The Sandbag Times Issue No:36

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NEWS National Veterans and Armed Forces Headlines British Soldiers Aid Las Vegas Victims Court Hears of Army Sergeant Attempted Murder An army sergeant who was having an affair attempted to murder his wife by sabotaging her parachute before a skydive he organised as a “treat”, a jury has been told. Emile Cilliers, 37, is accused of removing two vital components from the parachute rig, leaving Victoria Cilliers to plunge 4,000ft to the ground during her jump. Ms Cilliers survived the fall but sustained multiple injuries at Netheravon Airfield in Wiltshire on 5 April 2015. Winchester Crown Court heard how Ms Cilliers sent a WhatsApp message to her husband jokingly asking whether he was “trying to kill her” several days before the skydive, after she found the gas valve in their kitchen was turned on and leaking. Less than two weeks later, Mrs Cilliers jumped out of a plane on the skydive organised by her husband, only to find that first her main parachute and then her backup chute failed to deploy. One of the UK’s top parachutists, and a WRAF Ladies Raise Money For Charity veteran of more than 2,600 jumps, she used her skydiving skills to slow her descent to around 30mph and avoid a tarmacked road to land in a field. Prosecutor Michael Bowes QC told the court Mr Cilliers was having an affair with both a woman he met on Tinder and his exwife.Mr Cilliers denies two counts of attempted murder and is accused of a third charge of damaging a gas valve at the couple’s home. Read more here. Six British soldiers have described their efforts to save lives during Sunday's Las Vegas massacre. The troops from 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards were enjoying a short break from training in the desert when the shooting erupted. They ran towards the danger, shepherding people to safety and administering first aid to those trying to escape the gunfire. They had been in hotels close to the Mandalay Bay, from where Stephen Paddock opened fire on festivalgoers below. Trooper Ross Woodward told Sky News: "It is a decision that will live with me for the rest of my life but I would do the same thing again." The 23-year-old from Nottingham described trying to save a man with a gunshot wound to his back. The man died. "It was quite tough and I know it is a cliche but the training does kick in, it became second nature. "It was just chaos and panic and people needed my help and I just did what I could do." Trooper Chris May, 24, from Bognor Regis, said: "I feel that any British Army soldier who was in the same position being so close would have done exactly the same. Major Ben Parkyn paid tribute to his men's selflessness in seeking to help in such dangerous conditions. They are due to return home to the UK this weekend. Read More. Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) Veterans Marie Kearney, Gill Mills, Susan McAtamney and Wendy Piper, visited the RAF Cosford Hive on 10th October 2017, to present a cheque for £300 to Jennifer Price of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, on behalf of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.The donation was as a result of funds raised during an ex WRAF reunion held between 6 - 8 July 2017 at Prince William of Gloucester Barracks, Grantham. A total of £900 was raised and donated to three different military charities by 65 former members of the WRAF who undertook their basic training between 1960 and 1974 at Prince William of Gloucester Barracks when it was known as WRAF Depot, RAF Spitalgate. The women travelled from all over the UK and abroad for the reunion, with one veteran coming from Holland and another from the Orkney Islands. Many of the veterans were accommodated in one of the old reception blocks. Marie Kearney, one of the reunion organisers said the WRAF Veterans enjoyed being able to meet up with old friends, (and make new ones) to share their happy memories of their time at RAF Spitalgate . She added: "The opportunity to tour the barracks and visit buildings that had not changed since our time there, and to be hosted for meals and events within the Sergeants’ Mess, was an opportunity we could not afford to miss.” | 4 www.sandbagtimes.co.uk
NEWS International Headlines Veterans struggling with unemployment urge employers to look beyond misconceptions Suicide among U.S. military veterans higher in certain states' Suicide among military veterans is especially high in the western U.S. and rural areas, according to new government data that show wide state-by-state disparities and suggest social isolation, gun ownership and access to health care may be factors. The figures released Friday are the first-ever Department of Veterans Affairs data on suicide by state. It shows Montana, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico had the highest rates of veteran suicide as of 2014, the most current VA data available. Veterans in big chunks of those states must drive 70 miles or more to reach the nearest VA medical center. The suicide rates in those four states stood at 60 per 100,000 individuals or higher, far above the national veteran suicide rate of 38.4. The overall rate in the West was 45.5. All other regions of the country had rates below the national rate. Other states with high veteran suicide rates, including West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky, had greater levels of prescription drug use, including opioids. A VA study last year found veterans who received the highest doses of opioid painkillers were more than twice as likely to die by suicide compared to those receiving the lowest doses. Expanding private-sector care and stemming veterans' suicide are priorities of President Donald Trump. In a statement this week as part of Suicide Prevention Month, Trump said the U.S. "must do more" to help mentally troubled veterans. US Veteran Suicides are still peaking at an average of 20 a day. Read More Here Canada Government launches new military suicide-prevention strategy Canada’s government says it’s going to take a full look at how many veterans take their own lives after leaving the military. The comprehensive examination is part of a National Defence and Veteran Affairs Canada’s suicide prevention strategy released on Thursday. A Globe and Mail investigation in 2015 found that in addition to the 158 soldiers killed in the Afghanistan mission, at least 54 others soldiers and veterans killed themselves after returning home. The department Thursday that 130 soldiers have committed suicide since 2010 while serving in the military. However, it has struggled to keep track of veterans’ deaths because collecting information on because their medical files are spread across the country and fall under provincial jurisdiction. “We have to do better,” Veterans Minister Seamus O’Regan said Thursday. “We recognize the dire need for a suicide prevention strategy.” Beginning in December, Veterans Affairs and Statistics Canada will begin reporting on the rates of suicides among veterans. Pre-conceived notions about former Australian Defence Force personnel are making it tough for veterans to find a job. About 30 per cent of veterans are unemployed, according to WithYouWithMe, a company that matches veterans' skills with new careers. The company hosted the careers expo in Sydney, where about 25 businesses were on show in an effort to help the 150 veterans who turned up to look for a job. Tom Moore, the founder of WithYouWithMe, has more than eight years' experience in the military, including service in Afghanistan where he led a combat team into Kandahar Province in 2013. Mr Moore left the Army after problems with his legs and knows first hand re-entering civilian life is not always easy. Mr Moore eventually found work after cold-calling company CEOs. The WithYouWithMe program involves mentoring veterans to find their new mission in life and train them up for jobs in industries with a high demand for workers. "Veterans are brilliant talent, it's just that we don't know what's out there, so we fire a shot gun round instead of a sniper bullet when we transition," Mr Moore said. "Employers love the values that veterans bring, but in Australia they really haven't captured that yet." A WithYouWithMe report found the veteran unemployment rate was five times higher than the national average. It has placed 172 veterans in jobs since it started in May last year and is looking to expand to the United States in six months. Read More Here www.sandbagtimes.co.uk 5 |
Page 2 and 3: CONTENTS SBT News 3 Veteran Elected
Page 6: Afghanistan Veteran Strikes Gold At
Page 9 and 10: In utmost secrecy the previous even
Page 11 and 12: WRAF AT THE INVICTUS GAMES WRAF War
Page 14 and 15: The Tommy Atkins Centre Warriors, E
Page 16 and 17: Canada CANADA CALLING Here is a pho
Page 18 and 19: | 18 www.sandbagtimes.co.uk
Page 20 and 21: Rippon VBC Nearly 40 at Ripon today
Page 22 and 23: A word from the Ed Hi-Di-Hi Campers
Page 24: Remembrance 2ndLieutenant Cyril Stu
Page 27: THE SADDEST WALK An early morning s

The Sandbag Times Issue No:36

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