Bound by horror to end own lives

Finally Kevin, who was 29, lost his terrible internal struggle and took his own life.

And loved ones of dad-of-three John Paul, who was 34 and from Liverpool, believe that tipped him over the edge and prompted his own suicide only 12 weeks later.

Today the families of both soldiers bravely speak out in support of the Sunday People’s Save Our Soldiers campaign.

John Paul’s sister Nicola, 38, said: “There are soldiers out there suffering the same way as my brother. They need help, they should talk.”

And Kevin’s sister Jennifer Williams, 34, said: “More needs to be done at every stage to help our soldiers. It’s not enough to have a support mechanism in place after they have the problem.”

More than 300 veterans and serving personnel attended John Paul’s funeral this week after the Royal British Legion issued a plea to show solidarity with those suffering PTSD.

Proudly wearing berets and poppies, they followed his coffin draped in the Union flag and led by a procession of standard bearers.

A white floral wreath spelled out “Daddy”, a lone piper led the hearse and a plane flew overhead carrying a banner that read “Swift and Bold”, the Rifles’ regimental motto.

But the military tribute could not disguise the harrowing toll the invasion of Iraq, which claimed the lives of 179 British personnel, took on those who served there.

Kevin and John Paul served together in Operation Telic 9, which saw some of the toughest fighting in Iraq and involved 46,000 personnel at its peak. Once the pair saw three mates gunned down by a sniper as they fought insurgents in Basra. In one horrendous incident John Paul had to hold a friend’s face in place Met the Queen after being youngest soldier deployed to Iraq at 18. Killed a suicide bomber threatening to blow up five comrades. Discharged at 22, was left feeling ‘useless’ in civilian life as they returned to base after an IED blast. John Paul was medically discharged from the Army in 2010.

He had suffered hearing loss caused by a mortar bomb landing only yards from his head. But the worst wounds were deep inside in his mind.

Sister Nicola added: “John Paul thought he was a monster, a burden to the family. He kept apologising and he tried many times to take his life. I said to him, ‘Little brother, you’re still a baby to me’. But he couldn’t get past it. He had this recurring dream where he would see his own wounds.

“He thought he would die as a soldier and when he came into civilian life he couldn’t cope. He suffered night terrors. He was scared of the dark and he could smell dead flesh.

“Kevin’s death really affected him. They were friends and they were happy together. It was the tipping point. When Kev died it really got in his head and pushed him over the edge.

John Paul’s brother Steven, 28, said: “He joined the Army because he wanted structure in his life. But when he