Thank you, Mr. Chair, and good morning to both of you.
I certainly want to thank you for sharing in a very honest and open way what is no doubt a very troublesome time—and that's putting it mildly. I certainly sense the hurt, a little bit of anger, and frustration in your voice.
I come from Labrador, which has a strong military history, or at least parts of it have a strong military history. In a certain part of Labrador that I go to—“the Straits”, we call it—I can't go into a household where there is not a picture of somebody in one or the other of the branches of the armed forces. I talk to family members, and even in those short conversations sometimes there is a sense of urgency, a sense of stress, associated with their sons or daughters being in the armed forces and serving in various campaigns. Many of them have gone to Afghanistan.
I want to acknowledge that what has happened to you should never happen to a veteran, to someone who has served our country. I want to thank you, sir, and I want to thank your family for your contribution.