Adjustable Navy

Zero for Heroes

Although I think the term "hero" is becoming banded around far too often these days, it only seemed fitting to include it in the title of this article as it was hard to come up with something with quite the same impact that rhymed with ex-forces, veterans or service personnel.

Before I continue, allow me to point out that this article is not sour grapes or a dig at the Ministry of Defence. Far from it, for my resettlement rather than going on the usual HGV1 course, I chose to qualify in Hypnotherapy & this was paid for by the M.O.D. For that I am eternally grateful.

 

I recall the day I left the Royal Navy after nearly 8 year's service; I handed in my ID card, said goodbye to a couple of mates & then that was it.

Did I dream it all?

The social circle virtually evaporated.

The support network had certainly disappeared.

What to do now?

Almost 14 years have passed since that day & I still don't think I can honestly say that I can answer that question fully.

 

The worst thing about this dilemma is that it is one that faces most people leaving the Armed Forces.

Whenever I pose the question "did you get any help after leaving the forces?" almost without exception the typical response is hysterics. The thing is, this is not a recent problem or one confined to the U.K.

• My Granddad served in The Royal Navy during the Second World War & my Father in the British Army in the late 60's & early 70's; both smirked when I asked my question.
• A good friend who served in the RAF Regiment & was posted to the Falklands in '82 just out of training & still a young pup said that he wasn't even given an offer of counselling when he got back never mind any help when he actually left.
• Another friend served in the Royal Navy for 24 years only leaving 2 years ago, no change he reported.
• A former U.S. Marine said to me when he had finished laughing "No, no, you get no support."

I could site many more examples, but I'm certain you get the general idea by now.

 

If you look at Government statistics you will find that the percentage of people leaving the Armed Forces with a level of disability is quite small, although it is obviously a lot higher than it has been for some years & also a lot higher than we would like. For these unfortunate comrades there is quite a large (nowhere near enough) level of support.

 

So most people leave the Service reasonably intact; at least physically anyway. If they have had a full Military Career, they also have a nice little pay off to cushion the transition to Civvy Street. These people are forgotten & left to figure it all out by themselves.

"Where's the difficulty in that?" you may be thinking. "I wouldn't mind retiring at 40ish with a pension & a 5 figure sum in the bank."

If so, I'm guessing you are a civilian, so let me throw in a little simple psychology.

Although our bodies usually reach their peak of maturity in late teens, our minds take a little longer.

Most Men join the Armed Forces when Testosterone levels are at all time high & this leads to such things as aggressive competition with other males, a superiority complex & a feeling of almost invincibility (best time to send some one off to go kill or be killed for country).

Women as we know mature mentally sooner than men & so Women's reasons are usually totally different for wanting to join up & hence transition is often easier than for their male counterparts.

Life in the Armed Forces cannot be explained, it can only be experienced.

You party together, you work together, and you fight together when required. Apart from a few weeks leave, you are not going home at the end of a shift. You can't leave work behind & switch off. 24/7 365 days a year you are owned by the Crown (or Governement).

This is the environment that boys mature into men & are then are expected to just slot into the role of civilian when they are no longer required because their testosterone has halved, they understand the politics of war & are fully aware of their own mortality.

 

There are also those that leave early whilst still maturing & this group are indeed need of help with Transition as it is often this band of service leavers that can end up living on the streets, addicted to drugs or serving a Prison sentence. Once again, there are organisations to help these people after the event but surely "prevention is better than cure"?

 

So back to the forgotten majority then for whom I right this. After all the rules & orders it is quite likely that the last thing they want to do is take orders from a civvy. They may have dreams & aspirations of working for themselves.

So now, whilst adjusting to the intricacies of the new home life, they need to learn business skills. They approach one of the Veterans agencies for a little advice or support only to find they don't qualify because they have too much money in the bank at the moment.

Determined to forge ahead with their plans they fall into the trap of thinking they can do it all themselves until either they do succeed, have a "paid hobby" or end up penniless. The last group think they may qualify for some support, but no; now their pension disqualifies them.

It is now time to face the grim reality of what civvy jobs are often offered to the average Veteran whose military trade has no civilian equivalent such as:

• Missile Man
• Sonar Operator
• Infantry
• etc

"What qualifications have you got? I see, how about a security job or the Prison Service?!"

 

Is it right that so many dreams are obliterated?

Is it right that highly motivated, skilled, & hard working individuals should be offered no support & left to languish in dead end jobs?

Is it right that you have to qualify (other than having served) to get support from some of the Veterans agencies?

I'm sure that you like me would say that No this is not right,

Though I consider myself fortunate to have used my resettlement grant to further my education, which gave me many years of success as a Therapist, my transition to Civvy Street has not been an easy one. There have been some very dark times where I reached out my hand from the abyss hoping for a lifeline to prevent me from being dragged into the depths of oblivion, only to find that "I did not qualify" because of my Medical Retirement Pension.

The more I have spoken to ex-service men & women, the more apparent it has become that there is a huge chasm that needs filling when it comes to a smooth civilian transition.

 

In September 2009 I became resolute to do something about it & gave up one to one therapy to concentrate on filling part of the void. I foolishly approached one of the aforementioned agencies with my plans. Not actually seeking financial assistance I mistakenly believed they would want to support a Veteran with a plan to help other Veterans. Though proven wrong, all this did was strengthen my resolve to work on a project to help the self-employed ex-forces to be successful in business & where possible to offer advice on basic transition.

I'm certain I offer a unique perspective on the subject as someone who has served at a basic grade level & then gone on to learn the psychology of the problems (& experience many of them) that an average Veteran may encounter. I don't have all the answers but I can provide at least some pieces of the puzzle for some.

 

I feel there needs to be more dialogue between the agencies helping the forces community so that Any Service Person can contact Any one of these organisations & be assured of finding the information or help they need without having to do another entrants test.

There also needs to be more awareness made of the smaller "genuine" support groups. I was amazed at the number of them that I had never heard of when I first began my research.

It is currently fashionable to set up one of the latest "Hero" causes. From the service people I know or have talked to, this is a tag they are reluctant to wear. One of the originators of it - Help For Heroes are doing fantastic work & have great coverage in the press which is helping many who will be dependant on support for the rest of their lives.

Unfortunately this is just the latest media fad & although many of these new "Hero" groups have good intentions, they will struggle for longevity because they will rely on donations & eventually only the "Big Guns" will survive when the next trend comes along to dominate the tabloids. I sincerely hope this is not for many years to come. (If you think this is cynicism, just have a look at how many of the media hungry celebrities, politicians & businesses that are milking their share of the limelight by showing their concern. Right them down in your diary & then see how supportive they are in a couple of year's time. You'll easily spot the genuine types because they are in it for the long haul; just look at all the effort Joanna Lumley has put in on behalf of the Ghurkhas.)

 

It may falsely seem that Military People are given special treatment & have all the help they could need, but there are still thousands leaving the Services each & every year for which the reality is that when they need it; there is "Zero for Heroes".

About the Author

Stuart served in the Royal Navy from 1989 until he was medically discharged in 1996.

He qualified in Hypnotherapy & Psychotherapy for his resettlement & worked in this environment for over 13 years.

He is a "Studyaholic" on a diverse variety of subjects from Quantum Physics to Theology to Marketing.

He devotes his time to providing the information, the tools & the techniques to help people to create the kind of fulfilling & successful life they've always dreamt of.

His current project helps ex-service personnel to run their own profitable businesses & a platform from which to promote them:

www.skilledexforces.com & www.succeedafterservice.com

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