'I'd sit in the park, drink and cry' - war veteran

A chance encounter with a stranger led former rifleman OB to the Hull 4 Heroes charity

A veteran who struggled to cope after leaving the Army and losing four comrades to suicide is getting his life back on track after a chance encounter.

OB, 42, who lives near Hull, said he joined up when he was 25 and went on to serve in Afghanistan.

After seeing five fellow riflemen die in an explosion in Helmand province in 2009, he began to struggle with alcohol addiction and complex post-traumatic stress disorder, which worsened when he returned to civilian life.

However, he managed to quit drinking and open up about his experiences after a "good Samaritan" put him in touch with Hull 4 Heroes, a veterans' charity, last year.

OB was posted to Afghanistan in 2009, a time he described as "the peak of the war".

He found "camaraderie" with his fellow 2nd battalion riflemen and described them as a "band of brothers".

In July 2009, he was among a patrol of 10 soldiers in the town of Sangin when a "daisy chain" improvised explosive device went off, killing five.

OB arrived in Afghanistan in 2009, at the "peak" of the conflict

OB, the team medic, later struggled with guilt over the decisions he made.

"You just man up, in the midst of it. You man up and do your job. But it's when you look back now and you reflect. You're like, wow."

He left the Army in 2014 at the same time as a number of comrades, but the men all struggled to adjust to civilian life.

OB moved to East Yorkshire with his family and became a truck driver, but some of the friends he had served with struggled to process their experiences during the conflict.

"Just like me, they took to alcohol, drugs," OB said. "Their mental health was really, really bad."

Four of the men took their own lives. "And that's when it got to me too," he added.

OB joined the army for a "stable income, to travel the world, and for a challenge"

OB lost his job and, despite stints in rehab, struggled to stay sober.

His life began to change after a chance encounter with a stranger.

OB said: "I'd buy booze, go and sit in the park somewhere, and drink, cry, do whatever, and then maybe come home and sleep.

"But on this particular occasion, a good Samaritan saw that I was really drunk, and saw that I was wearing a 2 Rifles jacket."

The stranger knew Paul Matson and Helen Skinner, from Hull 4 Heroes, who picked OB up and took him home.

He said: "Ever since I've been part of the family."

OB left the army in 2014, but found life outside the forces as difficult as life in combat

OB has been helped by one of the charity's peer support groups, GEO, which is named in memory of soldier George "Geo" Ellis, who took his own life in 2021 shortly after a comrade also died.

"We meet every Wednesday, we have a platform to come and air our emotions, and we can ring each other any time," OB said.

"And it's just like that comrade thing, it feels like being back in. Having that has kept me going."

Hull 4 Heroes founder Mr Matson, who became homeless on leaving the Army, said many veterans struggled with similar issues to OB.

Returning to civilian life was like "coming into a different world".

"Generally people have joined the forces from the age of 16 or 17 and they've had discipline all that time.

"They're told what to do all the way down the line, then all of a sudden civilian life is a lot different to that, so there are lots of different challenges."

Paul Matson set up Hull 4 Heroes after his own struggles as a veteran

Mr Matson described the GEO support sessions – along with the LISA group for female veterans – as "a fantastic experience" and a great way for people to get support.

OB is now thinking about the future. He said he would like to be able to "look after his family" by finding employment, staying sober and working on his mental health.

But he also believes it is important to be there for others.

"I will give a hand to anyone who needs it, and if anyone's been in my situation before, in any way, shape or form I can, I will help. I'll be glad to," he said.

"As men, we tend to keep it inside too much, and then it becomes unmanageable. So seek help and talk about it."

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is available from the BBC Action Line.

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