Helping military families to cope
When Tina Grant lost her job five months after her husband was killed in Afghanistan, she was not sure where life was going to take her.
In August 2011, her husband, Corporal Doug Grant, was mortally wounded as he and other SAS soldiers were attempting to free hostages at the British Council Centre in Kabul.
After the incident, Grant, a Staff Sergeant, discovered a gap in the support the Defence Force offered to families of those killed while in the military.
‘‘Initially, they were fantastic. They came in, they did everything, absolutely everything.
‘‘The funeral finished and a week later the packers came in packing up the house and moved us to Auckland and from then on, I was on my own.’’
The move from their Tokomaru home to Auckland had been planned before her husband died, so Grant followed through with it.
But after the move, she found herself isolated and did not know where to turn for support.
So, in 2012, the army liaison officer role was created for her, which saw her as the primary point of contact for other army families who lost loved ones while in service.
Now, five years on, Grant is being recognised for her work in that role with a New Zealand Distinguished Service Decoration Award.
Grant said when her previous job was turned into a civilian role five months after the death of her husband, the Defence Force contacted her and said they hadn’t realised it was her position.
‘‘They knew they had made a mistake.
‘‘They rang me up and said, ‘we
"I believe the army has a duty of care from when you enter to when you're in the ground and then some." Tina Grant, DSD
are so sorry’ and they said, ‘what do you want’?’’
After some thinking, she put forward a proposal to help bereaved families and hasn’t looked back.
A chance meeting with senior government minister Judith Collins saw the MP push her to submit the idea to her commanding officers, with her support.
The role was established and Grant said it had since adapted to also support soldiers who had been in motor vehicle accidents, selfharm incidents and who had terminal illnesses.
‘‘I believe the army has a duty of care from when you enter to when you’re in the ground and then some.’’
Being recognised for her work was a surprise and Grant said she initially thought it was a joke.
But, she knows Doug would be happy for her.
‘‘I know for a fact he’s really proud of what I’ve done and he’s proud of the way I’ve brought the children [up] and I’ve pushed through.
‘‘I’ve taken something so tragic and sad and terrible and turned it into something positive, not just for me and my kids, but others that follow.’’
As well as her role as the army liaison officer, she also volunteers as an ex-offico member of the RSA and Fallen Hero’s Trust.