In a week’s time the nation will be paying respects to the servicemen and women who suffered and died to preserve the freedoms we enjoy. Remembrance Sunday is a time of national gratitude. Today’s soldiers will join in as wholeheartedly as anybody in commemorating those who fell or were injured in the line of duty.

As they remember, however, the current military generation could be forgiven for wondering if the country appreciates the sacrifices they are making. As we demand more from our armed forces, the military covenant - the understanding that the government will care for them after they have served - is under threat as never before. We are in danger of taking our soldiers for granted and treating them with ingratitude.

Today we report something that will surprise many people. Leaked Ministry of Defence documents reveal that serving soldiers, many of them on modest salaries, are to be required to pay as much as £1,000 a year into private insurance policies because government compensation arrangements are inadequate. The premiums, a doubling from January 1 in comparison with what soldiers are paying now, are to provide cover for servicemen and their families in the event of death or serious injury. The so-called Pax scheme run by AIG, the insurance giant, has run into difficulty because of large payouts arising from injuries and deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some 58,000 personnel, roughly a quarter of Britain’s armed forces, insure themselves with the scheme, which even provides cover for equipment that they lose while on active service.

Soldiers do not have to take out insurance. The fact that so many do, and are advised to do so by commanding officers, underlines the inadequacy of official compensation arrangements. When a soldier heads into battle he has to worry not just about being killed or injured but also about whether his family will be properly looked after.

We know people are uncomfortable with the way our armed forces are being treated. Help for Heroes, our campaign on behalf of soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, has raised £600,000 in just a few weeks. Sunday Times readers are among those who have given generously. The government should adopt the same attitude. It often seems to have its priorities wrong, squandering taxpayers’ money on muddled schemes while doing little for the men and women who are prepared to die to implement its decisions. It should do the right thing and ensure that they are compensated properly.