Ex-soldier in call for support agency
BY STEPHEN STEWART s.stewart@dailyrecord.co.uk A FORMER soldier MP has demanded a national service devoted to forces families after hearing the plight of a mum who lost her RAF airman son in a suspected suicide.
The Record revealed that Susan Fleeting – whose boy Robert, 24, a senior aircraftsman, died at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire, in 2011 – slammed defence chiefs for cuts that hit bereaved families.
Former Army reservist Paul Sweeney, Scottish Labour MP for Glasgow North East, said: “Over the last year we have seen an alarming rate of suicides amongst both serving armed forces personnel and veterans.
“Despite an initial strategy being produced by the MoD, it is clear that the resources to support the mental health of personnel, veterans and their families continues to be cut.
“Now charities like SSAFA are struggling to keep up with the demands for support as the state fails to step up to meet its obligations under the Military Covenant.
“It is clear that we now need a properly financed and resourced national service to support veterans and service families who have suffered the trauma of deaths while in service and afterwards.”
East Kilbride mum Susan has written an open letter to defence bosses hitting out at cuts that mean bereaved families are left out of pocket when they try to access support.
Susan, 56, said: “As a family who have been affected by a death within the military, we have first-hand experience of the treatment families receive and the lack of support that is out there.”
A coroner in England ruled that Robert took his own life in his barracks. But Susan and her husband Charles, 54, who is an Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders veteran, believe he was killed to cover up a botched initiation ceremony.
The RAF said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of SAC Robert Fleeting. We do our utmost to support Armed Forces families that have lost loved ones, providing trained visiting officers who offer support and guidance.
“We also have a dedicated bereavement and aftercare support team.”