COMMENT: They put their lives on the line for us all

The intro paragraph on 9 today says it all: '˜They're willing to give their lives to defend the nation. But as a society we are becoming shamefully dismissive of our youngest military veterans.'

The intro paragraph to our story says it all: ‘They’re willing to give their lives to defend the nation. But as a society we are becoming shamefully dismissive of our youngest military veterans.’

It’s still hard to fathom just why our soldiers feel so let down when you thought things might have progressed since the old adage: ‘homes fit for heroes’ coined by then prime minister David Lloyd George towards the end of the First World War.

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Sadly, a lot of our veterans – both male and female – still feel ‘dishonoured’ in civvy life.

Every year in the lead-up to the numerous Remembrance memorial events, The News receives lots of letters from those who wonder why the Korean War (1950-53) is an ‘almost forgotten’ war.

They were all (and are) willing to lay down their lives to protect us all.

Shocking figures also paint a dismal picture with 87 per cent of veterans saying they struggled financially, with one-in-five ex-military households surviving on an average income of £7,500 a year.

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So, no matter which side of the political divide you are on, let us all hope that Stephen Morgan, Portsmouth South MP, can escalate matters for the good of all of our military personnel – veterans, serving or thinking of joining up – as he says: ‘I’m hugely worried about the research findings by SSAFA and I will be taking it up in parliament to make sure our veterans are given the support they need.’

And more good news in that an innovative project led by charity Forgotten Veterans is looking to provide a retreat for suffering veterans at Fort Cumberland.

There’s one in the Falkland Islands – Liberty Lodge – so it’s nigh on time there was one here in our neck of the woods too.