HELPING VETERANS TO BEAT THE BLUES
Forces charity help Hidden Wounds heroes
A SCOTS war hero and his wife are the faces of a new campaign to help veterans and their families beat the winter blues.
Ex-soldier Kenny Watson was medically discharged last February with post traumatic stress disorder, hearing loss and back injuries after being caught in two bomb blasts in Afghanistan in 2012.
Kenny, 28, and his wife Kerry, 27, are now fronting a Help For Heroes initiative which seeks to help injured veterans and their families at difficult times of year.
They have backed the new scheme, which runs from January 15 to 21.
Kerry, from Dunfermline, said it was months before her husband’s mental health issues were treated. She added: “Kenny didn’t really notice any difference – but I did. About 18 months after he came back from Afghanistan, he was agitated and frustrated.
“We thought it was because of his back injury. He was in constant pain, had restless legs syndrome and tinnitus in his ears from the blast.
“He was emotionless, even though we had a baby, Harris. I was excited and happy at Harris’s milestones but Kenny was in his own little world and the Army was all that mattered. He had no enjoyment of things like days out or walking the dogs.
“He had a new wife, a lovely son, we had no problems. I thought it was me, that Kenneth didn’t want to be part of a family and that we were going to get divorced.”
Help For Heroes’s Hidden Wounds service provides free confidential support to veterans, their families and the relatives of those still serving who are living with anxiety, depression, stress, anger or who wish to change their drinking habits.
Kenny now has a new job as an engineer, while Kerry is a full-time university student.
Kenny said: “Being a spouse or partner of someone going through a traumatic time can be very difficult.” ● For more information, go to www.helpforheroes.org.uk and search for Hidden Wounds