Browne: Veterans Day here to stay

Following the success of Veterans Awareness Week in July 2005, which culminated in the celebrations of the 60th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the Government decided to hold an annual Veterans Day on 27 June. Today Mr Browne will attend a series of events which are being held in London to mark Veterans Day. Here he explains why it is important that we recognise the contribution of all our veterans.

"Today is the first ever Veterans Day. It offers a unique chance to honour and express our gratitude to all those who have served our country as a member of the British Armed Forces. There are many thousands of veterans living among us. We should be proud of them.

"This is a nationwide commemoration, with more than 180 events across the length and breadth of the British Isles. Veterans are being presented with the Veterans Badge in recognition of their military service, and intended to raise public awareness of the contribution that they have made.
 
"I attended two ceremonies in Scotland on Sunday, one in Dumfries and one in Livingston. I was touched by how much it meant to the Veterans that I met that they were getting this recognition for their service. It was also great to see the pride of the families as they watched their loved ones receive their badges.

"From this year on, Veterans Day will be a permanent fixture in the calendar. It will complement, not detract from, Remembrance Day. Whereas on 11 November we remember those who died serving their country, on 27 June we will celebrate those who served with the Armed Forces and live and work among us today.

"There is a traditional perception of ‘veterans’ as senior citizens, and those who fought in a particular campaign such as the World Wars. But veterans are all ages and military backgrounds. They can be age 20 or they can be age 80. They are anyone who has served in the regular and reserve Armed Forces or in the auxiliary services.

"Of course a higher percentage of the older generations are veterans, and many have achieved almost iconic status through acts of exceptional bravery. They have fantastic stories to tell. We should take a moment today to remember people like Pearl Cornioley, now aged 92, who parachuted behind enemy lines with the Special Operations Executive in France to fight the Nazi regime.

"Or Victoria Cross-holder John Cruickshank of the RAF Volunteer Reserve, who sank a German U-boat in 1944 while under intense fire, and despite terrible wounds then helped fly his Catalina flying boat and its surviving crew back to safety.

"Other veterans served in more recent conflicts – the Falklands, the Balkans, the Gulf Wars or Afghanistan – like Captain Tanya Brady, who left the Royal Logistics Corps after nine years’ service, including in Kosovo and Bosnia, and today works as a personal trainer and sports massage therapist.

"Others still have provided vital support services, without direct experience of combat or peacekeeping operations. Even those leaving the Armed Forces today and reservists flying home after a tour of duty overseas are veterans. Together they symbolise almost a century of history, stretching back as far as the First World War.

"Earlier this month Henry Allingham, the oldest UK veteran, celebrated his 110th birthday in Eastbourne. Mr Allingham joined the Royal Naval Air Service in 1915. He served as an aircraft spotter at the Battle of Jutland and as an aircraft mechanic on the Western Front.

"We should not forget those currently serving with the Armed Forces. They too display those qualities of loyalty, bravery and professionalism. To give just a few examples, in March 2003 Trooper Chris Finney, aged just 19, rescued an injured comrade from a burning Scimitar whilst under friendly fire from a US aircraft, and was consequently decorated with the George Cross.

"Similarly on two separate occasions in 2004, Private Johnson Beharry displayed extraordinary bravery in getting wounded colleagues to safety, both times under heavy enemy fire, for which he received the VC. Captain Peter Norton was decorated with the George Cross. He had continued to command his bomb disposal team in Iraq despite terrible injuries sustained from a booby-trap. They, along with many thousands of service men and women serving today, are equally deserving of recognition.

"I believe firmly that we owe our veterans – whether they served in peacetime or a conflict, whether overseas or in the UK – a debt of gratitude. All have contributed; all have made sacrifices; all have helped to lay the foundations of the prosperous society we enjoy today.

"The creation of Veterans Day allows us to demonstrate this. It also offers an opportunity to remind young people of the sacrifice that their grandparents and great grandparents made for them.

"All Veterans have been ready, if required, to expose themselves to danger, hardship and death. In doing so they were bound together by positive human qualities of comradeship and selflessness that are beneficial to the communities in which they live and work. I hope that by celebrating those qualities today we can help spread them more widely.

"Veterans are also a source of talent. Many joined the Forces as raw recruits, and left with experience of leadership, teamwork, initiative and discipline, not to mention professional skills and qualifications. They make a valuable contribution to society as a whole.

"Although the vast majority of veterans are therefore able to enjoy successful second careers or robust retirement and good health, we recognise that a comparatively small number experience difficulties. For this reason we will use 27 June to raise awareness among all veterans of the advice and support available to them, from pensions and employment to housing and illness.

"The Veterans Agency was created five years ago. It provides a single point of access to these services. I want all veterans to be aware that this facility can be accessed via a free helpline (0800 169 2277). As I write, plans are already underway for next year’s Veterans Day. I urge people across the country – including local authorities, schools, community groups and military associations to consider organising events.

"I am determined that today and in future years to raise the profile of veterans, express our gratitude for their service, and remind them of the support to which are available to them."