Aon sales rep under fire for mocking UK troops
Brokerage giant apologises and sacks employee who ridiculed soldiers with post-traumatic stress
INSURANCE NEWS
By Louie Bacani
10 Oct 2016
A sales representative of brokerage giant Aon has come under fire for recently mocking British troops coping with post-traumatic stress.
 
According to a report by The Mirror, the unnamed insurance salesman gave a presentation at a military base where he was asked if Aon was covering traumatised soldiers returning from war zones.
 
Saying there was no cover for such cases, the Aon employee reportedly commented: “We don’t do la-la.”
 
The salesman’s remarks enraged soldiers, including one senior officer who reported the incident. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and a former ranking military official slammed the Aon employee’s comments.
 
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander of UK forces in Afghanistan, said that soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder are widely recognised and that “it is wrong to belittle their sacrifices.”
 
“This was someone making money from the ­suffering of soldiers. He should have ­respected what they have been through,” the The Mirror quoted Kemp as saying.
 
“The mental health of everyone who serves our country is of the utmost ­importance. We highly disapprove of any language which undermines that,” an MoD spokesperson also told the publication.
 
Aon has apologised over the incident while the embattled salesman has been sacked.
 
“Aon strongly ­condemns the use of such language and apologises for the offence caused,” the broker said in a statement to the Sunday People.
 
“A full investigation is under way, with disciplinary and training issues addressed. Apologies have already been made to both the unit concerned and the MoD.”
 
 
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