To the editor:
I kept a journal during my time in Afghanistan.
I stopped writing in August 2008 after one of my best mates was killed in a Taliban rocket attack.
My military career ended shortly after I was diagnosed with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
I came home to no support network, no career, and I had no idea where to start. I called Veterans Affairs Canada, but weeks went by without the benefits I was entitled to and without any income. I know that many vets reach out looking for someone to talk to, but often find their calls ignored, blocked, or dropped.
I lived in Ottawa, so I could walk into the Veterans Affairs offices and request to see my case manager. After months of red tape, hours on hold, and giving me the run-around, I finally got some help.
That’s not an option for many of us, since (Stephen) Harper closed nine service centres for veterans across the country.
Justin Trudeau unveiled his plan for veterans and their families last week. If the support he’s promising existed when I was released from the Army, I’d have had a pension and four paid years of school waiting for me.
I wouldn’t have had to work while struggling with my health. The enhanced financial support Liberals are offering would have made all the difference.
My wife would be eligible for support, which would help her cope with my PTSD injury. I could have accessed one of the Centres of Excellence Mr. Trudeau is proposing and found the real support I desperately needed.
This is why I support the Liberals and their comprehensive plan that will give veterans a real future.
I may have stopped writing my journal, but I’m glad I kept it. Those pages remind me that my time in Afghanistan meant something; that the sacrifices I made for Canadians made a difference.
Now, I’m working to make it right for my mates and for everyone after me.
Matt Luloff, Cpl (Ret’d)
Orleans, Ontario
