It's all about respect

If you’re like me your life is busy. We all have things to do, places to go and people to see. There’s never a dull moment.

While we’re living our lives we tend to be scattered and all over the place. If you had the power to float above it all and look down I’m sure you’d be surprised by the complete chaos that is us, humanity.

It usually takes something BIG to get us all to slow down. I see it most often when a soldier is killed in Afghanistan. When that happens many of us pause to reflect.

Hwy. 401 has been renamed the Highway of Heroes because of the overwhelming support Canadians like you and me have shown our soldiers making their final journeys home. Hundreds of people line the bridges throughout Durham Region for repatriation ceremonies to show their support for our fallen soldiers.  It’s a heartwarming sight to see and even more powerful for those who make their way out to these ceremonies.

These unscripted, spontaneous acts of compassion are really about respect. Regular folks from coast to coast respect the men and women who sacrifice their lives in the name of country, our Canada.

That's why it's disturbing to see so many stories in the media these days about veterans getting the bureaucratic runaround by our own federal government.  When Colonel Pat Stogram, the former Veterans Affairs Ombudsman, was unceremoniously dumped from his post last summer because of the fuss he raised over the treatment of veterans, it made me sick.

Col. Stogram knows of what he speaks and he doesn't like to see veterans being mistreated by our government. If our veterans were being treated fairly there wouldn't be a class-action lawsuit launched by veteran Dennis Manuge of Nova Scotia, charging the government with unlawfully denying the injured their due and acting in bad faith with clawbacks of benefits. The lawsuit involves 6,500 veterans. Another suit has been launched by veteran-activist Sean Bruyea of Nepean. You may recall him as he was the poor guy who learned that his personal medical files had been made widely available to government officials.

Late last month Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Canada’s minister of veterans affairs, issued a public apology to Bruyea.

Canadian soldiers sacrifice everything for us which is one reason why so many residents flock to the repatriation ceremonies when a soldier is cut down in battle. It's about respect, love of country and love of our fellow men and women.

We supply our soldiers with equipment and training for battle. Once they're home we have a duty to supply them with the medical care, compassion and resources to adjust again to civilian life.

Remembrance Day gives us pause to remember all those who sacrificed their lives for this great country. Lest we forget the veterans who are still here.