Former military officer says veterans should be trained as counsellors

‘They are proud and wonderful people who have served their country’.

Those were the words of a former top military officer who spoke to our reporter this week as this newspaper continues its Veterans in Crisis campaign.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Chris Parker supports thousands of veterans across Sussex and the South East as chairman of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment Association. He spoke of his own battle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and called on officials to launch a campaign, highlighting not all veterans were ‘mad, bad or sad’.

“They are proud and wonderful people who have served their country,” he added.

Lt Col Parker, born in Chichester, spoke to this newspaper as part of its investigative work into veteran suicides, a nationwide project first published in conjunction with other Jpimedia titles last year.

He argued the Government and military could address the issue quicker by funding veterans to train to become counsellors. He said: “They are perfect people for it.”

He welcomed an invite by the Ministry of Defence to share his ideas on improving help for veterans.

He argued they would feel more comfortable confiding in counsellor peers, who understood the unique situations they had faced. He added it would also help tackle a pressing problem of them finding employment outside the forces.

We would like to wish Lt Col Parker the best of luck with his calls for a campaign and his plight to get veterans trained to become counsellors.

This newspaper will continue to raise awarness of veteran suicides, the support available and the concern around comprehensive figures being recorded.

We believe our veterans deserve the very best when they leave active duty.