15 Wing Moose Jaw’s Capt. Rev. Eric Davis has received the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation Award for his work in promoting sound mental health among serving members and veterans.
Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay presented Davis with his award during a recent ceremony in Richmond, British Columbia. Thirteen other recipients also received the award in recognition of their support for veterans or commemorative activities.
Davis is a military chaplain at the air base and is an administrator of the Facebook group Send up the Count, which formed in 2013. This group acts as a mental health network for serving members and veterans.
Two other administrators with the group also received the award.
Humbled to receive award
“I was happy (and humbled) to receive the award. The funny thing about it is, I think other members in the group also deserve it. There are 13,000 people who belong to the same group,” said Davis, who joined the military in 1993 at age 19.
The name of the group is an infantry term, he explained. If there are eight troopers walking in the bush, they each whisper “send up the count” starting from the rear. Once it carries to the front, it ensures everyone is there; conversely, it also ensures the enemy has not infiltrated the group.
Send up the Count focuses on weighty matters such as suicide. However, Davis and other administrators attempt to keep all conversations clean, while in the event of an emergency, they call 911.
Breaking the stigma
It’s important to recognize this type of work since the stigma around mental health in the Canadian Forces needs to be broken down, Davis said. He pointed out the army is no different from any other societal organization.
“It’s important that we normalize mental health, so people don’t have to sit and suffer in silence,” he continued.
Send up the Count offers a confidential place for veterans and serving members to express their difficulties. Members can provide peer-to-peer counselling to others in distress. The group also attempts to catch members or veterans who have fallen through the cracks and not received help through federal programs.
Davis pointed out one reason the group was started is because “it takes a veteran to understand a veteran.” Sometimes veterans or serving members feel as if non-military counsellors don’t understand them.
“We are a specialized culture. If you are not part of the culture, it may be difficult to follow along with the things we experience and talk about,” he said.
Davis recalls one incident in which he helped prevent a group member from hurting themselves. Three years later, he now sees that member enjoying life and being with their family.
Experiencing mental illness
Davis sometimes finds it difficult to be an advocate for mental illness in the military because of the stigma. He himself was diagnosed in 2000 with panic anxiety disorder after serving nearly 10 years as a paramedic in the reserves. Marriage troubles and the loss of his first-born son have also affected him.
Davis became a rank force chaplain in 2008 and has dealt with others’ mental health issues ever since. He is the only chaplain at the air base — other military bases usually have more than one — and is the first point of contact for members looking for support. This means he is on call all day, every day to deal with emergencies.
“We (as chaplains) are never off-duty,” he said. “It’s non-stop. There are very few times I can go on leave.”
A joy to help others
While it can be frustrating to be on-call continuously and not be able to travel anywhere beyond 30 minutes of Moose Jaw, Davis is thrilled to do the job since he enjoys providing such spiritual and psychological care. Besides, his phone normally rings about once a month from members looking for help.
Davis is finishing a master’s of counselling degree at Briercrest College and Seminary. This will help him offer better support to the members and veterans he serves, including giving him the knowledge to know what to ask people.
“A lot of the time people just need to talk,” he added. “I offer a safe place to talk. Now that I have the skills, it will benefit everybody.”
