Tag: veterans

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With remembrance should come appreciation

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

More initiatives like the Invictus Games are needed to offer purpose and strength to veterans

In the aftermath of any war, I believe nothing is more important than honouring the contributions and sacrifices made by the soldiers who fought in them, regardless of their age, gender or nationality.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele and the Battle of Vimy Ridge, as well as the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Dieppe. These historic battles transformed Canada into the country it is today. According to a public opinion survey by Historica Canada, 29 per cent of Canadians intended to attend a Remembrance Day ceremony this year. The results of this poll indicate a three-point increase compared to the attendance in 2016.

On Saturday, Nov. 11, thousands of people, both military and civilian, gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to honour the sacrifices of our country’s soldiers and veterans. According to Craig Oliver, the chief political commentator for CTV News, the crowds at Remembrance Day ceremonies 30 years ago were far smaller than they are today. Oliver attributed the growth over the years to the increasing number of young veterans.

“A new generation has learned to appreciate that sense of self-sacrifice that the military represents,” Oliver stated during the televised live coverage of the ceremony. “It’s great to see crowds growing the way they are, and it’s particularly great to see young people coming out, appreciating self-sacrifice, as young people do. More than my generation ever did.”

After returning home from a war zone, it is easier for younger veterans to appreciate the sacrifices of their contemporaries compared to veterans who are a few generations older, according to David O’Keefe, a history professor at Marianopolis College and a former member of the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada. This results in a higher turnout for military ceremonies like Remembrance Day, he added.

Unfortunately, regardless of this increased appreciation, I believe there are still many problems that hinder our veterans from enjoying a peaceful life. According to an article from The Globe and Mail, veterans still face a myriad of issues ranging from homelessness to trouble with pensions to mental illness. For example, O’Keefe said, even though there is a stronger medical understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this doesn’t mean the government or society has done enough to help veterans deal with this issue.

My conversation with O’Keefe showed me that society and the government in Canada are not putting enough importance on improving healthcare and pensions to help struggling veterans. Fortunately, noticeable efforts are slowly being made to help veterans adjust to post-military life in terms of their mental health and social interactions. One such initiative is the Invictus Games, an international multi-sport event for wounded and handicapped veterans and their associates, that was launched in 2014.

According to O’Keefe, the Invictus Games help make the return of wounded veterans to civilian society seamless and restore a sense of normalcy to their lives. According to the Toronto Star, adaptive sports like the Invictus Games are a new way to offer support to veterans and their families. Sports give veterans a purpose and mission again, and can help them improve their mental and physical health. “You are capable and still able,” O’Keefe said about this change in mentality for wounded soldiers. “You are differently abled, as opposed to disabled.”

Sporting events are also a chance for veterans to reforge a bond of camaraderie with their peers, and to use these bonds to inspire and educate others about their experience, according to the Toronto Star.

As times change, so does our inclination to honour the deeds and sacrifices of our veterans. Especially with the number of World War II soldiers dwindling with every passing year. Today, we must evolve beyond the idea of remembrance to enter a new age of appreciation for those who defend and protect our nation.

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin

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Commonwealth tradition with a Quebec spin

Photo by Madelayne Hajek
Photo by Madelayne Hajek

Premier Pauline Marois made headlines when she gave her inaugural speech at the National Assembly two weeks ago, but not necessarily for the right reasons.

Many veterans and citizens across Canada were offended when they realized the poppy she was wearing in honour of Remembrance Day had a fleur-de-lis, a symbol of Quebec’s cultural and political identity, over it.

After the incident, Marois’ director of communications, Shirley Bishop, told the Globe and Mail that Marois’ “objective was not to create a controversy.”

If her objective was not to create controversy, then what was it? To promote Quebec’s national identity on a holiday that celebrates Canada’s triumphs in past wars? To solely support Quebec’s veterans in the war?

Marois proved to be incredibly close-minded in the past few months, and that’s made her look ignorant and disrespectful.

Bishop continues to tell the Globe and Mail that “Marois has a lot of respect for veterans and a lot of respect for all the people who’ve lost their lives for their homeland. The fact of putting a fleur-de-lis was not at all, not at all, a political act … She’ll continue to wear the poppy but, given the controversy, she will not put the fleur-de-lis.”

I believe Marois knew very well that putting adding the fleur-de-lis pin was a political act. I feel this shows Quebec, and the rest of Canada, that she supports the Quebec soldiers in the war and perhaps doesn’t take any consideration for all the other Canadians soldiers who lost their lives as well.

Margot Arsenault, the Royal Canadian Legion’s provincial president, also believes that it was a political act and told the Globe and Mail that “[the veterans] fought for Canada, not just Quebec.”

Arsenault stated that she received 15 calls and about a dozen emails that day from veterans (even Quebec veterans) who claimed the act was unacceptable. The Legion states on their website that the poppy is not to be modified or altered in any way.

Remembrance Day is the day Canada remembers all the veterans who fought for freedom. To put any political symbol within the poppy automatically portrays you as supporting a single portion rather than the whole. In Marois’ case, having the Quebec symbol placed over this Canadian symbol clearly shows that Marois prefers one over the other.

For Marois’ director of communications to actually state that she didn’t want to create controversy is very ironic because Marois has been stirring up controversy ever since she was elected.

I’m extremely fed up with Marois’ acts. It’s embarrassing to be a part of a province with a premier who doesn’t recognize that we live in Canada. Furthermore, on a holiday that means so much to most Canadians, trying to display her political views through a symbol that symbolizes unity of Canada is extremely frustrating.

Marois would have been hard-pressed to keep wearing the fleur-de-lis, and I give her credit for taking it off just in time. Maybe this once, she can respect a Canadian tradition without making it strictly Quebec related.

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Facing the horrors of war

Mental support for war veterans who are back in Canada has always been an issue, though not always a priority.

Mental health problems in returning soldiers have been an issue since officials first discovered such a thing could occur following a traumatic event. Nowadays, the problem is better understood and taken care of, but the current measures employed are still not enough; therefore, not all World War II veterans have been as blessed as the three gentlemen who go to Branch 108 every Thursday to share a beer.

In the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 108 based in Châteauguay, three former soldiers – one from the air force, the navy, and the army – believe the medical conditions and support system surrounding Canadian soldiers have dramatically improved since their time in the Canadian Forces. They did not want to divulge their names for privacy reasons.

The three veterans were in excellent shape for their age, both physically and psychologically – a testament to their full recovery since World War II.

“I had sufficient support, [but] there may be a 100,000 other guys that didn’t get it,” reminded the former airman.

One persisting issue that stood out for the former soldiers is the lack of staff at St. Anne’s Hospital, exclusively for veterans of the two World Wars and of the Korean War – younger soldiers who’ve been on peacekeeping operations or in Afghanistan are not eligible.

“They’ve got so much room there, there are so many empty spaces, but it was always hard to get in,” said the former army soldier. “Veterans have tried to get in and they say there’s no room. They don’t have the staff for it, I guess.”

As the hospital patients thin out year after year, the provincial government is planning to take it over and use it as a civilian hospital instead.

Nevertheless, the three men praise the government for having put “more effort and more money towards the veterans” in recent years.

“There’s more being done for the veterans today than there was being done 70 years ago,” noted the former navy soldier.

Yet, despite these improvements, some veterans of Afghanistan have spoken out on poor medical and psychological support they’ve received once back in Canada.

In recent memory, two major cases have brought significant exposure to the issue: the ongoing fiasco following Cpl. Stuart Langridge’s suicide; and the statement given by Cpl. Steve Stoesz to CTV after being forbidden to do so by his superiors.

Cpl. Stuart Langridge committed suicide in army barracks in Edmonton in 2008.

It was his sixth suicide attempt. The story sparked outrage as federal authorities seemed uncooperative and even apathetic towards the soldier’s grieving parents.

Later, an inquiry was called to find out if the military indirectly played a part in his death. The investigation revealed he was not on suicide watch, but had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

Cpl. Steve Stoesz, on the other hand, made headlines earlier this year for going against a direct order from the Department of National Defense and speaking up about proposed cuts to mental health services for soldiers. He said he hadn’t been given the proper physical care upon his return and he wouldn’t accept it. Stoesz has been fighting against the medical system and Veterans Affairs ever since.

Amid this recent controversy, Federal Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced on Sept. 12 the defense department will invest $11.4 million more in mental health services for returning veterans.

According to MacKay, the money will fund the employment of four psychiatrists, 13 psychologists, 10 mental health nurses, 13 social workers and 11 addictions counsellors. More than 5,000 soldiers returning from Afghanistan are suffering from mental health issues, including over 3,000 diagnosed with PTSD.

“To compare World War II to Afghanistan is almost impossible,”  said the former air force soldier of Branch 108. “There are ages of difference.”

Though that may be so in some respects, the fear, the nightmares, and the other mental traumas have branded veterans of all wars. During World War II, proper help for psychological recovery was still in its early stages and macho attitudes regarding the subject ran high.

Although the current understanding of mental illness has pushed the boundaries and changed perceptions to give way to a better support system, there are still deficiencies as demonstrated by the Langridge case.

Hopefully, the Department of Defence’s new investment will be used efficiently, and become the first step in providing adequate mental health care support for our veterans.

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