On Friday, Nov. 11, thousands of Prince George citizens will gather at the Civic Centre, Legion and cenotaph to remember the men and women who risked and sacrificed their lives for those
unable to fend off tyranny.
Without those proud and idealistic people who inexplicably place themselves in front of bullets to defend what's right, powerless masses would be subjected to the whims of a few maniacs.
Our gratitude to these heroes can't be
overstated... and yet.
How many times have you walked by a disheveled, dirty person shuffling along the sidewalk with what are obviously all their possessions on their back, only to look away in disgust?
As it turns out you've probably unknowingly encountered a homeless veteran while walking city streets. And while your heart goes out to veterans on Nov. 11, remember also those who are still sacrificing for your freedom - those suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction and mental instability as a result of their time in war zones.
According to a Canadian Press report, recently published research sheds light for the first time on disenfranchised veterans.
The typical homeless veteran in Canada is 55 years old and left the armed forces 27 years ago after six or seven years of service.
Most are single or divorced and are better educated than most of the others living on the street. Upon leaving the Armed Forces, they had a terrible time adjusting to civilian life, turning mainly to alcohol or perhaps drugs as a crutch.
The federal government paid for the research, which was conducted by two women with the University of Western Ontario. Recommendations were handed over to
Veterans Affairs.
Veterans Affairs - that organization we fund to help people returning from service, with or without injuries - has been in need of a serious overhaul to fix the bureaucratic maze it puts suffering soldiers through.
And the research and recommendations may go a long way to paying back so many men and women - not to mention their families - for their service.
Some improvements have already been established, such as hiring outreach workers to meet disenfranchised former soldiers on their own turf.
And Veterans Affairs' reputation is steadily improving, but much more still needs to be done, especially as the number of soldiers returning from war zones increase with the Afghanistan conflict at an end.
Recommendations put to Veterans Affairs include extending transition services from the current six months to years. The services are aimed at teaching life skills, improving mental health and preventing homelessness by spotting addiction and alcoholism early. And more outreach workers are needed to explain how to qualify for government support.
The improvements, as always, will mean more funding. And that's always a bitter pill to swallow for politicians under constant pressure to cut costs. So political will must start with you, the voters.
On Nov. 11, we should all remember those who sacrificed themselves for us, and make our gratitude count by supporting the funding of organizations dedicated to helping veterans on their terms.
-- Prince George Citizen
