Quote from Sgt Danny Morgan who works tirelessly to support veterans and families:

We need to have an honest conversation about military charities.
There are over 1,800 of them in the UK, all doing “their bit”, all raising money… yet we are still losing veterans. People are still struggling. People are still taking their own lives.
Yes, we’ll never fully understand every reason why. But that can’t keep being the line that stops us from doing better.
I’m not a clever man, but even I know some of this feels like common sense:

1. Start earlier: during CTW (Career Transition Workshop).Why aren’t service leavers being told exactly what support exists where they’re actually going to live? Not generic advice, real, local connections.

2. Connect people to real jobs.A few years ago I approached a local resettlement centre to say a business was hiring and willing to take on service leavers. I was told no because they “How am I suppose to know where people will end up living.”That’s not good enough. There has to be a better way of linking employers with those leaving.

3. Promote local veteran communities.There are loads of veteran coffee groups, breakfast clubs, and meetups across the country. They’re often lifelines. Why aren’t these being actively pushed to people before they leave?

4. Reverse mentoring.We mentor people to adapt to military life, why don’t we do the same in reverse? Pair service leavers with veterans who’ve already made the transition. Real experience, real guidance.

5. Warn soliders that when the banter stops the demons start talking. You can’t even go for a poo in the military on your own, yet all of a sudden, “see ya” and you’re just a photo on a mess wall.

This isn’t about criticising individuals doing good work. It’s about asking why, with so much knowledge and capacity out there aren’t we doing more. The system still feels disconnected.
We don’t need more noise. We need better coordination, better communication, and more practical support where it actually matters, on the ground, at the point of transition, and in the communities people end up in.
We can do better. We have to.