The myth of the damaged veteran

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Unpopular wars such as Iraq and Afghanistan have led Brits to have a negative perception of veterans.

Lieutenant General Richard Nugee slammed research findings that over half of people think ex-service veterans are likely to be suicidal, homeless, jobless, in prison or having mental health problems.

A TOP general yesterday blasted fake myths that veteran troops are “damaged” by loyal service.

Some misguided charity campaigns - plus unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - have left many fearing Our Boys and Girls are more likely to be suicidal, jobless, homeless, in prison or suffering mental health woes.

But top officer Lieutenant General Richard Nugee, Chief of Defence People, responsible for 3m serving and former forces and civilian defence personnel said: “We produce some fantastic veterans.

“And yet the general public thinks that the majority come out mentally or physically injured and that is doing us damage.

“That is wrong.

“If we paint all our people as victims or we paint them unduly as heroes then we are fighting against a losing cause.

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Lieutenant General Richard Nugee said the public need to stop viewing all veterans as victims

“People will assume if they are victims they are all damaged – which just ain’t true.”

Lt Gen Nugee - effectively a turbo charged military Human Resources Director - said a minority needed genuine care, and he is determined they get it.

But the needs of the few had skewed views of the many, he warned.

He offered his voice to a chorus now urging the nation to rethink the way they view veterans.

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Research showed half of Brits think veterans are likely to suffer with mental health, homelessness and be in jail

He is backed by official new analyses by the Office of National Statistics which smash the idea, showing veterans are just as likely to be in work as the general population, with 78 per cent of veterans in employment, compared to 79 per cent for the public.

The figures, released this week also indicate there were no differences in reported health concerns between veterans and the wider public.

Plus veterans are just as likely to have a qualification and just as likely to own their own home.

Figures for mental health problems are also broadly in line with the rest of the nation.

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Official statistics show that veterans are just as likely to be employed as non-serving citizens

Despite that, a separate study by Lord Ashcroft said 54 per cent of the public thought service leavers had some kind of physical or mental health issue because of the military.

When in fact, veterans are less likely to commit suicide than members of the public, less likely to go to prison and the vast majority lead proactive, healthy lives.

His comments come as the Armed Forces Covenant and Veterans Board met for the first time on Thursday.

The new ministerial board - co-chaired by Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon - will meet twice a year and ensure every Government department is doing their bit to ensure veterans don’t miss out because they served.

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Other research also shows that veterans are less likely to be suicidal or suffer with mental health issues.