WE all owe our brave veterans a debt of gratitude, which is why the PM’s “Homes for Heroes” pledge this week won widespread praise.
All too often they feel forgotten after leaving the Armed Forces.
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SAS hero Andy McNab says much more can be done for our former troops.
Here he explains why the new ongoing support platform and app he is launching is vital.
Plenty is being said about Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge to provide housing for every struggling veteran.
But there is a sense of frustration within the military and ex-service communities that this is just one issue facing leavers and misses a much more important point.
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We hear a lot about how UK veterans are owed a debt of gratitude, yet we are once again the only Nato country that does not have a Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs.
Johnny Mercer, now a former MP, fought against his own party to establish a department in the last government that looked after the welfare of veterans.
Mercer is a combat veteran and understood their needs.
He knew that in producing excellent military personnel, the MoD also produces excellent citizens.
But now that department has been closed and, once again, veterans’ affairs is an MoD responsibility.
Veterans’ needs will be low on the MoD’s priority list because they deal with the people in the fight now, not the ones who previously fought.
But it’s pointless whingeing about it.
We need to crack on ourselves and change the narrative.
We want to make Britain the best place to be a veteran, but it is up to us to make the change.
When I left the Army after 18 years, I didn’t have a clue how to look after myself.
In the Army, so much stuff was just done for us.
Got toothache? Go to see the camp dentist.
Bust your arm? Queue up to see the doctor.
We want to make Britain the best place to be a veteran, but it is up to us to make the change
Housing, schooling, finance, career progression . . . it was all taken care of.
Which is all great — until the day you leave.
You lose a lot when you move on from the military — all of this admin and logistical detail but also, more importantly, you lose your tribe and sense of belonging.
Huge popularity
Leaving the forces can be isolating and some people fall through the gaps.
We see this in the numbers living on the streets in our cities.
That is what got a group of us veterans thinking.
What if there was a one-stop shop, an online platform that could help with all of this.
Somewhere service-leavers and their families could go to get health and wellbeing support, financial services, legal advice, exclusive rewards and benefits, and, crucially, a community.
We looked around and discovered there was nothing like this, so we decided to create it.
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WeServed is the first platform of its kind where all these services will be available in a single place, making it easier for people to find.
When we hear about veterans, most of us think of older service- leavers, but the reality is they cross all generations.
The majority of our sign-ups have been aged 35 to 50.
We’re seeing huge popularity in the health and wellbeing services.
Two thirds of veterans are accessing GPs, PTSD support, fitness classes, physio and sight tests.
And a similar number are asking for appointments with our financial advisers.
But the stand-out success has been our community section.
It is time we give these veterans and their families the guidance and support they need to re-integrate into civilian society
We’ve got veterans reconnecting with comrades they had lost touch with, discussing current affairs and military news, and enjoying a sense of being part of something again.
It is time we give these veterans and their families the guidance and support they need to re-integrate into civilian society.
This means access to services and support, but also — perhaps most importantly — a sense of being part of something again.