After Accused of Being a Fake, Royal Marine is Praised by Prince Harry as a Hero
A disabled Royal Marine, who lost an arm and leg in Afghanistan, was reported as a fake due to a disabled parking badge.
Royal Marine hailed a hero by Prince Harry after losing arm and leg in Afghanistan ‘is reported to council by busybody traffic warden who claimed his blue disabled badge is a FAKE’
Father-of-two Ben McBean almost died when he was blown up in 2008, aged 20By TOM COTTERILL | 18 May 2023
A double amputee ex-Commando blown up in Afghanistan says he’s been reported by a busybody traffic warden who claimed his blue disabled badge was a ‘fake’.
Former Royal Marine Ben McBean, 36, lost an arm and a leg to a landmine blast in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2008, aged just 20.
The father-of-two, hailed a ‘hero’ by Prince Harry, fought to get his blue badge, which was revoked by local council chiefs after they spotted him running a marathon – on his prosthetic leg.
The decision was overturned 13 years later but now the war hero says he has been accused of using a ‘fake’ permit while parking in his home city of Plymouth on Wednesday.
THEN…
Asked why he didn’t show the people his prosthetic limbs, motivational speaker Ben said: ‘They didn’t deserve that. It’s not my job to relive Afghanistan and the worst day of my life in the middle of town because some idiots want to talk s***.’
THEN…
By chance, Ben was medevacced home on the same flight in 2008 which brought Prince Harry back to the UK.
The Duke of Sussex later said the ex-Marine was ‘a hero’, after learning that he had lost his left arm and right leg in the IED blast.
With all the recent press about Prince Harry it reminds me of that country & western song I’ve got “Friends in Low Places.”
Category: Afghanistan, None
Living with a leg amputation is no easy thing. One day you’ll be perfectly fine walking down the street in the next minute you get an atmospheric change suddenly, your leg doesn’t fit right and your limping or crawling.
It’s literally a daily struggle to figure out what works and what doesn’t work, whats not hurting, what is hurting, a very complicated struggle.
People give up on prosthetics because it is too much work.
I have to say that in the one photo of him in front of his car, it is hard to tell that his hand is a prosthetic. Not giving a pass to the people that falsely accused him, but perhaps that is what lead to their improper assumption?
We don’t think it has anything to do with his prosthetic hand or Prince Harry:
“Double Amputee Ben McBean May Lose Blue Badge For ‘Not Being Disabled Enough’
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/double-amputee-ben-mcbean-lose-26938799
“He now fears it will be taken away for a second time – after he battled for 13 years to have it reinstated. On a previous incident when he used it he had been labelled a “drain” on government resources, a “d******d” and told he “doesn’t deserve the badge” for parking in a disabled bay as there were no other spots available.”
“Mr. McBean lost an arm and a leg and was expected to die on the flight home from the battlefield in Afghanistan. But after making a remarkable recovery, his original disabled badge taken away from him when he ran the London Marathon a year later.”
“He battled for 13 years to get it back but questioned whether he would ever use it again when he faced a barrage of abuse when he got out of his car for a hospital appointment in 2021.”
“Ben said he had previously used his badge at Derriford Hospital for a pre-op appointment for surgery to remove damaged nerve tissue in his arm, caused by bits of shrapnel from the bomb blast, and was shocked by the reaction. The father-of-two said he could understand why some may react as he doesn’t “look disabled” but often struggles with issues caused by full time use of his prosthetic leg.”
“Ben said he was given a blue badge initially after losing his leg in Afghanistan in 2008 to get him through rehab. But this was taken away by Plymouth City Council less than a year later. ‘I set myself a challenge to run the marathon a year after my injury and as soon as I ran to the finish line it was taken off me.'”
“I was fighting for 13-14 years to get one back but I did not fit the criteria. Apparently if you can run or walk more than 50 yards or something without aid then you don’t need one.”
d******d
a dastard???
Dickhead?
dickweed?!
Bullocks! Surprised he would not have used ‘w****r’ instead of ‘d*****d’
It sounds like he’s simply not willing enough to define himself as a victim, so the nanny state decided he’s the wrong kind of disabled.
I don’t see how anyone could consider running a marathon with a prosthetic leg as doing so “unaided” – impressive as hell, but how anyone could claim that’s the same as still having his arm and leg….
We were right to revolt.
In hindsight… while I stand by the idea that we were right to revolt, I’m starting to wonder how sincere this complaint actually is.
From one site I visited, McBean is quoted as saying, ‘There was literally one space in a disabled bay. I knew there would be grief because I don’t look disabled.’
To reiterate: “I knew there would be grief…”
I’m not necessarily calling this bullshit, but the pasture is starting to smell a little raw.
The more I see about his statements even over the past few months… I’m ready to call bullshit.
I don’t question his service as a Royal Marine or that he’s a double amputee, and running that marathon is truly impressive… but I’m willing to lay down money that this latest bitch is nothing but a cry for attention.
“I don’t see how anyone could consider running a marathon with a prosthetic leg as doing so “unaided” – impressive as hell, but how anyone could claim that’s the same as still having his arm and leg….”
This exactly.
How the hell could he have run the marathon without the prosthetic aid(leg).
I think they said “it’s merely a flesh wound…” – spoken in my best Jean Cleese high pitch
I’m not doubting his injuries or service, and the initial revocation of his of his blue badge was awful.
I’m just starting to suspect there’s more (possibly less) to this most recent story that won’t make him seem like such an innocent victim.
Maybe.
Still sounds like he is getting a raw deal.
I guess US standards are different than British. Apparently they want to have you run an obstactle course and only give it to you if you fall down in the first fifty feet…regardless if you drag yourself the rest of the way!
Here in the US, you got people with permanent ones that had everything fixed, and others that shouldn’t even be behind the wheel!
The picture says it all.
He is truly a Disabled Veteran even though he uses prosthesis.
Have seen too many folks self identity using the word “Disabled” in front of the word “Veteran” when in reality, their “disabilty” was caused by the fork and spoon disease and not their military service.
😉😎
Please note his right hand in this picture.
It is obvious Ben does not feel sorry for himself despite what happened to him in the Stans.
He ran a Marathan and started a family.
Kudos to him. Hope he gets he badge back…and folks leave him alone and move on.
Hard to figure why a man that gave to or more body parts in the service to his country would not be considered to be disabled. Just because he has replacements made by a company such as one founded by a *gasp…THE HORROR* Confederate Veteran (The Hanger Co.) and has used said replacements to go on and be a productive member of Society. Go figure.
Harry’s disability is Meghan. Bless his heart.
Exactly, those Karons can go eff themselves with a Cricket bat. Clearly what we have here is a lack of understanding. McBean should beat some sense into them with his prosthetic arm.
His disability is not obvious, due to the fact that you cannot see his testicles in Meghan’s purse.
Hell, Britannica.
Added to List of Reasons I Shall Not Visit the UK.
Folk too ignorant for their authority suck.
This is the surest sign that England has reached the end. People have nothing better to do over there but bitch about things like “he’s got two workin’ legs, mate! He don’t need a bleedin’ blue card! I mean—I hain’t got one!”
Pretty good, huh? People tell me I do a really good English accent.
Im sure the mega fatties have no issue getting a parking permit
Were that me, missing one or more limbs, my testimony in court would conclude by removing a prosthesis and dropping it on my opponents table.
“Leave it there please, your honor. Every time that person speaks against my disability, I want it to pass over what the nation gave me for my service”.
(Feral grin)