0:00:05 > 0:00:08British troops have served all over the world.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Iraq...
0:00:15 > 0:00:17..Afghanistan...
0:00:17 > 0:00:19and the Falkland Islands.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28The mental trauma of war can take years to manifest itself.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36More veterans of the Falklands conflict have committed suicide
0:00:36 > 0:00:39since 1982 than were originally killed in action.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47This is the story of one ex Para and his personal war.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50There's perhaps some unfinished business that I have
0:00:50 > 0:00:53that I haven't really completely dealt with
0:00:53 > 0:00:56my experiences in the Falklands.
0:00:56 > 0:01:02I think there's some place I need to go visit to draw a line underneath this.
0:01:03 > 0:01:09As well as his memories, he returned with a war trophy, an Argentine trumpet
0:01:09 > 0:01:13which he hopes will be the key to laying his past to rest.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Tony Banks is a successful businessman.
0:01:35 > 0:01:41For the last 20 years, he has built his care home business into an empire worth £60 million.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48But back in the early 1980s, Tony was a care free teenager growing up in Dundee,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51who had decided to take an unexpected career path.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55When I was 18, I was doing my degree in accountancy
0:01:55 > 0:02:02and I saw this ad for the parachuting and I thought I'll go do that, you can earn some money.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05I never realised it was for the TA Paras.
0:02:05 > 0:02:12So I ended up joining the TA Paras, and after about six month I realised I enjoyed the TA more than the BA
0:02:12 > 0:02:14and decided to join the regular army.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19Tony joined the elite 2nd Battalion Royal Parachute Regiment.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24A few months after this picture was taken, this regiment was being assembled for war.
0:02:26 > 0:02:33I remember going through King's Cross Station on Easter leave, and I saw this notice board saying,
0:02:33 > 0:02:38"3 Paras return to barracks" and I thought, "Why are they returning to barracks and we're not?"
0:02:38 > 0:02:45By the time I got home I realised the Falklands had started, and then I received a telegram.
0:02:45 > 0:02:51The telegram has one code word on it, which was the name of the barracks we lived in at the time,
0:02:51 > 0:02:57which was Bruneval, and basically all that meant was, "Get back to barracks ASAP."
0:03:00 > 0:03:05On the 2nd April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08a remote UK colony in the South Atlantic.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15- MARGARET THATCHER: - We are here because, for the first time for many years,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19British sovereign territory has been invaded by a foreign power.
0:03:19 > 0:03:27The Government has now decided that a large task force will sail as soon as all preparations are complete.
0:03:27 > 0:03:36HMS Invincible will be in the lead and will leave port on Monday.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38I didn't have a clue where the Falkland Islands were.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43Like most people, I thought, "Why would Argentina want to invade off the north coast of Scotland?"
0:03:43 > 0:03:48You're thinking Shetlands or Orkneys. I didn't have a clue, I mean, quite naive.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52And then to find out it's 8,000 miles away came as a bit of a shock.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56It wasn't just Tony who had no idea where the Falkland Islands were,
0:03:56 > 0:04:00many had never heard of these tiny islands in South Atlantic.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05But the high profile of the conflict was changing that perception.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09Just think of the distances. Great Britain up in the north of the globe
0:04:09 > 0:04:12and the Falkland Islands down in the south of the globe.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15To get them down there, a number of ships were used.
0:04:15 > 0:04:22They had to take ships from civilian use, the liner Canberra, but two Para went down on the ferry Norland,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26a good ship used for North Sea ferrying in normal life.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29But it was cramped, and, more importantly,
0:04:29 > 0:04:34the men on board, as they travelled south, had to keep themselves fit.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37This put a huge amount of pressure on the battalion
0:04:37 > 0:04:40because they knew they were going into a war zone
0:04:40 > 0:04:46and they had to prepare themselves for it in the very narrow confines of a merchant ship.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53The atmosphere on the ship was professional but still a bit jovial.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Everybody thinking, "We'll get called back, it's never going to happen."
0:04:57 > 0:04:59HMS Sheffield,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02a type 42 destroyer,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04was attacked
0:05:04 > 0:05:07and hit late this afternoon
0:05:07 > 0:05:10by an Argentine missile.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15When that happened, the whole attitude changed
0:05:15 > 0:05:19and we knew there's no going back at that stage and this was for real.
0:05:19 > 0:05:25The reinforcement was on its way, battling the wintry rough seas of the South Atlantic.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32That was quite a frightening time because you start to think, "I could actually be killed here,"
0:05:32 > 0:05:34and even in when we were sailing down
0:05:34 > 0:05:38there was always the possibility of Argentinean submarines could attack the ship.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43When we had a threat to the ship, we had to go and lie in our beds with our helmets and life jackets on,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46and I used think to myself, "What bloody good would that do
0:05:46 > 0:05:50"if somebody torpedoed your ship, lying in your bed?" It was stupid.
0:05:51 > 0:05:58After three weeks at sea, the troops finally arrived at San Carlos Bay, ready for action.
0:05:58 > 0:06:04First of all you have to get your guys ashore, that's an amphibious operation.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Having chosen San Carlos as the area most suited to it,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Brigadier Julian Thomason, the overall commanding officer,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14had to make sure that his men got ashore safely.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18No easy matter when you're coming under air strikes.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26The troops made their way up Sussex Mountain, but were pinned down by heavy air attack.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29All they could do was watch the war unfold in front of them.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33It was a frightening experience when these aircrafts came in.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36I remember sitting there, seeing these bombs going off on the ships.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41One particular night there was a ship, I think it was the Antelope, went off in the middle of the night.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45I was absolutely petrified, cos you didn't expect anything in the middle of the night.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53You sit there thinking, "Gosh, those guys in the ship are sitting ducks,"
0:06:53 > 0:06:55We felt lucky cos we were on land.
0:06:57 > 0:07:002 Para lined up at the start line.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05As they moved forward, they quickly made first contact with the enemy
0:07:05 > 0:07:11and this meant that isolated pockets were quickly in fire fights with Argentine forces,
0:07:11 > 0:07:17and here I should emphasis that this initial phase of the attack was taking place in darkness.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23And all through that night and all through the battle,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27I remember thinking, "God, get me through this, just get me through this,"
0:07:27 > 0:07:30because I had seen comrades fallen at that stage.
0:07:30 > 0:07:36It was the first time I'd seen anyone close to us over the time being on the Falklands getting killed.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44People react differently. Some are more frightened than others
0:07:44 > 0:07:48and so you can't get them to do what they should be doing because they're petrified.
0:07:53 > 0:07:59And then taking Argentinean positions and trying not to feel sorry for them
0:07:59 > 0:08:01because, you know...
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Any human being when you see someone that's been shot
0:08:05 > 0:08:09or is in a state of distress, you can't help feel for them,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11but you could not allow yourself to feel like that.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14You had to just think, "It's kill or be killed here."
0:08:16 > 0:08:22The British troops were heavily outnumbered, but, despite the odds, they captured Goose Green.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25The 900 remaining Argentines surrendered.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Success, however, came at a high price.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00It cost the lives of 18 British soldiers.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18A good friend of mine I used to share a room with back in Aldershot, Dave Parr.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Dave, he got shot at Goose Green
0:09:21 > 0:09:27and the bullet went to his belly button to the webbing buckle, severe bruising.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30But once he got casevaced, he should never have come back.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33But cos the character he was, he felt better,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37he hitched a lift on a helicopter that was going back to 2 Para.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40When we fought for Wireless Ridge,
0:09:40 > 0:09:45our own artillery dropped five shells on us and he was killed.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49And I just felt devastated, still do feel devastated.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Another young guy who didn't have to come back,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54who could've survived, decided to come back.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58It was hard to take.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07The men who have been in the van of this army throughout the campaign are the 2nd Paras.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10They were the first again into Port Stanley
0:10:10 > 0:10:13and the first to march through the streets
0:10:13 > 0:10:16to hold a thanksgiving service in the island's tiny cathedral.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20On the 14th June, the 2nd Paras marched into Stanley.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22The conflict was over.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31But for some of these soldiers, their psychological battle was just beginning.
0:10:31 > 0:10:37We have all experienced events in the last four weeks
0:10:37 > 0:10:41that have probably changed our lives considerably.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45When you hear the whistle of something coming in,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48you're not sure what it is, but you know it's nasty,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50or you've got a bit of cover
0:10:50 > 0:10:55and you know you're going to have to get up and move,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57and there's somebody trying to kill you.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01When you're faced with these stark realities,
0:11:01 > 0:11:06I think you would be a very insensible person
0:11:06 > 0:11:09if you didn't think more profoundly
0:11:09 > 0:11:12than perhaps you ever have in your life before.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38When we were doing the prisoner handling at Port Stanley,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41we used to round the Argentinean prisoners up and line them up
0:11:41 > 0:11:44ready to put them on the boats to go back to Argentina.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49They weren't allowed to take anything back onto the ships apart from the clothes they stood in.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53So any items they had were confiscated.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58Some of the guys were getting bayonets and berets, all sorts of paraphernalia,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01compasses, and lots of different sorts of stuff.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05I spotted this chap holding a black box.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09I was quite intrigued by this so I went over and called him out and opened up the box.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11To my surprise, there was a trumpet.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I thought that would be a really unusual war trophy,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18because I thought there couldn't be that many army trumpet players on the island.
0:12:18 > 0:12:23Could this war trophy hold the key in laying his painful war memories to rest?
0:12:26 > 0:12:30In Scotland today, there are nearly half a million war veterans.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Many have made an easy transition from military to civilian life.
0:12:35 > 0:12:43But a significant minority suffer from mental health problems as a result of their military service.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46When people come back from a war situation...
0:12:48 > 0:12:52..it's sometimes moderate to severe depressive symptoms they can have,
0:12:52 > 0:12:57or, more commonly, it's abusing alcohol or other substances
0:12:57 > 0:13:02to help them sleep because they may have nightmares about particular situations.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05But, for many people, these symptoms lessen as time goes on.
0:13:05 > 0:13:11Its for a small minority that it really does cause lasting damage.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35Stewart Colquhoun was 21 when he joined the 1st Battalion Royal Scots Regiment,
0:13:35 > 0:13:37serving in the first Gulf War.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45On leaving the army, he struggled to cope in Civvy Street
0:13:45 > 0:13:48which resulted in him trying to take his own life.
0:13:50 > 0:13:56I didn't have the finances to go back to Edinburgh.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58I was still...
0:14:00 > 0:14:03..upset about situations from my previous marriage.
0:14:03 > 0:14:09And it just seemed that that was the best way for everybody, was just to end it all.
0:14:13 > 0:14:18But I think the thing that has to be realised by the powers that be
0:14:18 > 0:14:22is that the British Army is great at breaking you down
0:14:22 > 0:14:27and building you up to fit the purpose of being a soldier on the ground,
0:14:27 > 0:14:32but they neglect to, if you like, for want of a better term,
0:14:32 > 0:14:38de-programme you, ready to face the trial and tribulations
0:14:38 > 0:14:42that you would face, back into the civilian population.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46The Ministry of Defence is increasingly recognising
0:14:46 > 0:14:50the effects of mental trauma and its prevalence across the armed forces.
0:14:50 > 0:14:57Naval veteran David Cruickshank served as a junior marine electrical engineer in the Falklands Conflict.
0:14:57 > 0:15:03He was consistently exposed to highly pressurised situations for a sustained length of time.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Basically, I was just sitting there waiting for something to happen
0:15:11 > 0:15:15and if something did happen, that's the only time
0:15:15 > 0:15:17I'd have been able to do anything about it.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21Up until then, I was basically sitting in a room,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24in a tiny room, with another guy...
0:15:25 > 0:15:28..waiting for a bomb to drop, which, thankfully, didn't.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37People, when they go to the movies and see a film, if they go and see a thriller,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40they're in a state of tension for about 90 minutes
0:15:40 > 0:15:43and then they come out and they go, "Wow, that was great."
0:15:43 > 0:15:45And they talk about it and the tension relaxes.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50If you imagine doing that everyday for maybe up to two, three weeks,
0:15:50 > 0:15:55you do that, you're in that state of heightened tension, it's got to have some sort of effect on you.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01David was only 21 when his naval career was cut short.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08I had an injury to my knee which never got any better.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13So I was being medically discharged from something I had wanted to join all my life.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17I was depressed, to be honest.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21There's no putting any gloss on it.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23I was physically unfit and mentally unfit,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27and that was me in Civvy Street having to deal with it.
0:16:27 > 0:16:33Like David, Tony also struggled in becoming a civilian again.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35I never spoke about the Falklands for years.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39I just never felt that I could talk to anyone about it.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43It's always this thing of, "Civilians don't understand what it's like".
0:16:43 > 0:16:45Um...
0:16:45 > 0:16:48But you took it out in other ways. I was a very angry young man.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51You'd drink too much, you'd get involved in fights,
0:16:51 > 0:16:56and that was common, not just with me, but with a lot of other guys at that time,
0:16:56 > 0:17:00and found it really hard to adjust back into normal life, if you like.
0:17:00 > 0:17:06Since his war experience, Tony Banks has gone on to unprecedented success.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11An outstanding businessman, he sits at the helm of a multi-million pound empire,
0:17:11 > 0:17:16and now dedicates his time and money in helping the charity Combat Stress.
0:17:18 > 0:17:24Combat Stress specialises in looking after veterans with a wide range of mental health issues,
0:17:24 > 0:17:29including those suffering from the condition Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37People that come to us present 14 years
0:17:37 > 0:17:41after their discharge from the armed forces,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43around the same age as yourself,
0:17:43 > 0:17:49but certainly, in most cases, have not successfully made the transition
0:17:49 > 0:17:53between service life and civilian life.
0:17:53 > 0:17:5675%, for example, of the people that we currently treat
0:17:56 > 0:18:03are unemployed and sometimes have been - in most cases, in fact - have been long-term unemployed.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08They suffer with ill health, physical ill health, often,
0:18:08 > 0:18:13as well as mental ill health, so there are stark differences.
0:18:15 > 0:18:21Post Traumatic Syndrome is a psychological reaction following intense traumatic events,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23particularly those that threaten life.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31For these veterans, Hollybush House is a safe haven.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34At this facility, they receive psychotherapy,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37and share their experiences through group-based activities.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44I came here, talking to the guys, stuff like... Well, you'd remember.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48Holding a rifle, going out on a patrol, and you'd get that wee buzz.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51If I tried to say that to my psychiatrists at Civvy Street,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55he never understood and I felt as if I was banging my head against a wall.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57Do you know what I mean? Nobody understood.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59It was just me. Until I came here.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03You must have come across... You must have had battles within yourself.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08Absolutely. That's one of the reasons I'm sitting here and I'm involved with Combat Stress.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12Because, ultimately, it's that internal battle you're going through all the time.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16And the thing is, if a physical injury, as bad as it is,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19someone's got a leg missing and that, you can see it.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21But what's going on in your head, people can't see it.
0:19:21 > 0:19:27I've always said I'd rather have my leg blew up, cos I can see it,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30but because it's inside my head, people...
0:19:30 > 0:19:34When you start getting angry and you start going off on one,
0:19:34 > 0:19:39people think, they say to you, "Oh, pull your socks up. Sort yourself out."
0:19:39 > 0:19:44They don't understand what it's like when it starts getting in the wee dark hours of the morning
0:19:44 > 0:19:48and you start fighting no to go to sleep because you know what's coming.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51And the more you fight no to go to sleep,
0:19:51 > 0:19:56you start getting angry on top of, already, because of what you're angry at
0:19:56 > 0:19:58and that makes it worse.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06Tony's millionaire life may be significantly different to the many who attend this facility,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10but their experiences in the theatre of war couldn't be more similar.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15Having spoken to the guys this afternoon,
0:20:15 > 0:20:21it's made me realise that there's perhaps some unfinished business that I have.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26That I haven't really, completely dealt with my experiences in the Falklands.
0:20:26 > 0:20:32And I think there's some place I need to go to visit to be able to try and draw a line underneath this.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48For years I've had this trumpet and I always wondered about the chap I took it from.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Where did he go, where did he come from? What was his role in the war?
0:20:51 > 0:20:55What was his life like after the war? How did the war affect him?
0:20:55 > 0:20:59Where is he now? Is he alive? Is he dead? Does he have a family?
0:20:59 > 0:21:03And I always thought it would be quite a good gesture to find him,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06to try and find him, and give him this trumpet back
0:21:06 > 0:21:09and find out a bit about his life and what had happened to him.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14Armed with just a name from the music book in the trumpet case,
0:21:14 > 0:21:18Tony hopes to find the Argentinean soldier Omar Renee Tabarez.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Months of searching has now brought Tony to Argentina.
0:21:40 > 0:21:46The Falklands Conflict lasted just 74 days, but it left almost 1,000 dead.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51655 Argentinean servicemen lost their lives.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57I've reflected over the years on war and conflict.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00I think people realise war isn't about glory.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03People think war is glorified. There's no glory in war.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06All there is is death, destruction and despair.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17On a wet and grey day in the capital, Buenos Aires,
0:22:17 > 0:22:22Tony's special day has arrived, a day he's been looking forward to for months.
0:22:22 > 0:22:29He's on his way to the outskirts of this province to finally meet with the Argentinean soldier.
0:22:29 > 0:22:36Separated by 28 years and 8,000 miles, how will he feel about meeting Tony?
0:22:36 > 0:22:40I'm a bit apprehensive about the whole thing, a bit fearful.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43I've got no idea what to expect when I get there.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48I'm hoping to put a lot of my demons, a lot of my past to rest.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52Be interesting just to get there and see what sort of reception I get.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55I'm hoping it'll be one of reconciliation
0:22:55 > 0:23:01and people realising that it's probably the right time and it's right and fitting for this to happen.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13A big family reception awaits for Tony as he arrives at Omar's house.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23- Muchas gracias.- OK. You're welcome.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51OK. Amigo.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57I think this is yours.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02Muchas gracias. Muchas gracias.
0:24:05 > 0:24:11Omar joined the Argentine army straight out of school and became one of their few musicians.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18He was to become the first Argentinean musician to go to war since 1910.
0:24:21 > 0:24:26And now his trumpet, his companion throughout the war, is back where it belongs...
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Unplayed for 28 years.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38And Tony has one more surprise for Omar.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Oh!
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Mucho gracias.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33Despite not playing for 28 years, he hasn't forgotten a note.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16Omar's family leave the two former soldiers to reminisce about their war.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30Like many soldiers, Omar has suffered the mental traumas of war.
0:26:30 > 0:26:36For years he suffered from a deep depression, flashbacks and debilitating nightmares.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39For both soldiers, it's time to lay their past to rest.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44I'm so glad that I'm here in Argentina,
0:26:44 > 0:26:51meeting you 28 years after taking this trumpet from you in Port Stanley.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56I think, not only does it show that humans do care about each other,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59it's also that act of reconciliation,
0:26:59 > 0:27:04and, having heard your story about your problems after the war,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08I hope this will help you bring some closure in your life.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47Two ex-soldiers, who were divided by a war, finally come together as men.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Before he leaves, Tony visits the replica Falklands cemetery in Buenos Aires.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03This chapter of his life finally closes.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Having come back now and given Omar back the trumpet,
0:28:09 > 0:28:16it's, to me, brought a bit of closure and I feel I've returned the trumpet to its rightful owner.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25I can go to my grave now thinking, "Yeah, you did the right thing."
0:28:32 > 0:28:35Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:35 > 0:28:38E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk