I am a Veteran & have helped out at a private Veterans group for close to a decade now,that was set up originally to help Veterans in crisis, from our younger era of those who fought in the GWOT.

Demand was that great & we were disgusted so much by what we saw & the lack of action to help them,we now help all the way to the eldest Veterans still alive.One of the most humbling & satisfying things l have ever done was get to help & get to know & become friends with these great men.

Combat Veterans share a bond closer than those who have not seen battle firsthand & what we found was many of these Veterans wanted to get stuff off their chests they had never even told their wives or families & in some cases anyone else,but wanted to share with a fellow Combat Veteran,l was also very impressed with their wanting to find out about what we had been through & understanding of what we had each faced & experiences shared.

Some of the stories the Veterans from the War in the Pacific told in particular those who suffered as POW's under the Japanese are shocking,one Veteran l became friends with was 81 & his finger nails were still deformed from the Japanese torture method of shoving bamboo wedges under the fingernails & leaving them in to hit, to inflict prolonged pain.

Back in 2012 l was lucky enough to be part of a private dive team/exploration trip to mark the anniversary of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal .We accompanied Pacific War Veterans, as the visited battle sites & placed mementos from them & families who could not make it to fallen Battle Buddies .

We dived in crystal clear waters on everything from battle ships,bombers,fighters & even Sherman Tanks still sitting stranded on coral reefs 100's of yards off shore.We explored jungles for the sites of significant bloody battles still strewn with equipment & live UXO & where the Veterans could not access we took & placed/buried the mementos for them.

It was not only the military who suffered under Japanese occupation ,we explored the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea where our dive boat would travel the coast & we would travel up pristine rivers to villages that had no seen white men in years.In one village we found a tribal elder who had helped carry a fighter pilot who had crashed through the jungle to help .Weeks later the Japanese wiped out half of the village & broke his ankle & both shoulders, so he would never be able to carry anything again.

It is a pity more of the public are not aware of the War in the Pacific where some of the most ferocious battles of all World War 2 was fought. These Veterans went through what many now would not be able to & for me as a "modern " Combat Veteran are the real heroes of our time ,we have all been lucky to have these great warriors walk before us.

I am a Veteran & have helped out at a private Veterans group that was set up to help Veterans in crisis from our younger era of those who fought in the GWOT.

Demand was that great & we were disgusted so much by what we saw & the lack of action to help them,we now help all the way to the eldest veterans still alive.One of the humbling & satisfying things l have ever done was get to help & get to know & become friends with these great men.

Combat Veterans share a bond closer than those who have not seen battle firsthand & what we found was many of these Veterans wanted to get stuff off their chests they had never told their families or in some cases anyone else,but wanted to share with a fellow Combat Veteran,l was also very impressed with their wanting to find out about what we had been through & understanding of what we had each faced & experiences shared.

Some of the stories the Veterans from the War in the Pacific told in particular those who suffered as POW's under the Japanese are shocking,one Veteran l became friends with was 81 & his finger nails were still deformed from the Japanese torture method of shoving bamboo wedges under the fingernails & leaving them in to hit to inflict prolonged pain.

Back in 2012 l was lucky enough to be part of a private dive team/exploration trip to mark the anniversary of the 7oth anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal .We accompanied Pacific battle Veterans as the visited battle sites & placed mementos from them & families who could not make it to fallen Battle Buddies .

We dived in crystal clear waters on everything from battle ships,bombers,fighters & even Sherman Tanks still sitting stranded on coral reefs 100's of yards off shore.We explored jungles for the sites of significant bloody battles still strewn with equipment & live UXO & where the Veterans could not access we took & placed/buried the mementos for them.

It was not only the military who suffered under Japanese occupation ,we explored the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea where our dive boat would travel the coast & we would travel up pristine rivers to villages that had no seen white men in years.In one village we found a tribal elder who had helped carry a fighter pilot who had crashed through the jungle to help .Weeks later the Japanese wiped out half of the village & broke his ankle & both shoulders, so he would never be able to carry anything again.

It is a pity more of the public are not aware of the War in the Pacific where some of the most ferocious battles of all World War 2 was fought. These Veterans went through what many now would not be able to & for me as a "modern " Combat Veteran are the real heroes of our time ,we have all been lucky to have these great warriors walk before us.