Millions of British citizens do not think that the Government is doing enough for the country’s service men and women returning from military action.
Today’s study, commissioned by SAS veteran Andy McNab, starkly reveals the extent of civilian discontent, with two thirds (66%) of Brits labeling the Government’s treatment of ex-service personnel as ‘disgraceful.’
The first poll of citizens’ attitudes towards the provisions made for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan demonstrates a national feeling of dissatisfaction. Three quarters (75%) believe that the Government does not effectively support the country’s military heroes once discharged from service.
Among the many concerns voiced by the British public, the Government’s provision of ongoing economic support for ex-service personnel emerges as the gravest. Almost half (49%) of those questioned say they are prepared to pay an extra penny in income tax if it went to helping returning service men and women suffering from financial difficulties.
Additionally, 76% of Brits classify the Government’s commitment of care for ex-service men and women’s psychological condition as ‘inadequate’, believing that discharged personnel are often left to just ‘get on with it.’
Speaking today, McNab says: “Since I left the forces some 15 years ago, the situation for ex-service personnel simply hasn’t improved. I’ve seen for myself the appalling way that our soldiers are hung out to dry.
“The idea held by the Government that the majority of service personnel experience a smooth transition into civilian life is delusional and largely false. Living in the outside world when discharged is very hard and many ex-Armed Forces personnel experience huge difficulties reintegrating. Years of service institutionalise men and women who are then thrust back into society with minimal coordination and long term support. There is a pervading sense of literally being ‘thrown out of the club’.
“I’m enthused by the public’s huge show of understanding for the realities experienced by ex-service personnel. The fundamental lack of continued welfare support offered is acutely obvious and distressing. Today’s report speaks for a public that demands the Government takes action by supporting our veterans properly and treating them with the dignity that we all agree they deserve.”
Andy McNab left the SAS in 1993 after serving in both covert and special operations across the world for 10 years. McNab has chronicled the experiences of his troop and their individual fortunes after leaving the forces in his new non-fiction memoir, Seven Troop. Having witnessed the fate of many of his fellow soldiers reintegrating into civilian life and having lived through the difficulties himself, McNab now campaigns tirelessly to highlight the harsh realities faced by British troops once they are discharged from military service.
Today’s study also reveals that in addition to the public’s unhappiness with Governmental financial and medical care afforded to discharged troops, there is a feeling that ex-service men and women are not sufficiently publicly decorated. Of those questioned:
* 83% say they are proud of their country’s service men and women, but do not feel that there is an obvious way of demonstrating their thanks.
* 77% think that the country should celebrate the safe return of service personnel with public parades in a similar tradition to those in America.
* 72% think that there should be more military hospitals solely for the treatment of wounded service personnel.
Another contentious area highlighted by the study is the vastly disproportionate compensatory system in operation for ex-service personnel. Over two thirds (69%) regard the average payouts given to severely wounded and physically disabled service people as poor, with 72% slating the compensation as ‘insulting’.
The research concludes that there is a strong sense that permanently injured personnel are often put through the humiliation of begging and pleading for compensation, effectively condemned to a lifetime of scrimping. This is exacerbated by the prevalence of soft claims that regularly net big payouts in the UK’s ‘compo culture’.
One specific case that illustrates this is that of Pte. Jamie Cooper, Britain’s youngest serious casualty in Iraq. Aged 18 he suffered a broken pelvis, stomach wounds, nerve damage to a leg and a shattered right hand in a Basra mortar blast. Rifleman Cooper has been given a £57,587 lump sum and an annual payment of £9,000 – 60 pc of his final salary – for the rest of his life. The modesty of this payment is fully realised when compared to the £202,000 awarded to an office worker who strained his back while lifting a printer and £470,000 handed to a typist with repetitive strain injury.
McNab adds: “It’s simply morally wrong that any service person should be forced to beg and plead for an honest recognition of the injuries they’ve suffered in the service of this country. The Government doesn’t seem to recognise the worthiness of our service personnel when it comes to compensation payments.”
And despite the Government’s recent promise to double the maximum payment for the most gravely wounded troops to £570,000, 69% of Brits think the upper limit for compensation should be scrapped.
McNab agrees: “It’s time the Government caught up with the times. Upper limits for other types of compensation have been removed, making it not unusual to see six-figure sums awarded for a big variety of claims. A similar deal for our service personnel should be up there among the Government’s top priorities.”
One veterans’ charity* has clamed that 6% of homeless people are ex-Armed Forces personnel. Problems adjusting to civilian life, lack of support in coping with trauma and widespread alcohol dependence have been blamed for sending discharged personnel into a destitute spiral that ends on the streets. And according to the National Association of Probation Officers, one in 11 prisoners serving time in British jails are former members of the Armed Forces.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Research was carried out amongst a representative sample of 3,040 UK adults aged 18+ by ICM
