Military veterans with PTSD learning to cope with creative writing

Australian author Tony Park has seen the impact of war on soldiers first hand.

Major Park, who serves in the Army Reserve and is an Afghanistan veteran, served as a public relations officer for the Australian Army in a bombed-out former Russian aircraft hangar at Bagram Air Base.

He said he witnessed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among soldiers at the base.

"This is Australia's longest war. We had guys having multiple deployments, sometimes three or four, and you could see this was wearing down people," Major Park said.

"When they went back for their second and their third [deployments], those same experiences became magnified and it was almost like the highs of combat got higher, but the lows got lower as they came back."

RG) I can highly recomend writing especially poetry for a tool in coping with PTSD

Gurkhas Prepare For Afghan Deployment

Gurkhas from 2nd Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles are deploying to Kabul, Afghanistan as part of the UK’s enduring support to the Afghan Government.

Their mission is to protect NATO military and civilian advisers working in government ministries, as well as UK advisers based at the Afghan National Army Officers’ Academy. Read more  Here  

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Afghanistan war veteran has to remortgage home to fund limb surgery

War hero Clive Smith, who lost both legs below the knee in a bomb blast, is having to spend £90,000 to go to Australia for pioneering artificial limb surgery. A soldier blown up by an explosive device in Afghanistan has been forced to remortgage his home to pay for pioneering artificial limb surgery in Australia.
War hero Clive Smith is spending £90,000 flying 10,000 miles to Sydney for a operation which he hopes will transform his life.
He said he has been left with no choice because the NHS and the Ministry of Defence have betrayed him, despite pledges that injured veterans would get the best possible care.
Sapper Smith, who stepped on a landmine in Helmand Province in 2010, has been in a wheelchair for 12 months, waiting for new prosthetic limbs.Read more HERE    


(RG) A land fit for Heroes? Absolutely not.

Five Killed, Five Wounded in Afghanistan British military Helicopter Crash

A British military helicopter crashed Sunday in the Afghan capital of Kabul, killing five people and injuring five others, the NATO-led alliance in the country said. Two British Royal Air Force members were among the dead in the crash of three Puma Mk 2 helicopters Britain has deployed in the NATO mission, the British Defense Ministry told NBC News.The helicopter, part of Operation Resolute Support, crashed in what the ministry and NATO called an accident at the mission's Kabul headquarters about 4:15 p.m. local time (7:45 a.m. ET).Read more HERE R.I.P.


(RG) Like the recent downing of an American C130 I would not be surprised if this was caused by enemy action?

British soldier dies three years after Afghanistan shooting

A British soldier has died in hospital from wounds sustained in Afghanistan in 2012, the Ministry of Defence has said. L/Cpl Michael Campbell, of Colwyn Bay, north Wales, was shot while on patrol with 3rd Battalion, The Royal Welsh. The Army reservist died at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Thursday. Colleagues described the 32-year-old as an "outstanding soldier" who was "determined" and "courageous". It means 454 UK service personnel died as a result of the Afghanistan mission. 'Welsh warrior' Paying tribute to him, the MoD said : "L/Cpl Campbell epitomised everything a reservist in 3 R Welsh should be - dedicated, professional and willing to volunteer on operations wherever he was required, a true Welsh warrior. "The battalion has lost a charismatic and loyal friend and our thoughts and condolences are with his wife Chrissy and his wider family at this very difficult time." Colleagues have also paid tribute to L/Cpl Campbell, who they called a "true reservist". Retired Lt Col Stephen Webb said: "He was an outstanding soldier and very talented junior commander: skilful, determined, measured and very courageous: he set an excellent example to those around him." Maj Charlie Carver said L/Cpl Campbell was "one of life's true characters". He said: "One of the reasons that he was able to fit seamlessly into the company was his keen sense of humour; he excelled at the banter which only soldiers seem to understand." Read more HERE R.I.P.

Battling stigma: The British war artist who suffered post-traumatic stress after stint on Helmand front line

After Mark Neville spent three months in Afghanistan as an official war artist, he returned to Britain deeply troubled. In a new book, he reveals the extreme strains of working as a civilian among frontline soldiers – and how he struggled with the PTSD that ensued.My grandfather Jack Neville was captain of a ship during the Second World War. His behaviour when he came back from four years at sea, suffering from what I now clearly recognise as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has had an effect upon everyone in my family.

He took a lot of photographs after he returned in 1945, and when he wasn't looking through lenses, he was barking orders at his family. The impact on me of his inability to communicate in a pleasant way, coupled with this need to mediate life via a lens, somehow transmuted into my career: for the past 10 years, I have used photography in a collaborative way, intended to be of direct, practical benefit to the subject.

In October 2010, I received an email from an arts organisation called Firstsite, regarding a residency working as a war artist in Helmand. The residency was to be hosted by 16 Air Assault Brigade, the largest regiment in the British Army, otherwise known as the "paras". It had never occurred to me to work in a war zone before, but I was highly curious. Perhaps the experience would illuminate my family's difficult history and perhaps I, in turn, could provide a unique perspective on the conflict in Helmand. Read more  HERE  

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CHECK YOUR LINKS

I recently received an e-mail telling me that some of my links were not working. When I went to investigate I must admit my attention to my side bar links have been lacking, many of them were dead, some were now advertising an assortment of things that have nothing to do with the military. I was going to delete all the links that were no longer being updated, but then I decided to keep some, the reason is, these Blogs were being written by servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan when they were at War, they are a time capsule and I believe have historical value, I have picked one at random The Unknown Soldiers    As of today I can confirm all the links are working, I promise to pay them more attention in the future. My advice to other Bloggers is check your links.

Guardsman Jamie Janes

Guardsman Janes 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards was killed as a result of an explosion that happened whilst on a foot patrol near to Nad e-Ali district centre in central Helmand province. He was mortally wounded by an improvised explosive device, which also wounded three of his colleagues. The explosion was followed up by an insurgent ambush which the patrol then had to fight off before evacuating the wounded soldiers. Unfortunately Guardsman Janes died en route to hospital. R.I.P.

Lance Corporal Joesph McFarlane Pool

R.I.P. 


 MOD LINK  

UK military deaths in Afghanistan: Full list

The UK's military role in Afghanistan since 2001 has brought with it a heavy human toll. Members of the Army, RAF, Royal Marines and special forces have lost their lives in the fight against the Taliban. Here, the BBC News website offers a look at who they were and how they died.The number of deaths stands at 453 after five British service personnel died in a helicopter crash near Kandahar air base on 26 April 2014.Read More HERE  R.I.P.

Royal Anglians In Firefight with Taliban ( Afghanistan )

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Lynx Crash dead British Servicemen Named

They are: Captain Thomas Clarke, Army Air Corps; Flight Lieutenant Rakesh Chauhan, Royal Air Force; Warrant Officer Class 2 Spencer Faulkner, Army Air Corps; Corporal James Walters, Army Air Corps and Lance Corporal Oliver Thomas, Intelligence Corps. The men were all travelling in a Lynx helicopter when it crashed in Kandahar province on Saturday 26 April, 2014. Read more HERE  R.I.P.

WITH proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

UK helicopter in fatal Afghanistan crash

Five Nato troops have been killed after a UK helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.

Officials have not confirmed the nationalities of those on board, but it is believed they are British.

The MoD said the crash is under investigation, but said enemy action is not believed to be the cause.

It is the first fatal accident involving a UK military helicopter in Afghanistan since the conflict began.

The crash happened near Kandahar air base, in Kandahar province.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We can confirm that a UK helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan today.

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Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends affected by this tragic event”

International Security Assistance Force
"The incident is under investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further until families have been notified."

BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said it is understood the helicopter was a Lynx.Read more HERE  R.I.P.


I would guess that the soldiers killed are Special Forces?

2ND SCOTS