Invictus Games and Dog Named Jester

Pooch SAVED war veteran and helped him compete in Invictus Games
The Daily Star UK
Ed Gleave
January 14, 2018

Jon, who took home a bronze medal last year, said: "I'm trying to push myself and see what I can achieve and that all seems a little bit easier when I've got Jester with me.

Ex-Royal Marine Jon Flint fell 30ft while abseiling during a training exercise in 1996.

It left him with a fracture in his lower spine, but because he was so fit it went undiagnosed until he left the services.

After quitting the Marines his condition got worse until he was unable to walk unaided.

That's when threeyear-old labrador Jester stepped into offer him a lifeline. Jon, a former lance corporal who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, said: "It's difficult to put into words how much difference he's made to my life and the life of my family.

"When I was in the Royal Marines I knew the guys with me always had my back. And now I know Jester has always got my back."

For three years, assistance dog Jester - featured on ITV's Britain's Favourite Dogs on Tuesday - has helped with taking out laundry, opening doors, answering the phone and picking up Jon's stick.

Jon added: "He's always with me wherever I go and he enjoys what he does for a living because he's a working dog.

"He's trained to enjoy it. He makes the things that I struggle with a lot easier."

Thanks to vital help from Jester, Jon was able to join Britain's archery squad for the Invictus Games. And while competing he became pals with its founder Prince Harry.
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UK: Afghanistan Veteran Wins Q Fever Disability Claim

Afghanistan veteran wins landmark Q fever compensation claim
The Guardian
Owen Bowcott
November 24, 2016

Ruling may pave way for MoD payouts to others affected by illness that left ex-Royal Marine Phillip Eaglesham in wheelchair

Phillip Eaglesham competed for Ireland in the Rio Paralympics.

Photograph: Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile via Getty Images

An Afghanistan war veteran who contracted Q fever has won a landmark compensation claim against the Ministry of Defence that could pave the way for payouts to others.

Phillip Eaglesham, a former Royal Marine commando corporal, contracted the chronic condition two days before he was due to return home from a tour of duty in 2010.

He developed flu-like symptoms, fatigue and sweating, which developed into muscular weakness and he is now in a wheelchair.

Eaglesham, 35, who lives with his wife and children in Taunton, Somerset, is likely to receive a significant sum in damages, possibly more than £1m. He regularly requires care to help him with needs as basic as brushing his teeth.

Q fever, caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii, is spread when spores from animals are dispersed by the wind. It was first identified in Australia in the 1930s.

Eaglesham’s lawyers argued that the MoD should have known that the infection was present in southern Afghanistan and that it could have prevented it causing serious illness.
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UK: More Afghanistan Veterans Than Iraq Veterans Have PTSD

Troops who served in Afghanistan ‘suffer more PTSD than Iraq veterans’
By WMN UK
DavidWells
Posted: July 30, 2015

Far more British troops who served in Afghanistan are seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than those who were deployed to Iraq, according to figures released by the Ministry of Defence.

For each separate deployment to Iraq, soldiers have a 40% increased risk of PTSD, but for those who went to Afghanistan there is a 270% risk, it said.

Dr Dominic Murphy, a clinical psychologist and head of research at veteran’s mental health charity Combat Stress, said the statistics were “surprising”.

“It could be because there is now more awareness and less stigma than ever before – we are also seeing a huge increase in veterans coming to us at Combat Stress with PTSD,” he said.

“In Afghanistan from 2005 onwards there was a big increase in the number of British fatalities, which could be seen as a measure of increased war fighting.

“Things got very difficult in Afghanistan, with more people getting injured or killed that could be one of the reasons why people are so badly affected now.”

Dr Murphy said he was also surprised at the fact that members of the armed forces are more likely to be assessed with a mental disorder than the general population of the UK.

The Army and Royal Marines had the highest proportion of personnel assessed with PTSD during the eight-year period, thought to be because both routinely deployed in large numbers to Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Royal Marine Sniper Has 173 Confirmed Kills

British Royal Marine is world's deadliest sniper 
Corporal reported to have recorded 173 confirmed kills during tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, putting him ahead of US Navy SEAL Chris Kyle featured in American Sniper film
Telegraph UK
By Danny Boyle, and Ben Farmer
02 Feb 2015

"The Royal Marines and Army refuse to identify snipers for fear they will become targets for Islamist revenge attacks"

A Royal Marine who has 173 confirmed kills fighting Taliban insurgents is the deadliest sniper in the world, it has been claimed.

The unnamed Marine’s toll of kills in Afghanistan surpasses that of Chris Kyle, the US Navy SEAL, whose exploits are portrayed in the Oscar-nominated film American Sniper.

The corporal, who is still serving, made the majority of his kills during a single six-month tour of Helmand province eight years ago. His actual total of kills could be far higher, sources told the Sun.

The identity of the sniper, who is a married father who grew up in the South of England, is a closely guarded secret for fear he will become a target for Islamist terrorists.

One source told the newspaper: "Only people inside the community know about his incredible contribution — but young recruits are in awe of him.

The records of both Kyle and the British sniper remain far from the numbers of kills credited to the most prolific Second World War marksmen.

Several Soviet snipers were credited with each killing more than 400 German soldiers.

Simo Häyhä, a Finnish soldier nicknamed White Death, was credited with 505 sniper kills during the Winter War of 1939 to 1940, when the Soviet Union invaded Finland.
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UK, 3 non-combat deaths in Afghanistan

Royal Marines Commando collapses and dies in Afghanistan after sudden illness
Mirror News
By Chris Hughes
25 Sep 2012

The special forces hero was rushed to a military hospital at Britain’s Camp Bastion base in Helmand Province but died

Royal Marines Commando collapses and dies in Afghanistan after sudden illness

The special forces hero was rushed to a military hospital at Britain’s Camp Bastion base in Helmand Province but died

A Royal Marine Commando has died on the Afghanistan front line following a sudden illness while fighting the Taliban.

The special forces hero was rushed to a military hospital at Britain’s Camp Bastion base in Helmand Province but died yesterday.

His devastated family and friends in the UK have been informed of the tragedy by senior officers.

It is thought he served with the elite Special Boat Service, which has played a major role in targeting the Taliban throughout the Afghan campaign, but the illness he suffered is not thought to be related to fighting the enemy.

A Ministry of Defence statement said today: “It is with great sadness that we must announce that a Royal Marine Commando died on 24 September in Afghanistan.

"His death is believed to have been from natural causes. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this very difficult time.”

Two British soldiers also died in Afghanistan last Friday and Royal Military Police believed they both killed themselves.
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UK:Marine hero, saves others and lives to tell the story

George Cross Marine would jump on hand grenade again
A Royal Marine who received the George Cross for "a supreme act of heroism" after he jumped on a hand grenade to shield his comrades says he would repeat the action again to save the lives of others.
By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
Last Updated: 9:14PM BST 23 Jul 2008
L/Cpl Matthew Croucher, 24, was described by the head of the military Sir Jock Stirrup as the "exceptional among the exceptional" for the actions which saw him receive the highest gallantry award.

His mother Margaret and father Richard, said their son's modesty meant they had only found out about the grenade incident after it appeared in the newspapers a few weeks after the incident in February.

"My reaction was 'That's simply Matthew'," his mother said. "There have been so many incidents in private life where he has always put people first."

During a covert pre-dawn patrol to investigate a Taliban bomb factory the Marine walked through a tripwire that sent a grenade rolling to the ground.

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UK:Marine died in 'unsuitable' vehicle

Marine died in 'unsuitable' vehicle
Richard Norton-Taylor The Guardian, Saturday May 3 2008

A Royal Marine killed in a gun battle in Afghanistan might have survived had more suitable armoured vehicles been available, a coroner said yesterday.

Richard Watson, 23, from Caterham, Surrey, died after he came under attack in Helmand province in December 2006. The inquest at Oxford coroner's court heard that Watson, from Plymouth-based 42 Commando, was in a Pinzgauer utility vehicle when his patrol was attacked.

Recording a verdict of unlawful killing, the coroner, Andrew Walker, said: "This vehicle was not designed to be used in a situation where there may be incoming small arms fire and as a consequence was unsuitable for this type of patrol. A request had been made for a Viking vehicle but none were available." Major Neil Sutherland, who had initiated the patrol, said that if he had had the option of using Vikings it would have been a "no brainer". He added: "But I was acutely aware that the number of Viking vehicles that were in the theatre were finite." He said: "If Marine Watson had been in a Viking vehicle in exactly the same spot with the doors closed he would not be dead today."

Asked by Walker if the Pinzgauer should have been used in areas where there was incoming fire, Nicholas Fox, a military vehicle expert, replied "no".

Watson's mother, Tania, said afterwards she hoped lessons had been learned from her son's death. "It has taken 18 long months to get this verdict and we feel that this has been unacceptably long."

A Royal Navy statement apologised for the delays in finding out exactly what had happened. It described Watson as "a natural leader who loved to be at the forefront of everything and had a determined and competitive character".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/may/03/military.afghanistan