Victoria Cross hero Johnson Beharry condemns failure to care for veterans
The British Army's most decorated serving soldier has accused the Government of failing troops suffering from mental trauma as a result of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
By Patrick Sawer
Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for twice saving the lives of colleagues in Iraq while under heavy rocket fire, said it was "disgraceful" that some veterans struggled to receive treatment that is rightfully theirs.
He said the Government was relying on military charities to cover its own failings and called on ministers to do more to help the growing number of his comrades suffering from severe combat stress, depression and mental breakdowns.
In his most outspoken interview since receiving the VC four years ago, L/Cpl Beharry told The Independent: "These are people who have served this country. Why can't they get treatment? I don't think the Government is doing enough for soldiers.
"Those who are still serving get some form of help for combat stress but even those who are serving don't get enough support."
L/Cpl Beharry became the Army's most high-profile war hero when he was awarded the VC for "repeated extreme gallantry and unquestioned valour" for the two rescues in May and June 2004 "despite a harrowing weight of incoming fire".
He was almost killed when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded six inches from his head during an attack on his convoy. Despite receiving horrific injuries, six weeks later he drove his vehicle out of an ambush and again saved his crew.
While serving with the 1st Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment in Al Amarah in the summer of 2004, L/Cpl Beharry's unit came under fierce attack more than 800 times.
The 29-year-old, who is still a serving soldier, has decided that it is time for him to stand up for the thousands of servicemen and women still suffering from post-traumatic and combat stress, having served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He broke his silence to reveal that almost five years after the incidents for which he was decorated, he still suffers from the severe injuries he received and is still racked by mental anguish and excruciating pain.
He said he has received first-rate treatment, but has chosen to speak out on behalf of less high-profile service personnel, criticising the fact that charities have been forced to step in where the Government has failed.
He described it as an outrage that former military personnel were forced to wait for NHS treatment: "I think it is disgraceful that an ex-serviceman or woman has to go to the NHS. The Government should have something in place for ex-servicemen and women."
L/Cpl Beharry described the nightmares, mood swings and irrational rages that plagued many soldiers.
"It brings me back into the killing zone, to the explosion. When you hear a bang in Iraq you know it is going to be followed by something and back home you feel the same. You go tense, waiting. I go into that defence mode.
"I am learning to live with it. Everyone experiences combat stress differently. But we are all linked, we all suffer the same problem in different ways."
Figures published by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in November showed nearly 4,000 new cases of mental health disorder were diagnosed among armed services personnel in 2007.
A report on the MoD's Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH) stated that there was a "significantly higher rate of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) among those deployed to the Iraq or Afghanistan theatres of operation".
The report stated: "[The findings] do not cover the full picture of all mental disorders in the UK armed forces. Personnel may have been seen in primary care who did not require, or wish, onward referral to the DCMHs."
Robert Marsh, a director of Combat Stress, the charity that works with veterans suffering from PTSD or associated conditions, said they had seen a 53 per cent increase in new cases in the past three years. In the past year alone, they have treated 3,700 new veterans.
"Most people do not come forward for an average of 14 years after they have left the services, so there is a problem storing up for the future," Mr Marsh said.
"Combat Stress is working hard to reduce this time lag because by the time we see them they are on their uppers.
"To have someone like Johnson Beharry VC talking so candidly helps normalise this condition for other veterans and, we really hope, encourages them to come forward."
Defence minister Kevan Jones said: "We recognise mental illnesses as serious and disabling conditions but also ones that can be treated."
He said psychiatric teams provided diagnosis and treatment during and after deployments, but emphasised that the provision of those teams was just one part of the Government's approach.
The Government had also ensured support systems were in place to help non-medical staff spot those who might have been affected by traumatic events, he said.
"Decompression periods" in Cyprus also allowed personnel to begin to unwind, mentally and physically, after their operational tours.
The Government has commissioned mental health research at King's College London and expanded the medical assessment programme at St Thomas' Hospital to include assessment of veterans who had served in operations since 1982.
"We are not complacent," Mr Jones added.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/4883944/Victoria-Cross-hero-Johnson-Beharry-condemns-failure-to-care-for-veterans.html
The British Army's most decorated serving soldier has accused the Government of failing troops suffering from mental trauma as a result of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
By Patrick Sawer
Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for twice saving the lives of colleagues in Iraq while under heavy rocket fire, said it was "disgraceful" that some veterans struggled to receive treatment that is rightfully theirs.
He said the Government was relying on military charities to cover its own failings and called on ministers to do more to help the growing number of his comrades suffering from severe combat stress, depression and mental breakdowns.
In his most outspoken interview since receiving the VC four years ago, L/Cpl Beharry told The Independent: "These are people who have served this country. Why can't they get treatment? I don't think the Government is doing enough for soldiers.
"Those who are still serving get some form of help for combat stress but even those who are serving don't get enough support."
L/Cpl Beharry became the Army's most high-profile war hero when he was awarded the VC for "repeated extreme gallantry and unquestioned valour" for the two rescues in May and June 2004 "despite a harrowing weight of incoming fire".
He was almost killed when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded six inches from his head during an attack on his convoy. Despite receiving horrific injuries, six weeks later he drove his vehicle out of an ambush and again saved his crew.
While serving with the 1st Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment in Al Amarah in the summer of 2004, L/Cpl Beharry's unit came under fierce attack more than 800 times.
The 29-year-old, who is still a serving soldier, has decided that it is time for him to stand up for the thousands of servicemen and women still suffering from post-traumatic and combat stress, having served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He broke his silence to reveal that almost five years after the incidents for which he was decorated, he still suffers from the severe injuries he received and is still racked by mental anguish and excruciating pain.
He said he has received first-rate treatment, but has chosen to speak out on behalf of less high-profile service personnel, criticising the fact that charities have been forced to step in where the Government has failed.
He described it as an outrage that former military personnel were forced to wait for NHS treatment: "I think it is disgraceful that an ex-serviceman or woman has to go to the NHS. The Government should have something in place for ex-servicemen and women."
L/Cpl Beharry described the nightmares, mood swings and irrational rages that plagued many soldiers.
"It brings me back into the killing zone, to the explosion. When you hear a bang in Iraq you know it is going to be followed by something and back home you feel the same. You go tense, waiting. I go into that defence mode.
"I am learning to live with it. Everyone experiences combat stress differently. But we are all linked, we all suffer the same problem in different ways."
Figures published by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in November showed nearly 4,000 new cases of mental health disorder were diagnosed among armed services personnel in 2007.
A report on the MoD's Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH) stated that there was a "significantly higher rate of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) among those deployed to the Iraq or Afghanistan theatres of operation".
The report stated: "[The findings] do not cover the full picture of all mental disorders in the UK armed forces. Personnel may have been seen in primary care who did not require, or wish, onward referral to the DCMHs."
Robert Marsh, a director of Combat Stress, the charity that works with veterans suffering from PTSD or associated conditions, said they had seen a 53 per cent increase in new cases in the past three years. In the past year alone, they have treated 3,700 new veterans.
"Most people do not come forward for an average of 14 years after they have left the services, so there is a problem storing up for the future," Mr Marsh said.
"Combat Stress is working hard to reduce this time lag because by the time we see them they are on their uppers.
"To have someone like Johnson Beharry VC talking so candidly helps normalise this condition for other veterans and, we really hope, encourages them to come forward."
Defence minister Kevan Jones said: "We recognise mental illnesses as serious and disabling conditions but also ones that can be treated."
He said psychiatric teams provided diagnosis and treatment during and after deployments, but emphasised that the provision of those teams was just one part of the Government's approach.
The Government had also ensured support systems were in place to help non-medical staff spot those who might have been affected by traumatic events, he said.
"Decompression periods" in Cyprus also allowed personnel to begin to unwind, mentally and physically, after their operational tours.
The Government has commissioned mental health research at King's College London and expanded the medical assessment programme at St Thomas' Hospital to include assessment of veterans who had served in operations since 1982.
"We are not complacent," Mr Jones added.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/4883944/Victoria-Cross-hero-Johnson-Beharry-condemns-failure-to-care-for-veterans.html
