Voices of War

Voices of War was set up in 2007 by two ex-servicemen Lee Kamara and Martin Webster, who both suffered from Post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq. Through original music and art Lee and Martin raise money for Combat Stress and The Royal British Legion and work to raise awareness of the struggle veterans face when they return to a civilian world that does not always value them.

OFFERING A VOICE

In essence, the spirit of Voices of War is a transformative one. It wants to channel negative experience into works of the imagination that can release long-held demons and inspire other veterans to confront their problems and overcome them.  As it says on the site: "This country needs to be proud of its service men and women and has to start to understand the pressures that come after military service. Voices of war offer the soldiers a "voice" not spoken by the media or by politicians, but from the gravel bellies on the ground dodging the bullets."

RAISING MONEY FOR VETERANS

You can buy songs and paintings by Lee and Martin from the site. Proceeds go to Combat Stress and the Royal British Legion. This is good work. With Ken Loach's forthcoming film Route Irish set to focus attention on veterans returning to Iraq to work as private security contractors, it's about time the UK started working on improving life for the men and women who have put their lives on the line for the power games of politicians.

2 June 2010