Listen to this article
Estimated 4 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.
Every other Wednesday at the Royal Canadian Legion in the rural south Ottawa community of Manotick, Canadian Armed Forces veterans meet over coffee to discuss their experiences from their time in the military.
The setting is meant to reflect a military mess hall, which organizers say fosters a sense of camaraderie among those who attend the biweekly “Buddy Check Coffee” meetings.
“Manotick doesn’t have a lot of individual sources … for veterans to gather in a casual way,” said Melanie Woolley, a regular attendee.
“It’s really important for veterans to be able to interact with each other in a casual way where it’s not therapy.”
Woolley is a veteran of the Canadian Navy, having served as a port inspection diver for five years.
The biweekly meetings are organized through the legion’s operational stress injury special section and are exclusive to military veterans.
CBC’s Rachelle Elsiufi attended a coffee group for veterans who are looking for a sense of community. She heard their stories ahead of Remembrance Day.
“We want more veterans to come out to us and get together,” said Terry Hunter, a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).
“A lot of veterans nowadays are not joining the Royal Canadian Legion for whatever reasons, but we want to get them out.”
Outside of talking about struggles they faced during their service, the coffee check-ins also provide a way for veterans to reminisce about their positive experiences in the military.
“We stick together, and that’s the way they do until they all die, you know? The soldiers don’t die, they just fade away,” said Richard Townsend, a 25-year veteran who served in both the army and the air force.
“That’s what it is, just getting together, having fun, having a coffee, telling jokes, tell about things that we used to do.”
A moment to reflect
The group’s latest meeting, which occurred last Wednesday, took place before this year’s Remembrance Day, which marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
The anniversary adds extra meaning for some of the veterans at the coffee check-in whose family members served in the war.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have too many World War Two veterans left, so it’s up to us who are left to continue on their legacy and to talk about their achievements,” said Hunter.
Woolley said the coffee check-ins are important for bringing together different generations of military veterans who may not normally interact about their experiences because they may feel they are too different.
Meetings for all generations
While the check-ins are meant to be a time where veterans feel comfortable talking with one another, verbal communication is not mandatory.
Rather, Woolley said the meetings are meant to give veterans a space where they feel they can fit in, outside their homes, particularly for those living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“No matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done within the Canadian Forces, or even allied forces, you’ve really been through similar mental, physical experiences or been trained to face those similar mental and physical experiences, and that does something to you,” Woolley said.
“You’re always changed. Not everyone comes out damaged, but there will always be that camaraderie that nobody else will understand.”
3:35Hundreds of poppies laid down at the graves of military soldiers.
For almost a decade, school children have been visiting the National Military Ceremony in the lead up to Remembrance Day to lay down poppies at the headstones of soldiers who’ve served in war. ‘No Stone Left Alone’ is a movement that looks to engage youth in remembrance by placing poppies down at the headstones of Canada’s fallen soldiers. Yesterday, Ottawa students visited Beechwood Cemetery to pay their respects.
Organizers of the informal meetings say all military veterans, even those not affiliated with the legion’s Manotick branch, are welcome to come to the meetings. At various legions across the country, there are dozens of check-ins similar to the ones happening in Manotick.
“If it helps even one person, if it saves a life, if it improves a quality of life, then it’s worth it,” Woolley said.
