150,000 british men and women have been to war serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many are young and can be sent to the front line at the beginning of their careers. Many are living with the consequences of serving their country. This documentary loks at the hiden cost of war for the soldiers and their families.
Pte David Forshaw was a paratrooper that served two 6 month tours in Iraq. His mother said that 'he was a born soldier' and loved to be out there. As a teenager Dave was passionate about joining the army. He did not die in Iraq. He died in a car park in South London after he killed himself by inhaling petrol fumes. His family said he had trouble adjusting when he came back and didn't really talk about it. On his second tour he nearly died as his vehicle was hit by a road side bomb when he was in the driver seat.His brother and fellow soldier, Rob Forshaw was also in the vehicle and was injured. Because of his injuries, he was sent to a psychiatrist who helped me through the situation and made him feel better about it all. However Rob says that it was stupid not to do the same for the others, including, Dave, that had been uninjured. After their vehicle had been bombed they were soon sent back to work and 'that would take its toll on anyone because someone has just tried to kill you'.David's landlady said that when he came back, he started doing anotherjob but 'it just wasn't him' and 'he completely lost interest' and when he came back he had to go back to the 'mundane' and had 'no purpose or meaning'.A suicide letter was found in his bedroom and David's severe dyslexia meant it would have taken him months to write. In the letter he requested a st.georges flag be put over his coffin and his mother asked the army if he could be buried in his uniform and if they would send a wreath. They said no to the flag and uniform but sent a wreath. His mother thinks they discarded him because he had taken his own life.
Spr Martin Lindley is 22 and did a tour in Afghanistan in 2007. He was an engineer whose main job was to blow stuff up. Now discharged from the army, he is unemployed and ifnidng life a struggle. he says that when he got back he started dinking a lot more, mainly a litre of vodka a night. He gives the reasons as being that cant sleep at night because he's become paranoid by noises and he uses the alcohol to help him sleep. When he was out in Afghanistan he always had a kife with him and he does now he's back because he doesnt feel safe anymore. He and many of his friends recorded different moments of their tour with their camera phones. Martin has pictures of the 'nice views' and the Afghan people he met that he said were 'really nice and friendly' and then some more disturbing images like dead children, decapitated people and beaten prisoners.One of the first and most frequent operations Martin and his team went out on was to walk the streets and wait for someone to shoot at them and they would then try to spot who shot at them and kill them. They did this twice a day. To help hom readjust after the war, the MOD (Ministry of Defence) sent soldiers, including Martin, to Cyprus and told them to 'get pissed and fight' just to get it out of their system. Then they came back to the UK and play sports and drink for 2 weeks. When he came back from his 6 month tour, he accidentally took back ammunition, which is illegal and lead to him spending 9 months in an army prison and is now discharged. Martin's mother said he had been enjoying life but when he came back from Afghanistan he had really changed.She said that she thought they should all get counselling when they come back because they are trained to kill and then expected to come back and be OK. Although counselling is avaliable if the soldiers ask for it, very few do ask for it because it suggests that they are incapable of handling the stress and could hurt their careers. Martin said that he doesnt see what taking could do and whether it would help. He said he might as well just get on and try to forget it.
Sgt Danny McEneany and CSgt Jason Wilkinson grew up together in Merseyside and both joined the army as teenagers. They were the best men at each others weddings and both served in Iraq together. Danny had recently been released from prison for possessing a firearm. He was in the army for 18 years and served in Northern Ireland and the Gulf but it was when he returned from Southern Iraq in 2005 that he became dangerously paranoid and stole a gun. Like Martin, he couldn't sleep and the slightest noise woke him and made him suspicious. He became paranoid that Muslim fanatics would be coming through his door to kill him. His best friend Jason killed himself. The last time that Danny saw him, Jason told him a secret he had kept for 5 years: he had shot an Iraqi.Danny thought it was the stress of this seret that lead to him killing himself. Jason's marriage had been breaking down and he went to stay with his parents. His mum asked him why and he said it was that he was just full of anger and the breakdown was his fault. His mother said he was in complete turmoil. His mother told him to get help but he refused saying he didn't trust the army. Jason returned to his barracks on the 5th January and hung himself in his room the next day. Like Jason, Danny's marriage broke down when he came back from Iraq. When Danny stole the gun, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder but was still given 5 years in prison. His sentence was reduced on appeal but he still spent 2 years in prison. He was given no treatment for his post-traumatic stress and so his new partner Jules has become his carer.Without her, he would most likely have ended up back in prison.she said she thought he would be in much less stress back in Iraq because he is still in combat mode and ready for anything at anytime.Jason was buried on 16th January 2010 with full military honours. Before he died, Jason told his mum more about the incident. He broke down crying and told his mum that he had killed a man. When he was on patrol, he came under attack so he took cover and just aimed and fired and a hit a man. He said he always thinks of this man at christmas, whether he had children. Jason was filled with guilt all of the time.
The makers of the documentary asked the MOD for their response to the issues raised in the documentary. They gave the following statement:
"The MoD takes the mental health of our personne extremley seriously and extensive prevention and treatment measures are in place both on operations and in the UK.
Mental health professionals provide expert assessment and treatment and the new in-theatre mentoring scheme encourages personnel to talk about concerns reducing any stigma associated with seeking help.
The MoD has also worked with the NHS on community mental health pilots across the UK, tailored specifically for Veterans...we are committed to ensuring this important minority gets the treatment they deserve.
Kevan Jones MP
Minister for Veterans"
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