadn't found those opportunities he would be in prison for something or other.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Milky Bar Kid

Pete, the thing that gets me is that the MOD won't assist vets after service if their PTSD wasn't diagnosed inservice. But sometimes PTSD doesn't rear it's ugly head until they are discharged. '

Agreed, but were do you draw the line? I think you will find its all about money and polictics between Gov departments at ministerial level and who pays for what. The loss of our dedicated military hospitals hasn't helped, Wroughton nr Swindon, Woolwich, Haslar to name just a few, but the services are far smaller than they were 30 years ago. It does make sense to use existing NHS facilities and develop them. Interestingly service nurses are now deployed in civilian hospitals.

I have Crohns which developed whilst I was serving (22 years). Now the occasional treatment is via the NHS. 10 years after I finished in the Army why should they still be responsible for me and wouldn't this just duplicate what the NHS is supposed to provide and for me, does.

Annual turnover in the Army is probably a ball park figure of 5000 a year. As I said earlier the number of people who fall through the gap is thankfully very small. It's not perfect, but for the price meets the needs of the vast majority.

Pete

When people, and a high number at that, are killing themselves as a result of their service, then I think it really is something that needs to be looked at.

Was your Crohns a direct result of serving in the armed forces? I don't know much about Crohns so that's a genuine question. I think that if its a conditions that's a direct result of service, then the MOD should help. Do they turn their backs on the soldiers who have limbs blown off?? I don't know. They bloody well shouldn't if they do. But PTSD is a very debilitating illness. Thankfully, if it is treated properly then people recover. That's where it's falling down at the moment.

just watched this on my lunch break and i think they are getting nowhere near enough help as needed, its disgusting in all honesty and quite ashamed, these people are clearly hurt by what they've done and seen and once the army see them fit they just let them go, and not giving the records is awful, so many unnecessary deaths because the info thats needed isn't being passed on

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Milky Bar Kid

Was your Crohns a direct result of serving in the armed forces? I don't know much about Crohns so that's a genuine question.

Cause unknown, lots of theories but nothing confirmed last time I looked. We used to go diving, swimming and windsurfing in Chichester harbour until we found the sewage works just up the channel which during heavy rain let all untreated sewage run straight into the harbour. My dive buddy got Colitis and I caught Crohns, both similar. They rushed me into the Royal at Winchester on Christmas Eve 1999. Theatre staff had no ops so planned a party for the afternoon. They spent 4.5 hrs cutting me open and chopping 14 inches out instead. Saved my life from a massive internal infection and for that I am always very grateful. Have the odd incident now and then and need to know were the nearest loo is, oh and can't drink a bottle of Port anymore. Did used to like Regimental Dinners, passing the Port decanter and cigars, a lifestyle I could have got quite used to.

I quite accept the Army isn't perfect, but on balance it gave me and thousands of others a clean break from what ever back ground they came from, it really didn't matter. All treated equally, paid well many with a trade. In return I did 3 x 2 yr tour in Northern Ireland. Greenham Common early 1980s (on the inside of the fence) having body fluids thrown at me and a few other rough bits. On the upside I have lived in Europe, Asia and the Carib, skiing, diving and sailing, I can't complain.

Pete