That is such a profoundly important question. I'll talk about my experience, and then hopefully I can pull that together to give some recommendations of how to change that.
In addition to the fact that as a fundamental change in 1971, we officers, especially young, ambitious officers, tried to keep aware of these CANFORGENS. There were messages that came out regularly that told us what the news was that affected us.
I can tell you that I do not remember for the life of me, not only about the 1971 change that I could have applied for benefits when I returned from the Gulf War and started collecting them and be recognized for my sacrifice right away, but I also don't even remember them ever talking about Veterans Affairs. That's what veterans went through for 60 years. This is because the World War II veterans, for whatever reason, thought that every action that came after that was not the equivalent of what they sacrificed, even though the people domiciled in Canada were entitled to very similar benefits to those who served overseas.
For me, I can tell you that, for instance, when I got back.... I told you the story at the last committee that I was originally referred to a psychologist when I got back from war because I was diagnosed with combat stress reaction. In theatre, before I went back, I can tell you that the doctor treating me told me, I'm going to have to call your boss back in Canada. He was stationed at Bahrain at the time. The gist of the conversation they had was, yes, your young intelligence officer is suffering from combat stress reaction and this puts him in a position of compromising his security clearance. Okay. I was told that very plainly by the doctor.
I was already at the point of combat stress reaction. It's a nervous breakdown—acute. It doesn't have to become chronic if there's the right help available, but because I knew it wasn't safe to tell anyone what else I was suffering, I started closing up and I had to keep it secret. It manifested in all kinds of unhealthy ways. I didn't become an alcoholic, but I certainly went out on the weekends and drove home drunk very dangerously along Colonel By. I can tell you that not one relationship would last more than a month or so. I can tell you that I was very alone and my family didn't understand me. I would be offended by their lack of understanding and so I isolated from that. It was in an acute state. Had I been provided treatment and understanding...it became chronic.
On the availability of benefits when I was released five years later after the Gulf War, I still was never told about Veterans Affairs. I wasn't even told that I was entitled to SISIP. That's why SISIP retroactively awarded me, and five years later, not within the 120-day deadline but five years later, it retroactively awarded the benefits.
What about the cost in the meantime? Thank you for that money. What did I suffer in the meantime?