Image by anyjazz65 via Flickr
There is no need for me to write a lengthy introduction. Walt Kelly, the author of Pogo, has already summed it up with his famous statement: “We have met the enemy, and it is us!” When you watch this video, have a Kleenex box handy. Some scenes will rip your heart out. BONNIE
Saying it had to modernize to reflect the new, unwrinkled face of the Canadian veteran, the federal government revamped legislation governing benefits for retiring and disabled soldiers in 2006. The New Veterans Charter, introduced by the Liberals under Paul Martin, backed by all parties and passed by the newly elected Harper Conservatives, was designed to meet the complex needs of veterans from the war in Afghanistan.
Young soldiers didn't want to sit at home, waiting for a cheque in the mail, reasoned the government. They wanted work in civilian society and to live fulfilled lives. The Veterans Charter would provide that by offering improved counselling, vocational training and one-on-one case management.
Veterans at the time warned that the new charter would drastically cut disability payments at a time when thousands were coming home wounded from Afghanistan. The changes, critics said, were all about saving the government millions at the expense of soldiers permanently disabled in the line of duty. As it turned out, these CRITICS WERE CORRECT.
© Copyright The Edmonton Journal
•39,558 Number of Canadian Afghan veterans (defined by having spent 30 or more days in-country)
•4,181 Number of veterans receiving disability benefits whose disabilities are directly related to their service in the Afghanistan mission, as of Dec. 31, 2011.
•40 Number of veterans who did five tours
•3,680 Number of female Afghan veterans (9.3 per cent of total)
•338 Approximate number of female veterans receiving disability benefits directly related to service in Afghanistan
•158 Number of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan
•82 Number of dead who were from rural communities
•579 Number of veterans with injuries related to service in Afghanistan from Edmonton, the highest of any single city
•63 Percentage of veterans who were married or in common-law relationships
•635 Number of Canadian soldiers wounded in action in Afghanistan between 2001-2011
•1,412 Number of Canadian soldiers injured in non-battle situations in Afghanistan between 2001-2011
•8 Estimated percentage of Canadian soldiers suffering Afghanistan-related PTSD
•5.2 Estimated percentage of Canadian soldiers suffering other Afghanistan-related mental health issues
Department of National Defence, Library of Parliament, Veterans Affairs Canada, Office of the Veterans Ombudsman
Bonnie Toews is a former business journalist reporting for logistics and private security magazines and now a novelist, speaks out for the victims of genocide and war, from the peacekeepers and coalition forces trying to save suppressed peoples to the children and innocent civilians caught in the crossfire of opposing powers, ideologies and cultures. Current writing "Trilogy in Treason." Member of Military Writers Society of America, American Authors Association and ACFW.
Homecoming Vets at the Crossroads of Humanity