A Conversation with Nick Booth , CEO
True Patriot Love Foundation , Canada . by Fred Maahs , Jr .
Why did you have an interest to work with an organization that helps Veterans and their families ?
I first became involved with the military community whilst at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America ( BBBS ) when we built ‘ Operation Big ’ with the US Department of Defense . This provided children of deployed military with a mentor during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars . At The Royal Foundation , working with Prince William and Prince Harry ( who both served in the British military ) I saw first-hand the transformational effect that sport and other programs can have in supporting Veterans ’ recovery from injury and illness so am thrilled to have the opportunity now to do similar work in Canada – a country that has fought bravely alongside the USA and UK in many conflicts from WW1 , through WW2 and Korea and more recently in Afghanistan .
What do you consider is the biggest challenge facing Veterans today ?
( a ). Apathy of the general population – as the Iraq and Afghan wars get further into the past the public is losing sight of the sacrifices made by those who served and their ongoing struggles with post military life .
( b ). Wellbeing / mental health – many of the scars of combat , both physical and mental , will last years into the future and need long term support .
( c ). Building resiliency of military and Veteran families – it is often said that ‘ families serve too ’ and the rates of mental health challenges in our military spouses and children are much higher than the general population . They face significant geographic and social isolation and often financial and health challenges as a result of their spouse ’ s service in the military .
What does the Canadian government do to support returning Veterans ? What could be better or different ?
( a ). The Canadians have established the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group which is doing great work to close the gap between the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs Canada ( i . e . bridging serving military and Veterans ). This is a model which could be replicated in other nations .
( b ). There are 32 Military Family Resource Centres on bases and wings across the country , and
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