British Army regiment loses 22 veterans to 'wicked problem' in just 12 years

Exclusive:

Veteran Baz Melia, a retired British Army Colonel, has called for more to be done to prevent British soldiers from committing suicide after leaving the army after 22 committed suicide in his army regiment

A retired British Army Colonel has called for more to be done by the MoD to prevent British soldiers from committing suicide (stock image) (

Image: Getty Images)

A retired British Army colonel has called for more to be done by the Ministry of Defense (MoD) to prevent British soldiers from committing suicide after leaving the army.

Veteran Baz Melia, 58, has served nearly 40 years in the military and his regiment The Rifles has lost up to 22 soldiers to suicide since 2011, many of whom could have been saved had they received a best help.

Now he leads the groundbreaking Always A Rifleman organization which is made up of more than 200 volunteers, part of the Regimental Family, who can reach veterans in need around the clock, offering support to long term.

They will be holding the Always A Rifleman Family Gala at Silverstone Circuit on May 20 this year, with the aim of raising awareness of how to help veterans, raise funds and connect families.

Veteran Baz Melia served nearly 40 years in the military (

Picture:

Facebook)

Baz, who left the forces three years ago, said, "Veteran suicide is a really pernicious problem and the answer to the question of how to stop it should be that it must be dealt with before let it not be too late.

"One of the biggest issues is post-service isolation and that's not helped by some MoD thinking. It's a tri-service issue.

"The transition system from the military to the civilian world must change.

"He has to put as much effort into psychological recalibration as he does into retraining skills.

"For example, the Ministry of Defense is very good at, say, training someone to be a long distance lorry driver when they go away and earning £45,000 a year.