January 18th, 2016

Report critical of Veterans Affairs buried as ombudsmen investigate Add to ...
Murray Brewster
OTTAWA — The Canadian Press
Published Monday, Jan. 18, 2016 4:02PM EST

Veterans ombudsman Guy Parent says he’s not seen the draft, let alone a final version of the report on Veterans Affairs, but wants one. (Adrian Wyld/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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They just don't get it. Just taking off the uniform does not bring a military veteran any closer to navigating the hurtles of adapting to and finding meaning in civilian life. This is especially true for men and women who are released medically. In fact, the ability to make the mental transition to civilian life may require the same level of training that it took to teach us how to reject civvie life in the first place. If the feds are interested in developing programs, how about one called "Adapting to Civilian Life" that is run similar to any other military qualification course. I think that we have to be taught how to say good-bye to the uniform, including having our say, before walking out the gate for the last time. The assumption that we remember the values and the mindset of civilian life is not true for most of us. In fact, it can take years to figure this out and to find a new place on the outside. We need to figure out what we are leaving behind before finding a new normal.... there is no going back.