WHO WILL STOP THE DEATHS OF OUR HEROES?
Soldier Lee Dodgson is the latest of 400 troops to have lost their lives to post traumatic stress disorder. Today we ask...
Family and comrades mourn ‘ strong guy’ Lee who joins the grim toll of ex-military
HE survived tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia – but it was a silent killer that claimed the life of Lee Dodgson.
Only 40, the ex-soldier was found lying near the spot where his father’s ashes were scattered.
For years the dad-of-one had been failed by authorities in his fight with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Speaking shortly after Lee’s funeral yesterday, his stepmum Roseann told us: “Post-traumatic stress disorder is underrated. It’s a silent killer. It’s not recognised quick enough.
“He has said he was told that you don’t show your emotions, you hold them in. They, the soldiers, aren’t taught how to deal with it.”
One serviceman or woman commits suicide almost every two weeks, official figures have revealed.
Nearly 400 have taken their lives between 1995 and 2014.
Today the Sunday People highlights Lee’s tragic story and demands change.
That means help for the rising toll of traumatised servicemen and women who are abandoned after returning from serving their country in war zones.
Marriage
Leading our calls is the former head of the British Army, General Sir David Richards, who was in overall charge of the war against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan for two years.
Sir David, 64, said: “The fact is the system is failing those who risk their lives for the rest of us. We owe them so much better.”
Lee, nicknamed Dodge by comrades who remember him as a strong character, joined the Army at 16.
He served for nearly two decades with the Royal Corps of Signals in some of the world’s most brutal war zones.
Last Saturday he was found dead at the bottom of a 14ft-high castle wall not far from his home in Tortosa, northeast Spain, where he had moved from North Yorkshire to join his family.
Lee had been discharged from a Spanish psychiatric hospital two days before his death.
He had attempted suicide in the past and his PTSD contributed to the breakdown of his marriage.
Lee’s stepmum Roseann claimed there was far too little help for traumatised ex-soldiers in the UK.
She said: “There’s not enough funding to deal with PTSD – in the Army, outside the Army.
“It’s an embarrassment to them if you’re not a tough soldier with a British stiff upper lip.”
She claimed Lee only received help when he moved to Spain. She said he had been suffering blackouts due to strong medication and that could have led to him falling.
Roseann said: “They took me to see where it happened and he’s only fallen four metres.
“He was seen sitting on the wall listening to music, watching an eagle and looking at Mont Caro, where his dad’s ashes are.”
Roseann praised the treatment he had received in Spain. But a source close to Lee’s family back home confirmed how he was failed in the UK.
The friend said: “There were times when he turned up and asked for help and didn’t get it. The mental health service is just appalling when it comes to PTSD.
“The Army gave up their hospital beds and what care they had for PTSD because the NHS said they would deal with it.
Flashbacks
“Well, the NHS don’t know how to deal with it. There will be thousands more who need help. It’s just a mess.”
The extent of Lee’s troubles emerged when he was hauled into court two years ago after threatening to slit the throat of a customer in a chip shop in Skipton, North Yorks. Lee, who wasn’t carrying a knife, was given a community order after JPs heard he had been medically discharged at the age of 37 with PTSD and suffered blackouts, nightmares and flashbacks.
Before the chip-shop incident he hadn’t slept for four days, had been very anxious and remembered little.
Former comrades paid tribute to Lee on social media. Scott Rose- Many wrote: “Years have passed since 4 Brigade but it still hits hard when someone you served and laughed with passes. I remember Dodge as one of the strong characters when I arrived. Very sad to hear this news.”
Shaun Smith posted a picture, saying: “Dodge having a bit of down time and playing a game of risk out in Bosnia 1995 – many great memories made with you Dodge and will be sadly missed RIP mate stand easy.”
Ken Taylor wrote: “R.I.P Dodge. PTSD is a horrible thing.” Sir David
called on David Cameron to boost the Military Covenant, which the former PM tried to make law in 2011.
The covenant states that in return for risking their lives, ex-Service personnel should be treated fairly by Government departments, councils, housing authorities and the NHS.
The general said: “If Mr Cameron is looking for something worthy to do, what better than to sort out the covenant so it works as he intended.” Sue Freeth, head of charity Combat Stress, said: “Many veterans continue to struggle in silence.
“We work closely with the Ministry of Defence, the NHS and other charities to raise awareness of support available to veterans with mental health conditions.”
Ex-Service personnel or relatives needing support can call Combat Stress on 24-hour helpline 0800 138 1619.