The 30-year-old soldier sitting opposite me is not homeless. He has no alcohol or drug problems. He is not in debt and he enjoys physical and mental health. He didn’t come to the charity Veterans Aid to seek help, but to offer it.
Captain Edouard ‘Ed’ Plunkett (Queens Royal Lancers) – is an Army officer who has served in Cyprus, Canada, Iraq and Afghanistan. As a Troop leader and Squadron 2IC he has had responsibility for men’s lives and wellbeing. As a soon-to-be civilian he knows that a few will struggle without the structure of the service family to support them. A few more will struggle for other reasons.
Plunkett is matter of fact about what the Armed Forces offer and what frontline service in particular involves. As Second in Command, Brigade Reconnaissance Force (QRL) he has had responsibility for the career management and training of 105 officers, senior NCOs and men. Plunkett and his troop spearheaded a major offensive against the Taliban over a seven-month period. In that time he witnessed first hand the effects of IEDs, losing limbs or having them mangled beyond use. He knows how long the physical rehabilitation process takes, the seemingly endless operations, hours of physio and subsequent shuttling between medical facilities at Headley Court and Selly Oak hospital, following friends and colleagues through their recovery
Military service is not for life. At some point all servicemen and women – injured or not – find themselves out of the Armed Forces and re-branded as ‘veterans’, a label they will wear until they die. In this capacity responsibility for their wellbeing passes into the hands of the Welfare State and the 3,000 charities that offer help and support to those who have served. At the cutting edge of these is Veterans Aid.
On 31 January Plunkett plans to embark on a venture to raise fund for what he describes as ‘the welfare model for life after the Army’. At the beginning of February he will cycle from Gibraltar to Hereford, covering 1,583 miles through Spain, over the snow laden Pyrenees, up through France and more snow. He plans to take the ferry from St Malo to Portsmouth and finish at the memorial clock in 22 SAS Camp outside Hereford, in March.
So why Veterans Aid?
“It’s just the nature of the charity” says Plunkett. “The work it does is lost on most people. They think about the ‘here and now’, see the casualties of current conflicts, not the welfare of the individuals’ long term in life after service. There is publicity about PTSD – and it is a problem for some people – but case by case everyone who leaves the Army is different.”
CEO of VA Dr Hugh Milroy points out that there are more than 5 million veterans in the UK, men and women of all ages. “Most transit seamlessly from service to civilian life, but a small minority, for a variety of prosaic reasons, end up in crisis. And it’s a myth that military service actually causes subsequent misfortune.
“Life in Britain today is hard – for everyone. Veterans are not a ‘protected’ species, but they are a resilient breed with a very family ethos. And that’s what this charity is about – veteran helping veteran; with debt, relationship breakdown, mental and physical health problems, and addictions. Whatever the problem, we are here to help.”
The charity survives and flourishes because of its supporters, from ‘official’ funders like ABF-The Soldiers Charity to individuals like Ed Plunkett who learn about its work and are inspired to do something personal to contribute to it.
Plunkett’s team will include his future brother in law Rob Kendall – a civvy – and, at some stage, fitness permitting, one or two of the lower limb amputees from his unit.
“ They are still receiving treatment so we’re keeping a watching brief at the moment. The current plan is for them to join us when we cross the Channel and complete the last phase of the cycle ride to Hereford. It’s a colossal challenge but our aim is to raise £10,000 for Veterans Aid.
“On 9 May 2010 in Helmand province Sergeant Andrew ‘Mandy’ Carlton was involved in a PPIED (Pressure Plate Improvised Explosive Device) incident in which two servicemen received critical injuries. He lost his left leg below the knee and suffered extensive damage to his remaining leg. He has since taken every opportunity to overcome his disability and I would maintain that he is almost as agile as he was before his loss! We really hope he can join us.
“We think Veterans Aid is a fantastic and inspirational charity. It supports ex-servicemen and women who have fallen on hard times, and are in dire need of food, shelter, clothing, psychological support and/or stability.”
Although a fit individual, Plunkett has only recently taken up cycling and the area around his current base (Catterick, North Yorkshire) has provided excellent training facilities. “However much we train I expect the first week will be hard; that’s when we will really cut our teeth, develop sores, aches and pains. The Pyrenees will be the real challenge and it’s the obstacle that we’re most psyched up for”.
There will be no ‘soft landings’ after that though – the two men plan to camp rather than waste money on hotels, putting Plunkett’s experience as expedition leader through the Jebel Akhdar and the Wahiba Sands of Oman to good effect. “We will make the occasional ‘wash stop’ to clean up our kit though!”
His Just Giving page (http://www.justgiving.com/rocktoclock) has already attracted donations of more than £1,300 and words of encouragement from supporters.
And Plunkett’s fiancé Henrietta “Well, she’s not over the moon about this, just six weeks before the wedding, but she understands why I am doing it,” he laughs.
*Veterans Aid plans to keep in touch with Ed and Rob via email as they cover the 1,583-mile route, blogging on BFBS (http://www.bfbs.com/news/blogs/veterans-aid%E2%80%99s-blog-20133.html) and posting pictures of the pair at various stages of their journey. You can also follow their journey on Facebook and Twitter.
Donations to their Just Giving site can be made at any time. Media interviews arranged through media@veterans-aid.net or by calling Glyn Strong on 07806 920087.
A video appeal from Ed and Rob can be seen on (*To follow)