Kosovo Appeal

Simon was just 20 when he was sent to Kosovo. 

You may already know Simon - he is the brave survivor of a gunshot wound to the face in Iraq. He sustained extensive injuries and spent many days in a coma before he woke to find his sight was gone.  

But, 25 years ago, he also drove one of the first vehicles over the border into Kosovo. He was just 20 years old.

Simon will never forget all he witnessed in Kosovo.

"The first two months of the Kosovo deployment were really sticky, after that it was more of a clean up operation. Once the Serbians were moved out, we put security on the border and went back to rebuild the infrastructure. It was then that we realised why the Serbians were so keen to leave. It was because of the mass graves.

"Instead of rebuilding, we were investigating war crimes. As young soldiers, it was our job to clean up. It was all hands on deck for everyone. As a mechanic, I was repairing vehicles that were transporting bodies around, and it's a smell that doesn't wash off, unfortunately.

"We did what was expected of us but it was a tough tour, more emotionally than anything else. I don't think you can ever really prepare someone mentally for mass graves."

When Simon returned home, he found it impossible to forget.

"It was the processing of it that was difficult when I got home. The rest of the world had moved on while I just hovered in this place. I think that's why so many found that tour so mentally challenging.

"At the time because I was that busy, I didn't have time to reflect. You let it fester."

Ex-Service personnel often find it difficult to adjust to home life after returning from operational deployment - and also after losing their sight and their careers.  

By supporting this appeal, you are helping to show blind veterans that they aren't alone. Donating £25 on this 25th anniversary could help fund vital emotional support that helps blind veterans adapt to life after sight loss. 

Support from our charity changed everything for Simon. 

"After my injury, and with so much going on around that, speaking to people who understood the things that happened in Kosovo was just overlooked. I overlooked it until it came back to haunt me.

"When I then visited one of our centres, I realised how vital it was that there was somewhere where I could offload and have the conversations I couldn't have with my family. The key thing was shared experience - all of a sudden there was a group of people who understood.

"Especially when I was going through that transition period - from being a sighted person to a blind person and from being a soldier to a civilian - it made such a difference having those people that I could speak to."