Wales:PTSD, TBI, AWOL trooper charged and discharged

Wales
Trooper Craig diagnosed with post-traumatic strees
Mar 31 2008 by Hywel Trewyn, Daily Post

TROOPER Craig Roberts was already suffering from the stresses of war before the bomb exploded.

He had first gone to Iraq with the First Queen’s Dragoon Guards in April 2006.

In September of that year, after serving five months, he went home on leave to Porthmadog.

He became distressed and begged his mum to help him – saying he did not want to go back.

Wendy called Army welfare officers who promised Craig would be assessed in the battalion’s base in Germany. In fact, he was flown back to Iraq.

A fortnight later, Craig was serving as a gunner on an armoured vehicle when the roadside bomb went off.

After treatment at a Birmingham hospital, Craig was advised to go to Hedley Court, London, which specialises in head injuries, but was never referred there by his regiment.

Instead he returned to Porthmadog where he developed behavioural problems and his heavy drinking landed him in trouble with the police.

He smashed up his mum’s home, including every photograph of himself in Iraq, and was verbally abusive towards his family.

Wendy said: “He couldn’t cope with what he’d gone through. He was virtually dumped in Porthmadog by the Army and didn’t get the help he needed.”

After drinking continuously for days Craig ended up owing over £1,000 in fines mainly for being drunk and disorderly.

Last year, while on leave, a local doctor who had cared for Craig after his accident in Iraq wrote him a sick note covering him until March 5 which was faxed through to his regiment but the Army refused to recognise it.

Craig was arrested for being Awol on March 3, 2007 and was escorted on to a plane at Manchester airport.

In Germany Craig had his Awol hearing and was sentenced to eight days jail and an administrative discharge.

The day after he had an appointment regarding his head injuries and his right for compensation.

Last year an Ysbyty Gwynedd psychiatrist found Craig had post traumatic stress disorder.
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Does any nation get this right? Is any nation able to learn what justice is when it comes to those who serve their nation? They take a human, send them into the abnormal traumatic world of combat and then expect them to come away the same way they went in. Shame! Shame on them and shame on all the nations allowing this kind of treatment to those who serve in the military. For heaven's sake, they have history books a lot older than the US does. Do they ever read them? Do they ever read the stories of wars and what it did to the people who fought them?