(DBS)
Compassion in action – Ray Dominy (left)
Chris Ruhle from the JCCC.
Carry me
home
Meet the MOD ‘travel agents’ who arrange for troops to get
home in case of emergency
The multiple time zone clocks on the
office wall indicate the global nature of
the operation. FLIGHT PLAN
From this open-plan office within Imjin
Barracks, a specialist team manages
all of the compassionate cases for
the British armed forces – ready to
bring home a service person from
wherever they are overseas, as
quickly as possible, in case of a family
emergency. For a ‘Category A’ compassionate case,
no expense will be spared to get the
individual home as rapidly as possible.
And with troops serving in every
corner of the globe, it’s critical that the
staff from the MOD Joint Casualty and
Compassionate Centre (JCCC) are on
hand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
365 days a year.
QUICK TIME
the imjin spoke to two of the
dedicated JCCC staff based at
Gloucester, ex-servicemen Chris Ruhle
and Ray Dominy, known as Dom.
“For instance, a service person’s
mother will call to say ‘my son is
serving in Afghanistan, his dad is not
doing very well and we’d like him home
if possible’,” explains Chris.
“Once we’ve taken down the details
we’ll call the hospital, talk to a ward
sister. We don’t go into the details
because of patient confidentiality.
But if the individual is seriously ill, it
becomes our top priority to get that
serviceman to the bedside.
“And when we say fast, we mean
fast. I believe our movers are the best
in the world, and they have ways
and means of getting people from
A to B.”
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SUMMER 2020 the imjin
It is often a case of planes, trains and
automobiles.
“Each case is done on its own merits,”
continues Dom. “Everything is at the
disposal of our air travel cell.
“So, if the hospital suggests that if
we were to get a chartered plane to
bring someone back, and if that’s the
difference between them seeing their
relative alive, then that’s what we’ll do.”
However, the pair have one simple
message to all active servicemen – to
keep their personal records up to date.
“They need to revise their details, every
time they are posted, new kids, married
or divorced,” pleas Chris. “There are too
many cases when we’ve been given
the wrong records, and the police
are out looking for a next of kin just
because some guy hasn’t updated his
‘JPA’ details.”
BEST CASE
They both still clearly get a great deal
of satisfaction from their role.
“No day is ever the same,” says Chris.
“That phone rings and it could be a
good news story, somebody’s child is
born, mother and baby doing well.”
Dom adds: “I was part of the military and
I once came back on compassionate
leave myself. So, I understand the
impact when you get an emergency
call from a family in their moment of
distress.
“We work hard to get a case moved; it’s
part of the moral component.
“For the rest of the guys in the
Battalion, they then know if something
happens to one of their family members,
they’re also going to get extracted and
brought home.”
MOD Defence Business Services
At Imjin Barracks, the DBS ‘Military Personnel’ pillar provides services
through the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) and the
MOD Medal Office, supporting military personnel and their families,
veterans, and entitled civilian personnel.
Further information on DBS services can be found on the GOV.UK
website, or intranet for service personnel.
@MODDBS