More British soldiers and veterans took their own lives in 2012 than died fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan over the same period. BBC Panorama learned that 21 serving soldiers killed themselves last year, along with 29 veterans. The Afghanistan death toll was 44, of whom 40 died in action. Some of the soldiers' families say the men did not get enough support. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said every suicide was a "tragedy". The Panorama programme obtained the figure of 21 through a Freedom of Information request to the MoD. The MoD said that rates of suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within the serving military were lower than comparative rates in the civilian population. Seven serving soldiers have been confirmed as having killed themselves last year, and inquests are pending for a further 14 deaths where suicide is suspected. The British government, unlike its American counterpart, does not record the suicide rate among ex-soldiers. But Panorama has independently established that at least 29 veterans took their own lives in 2012. It wrote to every coroner in the country to ask for the names of soldiers and veterans who killed themselves last year and also analysed newspaper reports of coroners' inquests. 'Hell on earth' One serving soldier who killed himself was L/Sgt Dan Collins, who had fought in Operation Panther's Claw in Helmand province, Afghanistan, in the summer of 2009. L/Sgt Collins, a Welsh Guardsman, twice survived being shot and was blown off his feet by a roadside bomb. His friend, L/Cpl Dane Elson, was blown to pieces just yards away from him. L/Sgt Collins's mother Deana had noticed a difference in her son during his time in Afghanistan. "The phone calls changed and I remember him telling me, 'Mum, this place is hell on earth and I just want to get out of here'," she said. After a six-month tour, L/Sgt Collins came home, returning to his girlfriend Vicky Roach's house. Miss Roach said: "Obviously then I started noticing things. Nightmares were the main thing. It was pretty clear he was back there reliving everything." Full Story - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23259865
Watch the show last night? I did and actually felt a tad sorry for their families and how they are treated, only a tad though.
No, never seen it - was out at A&E with the Mrs I think it's a disgrace that these ****s get no support from their employers! I have EAPs, phonelines etc that I can contact in my workplace ...
"'Mum, this place is hell on earth and I just want to get out of here'" What the **** did he think warfare was gonny be like? Ye widny catch me going to war. Not unless I was unlucky enough to be in a time of conscription. But I don't think I'd get there and be surprised to find it like hell on Earth.
Aye but thats the thing. ****s join the army thinking they can deal with it. When they can't its not as if they can just hold their hands up and say "Aye you're right, I give up, gonnae geez a lift hame?"
Am no goin then. The Army couldny keep me in pampers with all they ****s trying tae shoot me and blow me up all the time.
Can you I? You'll forgive me if I don't ****ing believe you, what with you being a notorious ****e talker.
You can buy yourself out...or act a dick and get discharged It's not freckled children we send to war, its trained arseholes
