Hi all and thanks for looking at this page.
I'm on leave at the moment having just got back from another Afghanistan tour.....this tour was somehow different and the word "hellish" maybe an appropriate way to describe it. I consider myself very fortunate in that I am at home with my wife and kids....more fortunate than many others but my mind is still moving at 100mph but life isn't so I am looking for something to fill the void and also be constructive.
The other day I was in the car when I heard on the local radio that the annual Coventry half marathon is taking place on Sunday 25th Oct 2009 and I though "Bingo...I'll do that". Now, for those of you who know me very well, 13 miles will not cause me any problems but please bear in mind that I'm doing this during my time off, under my own steam and I'll be wearing a latex rubber catsuit (not really, obviously).
THE CHARITY
I remember a while ago that I was going to organise a fundraising event for the charity I have chosen but circumstances changed as they do and things have been hectic but I like to think that this will help set the record straight.
The charity I would like to help is COMBAT STRESS which is an absolutely superb organisation which does an amazing job providing help to Ex service personnell who suffer mental health problems associated with trauma. Those of you who are serving or ex military will know exactly what I'm on about but those of you who are un-initiated, let me try to explain.
Do you all remember learning about WW1 in history at school and being told that many British soldiers were executed for cowardice when in fact they were just suffering from what was known as "Shell Shock". The reason that this happenned was because the military leadership at the time were narrowminded morons who didn't or wouldn't understand the stress that Soldiers were suffering.
Thankfully, these days we have a much better leadership in place who do understand what it is like. Today, Shell shock is more commonly refered to as Battleshock or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and you may have heard this mentioned on several TV programs. Unfortunately, more often than not, PTSD symptoms don't appear until sometime after a traumatic event, in most instances btween 5 - 10 years afterwards which unfortunately means that most veterans have already left the service and are no longer eligible for MOD help.
This is where COMBAT STRESS steps up to the mark, providing help to veterans who would otherwise more than likely be left waiting on an NHS waiting list for up to 2 years, which in my opinion is just not good enough.
MONEY
This is how any money you donate would be used:
Last year alone they spent in the region of £9 million. Of this, £4.2 million was provided by the MOD Veterans Agency. The rest they had to raise through charitable donations and grants.
During the next year, they are expecting their costs to exceed £10 million due to increased demand. They currently care for 4000 veterans and last year alone they had 1,257 new referals of which some 300 were from Afghanistan and Iraq which is expected ti increase dramatically over the next few years.
£30 of your money pays for a session of trauma-focused therapy.
£130 of your money pays for a consultation with a psychiatrist.
£293 of your money pays for a full day's care at a Combat Stress residential treatment centre.
WHY WE SHOULD CARE
These days we see so called "heroic" celebrities booking into expensive rehab centres due to stress and we're all expected to sympathise with them. In reality though, they're not stressed, they just have too much money, not enough sense and are just attention seekers, yet they always get messages of sympathy and piles of flowers stacked up outside their homes from wellwishers the world over. Just ask yourselves what have these people ever done for you and your country....nothing.
The veterans that COMBAT STRESS cares for have done and sacrificed much more than many will ever know and we should be proud to help them when they need it.
For more information on COMBAT STRESS please see the link below:
http://www.combatstress.org.uk/index.php
Many thanks for looking at this page and for your time.
Andy (Jack, Silverfox, whatever)
