VETERAN George Ford spilled blood fighting to give the people of Afghanistan their freedom.
The hero Para had to use a wheelchair after being shot on a tour of the brutal Helmand province aged 21.
A migrant family seen leaving a 4-star hotel in Bracknell[/caption]
When he got back to the UK, he dreamed of living a simple life in his home town of Bracknell, Berks, but like many traumatised ex-military he fell into addiction and lost his rented home when his long-term relationship broke up.
He has spent the past two years sofa surfing and living with his mum after the local authority failed to find him a home — despite welcoming 300 Afghans who, ironically, George had tried to liberate.
The families are being put up in a four-star hotel in the centre of Bracknell as part of a government scheme to resettle Afghanistan people who worked with the UK mission in the country.
George, 35, said: “I don’t have a problem with them helping Afghans. They deserve help and respect.
“But surely the Government should also be helping those who served the country first?
“I don’t understand how some of the families have made it into the UK at all because I’ve seen a few outside the hotel and some of them don’t even speak English, so I’m not sure how they helped our missions.
“A lot of them are fighting-age males and it’s alarming because nobody has seen the women or children meant to be with them.
“I just want some stability in life after everything I’ve been through.”
Speaking about the situation, Reform MP Lee Anderson said: “It’s a sad state of affairs that a Para like George, who took a bullet for our country, is left sofa surfing while Bracknell council rolls out the red carpet for refugees.
“The Armed Forces Covenant is meant to honour our veterans, not be ignored in favour of unvetted arrivals who can’t even speak English. Our heroes deserve better.”
George’s plight comes nine months after PM Keir Starmer vowed British war heroes living on the streets will be guaranteed a house, declaring “homes will be there for heroes”.
Bracknell council agreed to take part in the scheme to house hundreds of Afghans in The Bracknell Hotel, with free food, employment advice, benefits and private healthcare, after they were granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
They are not classed as illegal immigrants, asylum seekers or refugees because they either helped the UK mission, with many working as translators, or fled the country because they had been deemed at risk from the Taliban.
But the move has provoked fury among local residents and veterans who claim they are left living in run-down, cramped homes.
Local independent councillor John Edwards asked families about their experiences on Facebook — and was stunned when a Labour colleague threatened to report him to police.
Afghan families are being put up in a four-star hotels[/caption]
George was shot on a tour of the brutal Helmand province aged 21[/caption]
He said that he was not surprised that George had met Afghans who could not speak English and questioned how thorough the vetting had been on the new arrivals.
The councillor added: “I did a Freedom of Information request and no information about the vetting process was ever shared with the council and it didn’t ask questions.
“The process may well have been sound, but the authority has done nothing to check if it was robust enough to keep residents safe.”
George joined the military aged 17 and was on his second tour of Afghanistan on Remembrance Day in 2010 when his platoon was ambushed and came under fire from the Taliban.
He said: “We were patrolling and went into a village under cover of darkness, hunting a Taliban commander, but were ambushed.
Platoon ambushed
“I was in the open and was running across to get myself into cover when I felt this high-velocity round hit my leg.
“At first I thought I’d stepped on an IED because, when I landed, I couldn’t see anything.
“My section commander saved my life by dragging me to safety and placing a tourniquet on my leg.
“An American helicopter flew in to pick me up and I had to be revived twice on the way to Camp Bastion.”
George was medically discharged and underwent 13 operations, some 14 hours long, at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
When he returned home to Bracknell, he suffered from severe PTSD and started self-medicating with drugs.
Brutally honest about his spiral, he said: “I was too embarrassed to reach out for help and started doing drugs. It took me to hell and I ended up losing everything I had.
“I lost all the internal riches of life because I’d been through a lot of trauma and just wasn’t addressing it.
“I was in a wheelchair for a year, then on crutches. It was really hard on my body, but I lost my way.
“I’ve since realised my mistakes and have found God. I am a different person and just want to move on and make a fresh start.”
One veteran who served in Afghanistan told me he and his two young daughters live in a one-bedroom flat.
George Ford
George split from his long-term girlfriend, who he rented a property with, in 2023 and has been living with friends and his mum ever since.
Bracknell Forest Council has signed the Armed Forces Covenant designed to help soldiers, but says that “it does not guarantee immediate entitlement to housing”.
George said: “I’m a proud guy, but they are making me feel like I’ve got a begging bowl out.
“I can’t afford to rent property around here because a tiny bedsit costs about £1,400 a month and I need a two-bedroom house based on medical grounds, so my family can come and help me if they need to.
“I’m not asking for special treatment. I’m just asking to be treated as if I served my Queen and country.
“I don’t have any issue with Afghans being given help — so long as veterans are given the same consideration.
“When I approached the council, I realised how little support there is for other veterans and I even offered to work with them to put measures in place, but I was turned down.”
George’s mum Michelle, 57, has watched her son struggle physically and mentally since his return from Afghanistan.
‘Heartbreaking stories’
She said: “When he first got home, he had a machine in his stomach which cleaned his blood and he struggled massively to get upstairs.
The council offered him a flat in a high rise at the time, but it was in a terrible area with drug addicts and needles everywhere. He deserved more than that.
“We love each other, but George is a 35-year-old man and he doesn’t want to be at home with his mum.”
Cllr Edwards believes veterans should be entitled to the same support packages as the Afghans.
He said: “I was on a briefing call to explain what was happening with the Afghans.
“They’ve been given a four-star hotel, all their food catered for, all their bills paid.
“They get private-delivered healthcare — it’s not Bupa, but it’s outside the NHS and avoids waiting times — and there’s wraparound care and support, yet veterans who served our country are not being given the same package.
“I put out a post on a community Facebook group asking what support local residents and veterans received and some of the stories I got back were heartbreaking.
“One veteran who served in Afghanistan told me he and his two young daughters live in a one-bedroom flat.
I’ve always maintained that these people should be treated with dignity and respect, but this isn’t about them — it’s about policy.
George Ford
“Then a local Labour councillor said she had reported me to the police and MoD.
“There has to be equality and parity here. The differences in the way people are treated is what is causing division, not the fact Afghan people are being helped.
“I’ve always maintained that these people should be treated with dignity and respect, but this isn’t about them — it’s about policy.
“The council says the scheme is being funded by the Government, but it’s all taxpayers’ money regardless. It’s unfair.”
A Bracknell Forest Council spokesman said: “Mr Ford is currently on the housing register as eligible for a one-bedroom property. His eligibility is based on the medical and care evidence that he provided to us.
“Our records show that Mr Ford has applied for several properties outside of his eligibility criteria, but has not applied for any one-bedroom properties.
“Our new housing policy prioritises veterans, and Mr Ford will continue to be supported to apply for properties on our online portal based on his eligibility.
“The council has signed the Armed Forces Covenant, which means that our Armed Forces community is treated equally and fairly. However, it does not guarantee immediate entitlement to housing.”
But George said: “The council has ignored everything I’ve been saying and the medical paperwork. They’ve not been helpful in any way.
“They are ignoring the basis of the Armed Forces Covenant, which states they should provide housing. It’s total neglect.”
