And when you’re a member of the Royal Canadian Legion dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, you can be assured that your fellow compatriots will be there for you as much as they can.
That the exact situation for Legion Branch 59 in Moose Jaw, as despite the hall being closed, they continue to do as much as possible for one another.
“Right now, we’ve put it out on our Facebook page and a wide email that we’re available for assistance to help anybody that needs assistance, and we’ve been helping a couple,” said Moose Jaw service officer Christine Simpson. “The numbers, I expected a bit more, but everyone seems to be doing fine. We’re keeping in touch with different organizations and such to see what they require, and our head office had been really good. So far it’s all been fine.”
Making the situation all the more serious is the general age of their membership – an average of around 65 for most Legions in the country -- and with COVID-19 seeming to impact the older population harder, keeping an eye out for one another has become paramount.
“Even while some of our older veterans have conditions that might make them susceptible to things, we’re all being careful, keeping an eye out, phoning and FaceTiming and doing what we can to help,” Simpson said.
Then there’s the national response. Legions across Canada have been in contact with one another with the goal of making sure all is well, or at least as well as it can be, for their members from coast to coast.
We’ve been talking to our military friends across Canada and we have one another,” Simpson said. “Our families may be someplace else, but we have our military families to help.”
Any Legion member who needs assistance through the pandemic can contact the Legion through Facebook or give Simpson a call at (306) 681-3835.
