County Durham veteran tells us about the challenges of transitioning to civilian life
It is Armed Forces Day this weekend, where people across the region will be celebrating and learning about the military community
A County Durham veteran support charity says one of the main challenges that veterans face is settling back into civilian life.
They say that it can be a massive culture shock leaving the armed forces, but that support for those struggling is available.
Andrew Cammiss, CEO of East Durham Veterans Trust, set up the charity after his own experiences.
He said: "Coming from the military to civvy street for me, I thought it was going to be an easy transition, and it was anything but that for me.
"Coming back into the mindset of civvy street and the way we dealt with issues in the military was very different to the way it was dealt with in civvy street.
"I massively struggled which caused me to then have PTSD.
"I really struggled to find the help and support. I've had that transition where I've found it extremely difficult and I'm not the only one.
"There's many out there who have found that difficult, but again at the same time there's many out there who have transitioned quite easily."