FLOWER POWER; Suicidal soldier tells how poppy charity helped him face future.Byline: Lachlan Mackinnon Lachlan Mackinnon (born 1956) is a contemporary English poet, critic and literary journalist. He was born in Aberdeen and educated at Charterhouse and Oxford. He lives in Winchester with the poet Wendy Cope, and teaches English at Winchester College. A SOLDIER so traumatised by war that he tried to kill himself four times yesterday backed an appeal by the veterans'charity who helped him get his life back on track. Dad-of-four Steve Beedie, 29, joined the Royal Signals in 1997 and left four years ago. Since then, he has slashed his wrists, taken an overdose and even let go of his car's steering wheel, allowing it to smash into a lamp post. Steve was unable to work when he was discharged from the Army on medical grounds in 2005, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The resulting financial problems piled even more strain on his wife Lyndsey who, while six months pregnant, was trying to find a family home in Banff, Aberdeenshire, after being forced out of their Army digs. Steve, who served in Iraq in 2003, believes his emotional problems are rooted a horrendous experience while on patrol in Kosovo in 1999. He said: "We were in convoy and coming to the end of our tour when a roadside device exploded. We saw this 14-year-old boy in pieces being carried along the road by his father. "I was 18 but no one talked about what happened.When I came home, I started drinking heavily, sometimes a bottle of whisky a night." Lyndsey, 30, said:"After Iraq, I tried to get treatment through the Army for Steve but they kept ordering him back to work. He was becoming increasingly angry, aggressive and was drinking heavily. "The day after one suicide attempt suicide attempt, suicide bid n → intento de suicidio suicide attempt, suicide bid n → tentative f de suicide in 2004, they had him back on the firing range - with live ammo." Poppyscotland, who help more veterans in Scotland than any other charity, gave the couple financial aid after they fell into rent arrears. Steve stopped drinking and now works on off-shore oil rigs. He said: "With the help from Poppyscotland we are back on track. "The financial help was a big turning point to my family when we were at our lowest. They were there for us when no one else was." Royal Scots Dragoon Guards The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) (SCOTS DG) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. It was formed on 2 July 1971 at Holyrood, Edinburgh, by the amalgamation of the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards) trooper Stuart Proudfoot, 24, is another Poppyscotland supporter. Shattered A roadside bomb in Umm Qasr Umm Qasr (  m käs`ə) town, Basra prov., S Iraq, S of Basra on the Kuwait border. Located on an arm of the Persian Gulf, it is Iraq's second largest port, with deepwater facilities. , Iraq, in 2006 left him with
a shattered jaw and cheekbone cheek·bonen. See zygomatic bone. , missing teeth and a perforated eardrum Perforated Eardrum Definition A perforated eardrum exists when there is a hole or rupture in the eardrum, the thin membrane that separates the outer ear canal from the middle ear. . It also claimed the life of a friend. He is being medically discharged this month and will move in to a Scottish Veterans Garden City Association property in Kirkcaldy, where he plans to start a taxi firm. He said: "Hopefully, with the help of Poppyscotland, I can start a new phase of my life." Poppyscotland said their annual appeal is more important than ever due to the number of personnel coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, many with physical and psychological problems Visit poppyscotland.org.uk or call 0131 550 1559 for more information. CAPTION(S): HOPES: Stuart Proudfoot TRAUMA: Steve Beedie |
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