Is Prince Harry Wrong on PTSD Medal?

Prince Harry is wrong to back call for all wounded troops to get new medal
Mirror UK
Rachael Bletchly
September 3, 2016

Rachael Bletchly writes for the Sunday People that, instead of gongs, our wounded deserve the best ­possible support when they leave the forces – medical and social care, housing and jobs

So a “wounded warrior” medal would surely be highlighting victimhood rather than extraordinary heroism.

Prince Harry is a champion of wounded troops

Since leaving the Army after ten years’ service Prince Harry has proved to be an admirable champion of our wounded ­military personnel.

His Invictus Games are inspiring, showing what servicemen and women can achieve despite appalling injuries.

And he’s joined forces with Michelle Obama and ex-President George Bush to highlight the ­hidden scars of post-traumatic stress disorder.

But now Harry is ­backing calls for ALL British troops who are wounded in action to be awarded a special medal, like the US Purple Heart.

Here in Blighty, cases of PTSD ­continue to rise – and the charity Combat Stress is worried.

Its medical director said recently: “It’s the tip of the iceberg. And if it is a big iceberg, we are going to be overwhelmed. We need funds, we need help, from any direction.”

So before we start handing out medals to our wounded warriors, let’s ­concentrate on helping those whose wounds still need tending.

Isn’t that a better way to honour them?
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Charities Sensationalizing PTSD For More Donations?

Gee do you think the same thing is going on here? Exactly how does talking about an issue like PTSD help anyone unless they actually start talking about what will make lives better?

There has been so much BS in the US, UK, Australia and Canada about PTSD Awareness for so long now that if someone is not aware of what it is, then they never will be. What I really want to know is, why do they need so much money to talk about a problem or deserve the money when they are not doing anything to actually address the problem? Any clue? Considering work on PTSD and our veterans started over 40 years ago, none of this is new but they act like they just discovered it. They sure as hell haven't cured it.

Military charities accused of sensationalizing post-combat stress to get more donations
Civil Society UK
Fundraising
Hugh Radojev
2 Sep 2016

A spokeswoman for Walking with the Wounded said that Parker’s comments were supported by the rest of the organisation. She also said that he made the comments because he wanted the whole military charity sector to be more “transparent and open” with the public.

The chief executive of Walking with the Wounded has told The Times that some military charities “sensationalize” the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on returned veterans in order to raise more money from the public.

Ed Parker, chief executive of Walking with the Wounded, is quoted in an article in The Times today saying that military charities are exaggerating the problem of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in returned veterans in order to continue raising money from the public.

In The Times' piece, Parker said that the way PTSD is being used by military charities to raise funds has gotten “out of hand” and could be disguising the fact that many veterans are suffering from other issues, such as alcoholism and anxiety. The chief executive of the charity, which runs expeditions with Prince Harry and supported over 600 veterans last year, said that military organisations know that the “PTSD label has become one that is very engaging… You are always going to slightly sensationalise how you fundraise.
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Combat Stress Forced To Make Cuts Over Donor Fatigue?

Veterans left in cold by ‘donor fatigue’
Sunday Times UK
Andrew Gilligan
August 28, 2016

Thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other problems are to be “abandoned” by Britain’s main mental health charity for ex-service personnel.

Military veterans say that Combat Stress provides a unique service

Combat Stress is to close its welfare service and make its welfare officers redundant in a move affecting up to 3,000 traumatised veterans. The charity says the cuts have been forced on it by “donor fatigue” and falling income.

Welfare officers at Combat Stress say they are the only regular point of contact for many mentally ill veterans, visiting, talking to and helping them access non-medical services such as housing, benefits and work.
read more here


Gee this makes sense,,,not. In the last decade all the new charities are getting all the attention, and money, for the new generation, but it is the older ones taking care of all generations of veterans being left behind.

Combat Stress History
We were founded in May 1919, just after the First World War. Our original name was the Ex-Servicemen's Welfare Society and we opened our first "recuperative home" in 1920 on Putney Hill in South West London.

Law Firm Targeting British Troops Closed Down

Defeat of Iraq War vultures: Victory for the Mail as legal firm that spent taxpayer millions hounding our troops closes down
Daily Mail
By LARISA BROWN DEFENCE
CORRESPONDENT FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED:14 August 2016

After being stripped of public money Public Interest Lawyers will close Hundreds of soldiers will now escape a taxpayer-funded witch-hunt Nearly 200 compensation claims made by suspected Iraqi insurgents These will now be thrown out and other potential claims will be scrapped

A British soldier escapes his Warrior armoured vehicle after it was petrol-bombed in Basra during the Iraq War (file photo)

A legal firm that spent a decade hounding British troops is to shut down.

After being stripped of public money Public Interest Lawyers will close at the end of this month.

Hundreds of service personnel will now escape being dragged into a taxpayer-funded witch-hunt.

Nearly 200 compensation claims made by suspected Iraqi insurgents will be thrown out and more than 1,000 potential claims scrapped. Phil Shiner, who ran PIL, may now face charges because the National Crime Agency is investigating the law firm.

The development is a victory for the Daily Mail, which has exposed the tactics of the ambulance-chasing solicitors. These include using touts to drum up business in Iraq in breach of legal rules.
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UK: Soldier Left For Dead By Hit and Run Driver, Caught on Film

Soldier ‘left for dead’ after being hit by overtaking car 
METRO UK 
Richard Hartley-Parkinson 
20 Jul 2016

‘It’s disgusting that the driver wouldn’t even stop to check on me. For all they know, I could be dead right now." Patrick Casey,

A soldier had a lucky escape when he was hit by a car while trying to overtake two cars. Patrick Casey, 24, pulled out to pass the vehicles but the car in front of him moved out at the same time. He was then hit by the Volkswagen Passat while riding at 60mph sending him flying onto the road in Howden, East Yorkshire.

Incredibly he walked away with just whiplash and bruising but the car driver carried on. Mr Casey, who had just returned from a tour of Kenya, was being followed by his father Shaun who filmed the incident while on their way to a charity ride.
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UK:Chilcot Report On Iraq War Due To Be Released

Jeremy Corbyn Labour coup designed to stop him 'calling for Tony Blair's head' after Chilcot report, says Alex Salmond
'It would be a mistake to believe that Chilcot and current events are entirely unconnected. The link is through the Labour Party'
Independent
Ashley Cowburn Political Correspondent
July 4, 2016


Alex Salmond has appeared to suggest the internal Labour party coup against Jeremy Corbyn is connected with the publication of the long-awaited Chilcot report into the Iraq war.

His comments come just three days before the publication of the inquiry into the 2003 Iraq war. Earlier reports have suggested Mr Blair, the former Prime Minister, and his contemporaries will be savaged in an “absolutely brutal” verdict.

In an article for the Herald, the former Scottish First Minister wrote: “It would be a mistake to believe that Chilcot and current events are entirely unconnected. The link is through the Labour Party”

“I have been puzzling as to exactly why the Parliamentary Labour Party chose this moment to launch their coup against Jeremy Corbyn and just what explains the desperation to get him out last week. It can hardly be because of a European referendum where [Mr] Corbyn’s campaigning, although less than energetic, was arguably more visible than that of say the likely big political winner Teresa May?”
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From The Guardian
Tony Blair faces calls for impeachment on release of Chilcot report

The Chilcot report is due to be released on Wednesday 6 July.

Photograph: Chris Jackson/PA

“The reason is 179 British war dead, 150,000 immediate dead from the Iraq conflict, the Middle East in flames, the world faced with an existential crisis on terrorism – these are just some of the reasons perhaps he should understand why people don’t hold him in the highest regard."

“[MPs] believe you cannot have a situation where this country blunders into an illegal war with the appalling consequences and at the end of the day there isn’t a reckoning. There has to be a judicial or political reckoning for that.”

It means individual soldiers could be prosecuted for war crimes but not Blair.

The ICC, based in The Hague, has begun a preliminary examination of claims of torture and abuse by British soldiers, after receiving a dossier from human rights lawyers acting for alleged Iraqi victims.

UK Navy Veteran Standoff With Police

Combat caused PTSD does not just happen here in the US. It happens to humans no matter what country they serve to defend. Civilians benefit from what they fought for in order to have this wound treated. After all, Trauma is Greek for wound. It is something that happened to them and they survived. It is an ancient wound. It has been described in some of the first printed words including the pages of the Bible, especially within the Psalms of David.

What has never been explained is, how is it that most humans know so little about it when everyone seems to be talking about it?

There are far too many claiming they are raising awareness about PTSD and suicides yet none of them have the ability to truly do anything to change what has been happening. Why? Simply because they do quick searches, find the number "22" and never bother to do anymore research. How important is it when they can't even bother to invest the time in understanding it? They are unprepared and the results show how little they actually know.

When asked simple basic questions they should have known before they even began to publicize themselves, they give the wrong answers. When asked if they are prepared for an encounter with a veteran in crisis, they have not even thought about it. They are not ready to make anything better or help a veteran when they are losing everything in the process.

They will talk about PTSD but never mention what comes with it when normal life happens to deliver more trauma. It happened in the UK with a standoff between a veteran and police officers.

Chris Taylor, prosecuting, said Emerson’s mental health issues were compounded by the break-up of his marriage.

He said: “Added to these problems was that he lived next door to his ex mother-in-law. His ex-wife would still attend at the property with her new partner and children.

“All these circumstances added together to provide a very tense situation.”

PTSD is followed by a series of misfortunate events because they did not get the proper help. That is what everyone needs to know in all of this. So when do we start to make surviving be more of a blessing instead of it feeling like a curse?

Former Navy officer threatened to shoot police during armed siege in “suicide by cop” attempt
Mirror UK
BY NEIL DOCKING
4 JUN 2016

Neil Emerson threatened to shoot police during a five-hour armed siege in a “suicide by cop” attempt

An ex-Royal Navy officer wearing a gas mask and threatened to shoot police during a five-hour armed siege in a “suicide by cop” attempt.

Neil Emerson, who was suffering post traumatic stress disorder, brandished an axe after calling officers to his home in Waterloo, Merseyside, at around 5.30pm on March 7 this year, the Liverpool Echo reported.

Liverpool Crown Court heard he yelled: “I’m wearing Kevlar so you will have to shoot me in the head when you come in here to get me.”

He then shouted: “I’ve got an SLR [self-loading rifle] and I’m going to take potshots at you – you won’t even see it coming.”

Emerson had earlier dialled 999 and told an operator: “I’ve set the house up. I’m ready for youse. Come and get me. I’m going to kill youse.”

The 52-year-old, of Oxford Drive, added: “You’ve got my number, you’ve got my name, so come and get me. Tell them to come in heavy.”
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UK Veterans Families Radio Focus on PTSD Has Listeners From Around The World

Hard work pays off for radio station dedicated to veterans
Windsor and Eton Express
Written by Tara O'Connor
14 May 2016

A veteran’s hard work has propelled a specialist radio station to listeners around the world.

Tom Mcgreevy, 66, is the radio station manager of Veterans Families Radio.

The station was initially set up by Lawrence Ibbotson, 63, from Scunthorpe in 2014.

It was a small operation gathering about 20 listeners a day and Tom, who lives off Tinkers Lane, was involved from the start.

In September, Tom, who served in the Royal Corps of Signals from 1972 to 1984, teamed up with Lawrence on a full time basis and decided to set up a website for the radio show.

His input paid off with the station reaching 20,000 listeners in April - its most ever.

Lawrence, who was in the Sherwood Foresters Regiment from 1969 until 1984, said Tom’s work has been ‘absolutely fantastic’.

“Things have just taken off like I can’t believe, I’d say 90 per cent of it is because of the things Tom has done,” he said. “I think it is one of the biggest military sites for veterans there is.”
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UK Walter Mitty Hunters Catch Fraud Before Invictus Games

Ex-soldier lied about being blown up by a bomb so he could 'look more of a catch' to women
Telegraph UK
Lydia Willgress
12 MAY 2016

Lorraine Richardson, whose son Matthew, 26, suffered severe injuries after a landmine explosion in Helmand seven years ago, told the Daily Record: "He should have admitted that this was all lies long before now.

A former soldier has admitted he lied about surviving a suicide attack carried out by a child in Afghanistan so he could "look more of a catch" to women.

Broxburn veteran Danny Hutchison returns from the 2015 Warrior Games in America lifting a bronze medal for British Armed Forces team. CREDIT: WEST LOTHIAN COURIER

Danny Hutchison told people he had been on a tour in the north of the country in 2008 when he was blown up by a bomb planted by a 12-year-old with a wheelbarrow.

The 43-year-old, from West Lothian, Scotland, posted pictures of a real attack to strengthen his story and was due to compete in the Invictus Games, a competition founded by Prince Harry for wounded servicemen and women, before he withdrew, citing health reasons.

His lies were uncovered in a blog post on The Walter Mitty Hunters Club - a website dedicated to exposing people who pose as soldiers - after a "concerned member of a well-known charity" tipped them off.
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UK Veteran Competing in Invictus Games Swimming After Bomb Blast

Ex-soldier who shattered his arm in Afghanistan set to take on Invictus Games this weekend
Coventry Obserer UK
Shaun Reynolds
May 5, 2016

A FORMER soldier whose arm was left shattered when an explosive device was activated by the Taliban will represent his country this weekend at the Invictus Games in Orlando.

James McGill will compete in the 100 metres, discus and swimming events at this year’s games which start on Sunday (May 8) and run until Thursday (May 12).

The 26-year-old, who works for Jaguar Land Rover, will take part in his first Invictus Games – seven years after joining the army in 2009.

James, from Coventry, received multiple shrapnel and exit wounds to his arms and legs – resulting in nerve reconstruction in his left forearm with the addition of a titanium plate and pins to support bone structure.

Following the success of the inaugural event in London two years ago, this year’s games will see 500 competitors compete from 15 nations across ten sports including wheelchair rugby, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis.

Mr McGill told The Observer he feels more confident in his ability on track than in the pool.

The inspirational athlete has always made sport a key aspect of his life and took part in multiple events before joining the army as a teenager.
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Military Cross Afghanistan Veteran Says PTSD Veterans Left to Struggle

Suffolk Military Cross winner’s anger at MoD over treatment of PTSD war veterans
UK East Anglian
Colin Adwent
April 2016

Combat no longer involves the Iraq and Afghanistan veteran putting himself in mortal danger.

It now reflects the 41-year-old’s daily struggle with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The ex-Royal Irish Regiment Colour Sergeant, who lives in the Woodbridge area with his wife and five-year-old son, served his country for almost 20 years. He was awarded the Military Cross for risking his own life to protect comrades in Iraq.

But he feels he, and many others like him, are being treated shamefully by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Mr Coult is scathing in his condemnation over the help those with PTSD receive.

Mentally fragile, they return to civilian life haunted by flashbacks, frayed nerves and financial pressures.

For a few it is too much and they take their own lives. Others end up homeless or in prison. Relationships break down. Drugs or alcohol become a source of self-medicating comfort.

Mr Coult believes the MoD casts off many veterans too cheaply by giving them a few thousand pounds as an interim payment, with a proviso their cases will be reviewed in two years.
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RAF veteran beaten up by thug after others had chance to save him

RAF veteran beaten up by thug who broke into his home was murdered by the same man hours later after police assumed they were friends and left them alone together
Daily Mail
Amie Gordon
April 15, 2016

Christopher Fields, 37, was beaten to death by Joe Hasledine, 24,
Police officers were called to reports of a violent burglary at his home
They found the victim with blood on his face but left him with the murderer
Thug wrongly held Mr Fields responsible for his dog being put down
Hasledine jailed for life with minimum recommendation to serve 16 years
Mr Fields had been awarded medals following tours in Iraq and Afghanistan

Christopher Fields (pictured) was falsely accused of having Joe Hasledine's dog put to sleep after it mauled another dog outside his apartment

An RAF veteran who was attacked in his own home by an intruder was murdered by the same man just two hours later - after police left them alone together.

Officers had found Christopher Fields, 37, with blood on his face when they were called to reports of a violent burglary at his home.

While two constables quizzed Mr Fields about the break-in, culprit Joe Hasledine, 24, returned to the scene.

However officers left the two men together in the mistaken belief the pair were friends - leaving Hasledine, who had been on a cocaine-fuelled drink and drugs binge, to beat Mr Fields to death.
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WWI Battle of The Somme Chronicle of PTSD

How shell-shock shaped the Battle of the Somme
The Telegraph UK
Taylor Downing
16 APRIL 2016

'The dreams sir, I dare not go to sleep because I dream so of…’

A shell shock victim staggers back from the front and needs help to work.

CREDIT: IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM

Private Arthur Hubbard, a clerk from Streatham in south London, went over the top at 7.30am on 1 July 1916, the bloody first day of the Battle of the Somme. What he experienced over the next few hours changed him forever. He and his unit, the 14th London, a Pals Battalion, got into the German lines that morning.

They had orders not to take prisoners. When three wounded Germans, badly bleeding, emerged from a dugout Hubbard finished them off. Then a British officer was shot by a sniper as he stood by him. Later that afternoon as he withdrew to the British lines, a mass of soil from a nearby shell buried him. His mates eventually dragged him out and back into the lines.

Hubbard’s family next heard from him in a convalescence hospital in Ipswich. He told his mother not to worry, that he was a bit shaky and suffering from 'severe headaches’ but otherwise he was fit and well and would make a quick recovery. Unfortunately Private Hubbard did not recover.

If the daytime was bad enough, at night it grew even worse. Victims would whisper to Steadman, 'The dreams sir, I dare not go to sleep because I dream so of…’ and he would describe the horrific sights he has witnessed, of mates being blown to pieces alongside, of being buried under debris during one of the massive bombardments.

The worst thing for Steadman was having to send the men back to the front when they seemed to have calmed down. He wrote: 'You cannot help them long, just a few days and then back they must go. If they were kept long the hospital would be absolutely crowded out. There would be no men to fight.’
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Youngest British Soldier to Serve in Afghanistan, Killed Back Home

Youngest British soldier to serve in Afghanistan 'was killed while home on leave when he was attacked by drunken thugs who shook hands with each other after leaving him to die in the street'
Daily Mail UK
By SAM TONKIN FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 08:33 EST, 12 April 2016

The youngest British soldier to serve in Afghanistan was killed on leave in his home town by vodka-swigging thugs who shook hands after leaving him to die in the street, a court has heard. 

Serviceman Dave Curnow, 20, died during an alcohol-fuelled attack that was totally without provocation, a jury was told.

The victim was posted to Helmand province in March 2013 just days after turning 18 and survived a six-month tour that included several firefights with the Taliban.

But when he returned home Mr Curnow was killed while catching up with friends on a night out in Redruth, Cornwall, after he was brutally attacked outside a takeaway.

Liam Laing, 21, of Chacewater, Cornwall, has already admitted killing the brave serviceman.
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Iraq Veteran Received "George Medal" From Prince Charles Left Homeless

Iraq war hero who sleeps in car after suffering PTSD slams lack of support from army
Mirror UK
BY JOHN SCHEERHOUT
7 APR 2016

Decorated veteran Daniel Smith, 31, says he has been let down after his discharge on medical grounds three years ago

A war hero who is sleeping in his car while battling post traumatic stress disorder has slammed the lack of support he has received.

Decorated Iraq veteran Daniel Smith, 31, from Rochdale, described his 3 Series BMW as ‘a little mobile house’.

He takes his car onto the moors above the town to surf the internet on his tablet and even takes a quilt to sleep there to get away from people, the Manchester Evening news reported .

“I find it a bit depressing but I’d rather be alone to be honest,” said Daniel, who claims he has been let down by the army after his discharge on medical grounds three years ago.

The former fusilier was diagnosed with PTSD after his patrol was blown up by a roadside bomb in Basra in 2005.

He was handed the George Medal, second only to the Victoria Cross, by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace in 2013.
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US Marine Dog Receives High UK Award After 400 Missions

Bomb sniffer dog earns animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross
UK Evening Standard
Lizzie Edmonds
April 5, 2016

PDSA Dicken Medal: Since the introduction of the medal in 1943 it has been awarded to 31 dogs, 32 Second World War messenger pigeons, three horses and one cat.

A military dog who lost a leg when sniffing out a roadside bomb has been awarded the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross after serving in more than 400 missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lucca receiving her award (Jeremy Selwyn)

Lucca, a 12-year-old German Shepherd, served in the US Marine Corps for six years, protecting the lives of troops by sniffing out munitions.

Her efforts were awarded with the PDSA Dickin Medal, the highest award for animals serving in military conflict.

Lucca is the 67th animal to be honoured in this way and the first US Marine Corps dog to receive the medal.

There were no human casualties during any of her patrols but, in 2012, she lost her leg and suffered chest burns after discovering a home-made bomb in Afghanistan and retired.
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UK Veteran's Charity Took on PTSD in 1972

Post Traumatic Stress - and what a charity decided to do about it in 1972
By Staffordshire Newsletter
Posted: April 03, 2016

The association housed single homeless people referred to them by welfare bodies, the probation service and hospitals, but many of the "guests" were men suffering from the long-term after-effects of wartime stress.

SOME soldiers returning from the First World War complained about being unnerved and ill at ease after being faced with constant bombardment and witnessing the most dreadful sights imaginable to humankind.

Medics often called the condition "shell shock" the resulting stress of being in quagmire trenches and never knowing whether they would live to see the end of the day.

The phrase post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been in use since the 1980s but in reality it is a condition known to mankind since the beginning of time though one has to admit that the reasons for its diagnosis grow year by year.

The Second World War, the Korean War, the troubles in Northern Ireland, 9/11, conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have all taken their toll on people experiencing the most unimaginable stress.
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Just because you didn't know about it did not mean it wasn't happening. I am with Point Man International Ministries and it started in 1984 working with veterans as well as families to help them heal PTSD. After all, it was happening to us as well. No wound of war is new!

US Marine Standing Tall Inspires Prince Harry

Standing tall, the 'incredible' amputee marine who inspires Prince Harry 
The Telegraph 
By Gordon Rayner 
27 Mar 2016 

US marine Kirstie Ennis was sent messages by Prince Harry as she fought back from a life-threatening infection following the amputation of her leg.

Prince Harry has saluted the “absolutely incredible” courage of his friend Kirstie Ennis after the US marine fought back from a life-threatening infection following the amputation of her leg.

Miss Ennis, 25, shared pictures on social media showing her standing on her new prosthetic limb in the spring sunshine and posing for modelling shots as she said she was “so thankful for the world around me”.

The Prince boosted her recovery by sending her messages in hospital and is now hoping she will be well enough to compete in the Invictus Games in Florida in May, the Paralympic-style event he launched two years ago.
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PTSD: "It's like a tornado going through a quiet town."

Living with post traumatic stress – a Hull soldier's story
By Hull Daily Mail
Posted: March 25, 2016

The condition's impact on his day-to-day life has been wide and varied. He suffers from flashbacks, sleeplessness and occasional involuntary fits of rage. . he says, trying to explain its nature.

SCOTT Moore's voice trembles slightly as he describes an ordeal that began almost two decades ago.

The 42-year-old from west Hull is a former soldier in the Yorkshire Regiment who served in Bosnia and Northern Ireland in the 1990s and he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

It is a condition that has cost him two marriages, a livelihood and even his enjoyment of New Year's Eve.

Even more seriously, in November 2014, it led to him attempting to take his own life.

"I'd just had enough," he says. "I went and got the drugs I needed – I knew exactly what I was doing and what it would take to kill me."

Indeed, as doctors would tell him later, he had taken enough medication to kill ten men.

But he did wake up, and was informed by medics at Hull Royal Infirmary that his lengthy prescription of drugs to heal his physical pain had saved him.

"Because I was taking so many painkillers I'd become immunised to them," Scott says.

Scott is far from alone in his suffering. A report commissioned by veterans' charity Help For Heroes last November estimated more than 61,000 former soldiers suffer from mental health problems after they leave the Forces.

It was the second time Scott had attempted to take his own life. The first had been in 1998 when he was still serving. Within a year he left active service.
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UK Fraud Duped Veterans Charity Caught By Walter Mitty Hunters Club

Ex-soldier who lied about fighting in Afghanistan duped veterans' charity who gave him place in street transformed by William and Harry on DIY SOS
Daily Mail 
By POPPY DANBY FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 07:21 EST, 20 March 2016

Princes Harry and William helped out on BBC One's DIY SOS last October as they worked to build homes for ex-servicemen

Serviceman went AWOL for two years but never deployed to Afghanistan
Charity says it is indicative of a greater problem amongst veterans in need
Giles is due to move out this week to a one-bed flat elsewhere

An ex-soldier who lied about fighting in Afghanistan tricked a charity into giving him a home on the veteran's street transformed by Princes William and Harry on DIY SOS. Aiden Giles, 27, claimed to be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after coming back from Afghanistan.

As a result, Giles played a part in the BBC programme, which was broadcast last October, and even moved in to a renovated house on the Manchester street.

Instead, defence sources revealed that when Giles's unit moved to the Hyde Park barracks in central London, he went absent without leave (AWOL) for two years.

It is suspected that he had gone to the Greek island of Zante, where his mother was living.

On top of this, during a spell in military custody he was released from the army but struggled to cope with civilian life and became homeless.

Giles's DIY SOS fraud was first exposed in December by The Walter Mitty Hunters Club.
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