Tony Wright: Debating history, healing the present

Debating history, healing the present: Forward Assist’s debating society and moral injury

Thursday 25 September 2025 | 7pm BST (UK time) | 8pm CEST | 11am PDT | 2pm EDT

About this session

Tony says, "Moral injury has become one of the most difficult and least understood consequences of military service. Unlike physical wounds, it cannot be seen on the surface of the body, and unlike post-traumatic stress disorder, it does not always present through flashbacks or hyper-vigilance. Instead, moral injury gnaws at the very core of identity, creating an inner rupture between who a person believed they were and what they did, saw, or failed to do, during military service. For many veterans, both men and women, the struggle is less about surviving external danger than about coming to terms with the choices, compromises, and tragedies that military service forced upon them.

"Forward Assist, a veteran support charity based in the North East of England, has responded to this need with a uniquely innovative programme: The Veterans Debating Society. Here, veterans gather not to confess, not to be analysed, and not to relive trauma, but to engage in structured debate on historical and military-themed topics, many of which touch on precisely the kinds of moral dilemmas that generate injury in the first place.

"By debating events from history, wars long past, controversial campaigns, or questions of military ethics, participants find a safe yet challenging way to explore the issues that haunt them in their own memories. The debating society transforms what might otherwise remain silent and corrosive guilt into shared inquiry, performance, and dialogue. In the process, it creates a space where healing becomes possible.

"It is my view that debate training could be applied in multi-disciplinary settings to create structured, respectful dialogue around difficult subjects that risk moral injury, by fostering critical thinking, empathy for opposing perspectives, and clear argumentation that helps participants navigate ethical tensions without escalating conflict."

About Tony

Tony Wright joined the Royal Marines in 1978 and was medically discharged in 1981 after seriously injuring his shoulder during basic training. Tony established Forward Assist (2013) & Salute Her UK (2021) to address unmet needs in the veteran community.

Tony originally started work in the service charity sector when he created About Turn CIC in 2009 to support veterans involved with the Criminal Justice System. Following a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travelling Fellowship in 2011 (which involved a six-week research trip to the USA) he changed his direction of travel and began to focus on supporting combat veterans who had difficulty accessing trauma informed care and support.

Over the last seven years he has been particularly supportive of veterans with lived experience of Military Sexual Assault (MSA) and now struggle with Moral Injury, Post Traumatic Stress and Military Sexual Trauma (MST).

A Qualified and Registered Social Worker, Former Probation Officer, and Home Office Adviser with 42 years’ experience of working in a variety of senior management positions within the social welfare and voluntary sector, Tony describes himself as a political activist, campaigner, and agent of change. He lives a life led by commitment, compassion and being of service to others.

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