YOUNG WAR VETERAN WANTS MORE RESPECT FOR SERVICEMEN

A young Iraq war veteran from Truro is calling for more public appreciation of the work servicemen and women are doing on behalf of their country.

Richard Cann, 24, recently left the army after seven years to pursue his dream of becoming a musical theatre star, but has found the reality of life on civvy street hard to come to terms with.

"I found it a real struggle to put my medals on and go out to walk in the Remembrance Day parades this year," Richard said.

"It doesn't feel as though there is any support or appreciation for those who go to war and then come home and try and do something different with their life. There is a lot of news coverage of those heroes who don't come home, but there are a lot of people who come home injured or with mental health issues because of what they've seen. It's sad that those who do come home are left to feel isolated and unappreciated."

Richard, who was a mechanic in the army, has won scholarships to study Musical Theatre and Dance in St Austell but is struggling to make ends meet with part time jobs and is relying on support of friends to keep a roof over his head.

"I need to do this course to get into university but it's really tough financially because I don't get any financial assistance and am not staying with my family. It's thanks to friends that I can manage to survive otherwise I don't know what would have happened to me. If I had gone into education instead of the army all this would have been paid for me, but now I have to try and do it alone."

Terrye Teverson, Parliamentary Candidate for Truro and Falmouth, met Richard at this year's Remembrance Day Parade in Truro.

"I think Richard's story highlights the problems so many young men who leave the army find themselves in," Mrs Teverson said.

"He chose to join up at 16; he has been trained for warfare and has a set of skills which are not really of use to him in the outside world. Richard has done two tours of duty in Iraq and one in Northern Ireland. He has seen a lot of things at 24 that many of us would never wish to see. Now he wants to take a different path in his life and pursue his dream but is finding almost impossible to survive. Many organisations that are supposed to help like the Benefits Office are a minefield of forms and telephone conversations and can be really hard to navigate if you are not used to dealing with them. Richard wants to better himself but feels as though society has left him in the lurch."

The Royal British Legion estimates that more than 25% of people sleeping rough on the streets of the UK are ex-service personnel.

Richard added: "I can understand why so many people end up on the streets. You become institutionalised in the army and it takes a while to acclimatise to a 'normal' life. On top of this there isn't any extra help when you leave and it seems that society is happy to ignore our existence."

"Although I have found it hard going I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I came home, and I am slowly getting on my feet but it could be made a lot easier. I thought I had managed to deal with all the horrific things I have seen, but on Bonfire Night this year I heard rockets going off and instinctively dived on the ground. When I realised what had happened I ran home. I don't think you ever truly get over seeing friends dying around you - just imagine what it's like for people living in those situations - war is their reality. It's terrible."

Richard is working with Terrye Teverson to try and increase awareness in the public about the support and help ex-servicemen and women need when they return home.

"These young men and women are putting their lives on the line for their country and at the very least they deserve our respect and compassion," Mrs Teverson added.

"There should be much more done to resolve the huge homelessness issue and combat stigmas surrounding mental health problems. Richard has his whole life in front of him and he deserves every bit of help that can be offered to him to ensure he succeeds and makes a name for himself in whatever path he chooses to take."