A small percentage of Canadians choose to serve our country by wearing a military uniform.
The rest of us can thank them by insisting that the federal government supplies the necessary resources to support our veterans.
That means accepting the costly responsibility of making medical and psychological services readily available for those in need.
Canada owes our military personnel more than praise, decorations, medals and an annual Remembrance Day parade.
Our politicians have a moral obligation to insure physical and emotional assistance is available for our veterans every day of the year.
Please hold your Member of Parliament accountable.
Lloyd Atkins
Vernon
Heroes in more ways than one
As we pause on Nov. 11 to remember those who sacrificed their lives in military service, we can also give thanks to the Second World War veterans who played a role in building Surrey Memorial Hospital.
Surrey vets, fresh from the battlefield, arrived back home in the 1940s and took up an important cause closer to home. They fought for a new hospital.
Due to their relentless fundraising and advocacy, Surrey Memorial Hospital opened in 1959. Now, 52 years later, it is the second-largest hospital in British Columbia.
It is now undergoing an expansion that will see the addition of 151 new beds, bringing it to 650 beds.
The construction of the Critical Care Tower at Surrey Memorial is the largest capital expansion in the province’s history.
Additionally, it plays an important role in the training of doctors with an entire floor in the new tower devoted to the Medical School at UBC.
The veterans, their family and friends would be proud that their actions have brought relief and life-saving treatment to so many families.
Your work has made life better for hundreds and thousands of Surrey residents, past, present and future.
Jane Adams
President and CEO
Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation
