Local supporters of Wounded Warriors Weekend are once again sponsoring a fundraising event in North Battleford.
Standup comedian Bobby Henline is the headliner for an evening of entertainment at the Don Ross Centre gym Saturday, Nov. 5. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. with doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Henline was the sole survivor of a roadside bombing in Iraq. A third of his body was burned. Now a standup comedian, “he has turned pain into humour and hope,” according to the organizing committee’s promotional material.
Also on stage will be Juno award winning entertainer George Canyon. A Nova Scotia native, Canyon was recently inducted into the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame.
He is a national spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and a vocal advocate and supporter of the Canadian military.
The evening includes a cash bar, lunch and a 50/50 draw. Proceeds from the event will go to support Wounded Warriors Weekend.
Wounded Warriors Weekend has been an annual event in Western Canada since 2012. Nipawin hosted the event that year, and this year organizers chose to once again bring veteran participants back to North Central Saskatchewan. Veterans gathered there for a variety of events from July 28 to 31.
“Wounded Warriors Weekend needs to be embraced right across our great country providing much needed support for individuals experiencing the grip of PTSD,” says Nipawin mayor David Trann.
“I know personally the impact this weekend has on the organizers, community volunteers and the military personnel.”
According to the Wounded Warriors website: “We are a band of brothers and sisters who have joined together with one common goal: to show and express our heartfelt appreciation to our veterans, reservists, active duty military and first responders who are challenged by physical and/or mental wounds sustained by active participation in recent or past military conflicts and duties.”
Doug Potter, who suffers from traumatic brain injury, says Wounded Warriors Weekend helped him find some missing pieces of the puzzle in his journey to recovery.
“Slowly over the weekend all of these pieces fell into place,” he says.
“To you and all the men women and children who have made this possible, you all have my undying gratitude for the positive change in my life.”
My Own Skin
By Bobby Henline
Sometimes I awake
Not feeling like me,
I'm in my body
But I cannot see.
Blinded by the darkness
Covered up in humor,
Post traumatic stress
Is growing like a tumor.
I breathe in,
My body fills with fear,
I breathe out
Another trigger is here.
Memories never end
They point and stare,
My vision is blurry
My future isn't clear.
My reflexion is ugly
Vanity is a sin,
The mirror is broken
I want out of my skin.
Healing with laughter
Getting by with whiskey,
Spending one night stands
With women that are frisky.
My days are dark
My nights are bright,
My triggers are real
Everyday is a fight.
I'm a Veteran
Fighting with all my might,
I will not give up
For I see the light.
My angels look over me
They assure me no fear,
Although I'm blinded
My vision becomes clear.
I'll fight to the finish
I'll fight until I win,
I'll never give up
I'm ok in my skin.
