Brandon Gorham, Sergeant-At-Arms for the Coalhurst Legion.

By Connor Gunn

Lethbridge Legion hosting “Veteran Wellness Buddy Check” on 20th 9/11 anniversary

Sep 10, 2021 | 6:00 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Lethbridge Legion is offering Veterans, RCMP, and current serving members and their spouses a time to reflect on the tragic events of 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan.

The 1st Annual Fireteam buddy check event, with guest speakers, will take place September 11 at the Lethbridge Legion from 2-5 pm in the Memorial Hall.

This event, sponsored by the Royal Canadian Legion General Stewart Branch in partnership with the Coalhurst Legion, will conduct a health check for veterans and their families.

Tensions are high as the current situation in Afghanistan is distressing for many Canadians, Veterans, and their families, especially for those who served in a variety of operations overseas.

“During this time, Veterans may be asking themselves difficult questions or revisiting experiences and relationships formed during their service or deployments. Their families may be struggling along with them,” according to Legion representatives.

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Organizer Brandon Gorham, Sergeant-At-Arms for the Coalhurst Legion, says he wanted to set this event up to give people a safe space to talk about their struggles and their triumphs.

“There are many veterans in the community whose have served and have memories of Afghanistan and other areas that can be affecting their mental health. We want to reach out to encourage them to attend and learn what supports are available.”

Gorham served for over six years in the Canadian Military fighting the war in Afghanistan. He says the events in Kabul are traumatic to see, especially now that Canada has pulled out of the country.

“For every Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan, they watched the bodies being carried down the highway of heroes and it’s hard as I have been going through all those emotions – I’ve been suffering every day since I got back from tour with PTSD, and I’ve been wondering like – was it worth it?”

He says one of the hardest things to see was Canada pulling out of the country.

All these events led Gorham to think about what he could do to give back and he came up with making a safe space for anyone who has seen these events first hand.

Participants in the events do not have to be Legion members and more information can be found at lethbridgelegion.ca.

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