In past times, soldiers were regarded as heroes. Statues and memorials were built to glorify them. They enjoyed prestige and recognition from government and civilians. Today, they have to queue for hours to receive health assistance and are even seen by some as villains.
As wars become less and less popular in the UK, soldiers seem to be suffering the consequences. Today, it is hard to picture in Britain a wounded soldier returning home greeted by hundreds of proud citizens in a patriotic parade, as it is expected in the USA. However, it is not hard to run into an anti-war demonstration demanding the withdrawal of armed forces and condemning British invasions.
The UK government has clearly not succeeded in providing civilians a justified reason for their presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, and as casualties increase, so do the protests. But whether the current wars are justified or not, it is the soldiers who seem to be paying the price.
“In the U.S.A, you would get up rated for wearing a military uniform while in Britain it is different, we can not even wear our uniforms for example in the train because we are afraid that people will give us a bad look,” said Adam Cox, a 25 year old British soldier who was injured in Afghanistan one year ago.
As if dealing with an injury or a posttraumatic disease was not enough, some of them, mainly the veterans, have to wait to receive health treatment. Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry, Britain’s highest-decorated serving soldier even told the BBC it was “disgraceful” that some veterans struggled to get treatment. He personally had to wait three hours in hospital to see an NHS doctor about his trauma.
The e-true serviceman story
While soldiers in the UK serve the army, they enjoy first class treatment, but the truth is that once they are discharged , they are left on their own to cope with their physical injuries, posttraumatic disorders and depressions.
In theory, the government has special pensions to guarantee the welfare of ex servicemen and their family and as a policy, military veterans have a priority treatment in the NHS. But this is nothing more than an empty promise. In real life, they are far from receiving the treatment they need.
New cases of mental disorders have been diagnosed and are likely to increase. If the UK is determined to keep troops in Afghanistan and Iraq for a couple of more years, ministers need to understand that the duty of care towards injured soldiers lasts a lifetime.
Questions and contradictions
Policies need to be review. Questions need to be answer.
How can you explain that a serviceman who is away for 6 months in Afghanistan is forced to pay taxes in the UK? Taxes which he clearly does not benefit from.
Why do servicemen at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan are forced to share a hospital ward with enemy fighters who could have fired the shots that injured them, or killed their friends?
Why is it that the well being of wounded and veteran soldiers depend mainly on charities? What will happen when civilians reduce contributions to those charities because of a financial crisis?
Why is it that the soldiers have to pay the costs of absurd wars just to find out they don´t have the fame nor the care anymore?
