11.13.2008

"more accountant than caregiver": how canada supports its troops

I am fond of saying that the difference between the US and Canada is often not one of substance, but of degree. There's little doubt that the degree makes a huge difference in many people's lives. But "it's worse in the US" is not good enough. The comparison sets the bar far too low.

The war in Afghanistan is not as horrific as the invasion and occupation of Iraq, but both are wrong, and useless. Both are resource wars, not missions of human rights or global security.

In the US, the war dead are hidden from view. Those lucky enough to return home are not cared for properly, and promptly forgotten.

In Canada, when a soldier dies in Afghanistan - as one US soldier did today - it's front-page news. But what happens next?

For Remembrance Day, the Globe and Mail ran a story about one Canadian soldier's struggle. Mark Campbell, a 43-year-old major from Alberta, lost both his legs after kneeling on a land mine in southern Afghanistan.
The transition from hospital to home and back to what he calls "the Land of Many-Legged People" has been difficult. Calling his wife his "rock," he admits his injury is straining their 19-year marriage. "I hope in time it will bond us as a couple, but truth be told, I'm not sure yet. Because we had our two kids, and we thought we were done. And now I'm like a third child in terms of needs," he said, as he held his wife's hand tightly.

He said all of this is aggravated by the fact that his family is constantly fighting bureaucratic red tape and delays to get necessary equipment such as a wheelchair van and wheelchair stair glides. "I had great treatment," he said, his frustration audible. "But they sent me home and I still didn't have half of my kit."

He's had to lobby military officials to get things such as a power wheelchair because only manual wheelchairs were being offered. Major Campbell recently won a fight to have the army pay for the move to a new wheelchair-accessible house his family is building with part of the $500,000 tax-free settlement he received from the government. "I shouldn't have to pay for my service-related disability, but I have to fight for everything."

Major Campbell, who attends outpatient programs at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton with a view to walking again with artificial limbs, said the military should better anticipate what wounded soldiers will need to get on with their lives. Shortly after Major Campbell was hurt, his wife asked the military for a spreadsheet detailing what services and equipment he'd need, but was told a document like that didn't exist. "You are constantly asking for things; it's almost begging. And you shouldn't have to. You have enough stress in your life already," Ms. Campbell said.

Major Campbell said meeting federal government regulations, which require all public servants, including wounded soldiers, to seek multiple vendor bids for items such as stair lifts for wheelchairs, is time-consuming and frustrating. "We spend millions of dollars a day on the war in Afghanistan, yet when it comes to injured soldiers, we are still in the habit of penny-pinching and asking 'Why? Why do you need this?'" he said.

Because of the length of his military experience, Major Campbell knows his way around the system and isn't afraid to ask for things, but he's concerned younger wounded soldiers may get lost in the cracks. Not since the Korean War has the Canadian military had to deal with so many wounded soldiers.

Major Campbell has received assurances that all the system's current shortcomings are being addressed, but he plans to remain vigilant to make sure promises are kept. He intends to stay in the Canadian Forces as long as he can remain useful. "I'm not just going to collect a paycheque and fill a uniform with the legs rolled up."

He's already trying to persuade military brass to allow wounded soldiers to participate in “decompression” with their peers. When military rotations end in Afghanistan, all soldiers returning to Canada spend time relaxing in Cyprus together. Major Campbell had received permission to travel to Cyprus in September to meet his former comrades and officially end the tour with them, but at the last minute the trip was cancelled. Major Campbell said he was told there were "medical concerns" that the returning soldiers might not be able to "decompress if confronted with visible reminders of the effects of war."

A Senate committee released a report earlier this year that investigated how well wounded Canadian soldiers are being cared for. Liberal Senator Colin Kenny said the system needs to become more flexible and responsive to all wounded soldiers, including reservists. He said that in many cases government bureaucrats are simply following the rules when it comes to delivering benefits and services, and it might be time for lawmakers to step in and address the problem. "It's not that these people aren't efficient or caring," he said. "But the culture seems to be one that's more an accountant than a caregiver."

I have no doubt that Mark Campbell will re-gain independence and re-join civilian society. It's fully possible to do - I hope he knows he won't always be "a third child" - but he needs and deserves a lot of support.

We have an obligation to give Campbell and all disabled veterans every possible resource to help their return.

And we have an obligation to create as few disabled veterans as possible.

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