Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder stopped in North Battleford on the way to a major event this weekend.
That event was the Wounded Warriors Weekend in Slave Lake, Alta., Aug. 2 to 4.
A bus carrying veterans suffering PTSD - the Wounded Warriors - and their caregivers stopped in North Battleford during the noon hour Friday while en route to Slave Lake.
The bus had been on a long journey from Nipawin, the community that had been the first one to host Wounded Warriors Weekend in 2012.
The event, spearheaded by country music artist and veteran Blake Emmons who is Founder/Director of Wounded Warriors Weekend, is credited with building friendships and relationships, and reaching out to those in need who still struggle with the trauma and the memories associated with PTSD from their combat missions.
According to Cindy Murphy, a committee member from Nipawin who's worked with the Wounded Warriors, the event is "all about camaraderie and people just realizing, the veterans realizing that they're not alone.
"There's others that are going through, have gone through what they're going through now," said Murphy.
The first two events in Nipawin attracted 120 Wounded Warriors and the second one in 2013 attracted over 200.
The Friday morning journey started from Nipawin at 7 a.m. and included brief stops to pick up veterans along the way, including in Saskatoon where a number of veterans and caregivers were picked up. One caregiver was actually a service dog who provided great comfort for her owner.
The bus was led into North Battleford by a motorcycle procession from the Canadian Legion of Riders, arriving at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No.70 around 12:20 p.m.
It was there that the Wounded Warriors stopped to enjoy some free burgers and cake as a token of the Legion's appreciation of their efforts. Members from Branch No. 70 and Battleford's Branch No.9 were on hand to offer their support and encouragement.
The plan was for the procession to continue to Lloydminster and then Westlock, Alta., to meet up with more Canadian Legion of Riders motorcycle riders, then continue on to their final destination at Slave Lake for the three days.
The Wounded Warriors heading to Slave Lake are from Canada and the United States and are mostly veterans of recent conflicts, mainly the Afghanistan mission but also Iraq as well.
All those who were on the bus to North Battleford were younger veterans, though some older veterans from Korea, Vietnam and other missions were expected to be at Slave Lake as well.
Some of them are heading to their third Wounded Warriors Weekend, not only for their own benefit but also to benefit those newcomers attending for the first time.
Murphy noticed at the second event in 2013 that "the vets that came back for the second year were there to counsel the young ones that were really struggling, and I actually did see that first-hand."
A good number of those were coming back again to Slave Lake for 2014, and "they'll be all that much more strong and able to help the new ones that are coming. So it's all starting to weave together and gel and become one strong unit."
That support and moral encouragement is expected to keep on building through the coming years as more events are held. A location for Wounded Warriors Weekend has not been finalized for 2015 - possibly Nova Scotia or British Columbia - but Murphy said that Blake Emmons has "big plans to return to Nipawin in year fives."
For more information the website is www.woundedwarriorsweekend.org. The website for the Slave Lake event is www.woundedwarriorsweekend.com.
Locally, a separate local fundraising event for Wounded Warriors is being planned for Nov. 8 in North Battleford.
The plan is for that event to feature Elvis tribute artist Jeff Bodner along with the band Appaloosa. Also planned is an appearance by Emmons to accept a presentation of the total amount raised locally for Wounded Warriors Weekend.
For information on tickets to the November event contact Marlene Oleshko at 306-445-7781 or Amanda Humenny at 306-441-9602.
