General Chat

Over recent days, politicians of all persuasions, have made much about the debt that we owe to our armed forces, if they care about our armed forces personnel - why is this happening? :-|

The Ministry of Defence has said it is aware of serious delays in dealing with compensation claims for injured armed forces veterans. It said delays were down to a rising number of cases and because there were fewer staff dealing with the claims.

One veterans' group said waiting times for claimants had increased from 82 days in 2010 to 219 days in 2014.

But Veterans UK, which processes the claims, disputed the figures and said the service was "improving".

Note: Veterans UK is part of Defence Business Services (DBS) within the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and it is tasked with administering compensation payments for those injured, disabled or bereaved through service.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28656924

Unfortunately this is typical. They are wonderful when they are serving listen to them all at Westminster but once unable to serve or leave the door gets slammed shut.

We have a friend who has combat stress, turfed out at 40 from the army after 23 years, he wanted to stay out here. No help given. At first he hit the bottle hard. Started to sort himself out and found a job.

My husband spotted straight away what the problem was and asked him to go for help. No door opened when he asked for help. No concern about his condition from the army.

At the age of 45 he had a heart attack whilst in UK, still no help given for the combat stress so got well and returned here and started to work again. Talked to someone in the medical branch of the RAF out here and is now getting the help needed.

He is still getting the nightmares but not very often.

He has 13 medals and 2 bars - he makes light of it, says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Hang your heads civil servants and the senior serving personnel as well as the MPs.

They are all remembering 100 years ago, I wore a poppy badge out on Monday but TODAYS VETERANS NEED THE HELP NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am sure, someone will correct me if I am wrong, but in 2010/2011 the Prime Minister David Cameron made much about what is referred to as, The Military Covenant, he promised to write it into law - think that promise got lost somewhere in the long grass :-(

Not much has changed then ...

http://quotations.about.com/cs/poemlyrics/a/Tommy.htm

Our future king and queen are doing their bit planting out plastic poppies so that's all right then. Whose up for the next photo opportunity ?

Something the BBC & media history boys have not quite taken on board as they look forward to four years of who-killed-tommy-atkins is that until well into 1918 the Allies were losing. Quite how they are going to sell Ypres, Loos, Festubert and the Somme to Joe Public I've no idea. As UK public pick up a little bit about French politicians ( totally unchanged ) enthusiasm for the EU, such as it is, will be dampened even further.

<3

RolloTheRed thanks, I really appreciated that poem

You're right Rollo nothing has changed since that poem. :-)

This is disgusting politics.