Time to withdraw the troops

Dec 11 2008 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

LEADING politicians today pay tribute to a soldier who killed himself in Iraq.

Huddersfield-born Lance Cpl David Wilson, 27, shot himself in the head while serving in the 9 Regiment Army Corps in Basra.

He had become a father just weeks before the tragedy and seemingly had everything to live for.

The full circumstances have yet to be revealed and will come out only when an inquest is held.

But there must be a suspicion about the stress placed on him through having to serve in Iraq.

Army studies have shown that at least one in five (20-25%) of the soldiers who have been in that country display symptoms of serious mental health problems, including depression, substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Far too many stories have emerged from Iraq and Afghanistan of soldiers left struggling for equipment that works, aircraft past their fly-by date – the list seems to go on and on.

Given that they don’t seem to have the right tools for the job, there must also be a question mark over whether mental health services are adequate for our men and women in the armed forces.

The best Christmas present for them would be an early troop withdrawal from Iraq.