Defence Forces veterans offer services as country battles coronavirus crisis

Thousands of Defence Forces veterans are mobilising to offer their varied services to the State during the Covid-19 crisis.

They are drawing up a list of people available all around the country and the various skills they have to aid the HSE, local authorities, voluntary organisations and vulnerable members of the community.

Retired Regimental Sergeant Major, Noel O’Callaghan, a prominent member of the organisations The Military Family and Irish Veterans Together, said veteran representatives met in McKee Barracks, Dublin last Monday to start the mobilisation.

Within a short space of time, they had gathered the names of 62 volunteers and hundreds more have since been added to a nationwide list.

Mr O’Callaghan said many veterans are still fit and have a lot to offer:

“Around 900 people left the Defence Forces in the past 13 months and there are thousands more out there.

We have veterans in nearly every community in the country and they have a huge wealth of experience to offer.

Mr O’Callaghan pointed out that some of them are trained in crisis management, while others are very experienced medics, drivers, military police and technicians.

ONE (Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen) chief executive, Ollie O’Connor, said his organisation’s senior members also held a meeting recently and members of their 36 branches around the country are mobilising to help in any way they can.

He said they are preparing to put a list of contact numbers on numerous shop windows offering to help make deliveries to vulnerable people whilst maintaining HSE protocols: "We will be offering any assistance we can give."

Mr O’’Connor said that contact numbers will also be put on windows at veteran centres offering support to vulnerable ex-Defence Forces members, or widows of deceased servicemen.

He added that his organisation has stopped its usual charity collections because of the virus outbreak:

“As with all charities, physical fundraising has come to a halt. We are not complaining as this is understandable but it may affect our service provision going forward.

"However, people can still donate on our website oneconnect.ie or donate €4 by texting FLAG to 50300."