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Glen Kirkland Feels The Ramifications For Speaking Out
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A Canadian soldier who testified about his struggle for health benefits has been notified that he will be discharged in six months, despite 
assurances from Defence Minister Peter MacKay that he would suffer “no ramifications” for speaking out.
Vancouver-native Cpl. Glen Kirkland, who nearly died in Afghanistan five years ago when he was ambushed by the Taliban in the Zhari district, said he received a notice in the mail of his impending discharge.
Kirkland had said he was ordered not to testify about his concerns or he’ll have no pension when he’s discharged, or be given adequate assistance for covering his medical bills for a long list of injuries.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Monday that Kirkland had not yet been released from the military, but appeared to acknowledge the six-month discharge notice.
“There were papers signed and explained to him that they were to do with his future career,” said MacKay. “He willfully signed those papers. But I can confirm he has not been released from the Canadian Armed Forces.”
Kirkland, a fourth-generation soldier, suffered a rocket attack in Afghanistan that killed three of the five people travelling in his vehicle.
“I had to pull myself while on fire, and through gunfire, to try to extract my dead and dying brothers-in-arms,” he testified last week.
He suffered serious injuries, including the loss of 75 per cent of his hearing, the loss of some sight and a brain injury that left him forever dependant on insulin.
“I suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) so badly that I haven’t been able to visit my home in Vancouver for years,” he testified. “I can’t handle the anxiety of being around crowds. Survivor’s guilt haunts me every day.”
Last week, MacKay said Kirkland would “receive every and all benefits to which he is entitled.”
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Source: http://unitedfirstnations.org/wp/2013/06/10/glen-kirkland-feels-the-ramifications-for-speaking-out/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=glen-kirkland-feels-the-ramifications-for-speaking-out
