Disabled veteran upset at medal presentation snub

Aug 21 2007 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

A DISABLED army veteran from Merseyside has condemned the Government for inviting him to London to receive a medal but refusing to help him get there.

Sefton councillor Jack Colbert is one of twenty former soldiers who have been invited to attend a photocall with Veterans Minister Derek Twigg.

The event on September 5 will see a group of disabled ex-servicemen be awarded with a Veterans Badge aboard HMS Belfast in London.

Cllr Colbert, 53, from Seaforth, and the Lib-Dem member for Molyneaux ward, said that he would usually expect a travel warrant signed off by the Ministry of Defence to cover his travel expenses for the trip.

But the MoD said last night that as the veterans’ attendance is voluntary, they could not be met from the public purse.

Cllr Colbert said: “Last week I got a call from the MoD saying it was their great pleasure to invite me down to London to be presented with a Veterans Badge.

“I thought it was fantastic, I was overjoyed.

“But because I’m disabled and on crutches at the moment they said they couldn’t pick me up and I would have to make my own way there.

“Travel and accommodation would be over £150 – I can’t afford that.

“I’m absolutely dumbfounded I have got to pay for it. It’s just spin, just a big PR stunt.

“They have no decency – what kind of way is this to treat service personnel?”

Cllr Colbert, a rifleman in the Royal Green Jackets, did five tours of Northern Ireland throughout the 1970s and also served in Belize, Germany, Africa and Canada.

After leaving the Army he joined the Territorial Army, in which he served for another 20 years.

He was injured in a bomb explosion in Northern Ireland in 1975, and a subsequent injury in the line of duty in 1983 aggravated his leg injuries.

He is currently recovering following an operation on his ankle which is related to his war wounds.

He said: “I’ve been in the military since 1968 when I joined the Army Cadets.

“I just feel absolutely unappreciated for my military service.

“What they have done to us is a slap in the face.

“I’m so hurt. I believe in the military, but the way we have been treated by so-called senior politicians who just want a photo call – you’ve got to ask, where are their brains?”

An MoD spokesman said: “When Mr Colbert applied for his Veterans Badge he indicated that he would be willing to attend a reception to receive his badge.

“Unfortunately, we are unable to meet his travel costs from the public purse. The attendance of Mr Colbert, as with all of the invited veterans, is entirely voluntary.

“If Mr Colbert is unable to attend we will arrange for him to receive his Veterans Badge.”

vickyanderson