High praise from a high office for a local veteran

The Veterans Ombud recently handed down a commendation to a Whitecourt veteran for his exceptional contribution to the well-being of veterans and their families. The recipient was Kyle Scott. “I had a mutual friend in the veteran advocacy community let me know that she wanted to submit me for it, and I said no, please don’t,” laughed Scott. Not one to take praise without immediately praising others, Scott said the individual who nominated him “eats, sleeps and breathes helping veterans.” Scott called her a tremendously caring individual. “You don’t do any of this for awards or recognition, and I’m incredibly honoured and grateful to be considered and especially to be selected for such a high-level recognition related to the veteran community.” 

Scott said it is conflicting to be recognized. “You look at some of the incredible stuff that the other recipients are doing, and it makes you wonder why your name is up there with them.” The award comes from the Office of the Veterans Ombud, established in 2007. Their focus is to investigate complaints against Veterans Affairs Canada, provide information and referrals to veterans, and investigate systemic gaps and barriers in the services offered by Veterans Affairs Canada.

For Scott, their goals are fully aligned with his. “Being recognized by an organization that is essentially parallel with what my beliefs are, that we need to do better to care for our veterans our there across this country means a lot to me. There are many gaps in the system in what our community needs and some of the trials and tribulations we are experiencing. So, to be recognized by an outfit like this that fully gets it, and they are living it every day, is really special.”

Being nominated by one of his peers was an added level of special. “These are people that know me personally, and that’s the special part is that someone within your circle is doing this out of the kindness of their heart because they feel you deserve some recognition. It is definitely special in both regards, from the peer point of view to the department it’s coming from,” said Scott.

Winning allowed Scott to do something he loves doing, bringing forward awareness. “The more we are having open discussions about all of this stuff, the hope is that it reaches somebody who needs to hear it. If we can talk about this and all the issues facing veterans on a more open platform on a more regular timetable, then something will actually get done. Any chance I have, with someone with an open ear, then I’m taking that opportunity to educate.” Scott said that most people are entirely unaware of how convoluted and stressful the system is right now. “When a veteran finally comes forward and says they have issues and that they need help, it’s just the beginning. I know it’s slow and steady that wins the race, but slow isn’t what we need right now.”

He said this award is an excellent opportunity to help educate the masses. “As we speak, yet again the military is all of a sudden of huge benefit and asset to the Canadian public, and people are screaming for our troops to show up and fill sandbags, build bridges, clear roads and help people get back to normal. But we seem to forget about them in between. The general public doesn’t know the military’s lack of funding and urgency in replacing the ageing equipment or our completely flawed procurement system. This is just something we all come to get used to when we serve. It’s just the way it is in Canada. It’s all part of every veteran’s story in the end.”

Scott said that being deployed with inadequate equipment is the norm. So is the lack of knowledge back in Canada of what they are doing and where they are doing it. “When these veterans get out after all these various experiences, it is an overwhelmingly positive experience for many people. For others, it was mediocre, and for others, it was a terrible time. There’s a lot of things that need to happen regarding caring for those people when they come home. At the end of the day, we need to take all of these opportunities to educate the public about service life and what it’s like to be a veteran afterward. This award is just another opportunity.”

Scott said that he has already thanked those who nominated him personally. “We need more people like them in the world. Everybody needs a morale boost these days, and if we had more people that were selfless and looked out for the general welfare of our society as a whole, then what a world we would live in!”

He said he is fortunate to be surrounded by many really wonderful people, both in his family and in the veteran community in Whitecourt and across the country. “We all believe in keeping the message positive and trying to stay as upbeat as possible. This award is just an awesome act of kindness on their behalf, and I’m very grateful. “