Living with the past (From Warrington Guardian)

Living with the past

MOST of us wouldn't bat an eyelid when walking through St Helens town centre on a busy afternoon. But for one local man, that simple stroll through mums out shopping or youngsters making for the record store or burger bar, can be all it takes to send his mind spinning back to nightmare images on the streets of Northern Ireland.

Steve gets flashbacks to the times he saw death and carnage while serving as a soldier there.

Such traumas, often more severe, are experienced by many veterans of the conflict, yet according to Steve there has been a failure to establish a support network for them.

That is why he now plays a crucial role in the Northern Ireland Veterans' Association, a group that offers support without prejudice to "victims" of the conflict.

From his home, Steve runs the association's website which acts as the focal point at which veterans can make contact. He is also the treasurer of the group which now has 223 members. Four of those are from St Helens and sit on the group's committee, which has met several times in the town during the past year.

Steve, who asked for his surname to remain confidential for security reasons, said: "Northern Ireland was the longest standing conflict the British Army has been involved in and more than 700 soldiers were killed yet there was no representation for veterans.

"On all the marches and the cenotaph in London all the other wars are remembered but not the Northern Ireland conflict."

The 28-year-old spent six months in 1995 as an infantry soldier, before a spell between 1997 to 1999 as a sergeant with the Royal Corps of Signals working on army communications.

He added: "I was there when a bomb went off in the Lisburn camp in 1997 and that affected me. I have not been clinically diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder - that is simply a nice way to wrap up a lot of problems.

"Just walking through a town-centre can make me feel anxious because we were conditioned into trying to look out for someone in a crowded town-centre who could be a threat."

The aim of the association is help the veterans come to terms with their past experiences. Steve added: "In many ways we are counselling each other, we're not qualified but by talking it gets things out in the open.

"We offer support to families and victims without prejudice, if an IRA terrorist came to us we offer the same support."

The Northern Ireland Veterans' Association website is located at www.nivets.co.uk.