Afghan veteran’s suicide note to his mum

Lord Dannatt, former chief of general staff, has told Sky News “quite a number” of soldiers from the Armed Forces Minister, James Heappey’s battalion, have taken their lives “in recent times, over the last several months”.

He said too many of those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq have felt that they had to take their own lives and veterans need more support.

As MPs return from their summer break on Monday, Boris Johnson will announce an additional £5m to help military charities support veterans’ mental health.

Lord Dannatt said he hoped the prime minister would today reveal exactly how many interpreters for the British were evacuated from Afghanistan and said he suspected many were left behind.

The government… are seeking to undermine the following note by suggesting it is fake. Make your own mind up.

This soldier, sadly took his own life two days ago. His very brave Mum Rose wants his suicide letter sharing to raise awareness. Please in his and her honour, read to the end.

Henry took his own life by taking a lethal dose of sleeping pills. Police were called when his Mum Rose couldn’t open the door to his flat as he’d bolted it. He’d left food out for his 11mth old kitten Storm. He had left everything neat and tidy laid out the things he wanted to be cremated in, left all the information she needed to sort out his affairs. He had cleaned his medals but left a note to send them back to the MoD. He had sent an email at 23.50pm Sunday knowing she wouldn’t get it till the next day.

Rose has asked all of us that are able to empathise with Henry to post a copy of that email on every social media platform we can. It contains some quite upsetting things but remember this was written by a man choosing to clear his mind and put his truth out there.

Henry’s note:

Henry John James (24/12/1976 – 29/8/2021 (44)) named by his mum after her favourite American/British author Henry James. Loving son, brother, friend never got to be husband or father and FORMER proud British soldier. That word is the key to my decision today to commit suicide. Though I physically die today we all know I died in Hellmand Province in July 2009 when we lost 6 in a week to IEDs among them Tace and H and I was there for both. People think IED they think you’re killed outright if you’re lucky you are but often you’re just waiting to die or you’re seriously maimed that’s the next best thing.

I sat with Tace as his hand shock and he yelled in pain for his Mum till it finally ended. It was a relief. I lied to him telling him it was all going to be ok we both knew it wasn’t. H was lucky. People don’t realise IEDs create smoke, dust, smell and that’s burnt flesh, blood or explosive and if your near by blood and other bits that get on your uniform. You’re deafened by the noise, you’re ears ring and your first thought isn’t someone died, it’s I didn’t, is any part of me missing. You’re thrown up in the air you have no control of where you land. In my case on both days no I didn’t die I walked away. I survived 3 IEDs that week the next one in August 2010 I survived but I lost my left arm, I was too close but someone died, ironically I lost the hand that Tace held. You never give them your right hand, that one is still on your gun.

Between those two dates I killed as many Taliban as I could each one for the boys we lost. I’d have killed more if I could have it helped me to forget the horrors I became immune to it. I enjoyed it I admit it. I got my nickname post-it as I would write the day, time and number of them I killed. Yes I denied it all this time but I did it and they are in my top box in the living room. The count was 57. It’s a good number in a year and I can say I’m proud of it. Proud I killed 57 Taliban fighters but sad it wasn’t more. Double would have been good.

But it’s after when you come back it starts. The sounds, smells the full horror it turns up at any time. A noise, a smell and you’re back there sometimes a face anything triggers you. They send you to rehabilitation for your lost arm, a bit of therapy for the PTSD then they let you go. Bit of money, but that’s it thanks for your service as the Yanks say. You’re a civilian and you’re not a priority so you’re on lists to see various people who don’t know what it’s like. Really they haven’t served haven’t been there. You can’t tell them the real issue. I want to go back I want to keep on killing Taliban it makes me feel better.

Then there’s Di. The war took that future from me. The one with a wife, children. Don’t even remember that dream. Truth is I left her because she didn’t get it. She thought going on with the wedding was a good thing. Talking endlessly about dresses, food, venues, cake, when all I could see was Tace the day I asked him to be my best man. She didn’t even know I’d asked him because she assumed it would be her brother, after all he was my best mate and we met through that. But he wasn’t my best mate. He couldn’t be, we had different lives. Great bloke but he worked in Asda. Not much like a war zone. Anyway I’d stopped being Henry. I was Post-it he was still Jack. So I walked away. I know my timing 3 days before wasn’t great but better than going through with it.

I’m rambling because I want to write it all down. Everything, even the bits you don’t know. I want you to show everyone what I was like when I made the decision to take my life.

But I know you’ll be devastated Mum. You’ll want to know why? What did you miss? What could you have done? Should I have done more? But truth is you couldn’t. You did everything you could. The private therapist was working and in all my dark days I never even thought about suicide. So why? You ask.

I fought in a war that they said was changing the face of a region bringing it into the 21st century. A world where people could grow up, listen to pop music, girls could go to school without fear, girls could dream of being anything they wanted to be. No more burkas if they didn’t want them, hair and beauty salons and to finally own a pet. Yes to own a pet. You knew I was still in contact with Aalem and his family. His two girls were at uni, one wanted to be an architect the other an engineer. They wanted to rebuild and improve their country. We talked about my visiting but we’d delayed it due to Covid. What you don’t know is he got a letter saying he didn’t qualify to come to the U.K. in the evacuation he was now considered a threat. A guy who was an interpreter and scout for us. A man who I’d sat down in his home, with his family, to eat with many times. He’s left to face a future going backwards. See that was our legacy the glue that stopped me thinking of suicide. We had done our job these people had a good life free of fear of the Taliban they had a future it was getting better now they just pulled the rug from under them. Their back to square one we wasted 20 years and all those lives, ours and the civilians. For what? So a politician can try and remain President. So people can say no more Americans are dying in a foreign land, to save money.

See Mum no legacy and I tried to contact Aalem all day Saturday because he was scared they’d come for him. His phone was dead. Is he ok? I don’t know. Did he escape? I don’t know. I’ll never know but I can’t watch these politicians slapping themselves on the back for a job well done getting people out, telling veterans we didn’t make sacrifices in vain. We did. You never sacrificed anything. You’re greedier, you lie and you have now started the killing again. You’ve thrown the people in Afghanistan to the wolves. Sitting somewhere in a house, in Kabul maybe, probably watching people maybe even family killed around him you’ve created the next Bin Laden. The next terrorist not against the Taliban but YOU. You who left him behind to suffer. He will blame YOU not them. He will come after US not them. It will start again. It already has with the bombing on Thursday. Already a politician is saying we’ll hunt you down. It will be your fault. I can’t be a part of history like the Vietnam veteran before me forgotten because of a failed American war just like this one. You’ve killed me along with them another victim.

I’ve made peace with just leaving now. I want you to know I was getting there but this just started it all again and I can’t go through it again. I’m sorry. I love you Mum. I’m sorry it’s so close to you losing Issac but I just can’t do it all again. Another 11 years of therapy etc. Can’t pick up and start again because that one thing I had was that glue we made a sacrifice for them to have a better life. It was worth it. It is not now it’s ruined, spoilt gone.

Please don’t be annoyed. You’ve seen my darkest days I can’t do them again. I’m tired of waking up sweating after seeing Tace blown six foot in the air to land impaled on a rusting piece of discarded metal with both legs hanging there. So I’ll miss Sunday dinner. Best Yorkshire puddings and roast tattles ever. Please look after Storm, she’s a great cat. Tell Maisie she really helped me but I can’t stay just for her. Please keep her. I know you will be company for your one. They’re sisters after all. I’m off to see H and Tace. I’ve done my research I’ll just go to sleep. See you again one day.

All my love to everyone.

Post-it for me Mum. Post this. Many of us are still fighting this war in our heads and probably always will but not me anymore.

I’m done fighting, I can’t do it anymore.

Eternal love

Your Henry.””

If you or anyone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts then please contact your GP or contact the Samaritans

https://www.samaritans.org/

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