Albertans are still reeling after a ferocious fire ripped through CFB Wainwright on Saturday, killing four Canadian Armed Forces members and wounding dozens of others. “I am a mother of a soldier. My son has been with 1 PPCLI (Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry) since he was 18, and he’s now 23, so this has impacted me immensely,” said Samantha Gray, Veterans Association office manager. “I was very emotional yesterday. He’s safe, but my heart goes out to all the other families that have lost somebody. We’re a very close-knit family and it’s just devastating.” Gray says it was an incredibly difficult weekend full of tears and anxiety as she and her family learned more about the devastating incident. Her son is stationed in Edmonton and has been involved in various support efforts for Wainwright, and the thought of other service members, including her son’s friends, getting seriously injured or losing their lives hit very close to home. “It impacts everybody. You might have friends that have a child in there or a loved one, a spouse, or you’ve had a veteran. Everything that happens to one of our Canadian soldiers affects us in some way or another — and being a mother of one, it’s very, very emotional.” Many Calgarians are stepping up to support Wainwright and the military. One way is through an organized blood drive. “We all have a part to play in this military, in this army, and it is wonderful to see the amount of Canadians and the amount of service members who have decided to come down on their own accord to donate blood to help with the tragedies occurring,” said Cpl. Bercovice with the King’s Own Calgary Regiment. “I just want to do my part, my brothers and sisters from the regiment want to come out and do our part, give back to help out our injured comrades,” added Sgt. Kevin Stiff of the King’s Own Calgary Regiment. Canadian Blood Services’ Calgary Donor Clinic says last week, before the tragedy at Wainwright, there was a shortfall of donors, but that completely flipped once news broke out. “We’re about 100 per cent booked, not just in this clinic, but also across Alberta. All the donor centres in Alberta, we’re seeing a number of our armed forces, the DNDs (Department of National Defence), booking groups, PCPs (Primary Care Paramedics) and also the general public wanting to help and support our community in Wainwright,” said Jhoanna Del Rosario, community development manager for Canadian Blood Services “We’re seeing a lot of new donors that are stepping up and donating blood. We’re so thankful and grateful for the generosity of donors to support and help,” Del Rosario said. “It’s very meaningful to see the community come out to support the injured members. It means everything. It’s overwhelming and surprising, and I’m very proud to be Canadian right now,” Stiff added. Veterans Association offers support Meanwhile, the Veterans Association says it is prepared to offer aid to any families who may need it. “Here at the Veterans Association, we’re just going to tackle anything and everything the veteran and their family needs. If it’s food, housing, clothing, anything to do with their pets, if they have some family that needs to rush out and come out from Nova Scotia or anything, we want to get them here and we don’t want them to have to worry,” said Veterans Association veteran outreach coordinator Ryan Preston. “They could have family scattered across the country, and we’re prepared to help them no matter where they are in the country. If they need to come and be here in Alberta, wherever they feel they need to be, we’re prepared to assist them,” added Dale McKay, Veterans Association veterans intake coordinator. The Veterans Association also has a food bank that offers things like hygiene items, clothes, blankets, and more; necessities that may potentially have been left behind. “If people are traveling down here, maybe they’re just packing up really quick, packing one or two days of clothing, and now they’re here for a couple weeks. We’ll be able to assist them,” Preston said. Mental health supports from Alberta Recoil Alberta Recoil Inc. is an organization founded by veterans, for veterans, and it works in close association with the Veterans Association. Its focus is on peer support and mental health, and officials with the organization say they hope anyone impacted by what happened in Wainwright reaches out. “Right this moment, is the highest priority for the families and for the members to get care,” said John Senior, Alberta Recoil Inc. co-founder. “The veteran-among-veteran supports, especially veterans talking to in-service members about injuries; it’s absolutely critical because a person in service doesn’t really think about how this is going to affect them long term,” he continued. This service isn’t just for veterans; it’s also for any families impacted and first responders. “There’s so much confusion, so much of a lack of information and just waiting, waiting, waiting. That does take a toll on people, so we are here to provide the peer support for that kind of stuff,” Senior said.
