Soldiers' stress 'swept under carpet by the Army'

Sam Weller, from Chipping Norton, served in Northern Ireland during the height of the troubles in the mid-1970s.

He claimed during his time in action, no support was in place for soldiers who had seen traumatic events. Instead his comrades buried their stress with drink.

And Mr Weller, who is now working with a charity to give therapy to ex-servicemen, claimed since his time in the Army very little has changed in its attitude.

He has accused the Army of turning a blind eye to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – a severe anxiety condition which can develop after exposure to traumatic events.

More than 10,000 people are believed to be employed in the Armed Forces in Oxfordshire.

The 55-year-old volunteers for charity PTSD Worldwide.

Mr Weller said: “I know from my time as a soldier and from my work with soldiers, a lot of them turn to drink to bury their trauma rather than deal with it.

“And that seems to be something which is swept under the carpet by the Army.

“I remember, when I was serving, a friend of mine went to the Army doctor and said ‘look I think I have got a bit of a drink problem’.

“His answer was to sit down and talk about it over a whisky.”

Mr Weller has not suffered PTSD, but remembers a time after he had left the Army when he was shopping with his wife and heard a car backfire.

He said: “I grabbed her and threw us both to the ground. It was just an instant reaction. This sort of thing is not uncommon.”

A Ministry of Defence funded survey published in May revealed one in seven soldiers were being driven to alcohol to block out the horrors of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr Weller has called for the Government to give more support to both serving soldiers and ex-servicemen and women to prevent long-term psychological problems.

He said: “More veterans of the Falklands War have killed themselves since the conflict than actually died in battle. That is very telling.

“There is still a stigma attached to stress, particularly in the Army.

“There may be places and networks set up for soldiers, but I think a lot of people are still worried about going to ask for help because they feel it waves a flag saying ‘I can’t cope’.

“If PTSD carries on being ignored it will be a ticking time bomb with more and more people affected.”

However, a former Army driver who witnessed the horrific death of his friend while serving in Northern Ireland believes soldiers know what they are signing up for when they pledge to fight for their country.

Robert Newton, from Grove, near Wantage, served as a driver with the Royal Corps of Transport in Belfast in 1972.

He was driving an armoured truck through the streets of Belfast when a bullet was shot through the window, killing his friend.

Mr Newton, 59, said: “If the Army had all the money in the world then maybe it would be nice to have these sorts of things for soldiers.

“But you know what you’re signing up for when you go into the Army. You join to fight and sadly that means you will see some tragic things.

“I was in Northern Ireland during the riots and five of my friends were killed.

“My father was injured in the Second World War and he saw some terrible things, but we just got on it with it.”

TERRITORIAL Army Major Terry Roper, below, who is based at Dalton Barracks, Abingdon, has denied the Army does not offer enough support to troops.

Maj Roper, 61, who has served in both Afghanistan and Iraq, now provides support to forces’ families.

He said: “I think there is a lot of help out there for people if they want it.

“Some people may not actively look for it but the Army does a lot to make sure it is picked up on if people are not being their usual self.

“We have come a long way since the days when PTSD was dismissed as cowardice or shell shock.”

The Oxford Mail attempted to speak to soldiers who are still serving in the Army, and who had been posted to Iraq and Afghanistan, but all refused to comment on the situation.

Veteran and British Legion welfare officer Jim Lewendon, 81, said: “It is a difficult one to comment on. I have worked with people who’ve had what we used to call shell shock.

“The things the boys see out there today though, it’s a whole different ball game.”

PTSD sufferers may frequently relive the traumatic event in the form of flashbacks, nightmares, or repetitive and distressing images or sensations.

They may also find it difficult to relax, and be anxious.

A constant awareness of threats, irritability and angry outbursts are also symptoms.

The MoD operates a range of measures to tackle these issues.

In Afghanistan, community psychiatric nurses and consultant psychiatrists are on hand to provide any care and treatment needed.

In addition, two UK-based teams of psychiatrists and mental health nurses are available to deploy to Afghanistan at short notice.

There are 15 military Departments of Community Mental Health across the UK, which provide out-patient mental healthcare.

The MoD is working with the NHS to make sure GPs tell veterans about the support available.