Chair, and members of the standing committee, thank you for inviting the Royal Canadian Legion today to discuss the stages that mark the transition period and possible obstacles that would mar a smooth transition from a life of service.
In 2015, when the Legion first appeared to speak on the continuum of transition services, we talked about a seamless transition and today, we now talk about a smooth transition. I would hope that these are one and the same, in that anyone who transitions from a life of service needs the confidence and support required to make that transition, regardless of the circumstances of why that transition is occurring.
Appearing on behalf of our president, David Flannigan, I am Brad White, the national executive director of the Legion, and Ray McInnis is with me today. He is the director of our veterans’ services at national headquarters.
Today, our presentation will be in English, but we can answer questions in French, if needed.
We believe that a life of service in Canada’s military has three definable stages, the first being the introduction or indoctrination to service life, the second the immersion into and working within that life, and the final stage defined as the departure from that lifestyle. Within each stage many influences help to form the mindset and the lifestyle of the military person.
Entering into a life of service in the Canadian Forces is a process of indoctrination. Regardless of previous life experiences, backgrounds, values, culture, or heritage, the indoctrination process aims at taking that person as an individual and forming that individual into a member of a team, someone who understands authority, is mission oriented, and team motivated. The result is a basic soldier, sailor, or air person ready for further training in their chosen career with the military. I liken recruits to raw material. They are moulded and ready to be moulded into a finished product. They are taught to rely on the system to provide for them, they are told what to wear, when to eat, and where to be. In particular, they are taught to react to direction and to support their teammates. They are no longer individuals but members of a distinctive group.
Following recruit training, people join that distinctive group and undergo further career and/or trades training. Here they perfect their skills and commence the process of immersion into their new surrounding or home. As they progress, so do their professional skills and advancement in their chosen career field. They transform from basic recruits to skilled craftsmen to leaders in their field. They experience all kinds of professional development from training through to and including real operational deployments. They become part of the military culture and they seek acceptance within that culture and feel very secure being surrounded by it.
Also during this period other life-altering changes usually occur as people take on greater responsibilities like marriage and family. As these changes occur, they tend to make the Canadian Forces person more reliant on the system as a means of financial support and family security. They are now fully committed and engaged in the military culture.
At some point, life in the Canadian Forces draws to a close. This is not always dependent upon time but also on life-altering circumstances, such as injury or illness. In some cases, a person may choose to leave the military voluntarily during their service or on reaching compulsory retirement age. In other cases that choice is made on their behalf, and as stated, approximately two-thirds are released for medical reasons.
Throughout this life course, individuals are indoctrinated into a regimented system with a belief that this very system will look after them all the way through. They accept the military culture of teamwork and rely on that team for support. So for some, departing that lifestyle becomes an extremely difficult process, and many never leave the military, even though they no longer serve. Why is that so?