Movie / TV Battle Fatigue on UK TV tonight

[John A Silkstone]

Tonight (22nd May 06) on British TV channel 4 at 20.00 hours.

Dispatches is an hour long program and tonight it is looking into Battle Fatigue and why the British Army is suffering from a recruitment crisis.

Silky

 

[John A Silkstone]

I was very saddened by tonight’s show. As an ex member of the Royal Army Medical Corps, I was close to tears listening to some of the stories that our lads have had to suffer at the hands of the higher ranks that sit behind desks and think of ways of cutting cost at the expense of our wounded comrades.

We once had an enormous array of Hospitals and Medical expertise and the treatment give was beyond reproach and we took pride in what we did.

The country is now run by people who don’t care for anyone but themselves. There is now a group of ex officers and men that have got together and formed the ‘British Armed Forces Federation and Steering Group. They are going to take soldiers complaints to the War Office and if they don’t get satisfaction they will air their views to the media.

The War Office claimed that they did not know how many men have been injured in the Gulf War this was proven to be a lie, but I already knew that. At 00.01 hours every night, each unit makes out what is called a Morbidity Report, this gives all sick and injures reported that day. These figures are colleted each week and sent to HQ, HQ collate them monthly and send them to the War Office, so they do know. Another thing that was brought to light was that if the injuries are treated by the Americans then the War Office doesn’t count them. One officer from the bomb disposal unit lost his left arm and leg and part of his abdomen. He was operated on my friends from across the pond and there is no record of him being injured.

A soldier with spinal injuries and his solicitor received a phone call telling them that if the talked to the media the soldier would have his treatment stopped. They also housed him on the top floor of a ten story block without a lift. The solicitor spoke to the reporter but couldn’t name the man.

What sort of people do we have running our Armed Forces?????????

Silky