Ex soldier helps wounded troops get back to work
A FORMER soldier who served in Iraq and lost close pals in the conflict is working with disabled ex-servicemen to help get them back into work.
Lee Jones Griffiths, 31, of Milnsbridge, served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers for eight years and he completed a gruelling tour of Iraq in 2006.
His experiences have now shaped his future, as he is taking on a new role for The Poppy Factory – a charity set up to help disabled ex-servicemen get a job.
Lee, who is also a voluntary care worker for The Royal British Legion, told the Examiner: “I was a mechanical engineer attached to various units but first and foremost I was a trained soldier. I was also going out on operations to give support. If equipment breaks down it often needs to be fixed there and then.
“I did a seven-month tour in Iraq based at the Air Station in Basra. I lost a couple of my colleagues during the tour.
“When I got back I had counselling for post traumatic stress disorder and it was then that I realised, although I hadn’t lost a limb, I had experienced enough to relate to those who have.”
Lee, who grew up in Manchester, bought a house in Milnsbridge and worked at Huddersfield Methodist Mission for 18 months before taking up the post of employment caseworker for The Poppy Factory.
