By Mike Blais
I think no one is more affected during Remembrance than those whose loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice during the Afghanistan War. Time has yet to blunt the depths of their grieving. The annual cycle of honouring Canada’s fallen poses a constant reminder, and traumatic recollections for; mothers, fathers, sons and daughters and of course, their regimental brothers and sisters. All will assemble with Canadians on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month to offer profound respect for the fallen and, equally important, to acknowledge their national sacrifice.
One hundred and fifty eight valiant Canadians were sacrificed to the war in Afghanistan. Many more would succumb to their wounds and injuries long after repatriation. This was particularly true during the dark era wherein the Harper Conservatives gutted the department of Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) capabilities despite the fact that Canada incurred most of the combat casualties under their stewardship. We know that during Canada’s longest war, thousands of troops sustained catastrophic levels of mental duress and as is with many modern wars, the number of suicides has now superseded the numbers of those who were killed in action (KIA).
Tragically, the levels of support provided to the survivors are lacking on many levels. Many Memorial Cross recipients felt that, once the intense dramatics inherent with the repatriation and subsequent journey down the Highway of Heroes had passed, they were accorded substandard levels of respect, and services through Veterans Affairs Canada. To be fair, the current government has since addressed some of these shortcomings. However, most of the casualties were incurred at a time when survivor supportive benefits were grotesquely deficient.
Faced with overcoming grief and simultaneously confronting a bureaucratic wasteland, many simply gave up. The unsung heroes of this very unique community, chose instead to fight and have their voices heard.
One such unsung hero is Jacqui Girouard, (spouse of CWO Robert Girouard – KIA Nov, 2006) who the Canadian Veterans Advocacy successfully nominated for the Queens Diamond Jubilee medal in respect for her survivor related efforts.
Another is Amanda Anderson (Spouse of Cpl Jordan Anderson, PPCLI, who fell to an insurgent IED in 2007 while serving in Afghanistan). Consequential to the departmental adversity Amanda confronted, she now leads a mission specific support network designed to assist bereaved military families. Her support network helps families to navigate the maze of bureaucratic necessities Veterans Affairs Canada requires in order to provide compensation and the suite of benefits that are now provided to the survivors of the fallen. Amanda currently administers a private Facebook Group that is focused entirely on the survivors. In addition to administrative support, the group offers peer support with respect to coping with grief, raising children as a solo parent and identifying mental health provisions that may be required for individuals and family units. Amanda is acutely aware of the administrative difficulties they are confronting and has become the Canadian Veterans Advocacy’s leading subject matter expert (SME) on survivors as we collectively strive to improve the standards of care VAC provides to our Memorial Cross community.
Amanda is currently promoting improved mental health provisions for both widows and their families. This is a serious issue and while the current government has responded by doubling the amount of professional mental sessions VAC will support to 20 sessions, this is hardly sufficient. Surely we can agree that the death of a spouse or child is the most difficult mental health challenge a person can encounter?
Surely, we understand military widows’ grief is exacerbated by losing a loved one in a war zone or through suicide. Surely, we understand that the mental health challenges which survivors encounter are profound and lifelong.
Grief never ends. Accordingly, Amanda and her team are fighting to have this restrictive policy reformed and mental health provision extended and accorded by need, not bureacratic restrictions.
Amanda’s second priority pertains to the establishment of a team of dedicated case managers and veterans service agents. Legislation and policy respecting survivors’ national sacrifice is unique and consequently, poses many challenges to the rank and file at VAC. Survivors are distinct from veterans and in order to provide effective support, the department must acknowledge the issues of grief and death related trauma are diverse in scope and intensity. Mission specific training in the bureaucratic nuances and entitlements of the survivor legislation and a clinical understanding of the levels of service-related compassion required must be improved.
