PENLLERGAER VETERAN TO JOIN CENOTAPH MARCH-PAST IN CHARITY DELEGATION

Former RAF medic Christy Cox, from Penllergaer, is one of 50 veterans, carers, and staff from Help for Heroes, who will pay tribute to their fallen comrades by joining the Cenotaph march-past on Remembrance Sunday (12 November), in London. 

It is Help for Heroes’ largest delegation – including 31 veterans supported by the Charity – to yet attend the annual parade, which sees 10,000 members of the veteran community marching shoulder to shoulder in an act of remembrance along Whitehall.

Christy, 37, who is originally from East Yorkshire, served as a corporal for almost 14 years, between 2003 and 2016, at bases across the country. She was deployed to Iraq in 2005 as part of an Aeromedical Evacuation and Immediate Response Team, and to Afghanistan in 2008, on the Medical Emergency Response Team.

She also served in the Falklands, as a Remote Radar Head Medic, and in Cyprus, as a Decompression Medic, supporting Op Herrick in Afghanistan, before leaving on medical discharge in 2016. She has been supported by Help for Heroes for the last four years.

“I have attended many courses with Help for Heroes throughout my recovery. I have also taken part in the selection for the Invictus Games in 2019,” she said.

“I have started to attend breakfast clubs in my local area and in the past have been to a lot of their family events when my children were young.

“Help for Heroes gave me the opportunity to attend my recovery course in a more relaxed environment away from the military. I was able to take the time for myself, away from my family and be able to focus on transition whilst meeting others who were going through a similar experience. I was able to have recreation time, self-care and try new sports.

“Being able to try out for the Invictus games let me focus on working towards a fitness goal. I enjoyed the experience. This led to a check-up call from Help for Heroes, which then offered me a place on a compassionate therapy course. Although I had received lots of different forms of therapy before, it was a positive opportunity and I constantly revisit the techniques taught.”

Looking ahead to her participation in the ceremony at the Cenotaph, Christy said: “I give thanks to those who gave – and give – so much. It’s a time of reflection, unity, and education; to reflect on past experiences and give thanks to those lost through all conflicts; to unite with others through a mutual bond and common ground and be there to support others through the sadness that remembrance can be.

“Also, to allow the happy memories to be a part of that, and to educate the young to uphold the tradition and importance of remembrance.

“The period surrounding remembrance can be really difficult. It ties very tightly into my experiences and bonfire night, the week before, heightening emotions and physical responses to triggers.

“Over the past nine years I haven’t felt strong enough to join in the Cenotaph march; it took years for me to have the confidence to wear my medals and beret again. I feel very nervous about taking part, but feel it’s the right time. I know there will be moments of anxiety and stress, but I will have mechanisms to deal with that.

“I hope I can gain strength and confidence, to feel pride in my service and socially comfortable about military environments.”

Since 2020, Christy has created remembrance displays within her community as a way of helping her recovery and to support her mental health.

She added: “It has helped me offer a place of reflection for others and has promoted education for the local children. This process of building displays gives me hours of self-care and reflection and I have seen an improvement in the way I am able to deal with the remembrance period.

“This year my children’s primary school is joining my remembrance project and will be asked to produce a painted stone. I will also be decorating 108 (Welsh) Field Squadron, Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia), where I work.”

A spokesman for Help for Heroes said: “As we join the nation to commemorate the men and women who lost their lives while serving our country, Help for Heroes also remembers those still fighting their own battles today.

“We remain at the side of veterans and their families who are struggling with painful injuries, mental trauma, isolation, and more – providing life-changing support for as long as it takes.”

Christy concluded with an appeal to her fellow veterans not to suffer in silence.

“Help for Heroes offers you so much variety that there is always something for everyone. The vast knowledge they have and support they can offer is amazing. I highly recommend anyone with a military connection to contact Help for Heroes if they need support. They can help in areas you may not have considered.”

Thanks to the generosity of the British public, Help for Heroes has helped transform the lives of more than 30,000 veterans and family members. But there are thousands more who need the Charity right now, and many who will require its support for the rest of their lives. 

The Charity supports veterans, and their families, from any branch of the UK military – regulars or reserves – irrespective of length or place of service, and locally embedded civilians (and their families) who worked alongside our Armed Forces.

n Supporting our veterans is a wonderful living tribute to the memory of the fallen. To support Help for Heroes in transforming lives, please visit helpforheroes.org.uk/donate. 

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