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TALK

Don't bribe; recruit from within

While the article on the shortage of doctors comes as no surprise (Vol. 2, No. 2, p. 1), the measures to correct the problem do. Trying to bribe people to join the military is not good for the CF. Giving high salaries to people who have no interest in our military culture and way of life will never improve our overall morale or solve our medical officer shortage.

The solution to our shortage of medical officers (or pilots, for that matter) should come from within. We have a huge number of officers and university-educated NCMs who could fill our medical officer shortage if the CF would invest in them. My wife tried for 13 years to become a CF medical officer only to have her application frustrated by low-level supervisors. I would give a lifetime of service to the CF if the military sent me to medical school. I know others would do the same if such an opportunity arose.

Why not look to the serving CF members before blowing huge sums of money on finding only marginal candidates? A program for CF members where they would receive free medical training in return for 15 years of service would attract only those who were seriously interested. Lt Dan Fraser  
Woodstock, New Brunswick

À VOUS

dering to political correctness is not only inappropriate, it is destroying confidence in our once strong and loyal institution.

Maj Daniel Drew

Yellowknife, NWT

Write Us!

The Maple Leaf welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must include your full name, address and phone number for verification. Text may be condensed and edited for style. Cite page and issue for articles mentioned. See masthead for submission information.

Écrivez-nous;

La Feuille d'érable; apprécie; les lettres à la rédaction.; Vous êtes; priés; de donner votre nom (au complet), adresse et numéro; de tél;éphone.; Les lettres peuvent étre; modifiées; sur les plans de la longeur et du style par la Rédaction.; Veuillez citer le numéro; et la page auxquels l'article fait réf;érence.; Se reporter à la pour nos coordonnées.;

More simulators and Cougars needed

Focus on sick and injured

I have just had the unfortunate experience of reading The Maple Leaf, and to be frank, I am deeply disturbed by the article relating to our first official sex change candidate (Vol. 1, No. 15, p. 7). I suppose this piece of journalism was designed to educate us as to the plight of this individual so that we might show some empathy towards his/her life crisis. When was the last time that your publication inter- viewed some of our members who were wounded and discharged onto the street to fend for themselves? Did any of them get to express the hurt and disgust at the extremely shabby way in which they were treated? What about the numerous members who develop diseases such as diabetes, a physical affliction that is beyond their ability to control, and who are discharged because they are no longer able to deploy? Do you really expect any members of the CF to show any tolerance toward this issue when good men, wounded in operations and legitimately injured during training have suffered because the CF bureaucracy didn't see fit to recognize their sacrifices? I think not. What about those members who have to wait for operations because the Medical Corps has been gutted, or even those who have to buy their own medical supplies because of yet another cost-reducing ploy by the centre? What about those who would have laser surgery on their eyes in order to improve their individual operational effectiveness? I would suggest that pointed articles relating to the many real concerns (including poor pay, loss of what were once known as "benefits of serving" such as cheap PMQ rents, medical coverage) of the majority of your readers would be more appropriate type for The Maple Leaf. Finally, while most members of the CF are sufficiently tolerant to understand and accept that this person may have a legitimate medical condition, I believe they have no tolerance for the double standard manifesting itself in this case. Your pan-

In an article on simulators for the Reserves, (Vol. 2, No. 2, p. 17), the author tends to give the reader the impression that the issuing of Cougars and gunnery simulators to reserve units is a big step forward. While I applaud the issue of simulators, it is important to note that since several units have more than one mission-element location, more than one simulator should be issued. But that is not the plan we have been told. I also think it is important that non- Armoured Corps readers understand what the issue of the Cougars equates to.

Since the primary combat function of an armoured crewman is to act as part of an AFV crew, an AFV is required so that crews can practice their basic skills. In the same way, an infanteer must have the necessary tools (small arms) to take part in section drills.

Now the shocker: what would the Infantry Corps' reaction be if it were told that infantry companies would only receive enough small arms to equip one section? Or, in the Artillery, what if each battery had only one gun to train on? This is what the Reserve units within the Armoured Corps are expected to do. That one Cougar per mission element would have to be used by approximately 14 crews (each crew consisting of a commander, gunner and driver). In order to carry out decent refresher training, each LHQ training evening would only get a small portion of the crews through the various drills. At that rate, the "Charlie" call sign, Third troop, B Squadron would be pencilled in for about Nov 15, 2001.

Also, the allotment of Cougars was originally four per unit. Now it has mysteriously changed to one per mission element. In this end of the country, that adds up to a reduction in vehicles. The fact that a squadron's worth of Cougars is available at the Area Training Centre is, indeed, very reassuring. Now if the units had their own buses or a larger budget to rent them, perhaps they would see these vehicles more than a couple of times a year. Once again, I'll use the Infantry analogy: "Yes you may have enough small arms to equip your company, but you'll have to bus the soldiers 160 kilometres in order to draw the weapons from someone else's QM."

As for the commitment to maintain the Cougars, we didn't purchase enough spare parts to keep them running when they were the mainstay of the Regular Force. How much money is going to be spent on them now, when they are "Reserves-only" vehicles?

WO Scott MacDougall

Moncton, New Brunswick

Calling all World War I veterans

Veteran Affairs Canada has set up a telephone line to help locate veterans of World War I. It is estimated that there may be as many as 800 veterans of the war alive. The department hopes fellow veterans and family members will know where to find them so the veterans can help government recognize them during Veterans Week and Remembrance Day in November. This will also assist the Government of France with its plans to award the National Order of the Legion of Honour, France's highest decoration, to surviving First World War veterans who fought on French or Belgian soil. The Ottawa contact number is (613) 995-7158.

Anciens combattants de la Grande Guerre

Anciens combattants Canada a établi; une ligne tél;éphonique; pour retracer les anciens combattants de la Première; Guerre mondiale. On estime qu'il y en a encore quelque 800, et le ministère; espère; qu'ils pourront aider le gouvernement à préparer; la semaine des anciens combattants et le Jour du Souvenir. La France veut en outre présenter; la Légion; d'honneur, la plus prestigieuse décoration; française;, aux anciens combattants de la Première; Guerre mondiale qui ont combattu en sol français; ou belge. À Ottawa, composer le (613) 995-7158.

Operation TANGO on TV

The television series Operation TANGO

recounts the adventures of Canada's

peacekeepers in the former Yugoslavia.

The series is based on the experiences

of Canadian soldiers during Operation

HARMONY and Operation CAVALIER

between 1992 and 1995. Operation

TANGO will air on the French-

language television network Quatre-

Saisons in May.

À ne pas manquer : Opération; Tango

La diffusion de la tél;és;érie; Opération;

Tango, qui relate les aventures des gar

diens de la paix canadiens en ex-Yougo

slavie, commencera en mai prochain.

On pourra voir cette série;, inspirée; de

faits vécus; par les militaires canadiens

au cours des opérations; Harmonie et

Cavalier entre 1992 et 1995, sur les

ondes de Tél;évision; Quatre-Saisons.

C'est à ne pas manquer!

Vous avez la parole dans

cette page, profitez-en!

Nous recevons réguli;èrement; du feed

back de nos lecteurs anglophones, mais

notre lectorat francophone est muet

depuis quelques mois. N'oubliez pas

que cette page vous appartient.

Vol. 2, No. 4, 1999