Last updated 16.04.06 • Site
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the Army treats our boys My son served in the Iraq war with the Queens Dragoon Guards and has been suffering since he came back with post traumatic stress and depression. He is being medically discharged next month after three years. Most of this time he has been on sick leave. The army have given him no help, in fact they just did not want to know. He was told to pull himself together at one point. He was on sick leave for nearly twelve months and we had no contact with the army at all. Our local GP was very helpfull but all he could do was to give him anti depressants. He is now on the waiting list for treatment but it may take up to nine months to get it. All this time he has struggled with panic attacks and flashbacks, he still has nightmares and cannot deal with social situations. I was lucky in that my son came back uninjured physically, but he is not my son. The son I sent to Iraq has gone and I have to accept that he will never comeback. There are many more lads out there that are suffering in the same way and the army has just ignored them, in fact does not want to even acknowledge that this problem exists. He loved the army and had been in for nine years - since he left school. He struggled for months before he broke down completely, but the army did not give either himself or us any help or assistance to get him through this. I am very bitter towards the army as when he eventually saw an army psychiatrist all he wanted to know was "would he like a medical discharge?" not a word was spoken about any treatment. Anon |