Dear Comrades,
It is always nice to receive a letter from home. Always. When you are separated from family, friends and familiar landmarks, a letter from home brings one back to the place where one feels content, secure and safe. I was very happy to receive an email (letter) from Greg Manion, Past President of the Fergus Legion, informing me of the organization's upcoming celebrations and asking me to contribute a few words on what the Royal Canadian Legion means to me and to today's soldier. The letter brought me home. It is with these feelings in mind that I write this letter from my office, miles away, but thinking of home.
Let me begin by stating that it is with great pride that I congratulate Branch 275 of the Royal Canadian Legion for its 80 years of service, dedication and tireless support to our Veterans' needs and serving the community in the Fergus area. For 80 years, citizens of the Fergus area have unselfishly dedicated their time and energy for the betterment of the community, supporting youth programs, and ensuring that the veterans are cared for in the most dignified manner possible. The institution that is the Fergus Legion can be justifiably proud of its achievements.
As a young lad growing up in Fergus and Elora, there was always one landmark that held a special place in my soul: the Cenotaph. In almost every small town across Ontario – if not Canada – the Cenotaph can be found near the centre of the community, and by extension, the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. Being a member of the local Army Cadet Corps, "The Wellington Rifles," I would take part in the annual Remembrance Day Parade, holding vigil or carrying Colours. It was an important part of my early life and the experience set the stage for what would become my career choice. Each year, the Legion would (and still does) organize the yearly parade and service at the Cenotaph and organizes the annual Poppy Campaign during the weeks leading up to 11 November. I have always thought that the communities within Wellington County were patriotic and supportive. Fergus is no exception. I am continually amazed and humbled by the turnout from the community at the Cenotaph year after year and I attribute this success to the ongoing efforts of our local Legion and its membership.
My personal connection with the Fergus Legion is more than just being a member. The Fergus Legion was a critical lifeline to my family in the early 1990s. My son was born in 1993 and it was not until 1994 that Leslie and I received word that Dylan would require a bone marrow transplant to correct a genetic condition that he had been born with. My Regiment was in the midst of preparing for a deployment to Bosnia and Herzegovina which was experiencing a devastating civil war. We had to wait for a transplant donor to be matched and selected and during that time, I deployed overseas. Leslie was on her own. While I was overseas, Leslie rcceived word that a donor had been found and the transplant procedure would be conducted at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Dylan would be in the hospital for many weeks and Leslie had to find a place to stay while Dylan was undergoing the procedure. My health care coverage at this time would not cover many of the costs to support Leslie living in Toronto and our finances were tight. Without asking, the Fergus Legion membership took it upon them to hold a fund raising event to support Leslie and Dylan during this extremely tough time. We were then, and continue to be, extremely grateful for their display of generosity and support.
This is but one, albeit vcry personal, example of the tremendous work that our brothers and sisters of the Fergus Legion perform for members of the community and for our military members and veterans.
After the Great War and the wars that followed, our veterans returned home. Some returned home to family, some returned home to jobs they had left, and some returned broken. They returned home to a community that was thankful for what they had done; however, they returned home to a community that could not comprehend what they had experienced. The Legion was there for all of them. The Legion provided financial assistance to those in need, it provided access to the government and Veteran's Affairs for much needed support, and most important, it provided a safe and secure place to assemble, as comrades in arms, as those who had shared the horror of conflict, to laugh, to cry, to honour those who didn't come home, and to support each other.
Today, Canadian soldiers, sailors, airmen and women, and special operators are, for the most part, career military members. They serve all in locations all over the country and move from Base to Base. Many of today's career military members retire in communities close to their last posting. They don't return "home", as it were, after their tour of duty is complete. What hasn't changed, is that there is a Legion in almost every Canadian community that can offer each and every one of us the same services that were provided to our military forefathers for the past 80 years: a safe and secure place to assemble, to laugh, to cry, to honour those who didn't come home, and to support each other.
When I come home, the Fergus Legion is a must stop. I owe the organization much and they ask for so little. I am honoured to be a membcr of the Fergus Legion and I am extremely proud of the 80 years of dedication and service that this organization has provided to the Fergus community and the veterans who call Fergus "home."
Most sincerely,
J. Kent Stewart, MMM, CD
Major
First Secretary and Deputy Military Advisor,
Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations
