Sir, I think the third-location decompression in Cyprus has been a great thing. When I came back, I ended up slipping through the cracks because I was very unaware of what resources were out there for me.
When I was in Cyprus it was quite encouraging to see soldiers of all ranks coming up to talk to us after our briefings. Our briefings mainly focused on the OSISS program, peer support, but also redeployment from the veteran's perspective--going back home and talking to them a little bit about what it was like for me when I came back home, what the road to recovery was like for me.
I will say that we still have a ways to go, but I can say it's been quite encouraging for me to see young men and women who I've seen in Cyprus approach me now in St. John's, saying “Hey, I remember you when I was in Cyprus, and I remember you talking about the OSISS program.”
In part of our presentation in Cyprus there was a slide about possible reactions when you come home, and the key there--if you looked at the presentation that Colonel Ethell handed out--the definition is “any persistent psychological difficulty”. A lot of men and women, when they come back, are going to have normal reactions to having served in a place like Afghanistan, which is a very abnormal place, but the key, of course.... And that's the thing that I hit home in my presentations: “Listen, I'm not here to implant in anybody's head that they have an operational stress injury, and I'm not qualified to tell anyone that they have an operational stress injury; however, if you come home and any of these issues are persistent, then the bells might go off and you might need to get help.”
This is where Cyndi and I get a lot of contact, because our program is 100% confidential, and they know that, so they come to see us. A lot of our job is spent encouraging these individuals to get in touch with either the CF health services or Veterans Affairs Canada.