Blog

June 2021 Newsletter Final 3

Hi Bob,

Thank you for getting back to me!

I checked again and I still don’t see our link (https://www.mesotheliomahope.com/resources/support-groups/) on your page, I only see this resource (https://www.asbestos.com/veterans/).

If your IT department can include our page (https://www.mesotheliomahope.com/resources/support-groups/) as well then I would be happy to include your link on our page. Please let me know if we can accomplish this.

Have an outstanding day!

Erin Anderson – Advocacy Associate
https://www.mesotheliomahope.com/
1330 Boylston Street, Suite 400
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
(855) 722-2974

From: Angela Keeling Colkitt Sent: June 21, 2021 2:26 PM To: Veterans Organizations Subject: VAC membership – Minister’s Advisory Group

Good afternoon,

I have been asked to share the following information with you.  Please see below.

VAC is updating the membership of the Minister’s Advisory Groups and we are sharing this link in the hopes that you will share it with your network so that the Department may receive a number of applicants:

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/about-vac/what-we-do/public-engagement/advisory-groups/apply

There are 6 Advisory groups and applicants can indicate which one they have an interest in. 

In comradeship,

 

Angela Keeling Colkitt

Executive Assistant / Adjointe Exécutive

 

<image001.png>

 

The Royal Canadian Legion – National Headquarters

Le siège de La Légion royale canadienne

86 Aird Place, Ottawa, K2L 0A1

T: 613-591-3335 ext 244

War veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) should have validated MedicAlert bracelets stating that they have a combat-related illness, said the decorated survivor of an RPG attack and subsequent firefight.

Sean Teal, a wounded veteran who served four eventful tours in Afghanistan and earned the military’s second-highest award for valour, struggled with physical pain and mental health issues until he was ushered out of the army in 2014. Then his problems got worse.

“It’s hard to get sympathy or empathy from people who can’t relate.”

He said civilian doctors unfamiliar with his experience overseas and the stresses of combat all but ignored his military medical files and perpetuated a cycle of treatment that eventually rendered him a “slug,” unable to eat, sleep or function.

“You’re judged immediately because you’re a veteran,” Teal said in an interview with Legion Magazine. “It’s hard to get sympathy or empathy from people who can’t relate.”

He said civilian doctors have continually asked him why the military isn’t handling his case and are content to prescribe antidepressants and other drugs before sending him out the door. “I don’t think they get how bad it is. I mean, when you’re on the floor and you barely have the strength to dial 911, that’s terrible.”

It was so bad that Teal—who’s still dealing with head and back injuries from the 2006 blast that killed his warrant officer, Rick Nolan—said he stopped trusting the system. The Cole Harbour, N.S., native believes MedicAlert bracelets could help civilians both in and out of the health-care system better address the cases confronting them.

“Before you’re released from the military, you should have a MedicAlert bracelet that says ‘PTSD,’ what conflict and whatever, with a phone number, because when you’re lying on the ground paralyzed, and you can’t speak, those people should be able to verify that, yes, this person did stuff, he is messed up and, if you don’t believe the words coming out of his mouth, you call this number,” he said.

The bracelets are issued by MedicAlert Foundation Canada, which also provides around-the-clock family notification services and a hotline through which paramedics, police and other first-responders can get access to subscribers’ detailed medical profiles, including lists of prescribed drugs.

The 60-year-old organization provides subsidized services to veterans, including partial or full financial assistance for MedicAlert IDs and service plans. The website doesn’t list PTSD or related medications, but a staffer at the foundation call centre said there’s nothing stopping PTSD sufferers from receiving bracelets and other services. The process starts with a phone call.

“People have them for diabetes; people have them for other injuries,” said Teal, who has made multiple trips to the emergency room due to his condition. “PTSD is as real as any other injury and we should have a MedicAlert bracelet.”

Some 40,000 Canadian military personnel served in Afghanistan for more than 12 years. While no official figures exist, thousands are believed to be suffering from post-traumatic stress injuries. Dozens of Afghanistan war vets have committed suicide.

“It’s a shitty go because I don’t think they were ready for that level of people coming in with PTSD. And I also don’t think they were equipped. Even with all the money in the world and all the doctors, they couldn’t come up with a solution that kept people in [the military] without twisting them up.”

It took Teal years to admit he had mental health issues. He said others recognized he had a problem long before he did and, even after he realized it following his third tour, he didn’t want to deal with it. Like so many other soldiers, he feared acknowledging the problem would cost him his career.

“You have to lie to the system to keep your job,” he said, adding that, while the stigma surrounding mental health issues inside the military appears to have improved, it’s not cured. “You know when you’re going in there, you’re giving up.

“Once you go into Mental Health, it’s like turning yourself into the cops.”

For a long time, Afghanistan was the only place he felt he belonged.

Teal and his wife Sarah, herself a veteran of two Afghanistan tours, live with their three daughters in an isolated home outside Stewiacke, N.S., 70 kilometres north of Halifax. He figures that, by telling his story, he might help others.

Sean Teal with wife Sarah and children Olivia, 9, Abigail, 3, and Caitlin, 1.

Fifteen years after he fought his way out of a Taliban ambush, saving the lives of his interpreter and the platoon medic, Teal still can’t get a full night’s sleep and avoids the public as much as possible.

For a long time, Afghanistan was the only place he felt he belonged—the place where he knew he made a difference, where he was constantly hyperaware, where death was always just a sniper’s bullet, rocket-propelled grenade or improvised explosive device away.

Back home, he felt nothing; he could muster no feelings of happiness or sadness, no enthusiasm for life. People’s mundane existences and trivial complaints bored and angered him.

He was drinking, taking meds by the fistful. His comrades-in-arms, who had nicknamed him “the Battle Hobbit,” were no longer in touch. The uniform was no longer on his back. He felt “naked” without a weapon in his hands.

No one seemed to understand. Crowds agitated his condition, so he avoided them. “I live a life full of avoidance,” he said.

He had finished his 12-year military career as a master corporal, relegated to a menial job that only exacerbated his depression and diminished his self-worth. He hated everyone and everything.

“What they don’t tell you is that when you walk out that door, you’re not going to get the same level of health care that you had on the inside. You’re starting over again. They don’t know anything about the military and you can’t expect them to.

“It sucks.”

From the start, he said, both military and, later, civilian doctors were “fishing in the dark,” experimenting with different dosages and combinations of drugs to treat his symptoms. His mind fell apart before his body. PTSD “turns you inside out.”

“It started off good,” said Teal, “but it ended really, really bad for me.

“They’re throwing drugs at you, but they don’t know what’s going to work; they don’t know what’s going to give you serious side-effects and, once you go on these things, you can wind up with a whole other set of problems.

“They’re setting you up for disaster.”

The drugs—antipsychotics and antidepressants—didn’t help him eat or sleep, and they failed to stabilize his mental health. So the doctors boosted his dosages, ultimately turning him into a half-sedated “slug.”

“They keep adding more and more because they’re not getting the result they want—and I’m not getting the result I want,” he said. “Yet they somehow think that by increasing your dosages it’s going to somehow make you better.

“So by becoming a slug—and that’s what you become, a slug—you’re not hurting anyone and you’re not hurting yourself but somehow they think this is progress. They really believe that, as long as you’re not hurting yourself, you can push through this, which is complete horseshit.”

Teal was getting barely three hours of sleep a night. His wife was on a posting in Ottawa. He was on his own, literally crawling to his bed. He was hallucinating and hearing voices. His mental state was compounding his physical issues.

“PTSD is a bombshell. And you spend your whole life picking up the pieces.”

He was seeing different clinicians, and they weren’t talking to one another.

He ended up overdosing. That trauma and the love of a devoted family got him through. That, along with music: the weapon that saved his life in this fight, he said, was a guitar. Now he lives on a disability pension and he’s moving on, one day at a time.

“PTSD is a bombshell. And you spend your whole life picking up the pieces,” he said.

Teal said soldiers need to be given the freedom to say what’s wrong with the military while they’re still soldiers, without fear of retribution.

“If they see a lot of the same things being said, now at least they know what’s wrong. And until they have that sort of honesty, without retribution, they’ll never be able to fix the problem.”

Further thoughts from Sean Teal:

Would you help us spread awareness by linking our website below, on your page here – http://avavets.com/links/?

Have a wonderful day,

Aldan May
Advocacy Support
https://www.mesotheliomaveterans.org/
1330 Boylston St. Suite #400
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
(877) 404-9992

Don’t want emails from us anymore? Reply to this email with the word “remove” in the subject line.

On Wed, Mar 3, 2021 at 3:54 PM, Aidan May <aidan@mesotheliomaveterans.org> wrote:

Hello Bob,

I came across Aboriginal Veterans Autochtones and noticed your organization does a terrific job in providing information, support and resources for your website visitors. Mesothelioma Veterans Center is dedicated to improving the overall quality of life for individuals diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases.

Our pages are medically reviewed and verified by certified oncologists and hematologists, and provide the most current and detailed information about the asbestos industry and its health impacts.

It is our mission to raise awareness and reach those who may need our assistance. Would you help us in achieving our mission by including our resource https://www.mesotheliomaveterans.org/veterans/ to this page here – http://avavets.com/links/?. Thank you again for your time and consideration!

Have a wonderful day,
Aldan May
Advocacy Support
https://www.mesotheliomaveterans.org/veterans/
1330 Boylston St. Suite #400
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
(877) 404-9992

Go to the website (petitions.ourcommons.ca)

 and search for Petition e-3074, then click on the number (e-3074), and that will take you right to the signature page.

See also, below, the wording of Petition e-3074, and the attached pictures of the  planned national memorial.

Petition to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Whereas:

·         More than 114,000 of our fallen, in war and conflicts serving Canada, are buried overseas or have no known grave;

·         Many descendants, and relatives are unable to visit the final resting places of those fallen, or the monuments to their sacrifice, because of cost or travel restrictions;

·         With encouragement from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Never Forgotten National Memorial Foundation (NFNMF) developed a vision for a fitting monument at Green Cove, in Cape Breton National Park, on its eastern shore, to those Canadians who died helping preserve our freedoms;

·         It depicts Mother Canada welcoming home to Canada, the souls of these 114,000 fallen;

·         Being in Canada, this will be an accessible memorial that descendants and relatives of the fallen can visit;

·         A Parks Canada License of Occupation is needed by NFNMF for a fundraising campaign to construct this monument;

·         Parks Canada conditions, before this license could be issued, were the agreement of the Confederation of Mi’kmaq, (completed May 2015), a detailed impact analysis, (completed February 2016), and proof of $30 million Phase 1 funding, with 5% for the maintenance for the first year (this was being negotiated, as NFNMF would not do public fundraising without a license to build); and

·         Parks Canada didn’t issue the license, and withdrew from the negotiating table, so NFNMF was blocked from raising the funds for the monument.

We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to return to the bargaining table and issue a License of Occupation by year end 2021 to allow fundraising to begin the Never Forgotten National Memorial.

Vétérans Canadien

LEVONS-NOUS CONTRE LE RACISME

Cher(es) Vétérans, les conséquences du racisme dans nos forces armées et à travers le Canada sont très dérangeantes. Comme Vétérans et membres actuels des FAC, nous avons fait serment d’allégeance au Canada et nous avons tous pris la décision de défendre nos frontières et de protéger nos camarades Canadiens et Canadiennes.

Durant notre service, nous nous sommes supportés dans nos différentes activités tant sportives que dans les déploiements nationaux, lors d’exercices d’entrainement opérationnel et évidemment dans les conflits internationaux à travers le monde.

Nous étions et sommes toujours considérés des Ambassadeurs du Canada. Nous nous sommes tenus côte à côte avec nos frères et sœurs, apportant de multiples expériences et des perspectives uniques en travaillant comme une équipe hautement entrainée. Cette collaboration renforce l’importance de travailler ensemble tout en reconnaissant les multiples habiletés de chacun et chacune à la contribution d’une équipe forte, cohésive et dynamique.

Nous comptons les uns sur les autres afin de maintenir cet esprit d’équipe tous ensemble. Lorsqu’un membre de l’équipe subit une blessure, ou pire, cela affecte l’équipe dans sa nature profonde. Les familles ont souffert maintes pertes. Les armes de la guerre ne font aucune discrimination entre soldats sur le champ de bataille.

J’exhorte tous les vétérans à se lever contre les menaces que nous constatons dans chacun de vos milieux de vie, ici au Canada, aux États-Unis et de façon globale. Nous avons vu récemment dans les dernières années que le racisme prend une nouvelle forme insidieuse et se dissémine dans toutes les directions, perturbant et interférant nos intérêts nationaux. Je vous implore d’envoyer ce message aux plus grands nombres de Vétérans possibles afin que nous prenions position contre ce fléau du racisme dans les FAC et à travers le Canada.

Afin que la Paix existe, chacun et chacune d’entre nous doivent se reconnaitre dans nos ressemblances, nos valeurs commune et aspirer à l’égalité dans l’acceptation de nos différences.

Les mots tolérance et accommodement ne reflète aucunement les véritables valeurs de la diversité de notre pays.

Respectez chaque Être

Le travail d’équipe apporte des résultats

Loyauté de soi, de tous les êtres humains et au Canada

Mes chers amis, serait-ce possible de transférer à toute hiérarchies possible (municipale, Provinciale, Nationale) que vous connaissez ainsi que toutes autres organisations de Vétérans (peu importe leur forme) pour une dissémination maximale afin que tous soit informé que cesse toute forme de discrimination envers les Vétérans et les Autochtones. Aucune Tolérance ne sera acceptée en ce qui a trait au racisme. L’ Association des Vétérans Autochtones (AVA) National et à tout les niveaux prend un position ferme.

Courriel de Robert Thibault

Président National AVA Canada

Reproduction textuelle.

(Textual reproduction)

Monté du racisme

Membre de l’Association Vétérans Autochtones
J’ai préparé une affiche, jointe à ce courriel, qui je crois doit être transmise afin d’amorcer une différence.

Le racisme est bien vivant au Canada et est devenu si endémique que nous devons

maintenant prendre position comme Vétérans qui ont tant donné au Canada et aux communautés.

Dès 2021, j’avais entrevu que nous serions confrontés aux discriminations et aux menaces actuelles,

particulièrement dans chacun de nos milieux de vie, ici au Canada.

L’Association des Vétérans Autochtones subissant directement ces menaces et étant un des groupes

qui as subi ce type de racisme depuis la colonisation, il est impératif de faire entendre nos voix de façon

à ce que d’autres Vétérans se joignent à nous afin de faire entendre aussi leurs voix ou non.

Le but étant d’effectuer cet effort jusqu’à ce que nous constations un changement dans cette attitude à

notre égard comme Vétérans et Autochtone.

S.V.P. Lisez et commentez de la façon la plus appropriée.

Je prévois d’envoyer cette lettre aux plus hautes instances de la Légion et à d’autres organisations de

Vétérans afin d’obtenir du support.

Pour AVAQ. Denis, pourrais-tu traduire cette lettre, et si possible transmettre aux membres provinciaux

et à toutes les autres organisations Vétérans.

Miigwetch, Marsee, Merci, Qujannamiik, Tiawenkh, Niwaen, Welalin, Tshinuskumitin, Thank you, All our Relations