Too many employers are reluctant to recruit Armed Forces veterans because ‘they think they’re doo-lally’

TOO many employers refuse to recruit Armed Forces veterans because they think they’re “doolally,” a defence minister has warned.

Tobias Ellwood said Hollywood films have created the false impression that servicemen and women are likely to be “damaged” mentally.

Oscar-winning Hollywood hits from the Deer Hunter to American Sniper have depicted veterans struggling to adapt to civilian life, while TV's Bodyguard showed the impact of post-traumatic stress on an ex-soldier.

The minister, a former Army captain and serving reservist, told The House magazine that the perception that forces veterans are likely to be damaged is "decidedly untrue and unhelpful".

And he vowed to "kill that attitude", which he said was driven not only by movies but also by some charity campaigns.

Mr Ellwood cited studies by Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft which found that 90 per cent of the population thought that forces veterans might be "damaged".

He said: "That's because of the movies that we watch.

It's because of the success of charities in promoting images and so on.”

Mr Ellwood, who stepped in to assist victims of the 2017 terror attack on Parliament, added: "We suffer somewhat from perhaps a perception that if you've served you somehow might be damaged. Studies have proven this.

"One of my absolute commitments is to try and change the surround."

He said that ex-service personnel were "less likely to have mental health issues, less likely to go to prison, less likely to commit suicide", than their civilian counterparts.

The defence minister added: "Absolutely the majority - 90 per cent - of those who do the transition process that we have are in education or in a job within six months of leaving.

"And that's great news, but we need to communicate that further."

Asked if attitudes framed by movies could be harming veterans' career hopes, Mr Ellwood said: "Completely.

"You could have this attitude where an employer who's not familiar with the armed forces, they may say, 'two people, one has served in the armed forces, are they going to go doolally on me?'

Mr Ellwood said that every suicide was "a tragedy" and revealed that he has invited former heads of the armed forces in to discuss their concerns over the numbers of veterans who take their own lives.

The Ministry of Defence has asked the Ministry of Justice to ensure that any connections with the armed forces are noted on coroners' reports.

And he said the MoD was conducting a study to look at every person who served in Afghanistan or Iraq to see how they have fared afterwards.

"We are dealing with - this is the tough environment of the Armed Forces - very stoic, very proud individuals," said Mr Ellwood.

"There is a macho environment there, a real reluctance to put your hand up and say there is anything wrong with your mind.

"That is why last year we launched a brilliant strategy to change the stigma surrounded with mental health.

"Just like a knee injury, it should be treated the same, physical and mental should be treated the same."

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