A FIJIAN who was exposed to death in the war has turned to social media to overcome a mental condition he was diagnosed with.
As a member of the British Army, William Frederick, was deployed to Afghanistan on a six-month tour of duty four years ago.
Deep in the combat zone, he was tasked with driving an ambulance and it was here that the harsh realities of war hit him hard.
Apart from ferrying seriously injured soldiers and civilians to the nearest hospital, his daily job also included bagging dead bodies and incinerating dismembered body parts.
“Day in, day out, I dealt with dead bodies and serious casualties,” Mr Frederick shared during a visit to Fiji.
“As an ambulance driver, it was also part of my task to unwrap the body bags before they were handed over to medical specialists.
“My main job was to unwrap the bodies, bury some on the same day and incinerate body parts.
“After all this, I, with other colleagues, would then wash the ambulance which was just full of blood.”
In the middle of his tour in 2014, the Nailaga, Ba, native was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dealing with death, dead bodies, the wounded and blood on a daily basis had got to him.
Mr Frederick said he was thankful to the British Army for providing urgent medical attention which allowed him to get back on his feet and enjoy a normal life again.
Since being medically discharged from the British Army, he receives full medical care and support from the army.
It was during his treatment that he developed an avid interest in broadcasting via the world wide web. Using skills he learnt, Mr Frederick became one of the pioneer administrators of Voqa Mai Europe, a now popular Facebook page which connects Fijians from all over the world.
He also did some graphic design courses at the London Media Academy and this has allowed him to develop another skill which he uses to help people with design needs.
“I receive a pension and I’m covered medically and I do designs and broadcasting.
“I am one of the pioneers of live broadcasting from my home in Germany and this is something that relieves the stress and issues I have had with PTSD.
“I’m still a work in progress, even after treatment, I keep having flashbacks. I don’t like babies crying or sharp noises and I love to be in a quiet environment.
“Most of us in the army think we are strong, I’m sorry to say that the army was there before you, army will be there when you die so why try to be tough — do what you can and always think of your life.”
Mr Frederick came to Fiji to witness the unveiling of Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba’s statue by Prince Harry in October and will return to England next week.
