SUPPORTING TROOPS
Canadian Forces Liaison Council recognizes six P.E.I. employers for their support to military employees
Six P.E.I. employers honoured by Canadian Forces Liaison Council
Trying to keep up with the demand in the emergency room at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is a challenge at the best of times.
But it can grow more troublesome when one of the doctors in the emergency department is a Canadian Armed Forces reservist who has just been told on short notice that he’s being deployed to Iraq.
It’s even harder when that notice comes in the middle of summer, a busy time for the hospital’s emergency staff.
Having an understanding boss makes all the difference in the world.
Major Trevor Jain of the Prince Edward Island Regiment, one of 14 doctors who work in emergency at the QEH, was deployed to Operation Impact in Iraq.
“You can imagine deploying to a hostile environment trying to concentrate on doing your job and having in the back of your mind not only your family and your community but your job and your peers,’’ Jain told The Guardian.
“To have that support means you can concentrate on your military job 100 per cent. Without his support it wouldn’t have happened.’’
Jain is talking about his boss, Dr. Ron Whalen, chief of emergency medicine and acting medical director at the QEH.
That short notice Jain talks about was four days.
Whalen said he didn’t hesitate for a minute to back Jain.
“We can’t support our (troops) by going over. We’re not capable of going ourselves but if we can support someone who can go and support our guys, that’s our contribution to the fight,’’ Whalen said, noting that the other 13 physicians in the ER just end up chipping in a little more. “It was a struggle because it was right in the middle of summer and emergency is a busy environment and we’re always struggling to keep up . . . every single member of the group said they’d be proud to (step up).’’
On Wednesday, the Canadian Forces Liaison Council at the Queen Charlotte Armouries in Charlottetown honoured six employers, including Whalen, for the support they’ve given to the Canadian Armed Forces employees when it comes to time off to serve.
Ordinary Seaman Christian Hansen, 19, of HMCS Queen Charlotte also had a brush with short notice that affected his employment.
He was given time off from his job at Leary’s Independent Grocer in Cornwall to take part in a basic training course. With no warning, he was told to be there a lot earlier than he had planned.
Store owner Don Leary was quick to give him the time off he needed.
“The fact that he is so open and helpful to my military career is wonderful,’’ Hansen said.
“The fact that my employer is supportive is quite helpful and sends a great message to people who want to be in the military.’’
Leary said he has a nephew who did a couple of tours in Afghanistan and has long been a supporter of the military family services centre.
“I’ve always felt people don’t have enough appreciation for what they’re doing day in and day out,’’ Leary said.
“(Hansen) is the one that impresses me, I’m not the one. I’d like to clone him and have more on my staff with the attitude that he’s got.’’
Whalen and Leary will also receive national awards in May from the minister of National Defence for their support as employers.