Peter Worthington

August 24, 2010

The firing of retired Col. Pat Stogran as veterans ombudsman shows no sign of simmering down and is sending more shock waves through the veterans community.

Ray Kokkonen, President of the Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association (CPVA), has written Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn, expressing “anxiety and regret” that Stogran’s mandate as ombudsman is not being renewed.

On behalf of CPVA, he notes that while Stogran was “strongly opposed by government functionaries,” he was proven right in the end and “has been the ideal ombudsman for veterans and should continue to make an invaluable contribution in the position.”

He urges that government re-think the situation and “retain” Stogran as ombudsman. Kokonnen speaks not only for veterans, but for serving soldiers who know and trust Stogran as a commanding officer in Afghanistan, and who themselves will someday be veterans.

Kokonnen is a bit dismayed that other veterans groups have been slow on the issue — namely the Royal Canadian Legion which, oddly, seems unaware.

Legion spokesman Bob Butt was quoted in the Globe and Mail(itls) saying the Legion hadn’t heard much from vets — “no groundswell of any comment or anger.” Vince Courtenay, publisher of Koreavetnew.com, wonders if this is because the Legion’s membership and interests are largely World War II and Korea, and these vets are dying off. Also, they are probably more generously treated as their numbers decline than they were when they left the Forces.

In any event, the Legion doesn’t take up veterans’ causes as aggressively as, say, Cliff Chadderton’s National Council of Veteran Associations.

Courtenay’s assessment makes sense. The estimated 150,000 surviving veterans from World War 11 and Korea mostly have aging debilities that need care. Their days of fighting for added benefits are mostly over.

It’s today’s crop of veterans from service in the Balkans and Afghanistan that have special needs. For example, it’s damn difficult to get a number from DND as to how many Canadians have been wounded in Afghanistan. In World War 11, for every Canadian killed in action two were wounded. In Korea, for every man killed four were wounded.

In Afghanistan for every Canadian killed, likely eight or nine are wounded — some of them with injuries that would have been fatal in the past.

While DND won’t give estimates, perhaps 1,000 veterans have war wounds — and unknown numbers (thousands?) with stress disorders that may haunt them ever after.

Afghanistan is especially hard on nerves. Once outside the wire, roadside bombs and ambushes are a constant threat. Every soldier knows the law of averages is not friendly.

The big veterans issue of the moment is the government’s desire to save money. A lump sum of up to $270,000 for a severely wounded soldier, is supposed to replace lifelong insurance as a vet. Many young soldiers feel money in the hand is better than promises for later. The new Veterans Charter is flawed and needs revision — as Stogran adamantly insisted.

One who supports Stogran is Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Walt Natynczyk. While refusing to comment directly on his firing, he did say that points raised by Stogran “are absolutely correct issues.” Natynczyk succeeded Gen. Rick Hillier in the CDS job, but is more chary about voicing opinions or plunging into controversy. So his endorsement of Stogran’s concerns is significant.

The government has erred in firing the one ombudsman veterans, soldiers and the public trusted. It would be reassuring if the PM were confident enough to change his mind. But that’s not how govenrment works when it seeks to save money rather than save face.