2 Friday, November 9, 2018 brooklintowncrier.com The Importance of the Legion Less than half the picture: By Richard Bercuson Through no fault of my own, I was sent to a prominent Montreal private school, which back then had a cadet corps, the last vestige of an obscure link to a distant time. From grade ten on, every student had to learn to march in itchy wool uniforms, ironed and spotless, and perform short order drills with a rifle whose only lethal capacity was in crushing bugs with its stock. We marched through the school's fields every Wednesday afternoon in the fall, rehearsing for Remembrance Day parades. There we were with veterans from both world wars, presenting arms to various dignitaries, and otherwise feeling we were a supportive arm of the military when in fact we weren't even a fingernail. The cadet corps and my dad's war service in Halifax bombers are my solitary first hand exposures to the military. Yet my respect for those in the service is and has always been immense. I was reminded of that recently during a brief chat at our local legion with its bar steward (NOT bartender!) Marika Roberts. She'd just celebrated one year on the job and expressed how honoured she was to be to help veterans, whether through poppy sales or on the job. The Legion organization, whose role is to assist and advise veterans, is struggling. With fewer older veterans, newer ones are just not joining. As a result, numerous Legions across Canada have closed. Ours is not in such dire straits though its 1st vice president, Larry Sutcliffe, who spent 35 years in the army, does say the building could use major renos. It's been the Legion's home since 1966 in what was once the Brooklin House Hotel. For 34 years, the Legion was actually in limbo until re-opening in the current location (thanks to former Whitby archivist Brian Winter for this information). Structural issues haven't deterred its membership from financially supporting a great many groups such as Meals on Wheels and hospitals. Sutcliffe says the Legion's poppy campaign has raised $40k to help various programs. "Proud to be a Brooklinite" Founded in 2000 and published 24 times per year. Editor, Richard Bercuson 613-769-8629 • editorofbtc@gmail.com New Health Support For Whitby Firefighters A new partnership between Whitby Fire and Emergency Services (WFES) and Wounded Warriors Canada will see the Town's firefighters and their families have access to new mental health programs and services. The programs, offered by Wounded Warriors Canada, will build on the current mental health supports available to Whitby firefighters through the Town's em- ployee Benefits Program and the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), the WFES peer support program, and the Regional critical incident stress team. They will help to ensure Whitby firefighters are healthy and able to perform properly as they work to serve the community. Mental health is top-of-mind for WFES, especially this time of year. Throughout the month of November, personnel will be wearing RED slip-on epaulettes (the small sashes worn on the shoulder of a first responder uniform which denotes their ranking) in support of the Wounded Warriors of Canada's "Slip on the Red" campaign. The decorative pieces are being worn in recognition of all Canadian military and first responders - both of the past and present - who place themselves and their mental health at risk for others every day around the world. RED was selected to stand as an acronym for Remember Everyone Deployed. WFES is proud to partner with the Wounded Warriors of Canada, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to bettering the mental health of Canadian Veterans, first responders and their families.