Veteran Fights for Reparations After Army Trauma

0:00On March 31st, a 78-year-old veteran named Michael Pitchford is fighting for reparations after decades of pain from his time in the British Army. Back in the 1970s, he was out at his gay, face brutal interrogations, and got pressured into paying 250 pounds to end his. Nine-year contract early. Now, that means he does not qualify for the 50,000-pound, dismissed and discharged payment from the Ministry of Defences' LGBT Veteran Scheme. Homosexuality stayed banned in the armed forces until 2000, even after it was decriminalized in 1967. Pitchford joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, hit his relationships at first, then tried to leave medically, but ended up charged. Instead, he claims the Army spread rumors, isolated him, and even lied to his family about his life. To fall out hit hard, Pitchford lost his family ties, buried the trauma deep, and now battles brain tumors, heart disease, and prostate cancer.

1:01That rejection letter feels like reliving the humiliation from 1972, he says, especially with time running short. The Ministry of Defense regrets the unacceptable treatment of LGBT personnel and points veterans like him to an extra-impact payment of up to 20,000 pounds for things like abusive questioning. Meanwhile, two other vets have challenged the scheme in court over rank issues, sparked by the either-ten review exposing years of bullying and lost, pensions. Pitchford is appealing the denial right now, pushing to write these old wrongs before it's too late, as the fight for full recognition keeps building. Steam.