Haunted by war, boy soldier sent to Iraq aged just 18 kills himself
A SOLDIER who was sent to fight in Iraq on his 18th birthday killed himself after a long battle with post- traumatic stress disorder.
Kevin Williams, 29, became the youngest rifleman to serve in the war zone when he was deployed in November 2006.
Shortly before going to Basra, he had claimed he had been ‘more nervous’ about meeting the Queen at a function than facing the enemy.
Mr Williams served with the Royal Green Jackets, which became part of the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles and took part in Operation Telic, which ran from the invasion of Iraq in 2003 until British forces withdrew in 2011.
A total of 179 British personnel were killed in the country and thousands more were injured.
When he left the Army aged 22, he struggled to adapt to civilian life. He suffered flashbacks and was homeless for a time before being diagnosed with PTSD, triggered in part by the loss of a comrade in Iraq.
Relatives thought he had turned a corner after he began training as an electrician but his body was found at his home in Basildon, Essex, last month. He had hanged himself.
Mr Williams’s sister Katherine, 26, yesterday questioned whether he should have been sent into combat when he was 18.
She claimed he also faced difficulty integrating into the Armed Forces because of his mixed heritage of a Brazilian mother and half-Nigerian father.
‘The Army is naturally a tough environment but also being a black man in the Army is another hurdle – there is a lot of racism and bullying,’ she said. Describing his condition after he left the Army, she added: ‘He would talk about his problems but it was hit and miss. You could be having a good time with him, then something would trigger it.
‘A loud noise could go off and you could see his mind shut down. All he could talk about then was the war.’
Mr Williams was 16 when he signed up to join the Army after being inspired by watching soldiers on TV.
He was 17 when he met the Queen in October 2006, when she was the Green Jackets’ colonelinchief, at a farewell reception for the regiment at St James’s Palace before it merged with three others to form The Rifles.
He said at the time: ‘I’m more nervous about meeting the Queen than going to Basra.’ But he was haunted by his time in Iraq and was discharged from the Army after failing a drug test.
Unable to find a role in civilian life, he trained as a mercenary but never found work as one.
In a documentary recorded before his death, he said he felt ‘useless’ as a civilian because he only knew combat, adding: ‘Not long after coming back from Iraq I felt sad all the time. I lost a friend there and I didn’t really grieve until I got back.’
His sister said: ‘Kevin was helping his military friends who had long-term depression get better, talking them through how to help themselves out of a dark place. Unfortunately, he could not do the same for himself.’ Army colleague and friend Jon Francis described him as ‘ kind and gentle’, adding: ‘Although he left the Army, I don’t think the Army ever really left him.’
An inquest was formally opened at Essex Coroner’s Court on Tuesday and a hearing will take place on May 21.
Sue Freeth, of the charity Combat Stress, which was helping Mr Williams, said PTSD affects a small but significant number of veterans. ‘It can have a devastating impact,’ she added.
The Ministry of Defence said: ‘We take the mental health of our veterans extremely seriously and work tirelessly to ensure they receive the care they deserve.’
‘You could see his mind shut down’