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If I Die In a Combat Zone…..
Those of us with grey hair/ no hair will remember a scene out of the movie “Green Beret's. John Wayne is sitting with his driver and asks what was concerning him. The driver replies “My name does not fit”, “What do you mean your name does not fit”, “Well Sir, look you have ………..Air Base,…………..Mess Hall,…………Street, my name just does not fit”. For those of you who have not watched the movie the scene was about a young US soldier concerned about how he would be remembered.
With our latest losses this question has been at the forefront of many of our minds. One well considered option is starting a bursary or scholarship in that persons name. Easy just fill out the paper work, find a bank and away you go. Wrong, several of us working like mined on this issue have come across some interesting concepts. Given current tax structures and related costs a hundred dollar donation will cost the recipient organization approximately one hundred and thirty dollars to process resulting in a net loss. One current idea being addressed is instead of giving a financial contribution give the donation of time. In this I mean offer to manage the bursary/scholarship. I had suspected this but until yesterday afternoon I was not sure. I expect there are some very busy people in the various Regimental Associations dealing with this issue.
The other problem that has like some dark slimy creature slithered out from under a rock is those long haired dope smoking types who whine about the war, bad mouth the troops and complain about the lack of free education. It seems several are after our long established Grants, Scholarships, and Bursaries some dating back a hundred years. Their reasoning is “they are being discriminated against because said funds are being given to ‘former military, current military, etc for studies in publicly funded institution's. Therefore as a member of the public they feel entitled to those funds. A sign of the times is the over ruling of the bequesters wishes. What is your Association and Academic institution doing about this? I know mine is again causing some people to be very busy.
Lastly, you have almost completed your degree, one semester to go and off you go to exercise, the LAV III rolls. Up into the air you soar on a fishery patrol and that twenty nine cent widget fails. You are rolling down a dusty road in Afghanistan and your RG-31 detonates. Are you entitled to your degree ? What type of degree will it be? Having been dealing with this issue for the last couple of days on behalf of a member of my former regiment with the assistance of several others both military and civilian some what quite surprising at this point successfully. The following has been discovered most universities in Canada have clauses in their constitutions regarding this. The example that we have been currently working with is from the University of Manitoba (http://umanitoba.ca/admin/governance/governing_documents/academic/367.htm ). A quick survey of seven other institutions cross Canada revelled similar legislation. The key here is unless you are very well known to the faculty this often is over looked. One solution is to do up a letter of instruction and drop it off with your faculties head secretary, “To Be Opened if I am featured on the Six o'clock news or some such title. Read the requirements of your institution's programs and include information to meet the requirements.
Just some thoughts while I am crying in my beer.
edit: grammer spelling
Those of us with grey hair/ no hair will remember a scene out of the movie “Green Beret's. John Wayne is sitting with his driver and asks what was concerning him. The driver replies “My name does not fit”, “What do you mean your name does not fit”, “Well Sir, look you have ………..Air Base,…………..Mess Hall,…………Street, my name just does not fit”. For those of you who have not watched the movie the scene was about a young US soldier concerned about how he would be remembered.
With our latest losses this question has been at the forefront of many of our minds. One well considered option is starting a bursary or scholarship in that persons name. Easy just fill out the paper work, find a bank and away you go. Wrong, several of us working like mined on this issue have come across some interesting concepts. Given current tax structures and related costs a hundred dollar donation will cost the recipient organization approximately one hundred and thirty dollars to process resulting in a net loss. One current idea being addressed is instead of giving a financial contribution give the donation of time. In this I mean offer to manage the bursary/scholarship. I had suspected this but until yesterday afternoon I was not sure. I expect there are some very busy people in the various Regimental Associations dealing with this issue.
The other problem that has like some dark slimy creature slithered out from under a rock is those long haired dope smoking types who whine about the war, bad mouth the troops and complain about the lack of free education. It seems several are after our long established Grants, Scholarships, and Bursaries some dating back a hundred years. Their reasoning is “they are being discriminated against because said funds are being given to ‘former military, current military, etc for studies in publicly funded institution's. Therefore as a member of the public they feel entitled to those funds. A sign of the times is the over ruling of the bequesters wishes. What is your Association and Academic institution doing about this? I know mine is again causing some people to be very busy.
Lastly, you have almost completed your degree, one semester to go and off you go to exercise, the LAV III rolls. Up into the air you soar on a fishery patrol and that twenty nine cent widget fails. You are rolling down a dusty road in Afghanistan and your RG-31 detonates. Are you entitled to your degree ? What type of degree will it be? Having been dealing with this issue for the last couple of days on behalf of a member of my former regiment with the assistance of several others both military and civilian some what quite surprising at this point successfully. The following has been discovered most universities in Canada have clauses in their constitutions regarding this. The example that we have been currently working with is from the University of Manitoba (http://umanitoba.ca/admin/governance/governing_documents/academic/367.htm ). A quick survey of seven other institutions cross Canada revelled similar legislation. The key here is unless you are very well known to the faculty this often is over looked. One solution is to do up a letter of instruction and drop it off with your faculties head secretary, “To Be Opened if I am featured on the Six o'clock news or some such title. Read the requirements of your institution's programs and include information to meet the requirements.
Just some thoughts while I am crying in my beer.
edit: grammer spelling
