Colonel Telah Morrison, OMM, CD, retired from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 2022 after 35 years of service in both the Regular and Reserve Forces. Telah joined the CAF in 1986 and went to Royal Military College (RMC) Saint-Jean, six years after the RMC began allowing women to attend in 1980. She is the first woman Logistics Officer in the Royal 22nd 3rd Battalion, and the first woman and first logistician to teach at the infantry school. She was inducted into the Order of Military Merit as an officer.

Telah achieved her illustrious 35-year military career despite significant professional barriers she faced after she came forward about a sexual assault she had experienced at military college.

Telah joined Brian and Laryssa on Mind Beyond the Mission to share about the personal and professional impacts of military sexual trauma (MST), the crucial role of leadership and community in supporting those who are impacted, and highlights the urgent need for cultural shifts within the military to address and eliminate MST. She shares practical coping strategies and advice for survivors, reflects on the importance of resilience, recovery and the enduring bonds fostered within the military community.

Key topics

• The professional and personal lifelong impacts of MST and coping strategies for those who are impacted
• The vital role of community and peer support in processing traumatic events and supporting your well-being
• Fostering resilience and strength over time
• The importance of advocacy and awareness, and the broader cultural shifts needed in the military to address and prevent MST
• The significance of leaders talking openly about mental health and leading by example in seeking support

Resources

Resources on MST for people who are impacted, their Families and Friends, and health care providers

Canadian Military Wives Choir — providing a supportive network for women in the Canadian military community through music

Inspiring inclusion: What this means to women Veterans — a Perspectives blog post co-authored by Telah Morrison

Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre — services for currently serving and former CAF members impacted by sexual misconduct

Apply to Veterans Affairs Canada for disability benefits if you live with a mental or physical condition due to a service-related sexual trauma


Lire la description en français ici.

When Jim Davis saw on the news that a Canadian soldier had been killed in Afghanistan, he thought to himself, “My son is serving there… but so are 2,000 other Canadian soldiers. The odds are that it isn’t him.” Jim faced a parent’s worst nightmare later that day upon learning that his son Paul was the person killed in the line of duty.

In the 18 years since, Jim continues to cope with this loss by honouring his son’s legacy, sharing poignant memories of Paul with other military and Veteran Families impacted by the loss of a loved one — and helping them find healing too.

He opened up to Brian and Laryssa about his journey moving through grief and the immense pride he feels for his son, sharing his coping strategies and the positive impacts of shared experiences and peer support.

Key topics

• The unique challenges faced by bereaved military Families, particularly in situations of separation
• The HOPE (Helping Our Peers by Providing Empathy) program's supports for grieving Family member
• The healing power of empathy and shared stories
• How honouring and cherishing a loved one’s memory can look different for everyone
• Managing grief and fostering strength over time
• The importance of peer support in coping with loss

Resources

Corporal Paul James Davis – Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Exploring and navigating unspoken grief in Veteran Families — Presentation from the Veteran Family Summit

MyGrief.ca — Free e-learning resource to help people better understand and move through grief in different situations

HOPE program — Peer support program for military and Veteran Families who have experienced loss

Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services — Programs and services for Canadian Armed Forces members, Veterans and their Families

Resources for Family and friends

Lorsque Jim Davis a vu aux nouvelles qu'un soldat canadien avait été tué en Afghanistan, il s'est dit : « Mon fils sert là-bas... mais il en va de même pour 2 000 autres soldats canadiens. Il y a de fortes chances que ce ne soit pas lui ». Ce jour-là, Jim a été confronté au pire cauchemar d'un parent en apprenant que son fils Paul était la personne tuée dans l'exercice de ses fonctions.

Au cours des 18 dernières années, Jim continue de faire face à cette perte en honorant la mémoire de son fils, en partageant des souvenirs poignants de Paul avec d'autres familles de militaires et de vétérans qui ont perdu un être cher, et en les aidant à guérir à leur tour.

Il s'est ouvert à Brian et Laryssa sur son cheminement à travers le deuil et l'immense fierté qu'il éprouve pour son fils, partageant ses stratégies d'adaptation et les effets positifs du partage d'expériences et du soutien par les pairs.

Thèmes clés

• Les défis uniques auxquels sont confrontées les familles militaires endeuillées, en particulier dans les situations de séparation.
• Le soutien apporté par le programme HOPE (Helping Our Peers by Providing Empathy) aux membres des familles en deuil.
• Le pouvoir de guérison de l'empathie et des histoires partagées
• Comment le fait d'honorer et de chérir la mémoire d'un être cher peut varier d'une personne à l'autre
• La gestion du deuil et le renforcement de la force au fil du temps
• L'importance du soutien des pairs pour faire face à la perte d'un être cher

An overwhelming number of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Veterans and their Families are directly and profoundly impacted by suicide loss. Yet, few know where, how or when to talk about it — or if it should even be discussed at all.

Canadian Armed Forced (CAF) Veteran Dennis Mackenzie joined Brian and Laryssa on Combating the silence around suicide to discuss the prevalence and impacts of suicide among Veterans and their loved ones. Dennis lost 10 friends while serving in Afghanistan in 2007. In the years since then, he has lost many more to suicide.

Dennis is a second time guest on Mind Beyond the Mission to continue the critical conversation about the impacts of suicide on Veterans and their Families, and the importance of remembering and honouring those who have died by suicide.

While it can be overwhelming and difficult to know where to turn for Veterans and Family members impacted by suicidal thoughts and behaviours, it is important to know there are tools and resources available to help and support yourself or a loved one.

Resources

• Episode 18: Combating the silence around suicide with Dennis Mackenzie
• Suicide prevention for Veterans and Family members
• Military and RCMP Veterans and suicide prevention — a toolkit of practical information and guidance
• Looking after yourself and others — a toolkit of practical information and guidance on suicide prevention for Veteran Families
• A guide for people and Families struggling with suicide — St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton
• The Guardian Angel Platoon — music that heals
• Support options from Soldier On
• 9-8-8 — Suicide Crisis Helpline
• Media guidelines for reporting on Veterans, with a focus on PTSD and suicide

Continuation de la discussion sur les impacts du suicide avec Dennis Mackenzie

Un très grand nombre de vétérans des Forces armées canadiennes (FAC) et de la Gendarmerie royale du Canada (GRC), ainsi que leurs familles, sont directement et profondément touchés par la perte d’un conjoint suicidé. Pourtant, peu d’entre eux savent où, comment et quand en parler — ou même s’il faut en parler.

Dennis Mackenzie s'est joint à Brian et Laryssa dans le cadre de l'épisode Combattre le silence autour du suicide pour discuter de la prévalence et des répercussions du suicide chez les vétérans et leurs proches. Dennis a perdu 10 amis alors qu'il servait en Afghanistan en 2007. Au cours des années qui ont suivi, il en a perdu beaucoup d'autres par suicide.

Dennis est invité pour la deuxième fois à L'esprit au-delà de la mission afin de poursuivre la conversation critique sur les impacts du suicide sur les vétérans et leurs familles, et sur l'importance de se souvenir et d'honorer ceux qui sont décédés par suicide.