Remembrance: Northamptonshire veteran calling for more mental health support
Veterans say the living should be remembered on Remembrance Day, as well as the dead, as ITV News Anglia's Rosie Dowsing reports
A veteran who served in the army for 14 years says more support should be given to veterans struggling with their mental health.
Nick Wilson left the military with post-traumatic stress disorder and a degenerative spinal injury after serving in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
He says he has since struggled with housing, depression and isolation, and has survived a suicide attempt.
Ahead of remembrance parades across the country, Mr Wilson, from Towcester in Northamptonshire, is calling for the living to be remembered too, as he can "feel forgotten" for the rest of the year.
On Friday, the government announced £3.5m in support for veterans facing homelessness, with the funding extending the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme to 2026.
For Mr Wilson, there are mixed emotions ahead of Remembrance Day, as after his 14 years of serving in the Royal Logistics Corps, he felt "forgotten".
“It was tough; I don’t have close family around me and I didn’t have any civilian friends," he said.
"When you leave, you hand in the army card. The gates shut behind you, and that’s it, you’re literally cut off.
“You feel anger at parts of society because you feel forgotten, and you’ll be remembered one day a year, so who are you the rest of the year?
"It’s an internal battle between your own selfish emotions, and your duty to ensure those who paid the ultimate price, are respected."
Mr Wilson became a mental health campaigner after his suicide attempt and started taking his adapted rock-climber wheelchair on adventures such as up Mount Snowdon.
Without many local veterans to talk to, he says he still struggles with loneliness, but has recently connected with Dean Griffin, a fellow Iraq war veteran from Northampton.
“It’s really important to remember those who passed away and can’t come back," Mr Griffin said. "But it's also important to recognise those that are still living.
"I got out of the army in 2003 - that is now 21 years ago. I’ve not had the support I required and I have had to fight tooth and nail just to get anywhere near the support I’ve had.
"Remember the dead, but don't forget the living, that's what they used to say."
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