'Help us integrate again, as a whole person and not a broken one’-Veterans call to Stormont

Ex-soldiers suffering from PTSD in Northern Ireland have called for more investment in mental health services and charities, as part of Downtown Cool FM’s Invest in Life campaign.

Alexander Gore (38), Brett Savage (29) and Stephen Glover (27) all began suffering from the condition after exposure to trauma while serving on operational tours of duty.

All three men have suffered suicidal thoughts and even attempted to take their own life due to their condition. They are now receiving help from veteran charity Beyond the Battlefield, based in Newtownards.

Stephen, who spent five years in the army, says one experience in Afghanistan will never leave him:

“It was the anniversary of one of my best friend’s deaths,” he recalls.

“That day was particularly difficult for everyone that was involved, I know a lot of my colleagues will remember that day.

“We got hit by four IED’s, two in the morning, two in the evening, a few people were killed, a lot of people were injured.

“Me personally, I’ve never really spoke about it before.

“I carry a lot of guilt about it, what could’ve happened, what should’ve happened.”

The Cheshire man who was based at Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn said he found it difficult to open up:

“You end up pushing your family away because you feel trapped in your own head,” he added.

“You don’t feel like you can speak to someone or that they’re going to understand what you’re going through.”

Figures obtained by Downtown Cool FM show on average, one soldier per year has taken their own life in Northern Ireland in the past three years.

Robert McCartney served in the RIR. He now runs veteran charity Beyond the Battlefield and counsels many former service men and women needing support.

He says suicide is a huge issue.

Robert adds that soldiers often find it difficult to relate to professionals within the health service and they end up turning to charities such as his for support:

“There’s a shortfall here in Northern Ireland, there has to be a bigger understanding of how they treat veterans,” he told us.

“(Veterans) They want the recognition of someone that has been there and done it with them, it’s very, very hard for them to walk in and speak to a stranger.”

Robert wants to build a military veterans support centre in Northern Ireland, to cater for the needs of ex-service personnel.

He says securing funding for the facility is proving difficult:

“We have been lobbying to get a health centre here in Newtownards for a long, long time,” he says.

“It would mean we could bring veterans there and work with them and their families.

“It would also enhance mental health services which is being blocked up for up to 16 months before they get access to a community psychiatric nurse or psychiatrist.

“We can actually take that blockage away so that mental health patients can be treated by the mental health services while we treat and look after the veterans.

“We’ve got the centre, we’ve got the furniture in it, we just haven’t been able to get the funding for it."

Belfast man Alexander served in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan and now gets help from Beyond the Battlefield.

He made an emotional plea to politicians here to allocate investment to help struggling ex-service men.

“Just give us the funding and help us out to get ourselves better and help us get integrated back into society again.

“As a whole person and not just a broken down person,” he said.

• Invest in Life