Former soldiers want Ottawa to address stress claims
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Former soldiers want Ottawa to address stress claimsLast Updated: Thursday, November 2, 2006 | 2:36 PM ET CBC News A group of military veterans is willing to settle their lawsuits with the federal government for about $10 million, a fraction of the $100 million in claims they've made, a spokesman said Thursday. The 26 members of the Military Collective have sued Ottawa, claiming that they were ill-prepared for missions in places such as Somalia, Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia, and that they haven't been given adequate post-mission support.Georges Dumont, who was in the military for more than 20 years, told an Ottawa media briefing Thursday that he suffers from post traumatic stress disorder. The former sergeant is one of the soldiers who has sued the government.He said the members would rather settle their cases than fight. Suggesting that the government is trying to tie them up in procedural delays ""until you die,"" he noted that no one in the military actually read his complaint until several years after he launched his case.The group had 50 members but has shrunk to 26 because members are ill and have no money, he said. ""How can you fight the Crown? I don't have the same wallet."" One young soldier came back from Afghanistan suffering from post traumatic stress, and it took him two and a half years to get a $600-a-month pension from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The man lives in a trailer, can't work and can't function, Dumont said. He's tried to commit suicide four times. ""For most of these men, dying seems to be the easy thing. It's living that's hard for these guys,"" he said. Dumont runs a 1-800 number for veterans, and has a bed available 24-7. ""We've got the sick helping the sick,"" he said. The group is not just fighting for themselves, he said. The members want to ensure that the barriers they face will not confront veterans returning from Afghanistan.