Gulf War

by **Trooper** Sat 11 Nov 2017, 8:17 am

Gulf War vets fighting for
recognition

Glen Whiffen (glen.whiffen@thetelegram.com)
Published: Nov 10, 2017

Gulf War TEL-A05-11112017-HaroldDavisVet_large

Harold Davis is a Persian Gulf War veteran and president of the Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada. - Submitted

Persian Gulf veterans association say
members fear they have become a
‘footnote in Canadian history’

Many Canadian veterans of the Persian Gulf War feel they are becoming forgotten in Canada, says the head of a new association representing them.

Harold Davis, president of the Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada, said that because there were no Canadians killed during the early 1990s conflict, some people do not hold the Persian Gulf War in the same regard as they do other wars, conflicts and peacekeeping missions the Canadian military participated in.

“Recognition is a big part for us because Persian Gulf veterans are just a footnote in Canadian history now,” said Davis, who is originally from Bell Island.

“A lot of people don’t even know us anymore. We are the modern-day Korean (War) forgotten vets.

“Some time ago I walked into a military museum and asked where the Persian Gulf display was. The guy looked at me and said, ‘That wasn’t really a war, nobody died.’ I asked to see who was running the place.”

According to the Veterans Affairs Canada website, more than 4,000 Canadian Armed Forces members — including many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians — served in the Persian Gulf region in 1990-91 as part of the international coalition of countries that drove the invading forces of Iraq out of Kuwait. In the aftermath of the conflict, Canadians continued to serve with peacekeeping and embargo-enforcement efforts in the region for several years.

Davis said the idea to form an association came about on the 25th anniversary of the Persian Gulf War, when Gulf veterans learned there was no official event planned to commemorate the anniversary in Canada. Davis said a number of Gulf veterans decided to get together in Halifax.

“I started a Facebook page, then an advocacy group, and it snowballed a little bit from there,” Davis said. “I reached out to about 700 or 800 … there were about 5,100 who went to the Gulf in all.

“To be a part of the group, you had to have served in the Persian Gulf theatre.”

The association provides advocacy and support to Persian Gulf veterans and their families, including how to navigate Veterans Affairs Canada services. It also works to increase the knowledge of Canada’s contributions in the Persian Gulf to the Canadian public.

Some of the group’s efforts focus on researching and investigating the condition known as “Gulf War Syndrome” and to bring awareness of the exposure to various risks those who served in the Gulf faced.

“We didn’t lose anybody at the time, but some people didn’t do as well as others, and we have lost people since then,” Davis said. “Some have passed away from cancer and other illnesses, and some with unexplained conditions. We are trying to ensure that our people who need help, get it.”

Veterans Affairs Canada notes there are many risks to military personnel serving in theatres of war such as the Persian Gulf in the early 1990s. The risks go beyond the obvious ones of enemy attack, and include friendly fire incidents, vehicle accidents and the psychological impact of serving in stressful conditions. It notes debilitating medical conditions have struck some veterans of the Gulf War, including symptoms such as chronic fatigue, respiratory complaints and muscular pain.

Canada’s participation in the Persian Gulf War included the destroyers HMCS Terra Nova and HMCS Athabaskan, and the supply ship HMCS Protecteur. Five Sea King helicopters with No. 443 Squadron were also part of this naval force.

CF-18 jet squadrons with approximately 500 personnel performed combat air control, escort and reconnaissance missions. For the first time since the Korean War, Canadian air-to-surface attacks took place during the conflict.

There was a Canadian field hospital with 530 personnel established in Saudi Arabia in February 1991 to care for both Coalition and Iraqi wounded. Soldiers from units like the Royal Canadian Regiment and the Royal 22 Regiment performed security duties at Canadian installations in the Middle East in 1990-91.

Davis, an air-weapons systems technician, served aboard the HMCS Athabaskan.

The warship took part in a tense mission in February 1991 when it went to the aid of the USS Princeton that had been badly damaged by Iraqi mines off the coast of Kuwait. The Athabaskan was tasked with escorting a tugboat through the mine-infested waters to enable the Princeton to be towed to safety.

“We didn’t sleep much below deck during those days,” Davis said.

Gulf War veterans from the United States have invited members of the Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada to participate with them in the 2018 Memorial Day parade in Washington, D.C.

Davis said he had hoped to secure funding to cover the cost of sending about 20 Canadian Gulf veterans to the parade, during which they would carry the Canadian and individual provincial flags.

The association, however, has been turned down for funding at the federal and provincial levels, as well as from the Royal Canadian Legion and private groups.

“Basically, the answer we’ve gotten is that it’s not in their budgets, and is not something they fund,” Davis said.

He said about five members, including himself, are going to cover their own costs to attend, but the association will continue to try for funding to include others.

In the meantime, he noted, the association will continue to fight for the recognition its members deserve in Canada.

glen.whiffen@thetelegram.com

https://www.thetelegram.com/news/local/gulf-war-vets-fighting-for-recognition-160999/

by **Alpha** Fri 28 Feb 2020, 3:30 pm

Canada in the Gulf War

The Gulf War of the early 1990s was an important chapter in Canada’s military history, and this year marks the 25th anniversary of the end of the conflict. More than 4,000 Canadian Armed Forces personnel served in the tense Persian Gulf region in 1990-91, as part of the international coalition of countries that came together to force the invading forces of Iraq out of neighbouring Kuwait. In the aftermath of the conflict, Canadians continued to serve in peacekeeping and embargo-enforcement efforts in the region.

Gulf War

by **Kizzer** Tue 06 Oct 2020, 4:22 pm

Veterans Affairs Canada Oct 6. 2020

Canadian War Museum

On October 6, 1990, the first Canadian fighter aircraft arrived in Qatar to provide air cover for an international fleet enforcing sanctions against Iraq for its invasion of Kuwait. The “Desert Cats”, eventually numbering 24 combat-ready CF-18 fighter jets, with their pilots and support personnel, began flying missions two days after their arrival. The name “Desert Cats” comes from the crests of the 416 Squadron (the lynx) and the 439 Squadron (the saber-tooth tiger). This photo shows the Desert Cats sign signed by all those who served in the two squadrons. It’s on display at the War Museum in Gallery 4.

CWM 19910140-274

#onthisday #GulfWar30

by **Navigator** Sun 17 Jan 2021, 9:15 pm

New video marks Canada's contributions to first Gulf War on 30th anniversary

Published Sunday, January 17, 2021

A scene from "Canada and the Gulf War: In their own words," a video by The Memory Project, a program of Historica Canada, is shown in this undated illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Historica Canada

https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/new-video-marks-canada-s-contributions-to-first-gulf-war-on-30th-anniversary-1.5270718

by Dalton Mon 18 Jan 2021, 8:31 am

How the Gulf War brought this Blackfoot veteran back to his culture

Ka’nhehsí:io Deer · CBC News · Posted: Jan 17, 2021

https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/gulf-war-veteran-indigenous-culture-1.5875258?fbclid=IwAR0mHhrChNF0GcksCwXIbxIakm2Em0B_YYDPsr4p8PJ4R6-LiVwR6LkbuIo

by **Replica** Sat 06 Feb 2021, 9:09 pm

30th anniversary of the end of the Gulf War

28 February 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the end of the Gulf War. After Iraq invaded Kuwait, Canada joined a coalition of more than 35 countries to help liberate the small Gulf nation. More than 4,000 Canadians served in the Gulf War.

Gulf War

by **Accer** Sat 27 Feb 2021, 8:08 am

02.27.2021

by **Accer** Sat 27 Feb 2021, 8:16 am

February 26. 2021

To all who so bravely assumed risks, and who continued to do so after the war ended as part of various peacekeeping and enforcement missions in the region, we thank you for your service and sacrifice.

by RunningLight Mon 01 Mar 2021, 7:25 am

Alberta veteran recalls his experience 30
years after the Gulf War

By Ashley Wiebe . Global News
Posted February 28, 2021 12:28 pm . Updated February 28, 2021 5:29 pm

https://globalnews.ca/news/7667257/alberta-veteran-gulf-war-memories/

by **Forcell** Sat 12 Nov 2022, 11:40 am

He served in the Gulf War and thought he was a war veteran. Then he realized the government saw it differently

He served in the Gulf War and thought he was a war veteran. Then he realized the government saw it differently

By Katie Daubs Feature Writer
Fri., Nov. 11, 2022

In the Persian Gulf, Harold Davis navigated minefields, the fear of chemical attack, and the smoke from the burning oilfields that turned day into night.

He was a weapons technician who looked after the Sea King helicopters on board HMCS Athabaskan, one of 5,000 Canadians who helped liberate Kuwait from Iraq’s invasion. The Americans called it Operation Desert Storm. The Canadians went with Operation Friction. But mostly, people called it the Gulf War.

Davis, who spent his career in the air force and retired as a master corporal, never thought much about it until a few years ago. That’s when he discovered his time in the Persian Gulf was not classified as “war service” in internal government policy. It was a “special duty area.”

“We left Halifax harbour. We did not know if any of us or all of us or a few of us were going to come home. And I’m going to tell you I was afraid,” says Davis, now 63. “But they don’t want to call us war veterans.”

You’ll find “Gulf War” on many government websites, but the only “war service” veterans recognized in the internal benefits policy at Veterans Affairs are those who served in the First World War, the Second World War and Korea. The Canadians who served in places like Afghanistan, Bosnia and the Persian Gulf served in a “special duty area.” While the government says “war service” is merely an internal label, it highlights a chasm between modern veterans and their elders who have long been the face of Remembrance Day in Canada.

When asked if the Gulf veterans were war veterans, Shawn MacDougall, the senior director of program policy at Veterans Affairs Canada, says that in legislation and policy documents, that terminology is for “administrative and bureaucratic purposes.”

“What I can say with certainty is that from the department’s perspective, from a memory perspective, and certainly from Canadians’ perspective, everybody who served in the Gulf War, the war in Afghanistan, various UN peacekeeping missions, NATO missions, peacetime service here at home — the department values all of that service and all of that sacrifice,” he says. “We exist to show that gratitude.”

Perhaps an unintended consequence of these categories is that some veterans don’t feel like their service is given the same respect?

“I think that’s a very good point,” he says. “We’re proud of what we do. But at the same time, I think we can always do better.”

Davis, who is president of the Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada, is pushing for an upgrade to “war service.”

Sammy Sampson, a veteran of many special duty areas including the Gulf War, Rwanda and Afghanistan, spoke to a Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs about the matter in 2021. The “war service” designation is “top tier,” the retired warrant officer said, and those “elite” veterans have received the majority of commemorative funding and a “premier insurance plan” for their active duty injuries. They also have all of Canada’s Victoria Crosses. He called special duty service a “discount class.” MacDougall, with Veterans Affairs, says the department’s benefits and programs are “world class.” There may be differences in terms of coverage or the way a benefit is paid, he says, but the department treats designations the same when it comes to “adjudication and processing.”

It is more straightforward for veterans of the First and Second World Wars to have the label “war service” because they were mobilized by official declarations of war. In Korea, Canadians served under a United Nations “police action,” but the veterans were “grandfathered” into the same benefits the World War veterans received, Jonathan Minnes writes in his 2019 Master of Laws thesis on the history of veterans’ benefits: “The same universal approach to the dissemination of veterans’ benefits would not be used for the subsequent Modern Veterans.”

“We did the exact same thing that they did back in the 1950s,” Harold Davis says, noting that the Korean War and the Gulf War were both backed by UN resolutions. “I try to keep it simple, because when I talk to a lot of people, I get the deer in the headlights look.”

Veterans’ benefits are constantly evolving. After the First World War, many veterans’ claims for compensation were denied. Many struggled with illness, unemployment and a society that was unprepared for their return. “It took Canada’s involvement in another world war and a government that chose to invest in veterans rather than view them as objects of charity” to expand much-needed supports, writes Minnes.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, the focus shifted to retraining, education and rehabilitation, but that changed to health care and home care as veterans aged, says MacDougall of Veterans Affairs. In the 1990s, younger veterans pushed for changes because the benefits were geared to the older crowd, he says. So in 2006, the New Veterans Charter replaced the existing Pension Act, with new programs to help veterans retrain and reintegrate into civilian life. Instead of a traditional disability pension, veterans injured during service would receive a “lump sum” payment. Anyone who made a benefits claim after 2006 was subject to the new program, except “wartime service” veterans.

“That’s where I think they got offended — ‘You can cut costs on us but not on them,’” says Minnes. A 2011 study by researchers at Queen’s University noted that the new program “financially disadvantaged veterans the greatest when they lived longer, were married, had more children, had a higher disability assessment, and were released at a lower rank.” Looking at one hypothetical case study at that time, the net value of benefits paid over the lifetime of a 40-year-old captain who had been “totally and permanently” incapacitated were pegged at just over $1 million in the new program, but $1.7 million in the older Pension Act program.

In 2012, a class-action suit launched by Canadian Forces veterans who served in Afghanistan alleged that many veterans received less support under the New Veterans Charter, and that the government was breaking a social covenant to its soldiers as articulated by prime minister Robert Borden before the Battle of Vimy Ridge. “The government and the country will consider it their first duty to prove to the returned men its just and due appreciation of the inestimable value of the services rendered to the country and Empire,” Borden said in 1917, “and that no man, whether he goes back or whether he remain in Flanders, will have just cause to reproach the government for having broken faith with the men who won and the men who died.”

The government’s fight to have the case dismissed was ultimately granted by a higher appeal court.

The New Veterans Charter, now called the Veterans Well-Being Act, is a living document. Many changes have been made in response to early feedback, such as the addition of caregiver benefits, increased income replacement, tuition and training money, and the option to receive pain and suffering compensation monthly rather than as a lump sum. But some say disparity is baked in when you have different categories: “How can the government say that an injury from a German bullet is more valuable than an injury from a Taliban bullet?” Sampson asks.

More than 1.65 million Canadians and Newfoundlanders served in the two world wars. The toll was staggering and cast a long shadow: 111,000 died and more than 282,000 were wounded. So many families were affected by the death and devastation, and the soldiers who returned became a powerful lobby with a narrative that was easy to understand, Minnes says. Modern veterans face the same danger, but serve in conflicts that receive “less public support than the romanticized wars that preceded them,” Minnes writes. Canadians are less engaged, he writes, and a “class distinction has emerged between Modern and War Service Veterans.”

In 1990, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait and took control of a significant portion of the world’s oil reserves. When Saddam Hussein ignored demands to leave, the United Nations Security Council ordered an embargo, and later sanctioned the use of force. The operation was fraught with tension. Harold Davis’ wife would return from work every evening and fall asleep in front of the television, watching the war and waiting for news.

“I’ve had other veterans say to me, ‘Well, you guys didn’t lose anybody,’ says Davis, who chafes at that take. “We are now the forgotten.”

In the lead-up to Remembrance Day this year, he raised money to rent a theatre in Dartmouth to screen a documentary about the Gulf War. He sent emails to local media. No one responded. Seventy people came.

The sense of the war being forgotten wasn’t helped by the pandemic, says the Royal Canadian Legion’s Andrea Siew. “It’s really when they finally commemorated it … and it was all done electronically. No in-person, no large celebration.”

The government calls it the Gulf War on its websites, which leads Veterans Affairs’ MacDougall to believe that this is about more than just commemoration: “It has to do with a system of benefits and the process for that … is something that would have to be decided by government through Parliament.”

A petition to reclassify the Gulf War was introduced to the House of Commons by MP John Brassard (Barrie-Innisfil) in 2021, but the effort was moot when the election was called. In a letter to Defence Minister Anita Anand, former prime minister Brian Mulroney supported the bid, writing that Canada’s military “served with courage and distinction and brought high honour to Canada. They must not now be forgotten.”

Davis says the bump to “war service” classification is mostly about recognition, but of course benefits matter.

According to Veterans Affairs, close to 2,000 veterans of the Gulf War are served by the department. Any costs would have to be examined, but MP Brassard feels that veterans need to be looked after, regardless of whether war was declared or not.

“Those who served in the Persian Gulf War, they didn’t make a distinction between special duty operation or whether an act of war occurred,” he says. “We should be looking after them as best we can.”

Toronto Star

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