A military veteran who was badly injured during a rescue mission shares how education has helped him turn his life around.
Steven Wilson, 46, from Dumfries, served as a Private in the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment (1 Para) and put his life on the line rescuing hostages in a top-secret mission.
It was during the mission that Steven was involved in an explosion and suffered multiple shrapnel wounds in his legs, arms and back. The injuries were so severe that Steven had to endure open surgery in the field.
“I thought my time had come,” said Steven. “As I lay on the ground, all I could think about was my mum and family back home and if I would ever get to see them again. Though I couldn’t fight effectively, I knew I had to survive for my family.”
Adapting to post-military life
Steven underwent months of recovery and was eventfully discharged from his Regiment. He admits that this period of his life was extremely difficult, as he struggled to adapt to life outside of the military.
He said: “I felt lost, ripped away from the life, comradeship and sense of purpose I so loved. I was still suffering from the stress of my injuries and became very depressed. I turned to drink just to ‘escape’, ending up homeless and sleeping in shop fronts. As an ex-Para, I could certainly survive on the streets, but I knew my life was going nowhere.”
Over 20 years on, Steven now says his life has changed considerably. He was awarded a scholarship to study with The Open University and has now achieved a Diploma in Adult Health and Social Care.
He shares how being offered the opportunity to retrain was a turning point:
“I’ve got to be honest, before being awarded my OU scholarship, my life could have gone two ways,” he said. “In fact, I dread to think what might have happened and what might have become of me had I not been given my chance.
“The OU opened up a new direction for me. It’s been life-saving and life-changing.”
A new career and hope
Steven is a support worker and provides care for elderly people across Dumfries and Galloway. Now he’s completed his OU studies, he hopes to use his skills to support other veterans who may be struggling with a disability or adapting to civilian life.
He said: “Looking to the future, I would really like to use my qualification to see how I can help veterans facing similar circumstances to my own. I want to make their lives better and to begin volunteering with my local authority’s mental health association and with local military charities to see how I can help.”
“My military past is always with me and I still deeply feel the loss of comradeship and sense of life purpose I had when I was serving with 1 Para,” he added. “But overall, I now have a much more positive mindset than before and there’s no doubt that my studies helped.”
Tailored support for veterans
Steven while serving in the military
Steven is just one of many veterans studying through the OU’s Disabled Veterans’ Scholarship Fund. It’s designed to not only provide access to free education but wraparound disability support.
“I can’t praise the OU highly enough. All my tutors were absolutely on point, were very approachable and gave me fantastic support all the way,” said Steven.
“This was particularly important at around the two-year stage into my course when I was really struggling physically and emotionally. The OU arranged and paid for a local counsellor to help me, they really helped me over a period of three to four months, boosted my confidence and got me back on track at a time when I didn’t think I’d be able to continue with my studies. The OU did all this for me!”
Steven also accessed resources and equipment to help set him up for success.
“I actually completed the first six months of my course on my mobile phone as I had nothing else! The OU were amazing and provided me with a computer, a printer and voice command software. This was vitally important as, amongst my many injuries when I was badly wounded, shrapnel had removed my left elbow, leaving me with lasting nerve damage in my left arm. Plus, I’ve got arthritis in both hands,” he explained.
Support that changes lives
Scholarships like Steven’s are only possible thanks to the continued support of donors, something which Steven is hugely grateful for.
“I’m very aware that none of this would have happened for me without the money provided by the OU’s donors,” he said. “I had financial support throughout my four years of study which made all the difference – in fact, I couldn’t have done it without that support.
“I believe supporting the Disabled Veterans’ Scholarship Fund is an amazingly worthwhile thing to donate to. It has completely flipped everything around for me for which I will be eternally grateful – thank you so much!”
