Andi
10-02-04, 01:52 PM
By Antony Stone
02 October 2004
The grieving parents of a soldier who killed himself while on leave from Iraq called yesterday for conflict counselling for all returning troops.
Pte Gary Boswell, 20, was found hanging at a playground near his home in Milford Haven, west Wales, in July. An inquest at Milford Haven last week recorded a verdict of suicide after hearing how he was found hanging from swings at a town play area.
He had joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers as a teenager in 2002 and had since taken up duties in Iraq. His parents, John and Sarah Boswell, who also have three daughters, said Gary had been depressed on returning home but had not spoken of his experiences. They have no idea what drove their only son to take his life but feel it may have been because he felt unable to talk about Iraq.
"I do believe soldiers, particularly young ones like my son, should get counselling as a matter of course when they return on leave," said Mrs Boswell. "We cannot know what they see and experience in Iraq and we never suspected how deeply he had been touched.
A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "We realise post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a very serious condition and we have robust systems in place to deal with mental-health conditions.''
She said all that personnel returning from Iraq spent a week among colleagues in the UK where they are scrutinised for signs of PTSD. There are also post-deployment briefings on how to deal with friends and family. Family members are given leaflets on how to spot signs of PTSD.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=567998
02 October 2004
The grieving parents of a soldier who killed himself while on leave from Iraq called yesterday for conflict counselling for all returning troops.
Pte Gary Boswell, 20, was found hanging at a playground near his home in Milford Haven, west Wales, in July. An inquest at Milford Haven last week recorded a verdict of suicide after hearing how he was found hanging from swings at a town play area.
He had joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers as a teenager in 2002 and had since taken up duties in Iraq. His parents, John and Sarah Boswell, who also have three daughters, said Gary had been depressed on returning home but had not spoken of his experiences. They have no idea what drove their only son to take his life but feel it may have been because he felt unable to talk about Iraq.
"I do believe soldiers, particularly young ones like my son, should get counselling as a matter of course when they return on leave," said Mrs Boswell. "We cannot know what they see and experience in Iraq and we never suspected how deeply he had been touched.
A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "We realise post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a very serious condition and we have robust systems in place to deal with mental-health conditions.''
She said all that personnel returning from Iraq spent a week among colleagues in the UK where they are scrutinised for signs of PTSD. There are also post-deployment briefings on how to deal with friends and family. Family members are given leaflets on how to spot signs of PTSD.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=567998