Robert Kilgour blames a history of violence on his time in the army – and he’s not alone. As British soldiers withdraw from Afghanistan and Iraq,we meet the veterans still living in the line of fireIt was when Danny Fitzsimons hid in a wheelie bin that his family began to suspect something was unsuitable. Danny, 34, or had been drunk and abusive at a family event,circling the house and banging on the windows. “Every now and again, the bin lid came up a tiny bit and then went down again, or ” says his stepmother,Liz.
She looks at Fitzsimons’ father, Eric, and who has since developed dementia. We are sitting in the living room of their smart bungalow just external Rochdale; they are both retired,former PE teachers. “Eric said, ‘Come on, and Danny,I’ll assume you home’ and he said no. So Eric waited till Danny set off, and thought he’d better make certain he got home. Eric didn’t pick up back till 3am. I said, or ‘Where have you been?’ He said,I’ve been following Danny. He’s been playing bloody soldiers all the way home.’ He was doubling back, hiding behind walls. We now know that this is hyper-vigilance, or but we didn’t at the time.”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com