To wonder why some people are comparing the refugee crisis to how we treat our ex service people?

[Rhine]

I don't know if anyone else has come across this on Facebook, but people on mine keep posting things about how we need to look after our ex service people instead of "letting loads of refugees into the country". It's mainly on the local pages but one idiot, who I've now unfriended, has shared about five memes today alone full of this bile.

Now I'm not saying that we shouldn't look after injured ex service people, but I've never bought this nationalist idea that all soldiers are heroes and should be treated as such. IMO they made a career choice just like people make career choices to become doctors or nurses or teachers. There is no forced conscription and they know what they are signing up for when they walk into the careers centres, if war happens then they are needed to fight. That is the whole point of the sodding army!

So I really don't understand why people are making the comparison at all? It's not at all a like is it? I really don't understand the point people are making?

2 separate issues. And I say that as someone who is sympthetic to refugees AND who was medically discharged from the Forces.

Because they don't want to just come out and say "I'm a pitiful excuse for a human being and would rather children died in the streets from falling mortars than offer them any kind of help".

It's just window dressing to try and make other people think they have have empathy with anyone other than themselves.

I haven't really come across this. Is it a major thing on Facebook?

Heard some good and bad arguments about the refugees - but not this one.

They are really not connected so maybe let it drop?

People should be empathetic to ALL people who need help and support. Not just those born white and British. Or maybe that's just me...

Because the government claims it cannot afford to look after all the ex servicemen who have put their lives on the line for this country, but it can suddenly afford to pay for thousands of people who, although are sometimes coming from terrible places, haven't done anything to contribute? In an ideal world we would help everyone but we can't and the government seems to be prioritising non-UK citizens over citizens who are facing hardship through no fault of their own (e.g PTSD brought on by war).

I've seen rants about this myself, so i know its out there

its like the you cant be sympathetic to more than on cause brigade - ie if you want to help the refugees then you obviously dont care about the forces and therefore dont care about cancer sufferers either or you would give all your money to them....

ODFOD

Tell them about the Afghan interpreters like Khushal who

a) worked for the British Army
b) are now refugees at Calais because of (a).

Their heads will explode.

It's two seperate issues, but there are estimated 9000 ex service Personel who are homeless.

My husband and son are both serving, they aren't heroes, they don't see themselves as heroes very few forces personel do but I am sick to the back teeth of the "there's no conscription" argument. No, there's not but there would be if there were no volunteers.

There is woeful provision for the members of the armed forces who suffer mental trauma and all too often they are the ones who end up on the streets.

It's annoying me because I don't think these people actually give two hoots about soliders, or ex service people. They are just using it to hide their racism.

Mental/physical health aside why do they need help? I don't mean that I a. Cold hearted way, but literally why? I've been told that they suffer high levels or unemployment and are unable to get jobs. Surely an ex service person is a dream employee to most people?

I never see anything on my FB but I've just seen a man offering his flat (usually rented out) to an ex service person with no deposit and 2 months free rent in response to what the OP refers to

Ah, your Facebook friends have made it to the DailyMash: We need to look after our own first, say people who would never help anyone

Yeah I saw this on facebook this morning with some guy offering his flat at a reduced rental income for a 'British' family - because "it's time we started helping our own"

TheLush, unfortunately mental health isn't aside. There's a very high level of mental health problems among ex-service people. It's a real issue.

I'm that someone who till this moment wasn't "helping our own" has suddenly started! Result!

You lose your home when you leave the army. So it's down to LA/HA to house you if you can't buy your own place..... I think that's the argument

Not enough houses

And invariably, you get single men mainly, mentally traumatised, living on the streets. Needing help

FairyCaravan is right there is very little help for those coming out of the forces particularly if you still have all your limbs.

Thelushinthepub The reason they need some help is because a) they don't actually realise the skills they've got to offer and b) they've been in a complete bubble for anything up to 30 years. When they leave they suddenly have to deal with a lot of things we don't even really think about.

I was recently involved in a careers day that we held for servicemen that are going to be coming out over the next year. Most had been in for over 10 years and in one case they had joined at 16 and 20 odd years down the line are faced with trying to figure out how to write a CV, figure out what they can do, get a job, get a house (rent or mortgage), work out if they are entitled to any benefits and Christ knows what else. The poor sod is absolutely cacking it and doesn't really know where to start. We had 20+ people from all three services all saying the same - what little help they are getting from the MOD is pitiful. They can reel off all of their hard skills (like rebuilding a tank) but don't understand the soft skills they have in terms of teamwork, leadership, solution finding, decision making and all sorts of other stuff - all of which we want.

Its a bloody poor state of affairs and it makes me so angry.

I had no idea they came out with so little life experience. How awful

I've been told that they suffer high levels or unemployment and are unable to get jobs.

I think it can be to do with institutionalisation sometimes.

I've had some students fro whom the army was the best thing that ever happened to them at one stage in their lives, but 20 years down the line, they leave it not a lot better equipped for the world than they went into it.

I agree it is a career choice, yes, but it is so much more than just that, it is a decision to put their own lives at risk to defend our country, and of course they need care later on in life.

It isn't a choice between ex service men and refugees though is it, we can care for both.

Pausing - that Daily Mash article is brilliant .It's had more likes than I've ever seen on any of their other 'stories'!

Yes I too had a friend sharing a 'I want to offer my flat rent free to an ex service person' post, I desperately wanted to share that Mash story to her timeline but doubt she'd have got the irony somehow

Yes. I can help you out here. The reason is anyone who serves our country issues a blank cheque for their life. They leave the forces and are issued with an eviction notice on the day their service ends. Many then become homeless as military service no longer counts as time on housing lists. Many ex forces people receive no help in civilian life yet suddenly we are able to help people, who we don't have any debt of gratitude to. I think that is why you will find me as well as many other members of the public are aggrieved.

It's classic whataboutery.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy_of_relative_privation

I've seen this A LOT on my fb feed.

We're these people concerned about mentally ill ex servicemen last month? On the whole, no.

Of course the uk government should do more to help; help like patrician has been involved with. They should have been doing this years ago.

But that doesn't mean the government should turn it's back on a humanitarian crisis.