pr00ne, Baskitt Kase, unclenelli, you've all tried to ridicule what I think is a very relevent article over trivial inaccuracies. Look at the big picture; war is screwing up our soldiers, worse than ever, and the MOD are not doing enough to help them. As the size of the forces is reduced, soldiers are working more often in terrible environments and their mental health is suffering, to suicide in some cases and destroying many families in others.
People in this 'safe developed' country(UK) get PTSD; knocked off their bike, hit by a car, domestic accidents, assaulted on the streets, being mugged, etc etc. Consider Iraq; constant violence, daily bombings, ambushes, snipers, rioting mobs, ever rising death toll, millions of people there who would love to kill you, try daily, and at times lay down their own lives to do so. Not to mention the risk of prosecution for murder if your split second decision in self defence is later judged by lawers in a warm courtroom to have been heavy handed or excessive. And don't forget the scenes of brutatily witnessed everyday(several UK prison wardens were awarded over a million pounds total compensation last week for witnessing a scene of extreme brutality). Now consider the increased potential for our soldiers to suffer PTSD; a disorder well documented to destroy people mentally and emotionally with a wide range of severity often unrelated to the extent of the trigger incident.
The MOD funded by the government must show a duty of care towards our soldiers. A traditional physical injury is easy to see, better understood and fairly incontroversial. A mental illness is harder to see, may be hidden by the individual, may take a lot longer to heal and can be percieved by some as a sign of weakness. I'ts time to stop ignoring those who are suffering, stop hiding or bluffing about the numbers involved and get on with addressing the problem as a matter of urgency. The quicker the MOD react the fewer families will be destroyed and less future suicides will take place. Of course it costs money, but so does recruiting, selecting and training their replacements.
F