Band of Brothers proceeds help injured soldier on

Posted By Mark Hoult

Posted 3 months ago

Norwood – When Canadian Forces Warrant Officer Andrew McLean was about 10 years old he watched in awe and admiration as one-legged cancer survivor and athlete Terry Fox ran his Marathon of Hope across Canada.

The image of the determined runner propelling himself forward using an artificial limb remained an inspiration to McLean, himself a marathon runner, when he worked with Canadian Paralympic Committee paralympic development manager Greg Legace in 2006 to found Soldier On. It's a program designed to help injured Canadian armed forces personnel recover and live full and active lives through participation in sports and fitness activities.

Today, thanks to Soldier On and the support it receives from within the military and from communities across Canada, soldiers returning from Afghanistan missing limbs and suffering from injuries caused by blast trauma and shrapnel, are getting the specialized equipment, therapy and coaching they need to live active lives and maintain their physical and psychological health. “Physical fitness, recreation and sport is something we all can do,” said McLean, a Canadian Forces search and rescue technician who has served overseas in Croatia.

McLean was in Douro-Dummer Township Friday, Oct. 16 collecting $1,500 raised during an August 8 fundraiser aptly called, Band of Brothers. The event was organized by Linda Fuller and Andy Tough and held at their 86-acre-farm northwest of Norwood.

More than 150 participants enjoyed wagon rides, raffles, a barbeque cook-off, a potluck supper, a radio-controlled aeronautical display courtesy of the Norwood Nomads, and the music of five local bands, performed from a converted barn complete with a lighted stage, sound support system, lounge and dance floor.

The Band of Brothers was developed in co-operation with Royal Canadian Legion Branch 300 in Norwood. Representatives of the branch participated in the opening ceremonies at the Aug. 8 event. And legion member Bonnie Willoughby was on hand last Friday to present an additional $100 to McLean. “Our Legion branch is behind our soldiers one hundred percent,” she said.

McLean said Soldier On recently purchased two hand-crank bicycles for two injured soldiers, one a double-amputee, the other a high-functioning quadriplegic.

And although the program receives some government funds, the money used to purchase such specialized equipment and help soldiers find suitable physical activities is raised by people like Fuller and Tough, who have become aware of the sacrifices being made by Canada's military personnel, McLean said. In the post-911 world “Canadians have really embraced the military” and come to understand that their soldiers are sons and daughters and friends from their own communities.

“Community efforts are hugely important to the morale and welfare of the Canadian Armed Forces,” he said. “That's why it's really important that we take every opportunity to meet and shake hands with the people that are out there putting on these initiatives. It's worth more than a letter.”

McLean said Soldier On is a “grass-roots, rank and file initiative” that came about because soldiers wanted to know what they could do make sure their injured and ill fellow soldiers “don't fall through the cracks.” McLean said he asked himself what he could do to support his peers and coworkers.

“And the best thing we can do, as family and as friends, is support them in their recovery and rehab through morale and welfare.”

Over the past three years Soldier On has helped more than 50 seriously injured Canadian Forces personnel while raising awareness of the plight of injured soldiers, he said. This year alone, Soldier On has raised more than $100,000 to help injured Canadian soldiers and their families.

Andy Tough said the Band of Brothers fundraiser was as much about getting the word out as it was about attendance and fundraising.

“The most important thing we did was raising awareness for Soldier On. We've made a lot of people aware.”

Tough said most Canadians either have a soldier in the family or know friends and members of other families who have served or are serving in the military. The couple's own son, Pte. David Fuller, is currently stationed at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick.

It was in large part his decision to join the military that inspired Tough and Fuller to plan Band of Brothers.

“This is a way of getting people to think beyond the Highway of Heroes,” Tough said of the event, which the couple are hopeful will set an example and provide a model for similar fundraisers across Canada.

“The number of soldiers and the amount of funds they need to be rehabilitated, never mind the support for their families, are tremendous. So if you can get this kind of event happening across Canada, it would be ideal.”

McLean said a number of initiatives, large and small, took place across Canada, over the summer. But no matter the size of the initiative or the cheque, they all effected change, he said.

“We had an eight-year-old boy, Danny, in Toronto, who, instead of birthday presents, wanted to make donations to Soldier On. So it's the community efforts and volunteers that are important.”

McLean also praised the Royal Canadian Legion for its long-term support of the military and for being “a stout supporter of Canadian civil liberties.”

Dr. Wayne Guppy, president-elect of the Peterborough, Victoria, Haliburton VON,performed at the Band of Brothers fundraiser with his blues band, Doc G & the Blue Mood Band. He and the band members “were blown away” by the spirit permeating the event, he said.

“There was something that drew people together, and everyone seemed to understand what our Canadian troops are doing.”

The type of unselfish co-operation in support of a cause that was displayed at Band of Brothers is an example of the best way to go about combatting terrorists who mistakenly “think we are self-centred, over-indulgent people,” Guppy said.

Douro-Dummer Councillor Shelagh Landsmann praised Tough and Fuller for their efforts in putting together the event.

“It's truly amazing when people can come up with an idea, start something and then follow it through,” she said.

Fuller stressed that the event could not have happened without the bands, people and organizations that came forward in its support. She read out a list of the sponsors of Band of Brothers and finished by describing Warrant Officer McLean as “a hero among heroes.”

For a complete list of sponsors, and more information, visit www.atoughproductions.com. For more information about Soldier On, go to www.soldieron.ca.

Tough and Fuller are already planning a second annual Band of Brothers for July 17, 2010.