w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER W e dn es da y, N ov em be r 1 0, 2 01 0 1 0 ships with loved ones. He is one of an esti- mated 274,000 veterans living in Ontario, spanning conflicts from the Second World War to Afghanistan. They are among the 749,400 veterans in all parts of the country honoured this Remembrance Day for serv- ice to Canada. But no matter which generation they are from, veterans can find the transition from combat to civilian life a nightmare. Figures com- piled by Metroland show the number of psychological injuries reported by veterans has more than tripled since the Korean War. Veterans Affairs Canada currently has 2,566 clients from the Second World War and the Korean War receiving benefits for psycho- logical conditions. There are 8,266 post- Korean War veterans suffering from psycho- logical ailments, an increase from 3.7 to 13.1 per cent of all vets on its roster. Other problems exist for those coming home. Many who have served in recent missions report hitting a wall of bureaucracy at Veterans Affairs when trying to get financial assistance, treatment or support, and com- plain they are not being treated honourably by the country they served. Outgoing Veterans Ombudsman Colonel Pat Stogran, Liberal Veterans Affairs Critic Kirsty Duncan and a nationwide veterans protest group accuse the government of having an insurance-company mindset, and caring more about the bottom line than the well-being of the injured and their families. Unfortunately, the government has been fighting us constantly, said Canadian Veterans National Day of Protest leader Mike Blais of Niagara Falls. Hes a retired sergeant who served tours in Germany and Cyprus with the Royal Canadian Regiment. Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn says the government is trying to find remedies. Some of these problems are systemic he told Metroland. Some of our rules and regulations do not make sense when applied to reality, and this is a point on which I am acting. In the last six weeks, his government has announced three proposals to better meet veterans needs: a $200-million program for the severely injured over the next five years, increased funding for caseworkers to short- en wait times for the processing of claims, and a more receptive policy for veterans with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), potentially benefitting about 36 military families. In conjunction with this Remembrance Day, the Royal Canadian Mint is issuing 11 million new 25-cent coins with red poppies at their centres to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, and to honour all soldiers past and present. Even so, the fury continues. Controversy exists over the governments refusal to renew Stograns post as ombudsman, priva- cy issues and perceived flaws in the New Veterans Charter, a change made to the way the government compensates veterans in the event of injury, disability or death, including lump-sum payments in place of pensions. But for every generation, whatever they face when returning to civilian life, they carry with them near-universal experiences in combat, from survivor guilt to the hor- rors of the battlefield. Each soldiers com- ing-home story is unique. Oakville resident John Garside served as a Royal Navy gunner on board merchant ships during the Second World War. To this day tears still come to his eyes as he remembers seeing Allied ships burning in the night after they were torpedoed by German submarines. I never forget, he said, voice quivering. I dont do it deliberately, but I just see something that reminds meand I get all emotional. During his time in Afghanistan, in 2007 and 2008, Oakville resident and Canadian Forces Lieutenant Colonel Guy Smith expe- rienced a lot. Some of the more unpleasant experi- ences included seeing shredded Canadian Forces vehicles, which had driven over Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Rapidly driving through the streets of Kabul in an effort to avoid the suicide bombers everyone knew were out there was listed by Smith as another unpleasant expe- rience, as was a time when his vehicle rounded a corner in Kabul and came to a place where only moments earlier an IED had exploded, killing a number of civilians. Can you ever forget your name? I think when you see traumatic experiences in your life they are embedded in your soul, said Smith. How I live with it? Thats a good ques- tion because the events are just as real a Coming-home experiences differ from soldier to soldier BARRY GRAY / METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP COMMON GROUND: Veterans spanning generations and conflicts share near-universal expe- riences in combat, but each coming-home experience is different. Post-Korea World War II, Korea 0 3,000 6,000 9,000 12,000 Psychiatric clients (includes PTSD) SOURCE: Veterans Affairs Canada 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Continued from page 1 World War II, Korea 155,700 Canadians are veterans of World War II and Korea, 134,200 men, 21,500 women. 61,000 live in Ontario. 68,769 are clients of Veterans Affairs. Their average age is 87. 3.7 per cent of those clients (2,566) have a psychi- atric condition. Post-Korea 593,700 Canadians are veterans of the post-Korea era, 514,000 men, 79,700 women. 213,000 live in Ontario. 62,895 are clients of Veterans Affairs. Their average age is 58. 13.1 per cent of those clients (8,266) have a psychi- atric condition. Veterans by the numbers The 749,400 veterans in Canada served their country here and around the world, including Europe, Korea, the Balkans and Afghanistan. SOURCE: Government of Canada Post-Korea WWII Korea 143,700 12,000 593,700 See Post page 12