A Bournmouth MP and former Green Jacket has called for better psychiatric services for veterans following reports that more Falklands servicemen have committed suicide than were killed in the conflict itself.
The South Atlantic Medal Association recently estimated that 264 veterans of the 1982 conflict had taken their own lives - nine more than died in the war.
Tobias Ellwood MP for Bournemouth East, this week challenged the government to extend the help offered to people dealing with the stress of combat.
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"We have been paying tribute recently to the magnificent role these men played in defending our country's sovereignty in the Falklands," he told the court. "But there has been a failure in our duty of care to them.
"Our military place themselves in the worst of conditions for their country. The least we can do is look after them people long after the event."
Many soldiers dealing with post-traumatic stress syndrome say they only get brief help from military doctors, and feel abandoned once discharged, when they only have access to the NHS.
Dr Sarah Mackenzie-Ross, a clinical psychologist who has worked with many Gulf veterans, said: "A lot of soldiers who have witnessed something horrific on the battlefield are reluctant to go to civilian psychiatrists because they don't think they'll understand what they've been through.Read It Here
© Mack (RG) The thoughts of a Falklands War Veteran.
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