Our heroes

9 June

We hear a lot about injured ex-soldiers these days and how the coupe when they leave the services. Some have had some horrific injuries which can be clearly seen. Some however have mental injuries which can’t be seen when looking that person. I remember reading All Quiet on the Western Front, a story of the WW1 as told from the German side. while I was working towards my BA hons with the OU. It’s an interesting read too, at least I enjoyed it. Yet it did show how German civilians were no different to the huge numbers of injured men returning home from the battle from missing arms and legs, as well as huge burns on various areas of their bodies.

In 1939 things kicked off yet again and injured men and women came home in various stages of recovery from their injuries. At least by then the army had learned that men who were shell-shocked were not cowards, but ill and needed treatment, not being shot by his own side. Air warfare had grown and many more injuries were inflicted on the flyers, and yet many more were never seen again as their aircraft exploded in mid-flight, or crashed into the sea. The advances in burns treatment had worked well and even though scared, they were able to return to duty in many case.

In both instances the injured didn’t receive any long term help or treatment. It makes me wonder how many people were treated as common criminals because of their behaviour when discharged/demobbed. Things didn’t change here in the UK either until the stress disorders, like PTSD associated with service in Ulster after 1969 began to run up. 1982 saw the Falklands War. The first UP war in which the media played a major part. The pictures of men being injured were shocking. The two I remember most at the explosion of a bomb on a ship in which a TACCO died while trying to defuse the bomb. The second one was of a man jumping into the sea from the Sir Galahad, flames all over and around him.

Things back home started to change when such images hit our TV screens. Much more help and treatment became available. Even now many men who severed there are still alive and receive the treatment that helps them every day. The changes increased pace after the first Gulf War, but sadly the services were keeping quiet about two issues that came up after this one. The first is what is called ‘Gul War syndrome’, where soldiers were reporting strange symptoms in their general health, things like fatigue, or excessive tiredness. Constant sore throats and runny noses were common too. The other main one the use of caused by the depleted uranium shells used by allied troops.

So the services kept quiet and tried to hide the truth of these things. However, there are so many people who are now alive and still suffering from these two issues. It’s now thought the first one was down to the massive multi-vaccines they all received before going out to Saudi. As for the second issue, well, those shells were top secret so any country using them would want to keep that secret. Before long stories began to come out from the areas where the shells were used where civilians were becoming ill. Investigations found evidence of the uranium on the surface all around. This one became too often to keep quiet, so they finally opened up a little more, without giving any details.

We are now post Second Gulf War and Afghan War. Opinions have now changed hugely and the public is fully behind efforts all the efforts to support our troops. Now the treatments are ongoing, and quite frankly, it’s how things should have been all along. All our service personal are well treated in main and are treated as heroes by the public, because my friends, that is what these men and women are.   

Today’s photo is me in uniform in 1967 …

I’m second from the left. We were being inspected before going on guard duty, Queen Elizabeth Bks, Church Crookham.

Today’s funny …                        

Did you hear about what happened when the police caught a man stealing car batteries?
They charged him.