Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Major Doctor Wiss—we have to call you both. That was a very moving presentation. Some of us have been there and recognize the terrain; however, we didn't experience the kind of trauma you did. It's news to me, I think, and it surprises me to hear the number of medics who actually lost their lives. I don't think that's well known. We think of medical personnel as being there when the trauma patients come in, not as those who actually suffer and die themselves. Thank you for letting us know that. It's certainly well worth remembering that those who served as medics also risked and lost their lives in the service of their country. And thank you for your service.
Most of our information, of course, about wartime trauma service comes from watching M*A*S*H* on TV in the seventies or thereabouts, so it's good to see the realities of that in a different context.
I have to admire the presence of mind you showed with the group dealing with three trauma patients at once. As you say, it was a very professional attitude. Thank you again for showing us all of that.
I want to compliment you and your group, of course, for having received the very special NATO award for the Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit at Kandahar. I've looked at your book, and thank you for writing it and for informing Canadians in a very special way what it was really like.
I think most committee members are satisfied—we haven't heard any evidence to the contrary—that the kind of trauma service that was provided in combat or in theatre in Afghanistan was second to none, and the awards, of course, speak for that.
We're looking at the care of ill and injured soldiers. Obviously, the first response was very good. Unfortunately, we're hearing stories about post-trauma, whether it be post-traumatic stress injury or other details. We had one individual talking about something else come to see us. He told us he was diagnosed at Kandahar air force base with post-traumatic stress disorder. Incomprehensibly, he was told he had two months' leave and was given a ticket home. He came home on a civilian aircraft, without support or decompression or anything like that, which was surprising.
We have also heard, of course, as everyone has, about the concern around what's happening afterwards with post-traumatic stress disorder and the level of treatment we offer. We sometimes also hear concerns about the level of financial support under the new Veterans Charter and such issues.
Maybe it's not your field, but you're still working in a civilian hospital. You still come across veterans and people who have served. Would you have any comment, suggestions, or offerings on what happened after Afghanistan for our soldiers?