The Book of the Poppy by Chris McNab Page A

untreated. The symptoms of this condition vary, from periodic nightmares and anxiety through to complete physical breakdown and suicidal and violent acts (such as domestic violence). The triggers are also equally varied. For some soldiers, a single horrifying incident can embed itself in the memory and only emerge, like some forgotten ghost, in later life. For other soldiers, the repeated daily grind of combat and its associated stress produce a complete and prolonged mental burnout. The psychology of PTSD was little understood after both world wars, meaning that millions of men went through the rest of their lives in torment and confusion, little understood by the society into which they were trying to reintegrate. All sides were affected by the phenomenon. Amongst German troops, for example, there were reports of up to 33 per cent of all military hospitalisations being psychological by 1944–45.
    US VETERANS STATISTICS – IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

    Today we have far better understanding of veterans’ needs, experiences and problems, but we must not be complacent. Amongst veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, rates of suicide and violence remain worryingly high in men plagued by PTSD. For example, in the United States the US Department of Veteran Affairs estimates that PTSD afflicts:

      Almost 31 per cent of Vietnam veterans
      As many as 10 per cent of Gulf War ( Desert Storm ) veterans
      11 per cent of veterans of the war in Afghanistan
      20 per cent of Iraqi war veterans

    The rates in British veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq do not appear to be quite as high, but there are still issues to be addressed. For example, a Sunday Mirror report in 2013 revealed that an estimated 9,000 military veterans were homeless on Britain’s streets, the ex-soldiers making up 10 per cent of the homeless total. Furthermore, in 2012 forty-four British soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, but fifty serving soldiers or veterans took their own lives in the same year.
    Another challenge of modern war is helping soldiers who have been injured get back into work and family life. Across the coalition forces, thousands of men and women have suffered limb amputations, head trauma or other debilitating injuries. We should never underestimate the challenges facing such people. In many cases, particularly those involving limb amputations, the wounded soldier has to adjust to an entirely new type of existence, in which simple and once-familiar physical tasks become alien and exhausting. Studies in the United States have shown that 25 per cent of combat amputees typically suffer from PTSD, and more than 35 per cent from chronic depression. Thus while mobility can usually be restored by intelligent aftercare and the application of excellent prosthetics, providing the support to get wounded soldiers back into work and society at large is expensive, time-consuming and utterly justified.
    Of course, it is not just military personnel who experience the consequences of war. For every soldier deployed, their families must also adjust to the mental hardships of not seeing a son, daughter, spouse or parent for months on end, and worrying about their exposure to danger. The families have to cope with the practical demands of separation, frequently involving money worries and the need to take over responsibilities previously performed by their partners. If a soldier returns home injured, then the family must also reconfigure their lives. If a soldier is killed, the family has to cope with both the tremendous and enduring shock of grief, together with their worries for the future.
    RESPONDING TO NEED
    As we have seen, the military community has its vulnerabilities, as well as its multitude of strengths. Yet if we look across Britain, and across history, we find plenty of encouraging examples of men, women and children who devote their time, money and energy to helping this vital sector of society. During and after the First World War, charities