‘Psychological support was seen as a sign of weakness.’ ibid.
In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. Citizen Gangster 2011 starring Scott Speedman & Kelly Reilly & Kevin Durand & Joseph Cross & Brendan Fletcher & Charlotte Sullivan & Melanie Scrofano & Brian Cox et al, opening quote Jose Narosky
Plans to put more part-time soldiers on the front line. And what happens when they return to civvy street. Tonight: New Model Army, ITV 2013
Training alongside Territorial Army recruits. ibid.
You can get five TA soldiers for the price of one full-time regular soldier. ibid.
A massive Territorial Army recruitment drive is under way. ibid.
‘Your training was deficient. You should not have been deployed without further training.’ ibid. Assistant Judge Advocate General Paul Camp
A doubling in the number of reserves could see a lot more Post Traumatic Stress but the government says it is addressing the issue. ibid.
In the 1990s thousands of young people came to Deepcut to learn to be soldiers. Four of them would die here in mysterious circumstances. Today a coroner said one – Cheryl James – had taken her own life. After twenty years recruits are speaking out about a culture of bullying and abuse. Deepcut: The Army’s Shame, BBC 2016
There was a wider culture of brutality at the base. ibid.
Cheryl: she’d died from a single bullet wound to the head. ibid.
‘You still hear those stories today – this sexualised culture remains entrenched and a very difficult problem with the army.’ ibid.
We cannot know the full extent of bulling and sexual assault at the base or other army facilities. ibid.
These men are here to learn how to kill. Many are still teenagers and have never lived away from home. They are about to begin the Parachute Regiment’s elite 28-week recruitment course: it’s the most brutal test of body and mind in the British army. The Paras: Men of War I, ITV 2018
Catterick Barracks, north Yorkshire: The platoon leaves the barracks for the first time to begin the very basics of being a paratrooper. ibid.
‘My body: I just don’t feel it’s ready yet.’ The Paras: Men of War II, recruit
As part of removing their civilian identity they’ve all been given the name Joe. ibid.
‘It’s the hardest training you can do. I want a bit of that.’ ibid. recruit
For the next month the physical training is intensified. This stage is called Beat Up. ibid.
Just 13 of the original 40 have made it to the end. ibid.
Private Kojo-Braima was given a second chance in a new platoon. He’s now made it to week 20 of a 28 week course. The Paras: Men of War III
Private Kojo-Braima passed the Paras’ training course winning the prize for best endeavour. ibid.
This is the one best omen, to fight in defence of one’s country. Homer, The Iliad
I don’t want any fuss. I just want to be like an ordinary sergeant. John le Mesurier as Sergeant Wilson, Dad’s Army
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that seven Royal Marines have been arrested on suspicion of murder in Afghanistan. War and Justice: The Case of Marine A, Channel 4 2022
It’s looks to be a cold-blooded shooting. ibid.
The sergeant, known only as Marine A throughout the trial, is the only UK serviceman to have faced such a charge of murder. ibid.
Al Blackman has been in prison for five months. An appeal has reduced his sentence from ten to eight years. But he remains a convicted killer. ibid.
A Shameful Injustice: Mail fights to overturn conviction of Marine give life for ‘murdering Taliban in the heat of battle as shocking flaws in his trial are revealed’. ibid. Daily Mail headline
Two years after Al Blackman is imprisoned a second appeal is launched to free him. ibid.
This is believed to be the first time an adjustment disorder diagnoses has been associated with the killing of an enemy. ibid.
Most of these who are thrust into combat soon find it impossible to maintain the mythic perception of war. Chris Hedges, War is Force that Gives Us Meaning