Parliamentary Candidate Terry Scriven

At present our Armed Services are having a rough time. Operational deployment, followed by training for operations and then further deployments have created incredible demands.  The number of those killed in action and injured is rising and the stress placed on those left behind who support them is often unbearable.  Very few would wish sympathy but what they would wish and deserve is support and understanding.

As a young soldier with the Gurkha Brigade I experienced the unrest in the Colony of Hong Kong in the mid sixties.  We were reinforced by the Parachute Battalion, which at the time was based in Singapore. Deployment on village penetration patrols on the Chinese border often by hovercraft or supported by mules were the norm.  Bombs with red flags on were commonplace as were riots.  However, few soldiers died therefore instead of a medal we all received a tie!!  Twenty years after, Lord Astor, who had been a young Cavalry Officer at the time, tried to get us all a back dated medal, he was unsuccessful and I cannot find my tie!  

During the troubles in Northern Ireland, which were officially deemed to have ended recently, not only were we at risk when deployed there but also on the streets of England and in Germany when we returned; a number of officers and soldiers died or were injured.  Indeed one of my men survived Ireland only to be shot three times at traffic lights in Germany and another lost his legs in a car bomb in Colchester.  These attacks extended to our families, which added to the stress of service life. 

As a service person left behind in Germany during the First Gulf War whilst my wife suffered missile (SCUD) attacks near her Field Hospital, I can understand the pressures on those families who currently dread hearing the news of yet another service person killed or injured.

As a Care worker for the Soldiers, Sailors Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) Forces Help here in the New Forest I recently was called to a case of a Royal Naval veteran of the Falklands War.  He was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and could not work.  Because of his age (40) he was not entitled to a State pension and inadequate allowances meant he was on the poverty line.  What a way to treat a veteran and there are many cases like this!!

The Royal British Legion are about to launch their campaign ‘ Broken Covenant’ which is about ensuring we look again at enhancing the medical treatment, compensation and support to bereaved families of our servicemen and women and the way society meets its duty of care for those prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country. Perhaps it is also time for us to voice our support for both our serving servicemen and women and those who have served.  We are gradually getting there with equipment and hopefully in future conflicts our service personnel will never be deployed in such a dreadful state again as they were in Iraq.  However, we should now put pressure on the Government, I make this request with no political motive in mind, to do the following:

• Be flexible and receptive to requests from Service Chiefs for special recognition (medals/bars/rosettes) of service personnel when circumstances such as the high-resolution conflict in parts of Afghanistan warrant it.
• Reassess the care available for our injured servicemen and women when they return and also the after care once they have left the Service.  This includes special disability pensions.
• Look again at the possibility of making the postage of parcels to our service personnel when deployed on operations by their families free.

Let our Armed Forces know that many of us cosy cats in comfy corners care and care deeply.