Calgarians walk in support of veterans to raise awareness for mental health and economic challenges
Active and retired Calgary members of the armed forces gathered alongside their families and friends at South Glenmore Park Saturday morning for the fifth annual Canadian Walk for Veterans.
The five-kilometre walk aims to raise awareness of the plight of Canadian veterans, first responders, and foreign nationals who have supported Canadian troops in conflict zones such as Afghanistan, Bosnia, Rwanda, and other peacekeeping missions.
"The whole purpose is to support these veterans and when somebody says something can’t be done, these men and women don’t take no for an answer and they look after each other," said Murray Marshall.
The proud father walked Saturday in honour of his son, Sapper Steven Marshall of Calgary, who died at the age of 24 on October 30, 2009 while on foot patrol in the Panjwal district in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
The proud father walked Saturday in honour of his son, Sapper Steven Marshall of Calgary, who died at the age of 24 on October 30, 2009 while on foot patrol in the Panjwal district in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
"One of the biggest issues these veterans have is that when they come home, they’re expected to just turn it off, all the horror they’ve seen," added Marshall.
"So when these veterans came home and found out that there was little support for them, they created their own and there’s no not getting it done."
More than 80 people participated in Calgary’s event which is one of 11 walks being held across Canada with hundreds more supporting the initiative for veterans donating pledges online.
Net proceeds also go to the True Patriot Love Afghan Resettlement Campaign to help Afghan refugees and their families adapt to life in Canada with support for legal costs, housing, language, mental health, education and employment training.
EMPLOYMENT
Employment is of major importance according to Andrea Chant with the Order of St. George.
She says her team’s mission is to better the health and well-being of members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Veterans and their families, and supports the Canadian Cadet and Junior Ranger Programs.
"A lot of our veterans come back from conflicts with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and, and other ailments so this walk is also to support that too," said Chant.
Veterans like Dean Compton for example still suffer from PTSD.
The former corporal with the First Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry served in both Cyprus and Croatia before retiring in 1996, but the psychological wounds of conflict remain.
"Many veterans committed suicide because of not getting the help they need so things like the physical disabilities are easier to take care of, because it's something that can be fixed or amended," he said.
"But mental health issues and PTSD along with other challenges we’ve been through is still difficult and many of the guys that went to Afghanistan and in my generation still suffer."
The organizer of this year’s walk in Calgary was Gene Kushnir who currently serves as the commanding officer of 604 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron and serves as Honourary Military Aide de Camp to the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.
He says veterans served much of their life to fight for the freedom of millions of Canadians, yet many of them are unable to make ends meet upon returning to civilian jobs.
"We have a lot of veterans that leave the military and unfortunately some of them are found to be homeless or they're in need in some way or another."
"Hopefully in the next years to come we can just keep growing and growing and getting bigger and bigger by raising more funds for all veterans’ organizations."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Here's how much more Canadian landlords are asking for now, according to a just-released report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A man was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
What is basic income, and how would it impact me?
Parliamentarians are considering a pair of bills aiming to lift people out of poverty through a basic income program, but some fear these types of systems could result in more taxes for Canadians who are already financially struggling.