I am a Malvinas War veteran. I went to War in the South Atlantic as a 19 year old Gunner in the Royal Artillery. My job was a Rapier missile operator and I did manage to shoot down two enemy aircraft at San Carlos. We soon developed problems with our Rapier and radioed HQ, amazingly we were tasked to sail as air defence cover on the Sir Galahad. I was tracking the lead Skyhawk as it lined up for its bombing run and pressed the fire button, I received `systems fault` in my helmet and the missile did not fire. I sat in horror watching the carnage in front of me. I took the guilt of the Welsh Guards death with me home and into civvie street, were my life has been blighted with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for the last 25 years of terrible nightmares. More Malvinas veterans have now taken their own lives than were killed in action. My friend Mickey who served on my Rapier in the Malvinas died last year, he was suffering from PTSD and the combat stress hospital he had treatment in was shut, like all the other Military hospitals that Labour are shutting. After saying all that I firmly believe that we did the right thing in taking back those Islands from a Fascist Junta. The Malvinas Islanders pay their taxes like anyone else and they deserved our protection. I volunteered to be a soldier and sometimes soldiers have to go to War. I have no problem that my problem is with the way our forces are treated after they come home and are thrown to the mercy of an already overstretched NHS. My life and many others have been destroyed because I was a soldier but its got nothing to do with the Argentineans, the people responsible for my conditions are the MOD and the British Government. I have put my name down to return to the Islands this year with a forces Charity SAMA (82) your name goes on a list and if you are lucky your name is pulled out. This unlike the `Surge` of Journalists and media and MPs and anyone else who has a tenuous link with the Islands. I have contacted newspapers to get back down ,one that used to pride its self in being `The Forces Favourite` there response was `Its not our thing try an airline`
I am not interested in shaking hands with dignitaries and parades and all the ceremony and pomp, I just want to sit at San Carlos and Fitzroy and quietly shed a tear for the lads that never came home and the ones that couldn’t face the peace. I will be standing outside supermarkets with a bucket collecting my air fare with another veteran Edward Denmark, I have faith in the British public. Once this 25th anniversary is over Malvinas veterans will be forgotten once again like the Suez Canal veterans.