Wounded

zedders

Anyone see Wounded on BBC1 last night?

I don’t know what to say other than I felt compelled to say something? But what can you say! If you didn’t watch it you should. I don’t do ‘emotional.’ But as a fully grown man, I have to admit I had a tear in my eye, watching what Andy and Tom have had to go through.

I don’t want to go on about whether the war in Afghanistan is legal or not etc. I just wanted to say these boys need all the support they can get. I have no connections to the armed forces whatsoever, but I regularly hear stories in the press saying these wounded and injured soldiers are not being supported enough when they come back home.

I think it’s about time the Government put their priorities in order and stopped worrying about human rights, political correctness, their expenses, etc, (and a whole lot more). The so called banking crisis is somewhat put into perspective in comparison, and I think it’s about time the armed forces were funded and supported more by the Government! I could go on and on, but I think I've made my point.

passout

I'm not exactly sure what human rights and political correctness have got to do with it but yes I broadly agree with what you are saying. We don't we scap all 4 trident subs and pump the money into the services which will actually see use?

disgruntledgoat

I agree... I watched the Channel 4 documentary a couple of weeks ago about he mental health of returning soldiers and was left with the distinct impression that kids are sent to do a job without the correct equipment, as a consequence they witness some awful things and are then left to deal with this on their own. Even the accomodation they get as part of their service is a disgrace.

It all stems from the fact that we now have a governemn made up entirely of career politicians who have never had experience of the real world. I think out of all of Labours MPs 1 has served in the military. The proportion isn't much higher in the conservatives (I can think of ian Duncan Smith and David Davies off the top of my head, however).

For me, it is a disgrace and a breach of the unwritten agreement between a countries army and those it serves that we have to give to charity to ensure soliders, often in their teens, are looked after properly after sustaining horrific injuries doing their job. Even Henry V managed that much after the Agincourt campaign. I would much rather my taxes went on equipping, training, housing and looking after serving soldiers than duck islands, ID cards, smoking bans, the 3 years of parliamentary time it took to ban fox hunting. Rant over.

211dave112

passout wrote:

I'm not exactly sure what human rights and political correctness have got to do with it but yes I broadly agree with what you are saying. We don't we scap all 4 trident subs and pump the money into the services which will actually see use?

you can't just get rid of 4 subs that are actually crucial to the nation's safety. just because you dont hear about what they are doing doesn't mean they aren't doing anything. national security will always be priority number 1.

i watched Wounded on tv last night (the first part before the news anyway) and found it really moving. I thought that Tom (i think the double leg, one arm amputee one) was a great example of what proper determination is, he didn't give up at all and he was in a right mess when he first came in.

cee

It seems to me that the folks who get physical injuries are often better off than those who have mental scars.

Presumably warzones are unthinkably horrific places (even in these days of relatively clean wars) and the stress would do for most us.....

Thing is...the army does offer as much help as a person asks for. Problem is, in a culture where asking for help is seen as weakness, how does someone actually ask for help?

Terrible cycle.

Jez mon

Maybe mandatory time with a mental helth expert upon return from service would help. Furthermore the public really need to take a better attitude to soldiers when they come back home, personally I'm not sure that we should be in afganistan and I was against the war in Iraq. However, that's not the fault of the soldiers but the government.

fast as fupp

211dave112 wrote:

passout wrote:

I'm not exactly sure what human rights and political correctness have got to do with it but yes I broadly agree with what you are saying. We don't we scap all 4 trident subs and pump the money into the services which will actually see use?

you can't just get rid of 4 subs that are actually crucial to the nation's safety. just because you dont hear about what they are doing doesn't mean they aren't doing anything. national security will always be priority number 1.

i watched Wounded on tv last night (the first part before the news anyway) and found it really moving. I thought that Tom (i think the double leg, one arm amputee one) was a great example of what proper determination is, he didn't give up at all and he was in a right mess when he first came in.

how are these white elephant subs crucial to our defence- are we going to nuke the 'taliban'?

all they are now is an irrelelevance- basically they are just a 'strap on c0ck' for the uk's fading ego

disgruntledgoat

fast as fupp wrote:

211dave112 wrote:

passout wrote:

I'm not exactly sure what human rights and political correctness have got to do with it but yes I broadly agree with what you are saying. We don't we scap all 4 trident subs and pump the money into the services which will actually see use?

you can't just get rid of 4 subs that are actually crucial to the nation's safety. just because you dont hear about what they are doing doesn't mean they aren't doing anything. national security will always be priority number 1.

i watched Wounded on tv last night (the first part before the news anyway) and found it really moving. I thought that Tom (i think the double leg, one arm amputee one) was a great example of what proper determination is, he didn't give up at all and he was in a right mess when he first came in.

how are these white elephant subs crucial to our defence- are we going to nuke the 'taliban'?

all they are now is an irrelelevance- basically they are just a 'strap on c0ck' for the uk's fading ego

Not quite... They're a deterrent. The reason we can commit to fighting wars against the Taliban and in Bosnia etc because we don't have to shore up our borders from other countries becasue we have a mobile stick to hit them very hard with. The first thing any incoming PM does when they get into Downing street is meet with National Security types who ask them to write 4 letters, one to each Sub Commander giving orders for what to do shoiuld the country be attacked and the Govt. removed.

fast as fupp

disgruntledgoat wrote:

fast as fupp wrote:

211dave112 wrote:

passout wrote:

I'm not exactly sure what human rights and political correctness have got to do with it but yes I broadly agree with what you are saying. We don't we scap all 4 trident subs and pump the money into the services which will actually see use?

you can't just get rid of 4 subs that are actually crucial to the nation's safety. just because you dont hear about what they are doing doesn't mean they aren't doing anything. national security will always be priority number 1.

i watched Wounded on tv last night (the first part before the news anyway) and found it really moving. I thought that Tom (i think the double leg, one arm amputee one) was a great example of what proper determination is, he didn't give up at all and he was in a right mess when he first came in.

how are these white elephant subs crucial to our defence- are we going to nuke the 'taliban'?

all they are now is an irrelelevance- basically they are just a 'strap on c0ck' for the uk's fading ego

Not quite... They're a deterrent. The reason we can commit to fighting wars against the Taliban and in Bosnia etc because we don't have to shore up our borders from other countries becasue we have a mobile stick to hit them very hard with. The first thing any incoming PM does when they get into Downing street is meet with National Security types who ask them to write 4 letters, one to each Sub Commander giving orders for what to do shoiuld the country be attacked and the Govt. removed.

just who are they meant to be deterring?

disgruntledgoat

Well good question, but way back when it was the Russians. These days I would imagine an increasingly belligerant Iran, an out of control nuclear Pakistan, North Korea, China etc etc.

It's not just a deterrent to them threatening Britain, it's a deterrent to them threatening Japan, India etc. You know that world you grew up in with no expansionist empires, no world wars and no conscription? Thank Nuclear Weapons (amongst other things)

fast as fupp

yes im sure theyre sitting there thinking 'i hope great britain doesnt declare war on us- we had better behave ourselves'

'Great" Britain the saviour of japan and india with its nukes :shock:

we cant even set them off without the yanks permission!

Chrissz

Back on the subject of mental health issues - I would like to know what our glorious govt is doing for the mentally scarred.

I know that after the Falklands, more guys committed suicide than actually died during the conflict - I'd be pretty interested to know if the same holds true for the recent conflicts.

Unfortunately the guys coming home broken are generally cast aside and left to get on with it - the Army doesn't know what to do with them. Perhaps the Army should start to consider a 'Haslar' Company of their own?

"A new Royal Marine company is to be officially launched in Plymouth – made up entirely of commandos injured in Afghanistan.
'H' Company – named after former marine and Cockleshell Hero, Blondie Hasler – will be based at HMS Drake at Devonport Naval Base from Monday.
It will be unique in that it will act as a vehicle to help the marines recover, rehabilitate and reintegrate either back into full military life, or back to civilian life.
Major Pete Curtis, Officer Commanding H Company, said it is the first Royal Marine company to be launched in "decades" and described it as an "historic" event.
He said the company is being formed as a direct result of an increase in the number of injured military personnel in Afghanistan.
It comes after HMS Drake's South West Regional Rehabilitation Unit said it is looking to recruit more staff to deal with the expected influx of injured personnel towards the end of the year.
"When Royal Marines get injured they lose their identity by separation because their unit moves on," Maj Curtis said.
"Of course they suffer a sense of loss because of that.
"By having a new company it will give them a sense of belonging.
"There will be like-minded people who will be helping each other to recover.
"At the end of the day they are Royal Marines.
"They may have suffered horrible injuries and their role in life may just be as a casualty at the moment, but they are still marines.
"But we want to make them feel like Royal Marines again and they will be expected to be just that."
He added: "I'm extremely proud and feel very privileged to have taken on this role.
"It will be full-on and it is a daunting role, but it is an historic moment setting this up."
The company will be based in a building at HMS Drake which has undergone a £300,000 renovation.
As well as ramps and disabled toilets and showers, the building also boasts 10 special needs beds with access to a further 12 if required.
It will sit as part of the South West Regional Rehabilitation Unit which has specialist rehabilitation instructors and MoD physiotherapists, and gym equipment to help the healing process.
'H' Company will also work alongside Selly Oak Hospital and Headley Court, the military's primary rehabilitation centre for amputees.
Members can choose to take part in training, courses and 'work experience' sessions which can either lead them back into military or civilian life.
Maj Curtis said members will continue their medical programmes and physiotherapy sessions as well conduct map reading and navigational training on Dartmoor.
So far three city Royal Marines have officially joined the company. They are Marine Mark Ormrod, Marine Ben McBean and Marine Daniel Claricoates – who all live in Plymouth.
From Monday the company will begin recruiting injured marines.
Maj Curtis expects to have 15 to 20 members of the company by October.
He said he expects the company to "grow" as Britain fulfils its commitment to bringing stability to Afghanistan.
Every member of the company will have been either physically or mentally injured during operations in Afghanistan.
The HMS Drake-based South West Regional Rehabilitation Unit offers residential rehab courses and specialist consultations to all armed forces personnel in the South West.
It currently sees around 800 people a year – with injuries including spinal and limb loss – and acts in an outpatient role for Headley Court which initially treats amputees.
Maj Curtis also hit back at claims over military kit.
"Some people are slagging off the kit and yes, there are a lot of deaths," he said.
"But the kit we have is the best we have ever had. We have more seriously injured personnel because the kit is saving their lives.
"The kit is making more people survive. Because of that we are inheriting more and more disability casualties."
Major Blondie Hasler, whom 'H' Company is named after, led a daring top secret raid in Nazi-occupied Bordeaux in 1942.
Their task was to destroy as many ships in the harbour as possible to render it useless.
He was later invalided out of military life – but that didn't stop him from achieving many other things in life."

passout

211dave112 wrote:

passout wrote:

I'm not exactly sure what human rights and political correctness have got to do with it but yes I broadly agree with what you are saying. We don't we scap all 4 trident subs and pump the money into the services which will actually see use?

you can't just get rid of 4 subs that are actually crucial to the nation's safety. just because you dont hear about what they are doing doesn't mean they aren't doing anything. national security will always be priority number 1.

i watched Wounded on tv last night (the first part before the news anyway) and found it really moving. I thought that Tom (i think the double leg, one arm amputee one) was a great example of what proper determination is, he didn't give up at all and he was in a right mess when he first came in.

Agree about the programme. As for Trident though I think that it is of no importance to our safety. It's just a bargaining chip & a way to ensure that we are taken seriously on the world stage - especially as our relative power is in decline.