Veterans in appeal: 'Special help in the municipalities makes a big difference'

Kristian Doose, who was deployed to Croatia during the Balkan War in 1993, experiences conditions such as mining, ethnic violence, and trauma.

His experiences, which draw threads back to Denmark. Kristian Doose is diagnosed with severe PTSD and is granted early retirement.

A new reality for Kristian Doose, where he particularly receives help from a veteran coordinator from Ringsted Municipality.

"If I had questions about the job center or needed support for my children, the veteran coordinator could quickly help me find the employees I should speak with in the municipality. It all happened faster than I expected," says Kristian Doose.

And quick help means a lot when one is in a pressured situation, Kristian Doose explains.

"The most important thing for a veteran is support in daily life, both for the veteran themselves, but also for the rest of the family," he says.

However, since 2023, the offer of a veteran coordinator has stopped in Ringsted Municipality.

And Ringsted Municipality is not the only one that does not offer a veteran coordinator. Every fifth municipality in Denmark has not offered it.

On bad days, appeals from the municipality can hit Kristian Doose hard, and here he misses the support from a veteran coordinator.

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Partner and children should also be helped

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Even if a municipality does not have a veteran coordinator, there are other employees such as social advisors that veterans can seek help from.

But it is not enough, says Kristian Doose. A veteran coordinator has a different perspective and understanding of veterans and their problems.

"The coordinator can both support the veteran and the veteran's family with everything at the municipality. They can ensure that one's partner can receive help, if the partner is also affected by the situation," says Kristian Doose.

"By helping the veteran's partner and children, one helps the veteran a lot."

* Kristian Doose was deployed at the age of 22. (© DR)

* Here are two shrapnel found in a water tank 5-8 meters from where Kristian Doose lived. It was terrifying, he says. The box with cigarettes is too large in proportion. (© DR)

* When the soldiers had free time, it often flowed with beer and spirits. It was an escape from daily life with war, Kristian Doose explains. Here, among other things, some Englishmen, whom the Danish soldiers socialized with, are seen. (© DR)

1 / 3 Kristian Doose was deployed at the age of 22. (© DR) 1 / 3 Here are two shrapnel found in a water tank 5-8 meters from where Kristian Doose lived. It was terrifying, he says. The box with cigarettes is too large in proportion. (© DR) 2 / 3 When the soldiers had free time, it often flowed with beer and spirits. It was an escape from daily life with war, Kristian Doose explains. Here, among other things, some Englishmen, whom the Danish soldiers socialized with, are seen. (© DR) 3 / 3

The need for access to a veteran coordinator in all municipalities is agreed upon by the organization Denmark's Veterans.

"It is important to have an employee in the municipality who knows the special conditions in the veteran area. It should not be an authority figure, but one whom veterans feel comfortable approaching," says the chairman Carsten Rasmussen.

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Helping with economy, doctor's visits, and psychology

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For veteran René Nielsen, it made a huge difference when his municipality, Hjørring, got a veteran coordinator in June.

He is hard hit by PTSD, depression, and memory loss after his deployment to the Balkans in the 1990s.

"Kristian Doose's experiences are a very important input. It is important that we look at the needs again, and the council is open to discussing all possibilities," says Klaus Hansen, mayor of Ringsted Municipality.

For him, it has been absolutely crucial to receive help from a veteran coordinator.

"Before I went with my problems myself. My nights were hard, as I often had nightmares. The veteran coordinator established a contact with the PTSD clinic, where I now receive psychological help," says René Nielsen.

But it is not just that the coordinator helps René Nielsen with this.

"She manages my meetings with doctors and hospitals, I get economic advice, and we are about to file a work injury claim."

"Life becomes much easier with a coordinator," he says.

René Nielsen hopes that there will be access to veteran coordinators in all of Denmark's municipalities.

"And I also hope that all veterans accept the offer," he says.

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Municipality will reconsider veteran coordinator

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In Ringsted Municipality, they chose to discontinue the veteran coordinator in 2023 to make other efforts for veterans.

A municipality where, according to the latest figures from May 2024, 287 veterans lived.

However, a few years later, the municipal council members are raising questions about whether the new efforts provide the right impact.

This is told by Klaus Hansen, who is mayor for Venstre in the municipality.

"Therefore, a unanimous council has set up that it will soon be reconsidered whether we should introduce a veteran coordinator again," says Klaus Hansen.

"Kristian Doose's experiences are a very important input. It is important that we look at the needs again, and the council is open to discussing all possibilities."

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