Veteran Gus may resume hunger strike protest in Newport
A former paratrooper who staged a hunger strike to campaign for an inquiry into the care of veterans has said he may resume his protest.
Gus Hales, 62, finished his protest outside Combat Stress in Newport on Sunday as the nation marked 100 years since the end of the First World War.
Mr Hales, who served as a Royal Engineer Paratrooper in the Falklands war, said the two week protest had taken a shocking toll on his body, with his wife visibly shocked at the amount of weight he had lost.
Despite an apology from Combat Stress for the way he was discharged, and a pledge to review other cases of veterans who had suffered from the same treatment, Mr Hales has said he wants the charity and the government to go further.
Mr Hales said that without a pledge to carry out an independent inquiry into the discharge of veterans from care, he will resume his protest from today.
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He said: "I said I am standing down temporarily, relieving my post, but I will be back at 12 if I do not get a letter addressing my concerns or saying an inquiry will take place."
Mr Hales ended his hunger strike on Sunday, breaking his fast by beginning to eat soft food such as baby food – 24 hours later he was on a similarly restricted diet. The effect of the hunger strike had been severe, he said.
"My wife just burst into tears when I took my shirt off and she saw how much weight I have lost," Mr Hales said.
"Physically it has been an interesting process to watch. My body has got weaker and weaker and weaker. There has been no pain."
In a statement earlier this month Combat Stress accepted mistakes had been made in Mr Hales' care.
It said: “Mr Hales has raised two very important issues. Regarding the issue of his own discharge from our services, we have unreservedly apologised for the manner in which he was discharged in 2015. We are extremely concerned about Mr Hales’ health due to the current situation and our clinical team is standing by, ready to offer Mr Hales any personal assistance he wishes.
“As a result of Mr Hales discharge, we will undertake a review to identify if any other veterans have been improperly discharged from Combat Stress. We have asked the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Health and partner military charities to participate and to identify anyone they know who feels they have been discharged improperly. Once we have this information, we will discuss with them how to meet their needs for any further support.”
