Letter: Re Town To Get LAV Monument, Hoping To Raise $50,000

Original article can be found here

Editor:

Once again, I have no problem with the reporting, but do have an issue/problem with the topic under discussion.

Before I delve into whether the Town of Morinville should support (or not) this acquisition of a Light Armoured Vehicle (a LAV III) as a monument, at the possible initial cost of $51,350 (if no corporate donors come forth, especially in these ‘very’ tough economic times), I would wish to relay that I am an ex-Soldier (with 34 ½ yrs of faithful & dedicated service under my belt, who was honorably medically retired in Mar of 2013 – due to the injuries I suffered while serving my country – here & overseas).

As an ex-Soldier you might ‘think’ I am all for this monument, but I am not. I have witnessed first-hand (and in way too many cases) how our wounded Soldiers and even the “families” of our honoured fallen, have had to “fight” to get “even” the barest of financial support and/or recognition. Yet here we have the largeness (I feel) of the previous Federal Government going to spend for ‘items’ we can do without. This might be a good ‘scheme’ for some ex-general to tout about as to how the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is supporting and honouring the troops, but is it really? This Soldier would say NO! If the CAF really wanted to help out/recognize (I believe) the wounded and the families of our honoured dead, then this ex-soldier would argue that maybe the CAF ad Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) should really support the ‘flesh and blood’ members of the CAF and not some deactivated metal machine. That maybe VAC and the CAF should stop (in this soldier’s opinion) with the constant flurry of paper work, and the imposition or requiring us soldiers to constantly complete paperwork if we want benefits, but instead (in this writer’s opinion) use these monies to ease the burdens on the families of those who have fallen and/or those who can no longer work – due to their respective injuries.

Mike Cue

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2 Comments

  1. Light Armoured Vehicle. The very first line of the post is a link to the original story, the letter writer is referring to.

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