Helmand heroes join MoS f ight
First the Generals, now the troops – led by the most injured soldier to survive the Afghan conf lict – demand action on 24-hour helpline
THE family of the most seriously wounded British soldier to survive the war in Afghanistan last night backed The Mail on Sunday’s campaign to provide round-the-clock care for traumatised troops.
Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, 33, suffered 40 blast injuries, including severe brain damage, after his Land Rover hit a Taliban anti-tank mine in Helmand province in 2006.
Last night his mother Diane Dernie, 59, gave her family’s support to our bid to convince defence chiefs to set up a 24/7 helpline to allow troops to speak directly to their carers.
She was joined by other British heroes of the Helmand province campaign, including Military Cross winner Colour Sergeant Trevor Coult, 43, and military historian Andrew Roberts.
Ms Dernie, from Doncaster, said: ‘A helpline like this is such a small undertaking from the Ministry of Defence’s perspective that it is remarkable it doesn’t have it as part of care provisions to troops.
‘We absolutely support this campaign and I know Ben is very aware of the rising problem of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder which must be tackled urgently. Some of his Afghan comrades have tried to take their own lives.
‘Troops with mental health problems should know they can always speak to people who are familiar with their cases.
‘Ben is actually the lucky one as he’s been able to rebuild his l i fe. That is a lot harder to do for the troops with full-blown PTSD who completely withdraw into themselves once the condition sets in.’
Despite his injuries, L/Bdr Parkinson, who was awarded an MBE in 2013, remains a serving soldier and is not permitted to comment on MoD policies. Prince Charles described him as ‘an inspiration’.
The Mail on Sunday launched its campaign with former head of the British Army, Lord Dannatt, following the suicide last month of Warrant Officer Nathan Hunt.
More than 400 serving soldiers are believed to have taken their lives since 1995, while the number of troops suffering from PTSD has doubled to around 2,500 in the past t en years. Last night, Colour Sergeant Coult, of the Royal Irish Regiment, said: ‘The provision of care for troops with PTSD isn’t good enough and a helpline for serving personnel would be a big step in the right direction – 24/7 care is a basic requirement.
‘ Even though I was suffering from mental illness, the MoD forced me to leave my military accommodation, adding financial stress to my medical condition.’
Andrew Roberts said: ‘Britain has a long history of not taking care of her soldiers after conflicts, despite their being the best of the best of our society. What happened to Warrant Officer Nathan Hunt must never happen again.’
The MoD said: ‘We take the mental health of our Armed Forces very seriously.’