BlogWhen a good man goes to War – The stories of those left behindWill_FarmerApril 21, 2018Blog28 Mar 10 – Part 1: Farewell Wifey After only just marrying the man who had volunteered to go on his ‘Gap year’, meaning a third year on FTRS volunteering for Afghanistan, I knew the nutter I was marrying well, but didn’t fully comprehend the emotional stress to follow, during and after. I remember the... Read more...‘Syria, right or wrong?’Stevejack0123April 19, 2018BlogIt seems that to be considered a player in international affairs just now you need to have, and be prepared to use against innocents, chemical weapons. These, let us not forget, are weapons of mass destruction. So the decision to go ahead and join the USA and France in coalition to take punitive action against... Read more...The Fear of the UnknownWill_FarmerMarch 28, 2018BlogSunday 28 Mar 2010 Op Rescue Wardy begins at High Wycombe train station at 1515. Wardy has had a spat with his girlfriend and needs a lift back to Wimbish. This is closely followed by a trip to the Live and Let Live for send-off drinks with Sherlock and a farewell dinner at Mum’s. We... Read more...Just in time for VeteransStevejack0123March 21, 2018BlogFads come and go, if they did not, they would not be fads. Some years ago, Japanese business theories were all the rage, Kaizen continuous improvement was one. Another popular practice that shiny MBA graduates brought in to organisations was Just In Time manufacturing – imported directly from Toyota. This involves carrying minimal stock, to... Read more...28 May 10 – Brimstone 42 – PB Baharda – Contact No 5Will_FarmerMarch 17, 2018Blog We rise early at 0400, again! Sort out our kit, weapons checks, grab body armour and we tab back down to the murder wall. Then we push out into the fields beyond, where we had our first contacts of the tour. It is still early, the kind of murky pre-dawn almost ethereal light and... Read more...Ya Skins Waterproof – Inaugural Veterans Wild Camp 10 Mar 18Will_FarmerMarch 16, 2018BlogSaturday morning arrives and the alarm clock goes off at 0430 me, not so much. At the time, a few beers with the wife the night before seemed like a brilliant idea. I drag myself out of my pit, wipe the sleep grit from my eyes and attempt to get my life in short order.... Read more...Leadership, arcs and Wait OutWill_FarmerMarch 10, 2018BlogA brief blog this week – but heartfelt. It’s one of those things attributed to Day 1, Week 1 of Sandhurst – that probably came several sleep-deprived days, or maybe even weeks in – that “you can’t look after your men of you’re not looking after yourself.” The illustration given is not to go strutting... Read more...Weather, not whetherStevejack0123March 8, 2018BlogOver the past week or so, many parts of the UK have enjoyed snow-filled scenes that wouldn’t look out of place on a Christmas card. We’re using the term “enjoyed” cautiously; good for children and YouTube videos of cats, less good for anyone wishing to carry on normal business, and – worse still – fatal... Read more...DisconnectedJamie R KennedyMarch 3, 2018BlogHave I experienced life before I have lived? ... Read more...Counter-IED TF [Day One, Week One]Jamie R KennedyFebruary 28, 2018Blog27 Apr 2010 0830 hours and we are now on HRF (High Readiness Force), basically on a ten-minute notice to move.... Read more...A New Mental Health Helpline for the ForcesJamie R KennedyFebruary 27, 2018BlogThis weekend, the government announced a new mental health helpline for the forces. A weekend launch was an interesting choice; a slow news day ensures a high level of coverage, but this must be weighed against the possibility that at the weekend more potential users are available to call the hotline – which could crash... Read more...PTSD – The Impact of WarJamie R KennedyFebruary 21, 2018BlogI have been on a personal and professional journey for most of my life. Beginning with a traumatic childhood that raised my anxiety levels and put my fight and flight response on speed dial! In my 40’s I trained as a CranioSacral therapist with the Upledger Institute and received a lot of help along the... Read more...Veterans Brewing SussexJamie R KennedyFebruary 21, 2018BlogOn Monday the 19th of February, we had the greatest pleasure in attending the official launch of the Veteran-Owned business, Veterans Brewing Sussex and what a treat it really was.... Read more...OP OMIDDUJamie R KennedyFebruary 14, 2018Blog11-12 July 2010 Day one. OP OMIDDU is the first operation of its kind in the history of modern Afghanistan. An entire operation planned and executed by the Afghan National Army (ANA) and I was lucky enough to be on it working with the first ANA C-IED team. This consists of Sgt Khan the operator,... Read more...One Hundred YearsJamie R KennedyFebruary 7, 2018BlogOne hundred years is a long time – long enough that we have no survivors of the First World War to pass on their hard-earnt wisdom in person, no Battle of Britain pilots and the oldest Chelsea pensioner is a sprightly 103, having served in both the army and the air force.... Read more...A Trip Down Memory LaneJamie R KennedyFebruary 3, 2018BlogI’ve been a “civvy” now for nearly six years and even today I still find myself reminiscing about the good old times. Well, I say “civvy” but I guess if you’ve served in the armed forces, you’re never quite a fully fledged civilian ever again.... Read more...Rough SleepJamie R KennedyFebruary 1, 2018BlogIt’s been all over the newspapers, all over social media and even on Good Morning Britain with Piers Morgan, but yet, fellow veteran and SAS hero Bob Curry is still homeless and living in a B&B.... Read more...FOB JacksonJamie R KennedyJanuary 31, 2018BlogWe arrive at FOB Jackson in Sangin in the middle of the night to be greeted by our new REST who very kindly take our bags to our new accommodation. After a short meet and greet we all get our fat heads down. In the morning we are awakened by people moving around in PT... Read more...“Touchy-Feely Political Correctness”Jamie R KennedyJanuary 27, 2018BlogSir Nicholas Soames, MP for Mid Sussex, known rather better for being the grandson of Sir Winston Churchill than for being Chairman of private military contractor Aegis – famous for paying some contractors $16 a day – this week stated, “touchy-feely political correctness has absolutely no role whatever in the British Army“.... Read more...Stronger TogetherJamie R KennedyJanuary 24, 2018BlogNHS figures show that bed blocking is up 52% in the three years to mid-2017. We imagine, right now, you are wondering where we’re going with this.... Read more...The Veteran’s Political DebateJamie R KennedyJanuary 20, 2018BlogVeterans form communities, it’s what they’ve always done.... Read more...The Aspiration TrapJamie R KennedyJanuary 19, 2018BlogWe’re a community; from the first day off the train, arriving at the gatehouse or dropped off by tearful relatives, we always have been. And we continue to be a community; rest assured that Veterans Network and those we work with, have your back.... Read more...YaSkinsWaterproof Everest UpdateJamie R KennedyJanuary 18, 2018BlogSo we now enter into 2018 and the YaSkinsWaterproof team continues to train towards our phase 1 Everest assault, that being our two-week trek to Everest Base Camp from Lukla, Nepal.... Read more...VetNet Film Award 2018Jamie R KennedyJanuary 17, 2018BlogTony Benn, Veteran Socialist as well as being a Veteran and a Socialist was fond of saying about the House of Lords that it made no sense – hereditary peers making judgements was absurd. You wouldn’t seek out someone when you had a toothache “well, I’m not a dentist myself, but my dad was a... Read more...The privilege of serviceJamie R KennedyJanuary 13, 2018BlogThis week sees a £1.6m advertising campaign to persuade more young people – particularly those from diverse backgrounds – to sign up.... Read more...What Makes Me a Veteran?Jamie R KennedyJanuary 6, 2018BlogWe have recently received news that we will finally be recognised and acknowledged as Veterans with a simple ‘V’ marked on our Driving license.... Read more...An Incredible JourneyJamie R KennedyDecember 30, 2017BlogThis year has been an incredible journey for Veterans Network and since 2016, with the loyal support from fellow Veterans, we have adapted and developed rapidly.... Read more...Nad-e Ali ChristmasJamie R KennedyDecember 25, 2017BlogAfter devouring my Christmas dinner, I shall go for a walk just as I may do on Christmas day at home. This time, however, we had a job to do and we still needed to dominate the ground in order to disrupt any Taliban operations. So on this particular Christmas Day of 2011, going for... Read more...In case you have missed it, it’s Christmas time.Jamie R KennedyDecember 23, 2017BlogNaff jumpers, drinks and perfumes you would buy at no other time of the year, James Corden – it truly isn’t the season to be jolly.... Read more...What Doesn’t Change Will Stay The SameJamie R KennedyDecember 16, 2017BlogI presume that nine times a term, three times a year, the Yeoman of Signals at Sandhurst gets asked the same question, “why are we practicing radio procedure when we haven’t yet seen a radio?“. I also presume that the answer is always the same, “so that when you are up to your neck, you... Read more...The New Military Tea Company – Tactical Tea!Jamie R KennedyDecember 14, 2017Blog‘Each Tactical Tea tea-bag is delicately hand-stitched by a cohort of carefully trained, and not to mention deadly, magical Wood Elves. They dedicate their lives to make sure your tea tastes as ally as possible. When they’re not lovingly crafting each bag of tea, they’re in the woods, practicing their high speed-low drag weapon drills.‘... Read more...When I Left the ArmyJamie R KennedyDecember 9, 2017BlogWalking through the corridors of Barker Barracks in Paderborn, Germany, on a manhunt to find the final few relevant officers and Sergeant Majors to obtain their signatures upon my leaving documents. I was too naive to realise at the time that I would be getting more than just their signatures and it was I that... Read more...Vulnerable VeteransJamie R KennedyDecember 5, 2017BlogVulnerable Veterans have been helping veterans, reserves and their families, and serving services’ personnel for almost two years. We have helped over 36 people who have been in contact with the criminal justice system or become homeless.... Read more...Veterans at EaseJamie R KennedyDecember 2, 2017BlogIn eight days’ time, it will be the 101st anniversary of just one of many terrible events of the First World War.... Read more...Sleeping RoughJamie R KennedyNovember 25, 2017BlogEven over email, the drawing in of breath when you suggest that you are going to write a blog about knitting to former professional soldiers, is audible.... Read more...When you do what you love for a livingJamie R KennedyNovember 18, 2017BlogI love coffee, *really* love coffee. In theatre or on exercise, coffee made the difference. It was hydration, comfort, certainty, and calm. It was a reminder of home and the reasons that we were doing what we were doing.... Read more...The Most Memorable DayJamie R KennedyNovember 11, 2017BlogWhat does Remembrance Day mean to me, a Veteran? ... Read more...YaSkinsWaterproof Everest Base Camp TrekJamie R KennedyNovember 8, 2017BlogVeterans Network will proudly be supporting YaSkinsWaterproof as they embark on an eighteen-day expedition to Everest Base Camp on the 10th of October 2018.... Read more...The Lone VoiceJamie R KennedyNovember 4, 2017BlogJust this week, I heard for the first time a radio advert that stood out and caught my attention. This is pretty rare. SSAFA, formerly the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, is running adverts about the loneliness that afflicts many veterans.... Read more...Fail to Prepare, Prepare to FailJamie R KennedyNovember 1, 2017BlogTactical exercises, combat medical training, firing various weapon systems and putting live rounds down the range. ... Read more...The Value of Military FriendsJamie R KennedyOctober 28, 2017Blog2007, Age sixteen. Freezing my tits off, sitting on the frozen floor of a shell scrape (a temporary, defensive dug in position), somewhere in the training area of Catterick. So dark in the early hours of a cold January morning that I couldn’t even see my hands in front of my face but it was... Read more...Gut FeelingJamie R KennedyOctober 25, 2017Blog28.11.2011, Age twenty-one Taking cover in a four-foot deep ditch and up to our knees in s**t, checking ourselves for gunshot wounds after surviving a wall of lead that had moments before suppressed us into the ground. Not knowing exactly where the heavy enemy gunfire had come from, we had to make an agreed decision... Read more...What I Love to Do Vs What I Have To DoJamie R KennedyOctober 21, 2017BlogEarlier this week, I spoke with a fellow Veteran who has experienced a very familiar transition from soldier to civilian.... Read more...The Unknown EastJamie R KennedyOctober 18, 2017Blog19.10.2011 Age twenty-one Moments away from breaking out of cover and into the five hundred meter stretch of open ground that divided us from hell on earth. We had dominated the ground in the West but we had no idea what ‘The Unknown East’ had in store for us.... Read more...MisconceptionJamie R KennedyOctober 14, 2017BlogWhen British soldiers leave the Armed Forces, they are entitled to Enhanced Learning Credits which help fund retraining courses prior to transitioning from soldier to civilian, but are there companies exploiting veterans for this funding?... Read more...Grenade GrenadeJamie R KennedyOctober 11, 2017Blog2011, Age twenty-one Stepping out of the gate every day would inevitably increase our chances of encountering the Taliban. After all, we were a foreign force strolling around in their back garden, so it would only be a matter of time before we would bump into them.... Read more...Veteran-OwnedJamie R KennedyOctober 7, 2017Blog... Read more...My First ContactJamie R KennedyOctober 4, 2017Blog2011, Age twenty-one I had been living and operating in Nad-e-Ali for a few weeks by now and although we may have been familiar with the Afghanistan terrain, we were certainly still unfamiliar with the Taliban activities in the local area. Having said this, we also knew it would only be a matter of time... Read more...I’m a Dog in a CageJamie R KennedySeptember 30, 2017BlogFrom the Armed Forces to Drugs, Alcohol, Porn, Sex Dungeons and the French Foreign Legion. Fellow veteran James Hamilton-Bing has shared with us what I consider to be one the most extraordinary transitions from soldier to civilian.... Read more...Time To Switch OnJamie R KennedySeptember 27, 2017Blog2011, Age twenty-one So here I stood, in a small hollow square mud structure referred to as a compound. Walls up to ten feet high made out of mud, straw and s**t. This was all that protected us from the hostile and dangerous environments of Nad-e-Ali, Helmand Province. This compound would also be known as... Read more...Transition from Military Life to Civilian LifeJamie R KennedySeptember 23, 2017BlogSince leaving the Army I have had a lot of people message me saying that they are leaving the Army or thinking of leaving and what advice can I can give them. So I thought I would put my advice in a blog so anyone who is leaving or thinking of leaving this may just... Read more...Mind-Numbing HoursJamie R KennedySeptember 20, 2017Blog2008, Age eighteen Stepping off the ramp of a Merlin helicopter and into the high temperatures of Iraq. Walking into such intense heat, as if you were walking into an oven (not that I’ve ever walked into an oven). Though at last, I was here, deployed on my first operational tour in Iraq.... Read more...Are Military Charities Overstretched?Jamie R KennedySeptember 16, 2017Blog“We reached out to a well-known charity for support but we didn’t receive the help we were hoping for”.... Read more...Amputees Who LiftJamie R KennedySeptember 12, 2017BlogWith every step that you take on the battlefields of Afghanistan, there is a potential for that one step to be life changing.... Read more...Plan BJamie R KennedySeptember 5, 2017BlogAn incredible demonstration of how veterans are supporting veterans out here in the civilian world.... Read more...How to Grow a BeardJamie R KennedySeptember 5, 2017BlogWhy would Jamie reach out to me and ask a United States Marine to write a little something’ for British veterans, and how did this even come about? Similar to when I was awarded the Veteran of the Year for the California DAV this year, someone had come across what it is I do… and... Read more...You’re Not Meant to See the Things That We SeeJamie R KennedySeptember 5, 2017BlogWe as soldiers experience and witness some crazy s**t in certain dark corners of this planet and some soldiers really have been to hell on earth.... Read more...The Relevant CredentialsJamie R KennedySeptember 5, 2017BlogWhen I personally left the Army in 2012, I felt like I had the right skill set and a sufficient set of qualifications to head in the right direction when entering the civilian world. I was under the illusion that civilian employers would recognise and credit the fact that I was once a section commander... Read more...When I Left the ArmyJamie R KennedySeptember 5, 2017BlogWalking through the corridors of Barker Barracks, Paderborn in Germany, on a manhunt to find the final few relevant officers and Sergeant Majors in order to obtain their signatures upon my leaving documents. I was too naive to realise at the time that I would be getting more than just their signatures and it was... Read more...Fear of the UnknownJamie R KennedySeptember 5, 2017BlogWe as veterans have a set of unique skills and if we understand how to use these skills effectively in ‘civvy street’, we should be able to succeed in the ‘real world’. Unfortunately, most veterans, with myself included, tend to lose sight of their abilities.... Read more...
![Counter-IED TF [Day One, Week One]](https://veteransnetwork.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Counter-IED-TF-Main.jpg)
