Danny Kinahan: Armed forces are not unionist or orange, we are the whole of society

Danny Kinahan described his new role as being the voice of the estimated 150,000 veterans in the region, and making sure needs are met.

In the two months since he was appointed, the former Ulster Unionist MP has been meeting individuals and support groups to assess needs before submitting a business case for funding to Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer.

He hopes to see offices set up in every town to ensure every veteran is reached, and for councils to work with them.

“I want to really get across that the military are the whole of society – we’re not one side, we’re not unionist, we’re not orange – we’re Irish, Northern Irish, Welsh, Scottish,” he told the PA news agency.

“Please don’t see us as one side. We are from everywhere and we were there for you, and now we expect you to look after us.

“I would love veterans to be more open about their service and wear it with pride but I am sensitive to those who feel that it is not so easy.

“My duty there is to try and get everyone on board to put that behind us and try to move forward.”

Mr Kinahan’s first week in the role coincided with Royal Irish veteran Brett Savage, 32, taking his own life, after suffering from PTSD.

He met Mr Savage’s mother, Dolores and father, Noel, before Noel Savage himself died. He is arranging to meet the family again to discuss what happened, assess if something was missed and work to put processes in place to help others.

He conceded the army had been “very poor” in the past when it came to aftercare, but feels things have improved with the appointment of Mr Mercer, who is a recent veteran.

“The army are now planning to train everyone for leaving from almost the day they start, and to try and help all those who have left in the last seven years, I think we need to go back almost 50 years,” he said.

Mr Kinahan said that for many veterans, the impact of their experiences may not affect them until many years later.

“One day, what happened to them in Kosovo, or Iraq, suddenly starts haunting them, and we’ve got to make sure the system is immediately beside them to put their arm around them, and that’s what I will work on,” he said.

One of Mr Kinahan’s closest friends, Anthony Daly, was killed in the IRA’s Hyde Park bombing in 1982. He said he feels lucky not to have lost more of those close to him.

“There are many here who had a very strong threat against them, some got shot and still live in those areas.

“Yet I’ve met wonderful people who just want to get on with their lives, don’t hold it against those who were against them, and I would like to see that reciprocated,” he said, adding that many veterans want to “stop being demonised” and “made to be the aggressor”.

“There is a big plea, please be positive about us, there’s 150,000 of us here, we’re out there helping society and there are terrific groups being set up.”

Former soldiers are at the centre of ongoing criminal cases, such as the prosecution of Soldier F who has been charged with the murder of two individuals in the Bloody Sunday shootings.

Former soldiers also feature in a number of legacy inquests, including a probe into the shooting of 10 people in the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast in 1971.

Mr Kinahan said he recognises a diverse range of attitudes but said he believes that as a whole, society wants to move on.

“I will meet anyone who wants to meet me, because I have to learn from them all. They are all very different, even some from within the same family who don’t want to carry on with a case and some who do,” he said.

Mr Kinahan said cases can drag on for years with challenges and counter challenges.

“If you are going to spend fortunes on trials, sitting in the back on my mind is, shouldn’t we be spending that fortune helping victims and veterans?” he said.

“I think we all have to sit down and find a way forward instead of choosing one side or another. And so I would be very much there trying to get everyone on board.”

Mr Kinahan himself is a former officer who served with the Blues and Royals and the Black Watch for eight years, including tours in Cyprus and Northern Ireland.

He remains involved through the North Irish Horse, of which he is Honorary Colonel.