Contest Winners and a Huge Plot Twist!

Remember back when I started the “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along” series and answered some questions and had some great bloggers and posted a contest?

A Canadian Contest

Ya.  That.

Let’s get back to what we started, shall we?  Starting with a guest post by an Air Force Vet and current Air Force Spouse!

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This is MilLifeRocks, you can find her on Twitter here!  She had some quick thoughts on being a duel service family, as well as an Air Force Family.

You can find today’s Guest Blogger on Twitter @MilLifeRocks, so head over, show her some love and ask her any questions you might have!

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As for life as a Canadian Military spouse, well, each blog in the series had a little of what makes the Canadian Forces different from the American Military.

You read about my reality on this blog whenever I write. I will try and sum of the last of the questions I may have missed before. 

We don’t have FRG’s, though we have other support services.  We don’t have Commissaries and our very small Canex store is retail and has limited selection.  It’s not widely used in Canada.  We shop where the rest of the country shops for everything.

There are no strictly Canadian bases outside Canada anymore, while there are postings available to other countries as some of you mentioned in the USA as well as all over the world (OUTCAN postings), they are few and far between and eligibility is very dependant on your trade and rank. We would receive an allowance depending on cost of living at a certain location, but since we’ve never been posted OUTCAN I don’t know much about how that would work.

 We have a strictly volunteer military, we actually haven’t even used the draft since WWII and even then, by the time we needed to use it the war ended less than a year later.  You have to be 16 to join the Reserves, but of course you would never deploy then.  You must be 18 to enlist in the Regular Force.  (18 or 19 is the legal age in Canada depending on the province). The whole officer/enlisted mingling thing is pretty much the same for us – it totally depends on the people and the circumstance, I won’t open that can of worms here, suffice it to say DH and I have friends in all ranks.

Our country, not unlike America, is for the most part very supportive of our troops.   There are people who are very against the war in Afghanistan, and I will admit I have had my car spit on, I’ve had my facebook posted with vile words about my husband’s profession and there are those who have no love for the Canadian Military.  But I guess I choose to see the positive.  We have received much more encouragement than we have disdain.

What is my favorite part about my country?   

She’s kind of like a really good friend.

Sometimes she pisses you off.  She makes stupid choices that you have to pay for and she seems to make some decisions without thinking of who she would hurt.  She’s cold a lot of the time, too.

But at the end of the day, she’s there when you need her, she stands beside you when you have your darkest hour and she usually has what you need when you hit bottom (the universal health care can be awfully appealing in a best friend when you are feeling under the weather).

She’s not the strongest, the richest or the most powerful.  But she’s relatable, friendly and you can win her over with a beer and something sweet.  She’s loyal. And who doesn’t love Maple Leaves!

I guess what might give you a glimpse of the positive ways this country supports her soldiers, is the story of the repatriation of fallen Canadians during the war in Afghanistan.

When a soldier is killed in action, he or she is repatriated to our Airforce Base in Trenton.  From there is the 2 hour trip on highway 401 to the hospital in Toronto.  Every soldier, the same trip.  Now, the repatriation itself, as well as the funeral, those are usually private, depending on the wishes of the family.  But that trip, in that trip was a way Canadians could step up.  And they did.

Once the public realized what was happening, Firemen, Police, and hundreds of civilians started to sit and wait on that highway, sometimes for hours, every single time to stand in honour, respect and support for that fallen soldier.
In the sun, rain and snow.  On the side of the highway.  Every. Single. Time.

Eventually, the government renamed that stretch of the highway the Highway of Heroes.

This is a clip from an American News Station on the Highway of Heroes.  It’s a very old clip, as of now Canada has lost over 150 soldiers in Afghanistan.  Each one has received the same tribute.

Right there, that’s what I love about Canada.

The point of this series was simple.

Let’s stop the
petty bickering about who has it worse, who sacrifices more or who’s
obstacles have been higher.  It’s not bringing us together. 

Instead,
lets see how all of us, every one, has struggles and hardships that are
different, but no less real or valid.  Let’s support instead of
complete.  Let’s reach out to each other instead of one-upping each
other.

So far on this blog we have had the privilege of
hearing a little bit about the life of military spouses from the
American Army, Navy, National Guard, Air Force and Coast Guard.    Some have had children, others struggle with
fertility, others are choosing to hold off on children.  Some live near
family for now, some haven’t seen them in years.  Some have dealt with
multiple deployments, others have seen intense work schedules.  ALL have
dealt with what they were given, have learned to grow in themselves
through the challenges they have faced and none deserve to be treated
like less of a person because their reality is different from someone
Else’s.

 I hope that’s maybe what you all got out of it, too.

And shockingly, I have finally made the draw!
Everyone who asked a question on the original blog was entered into Random.org, and Crystal is our winner of Maple Syrup Candies!  Send me a quick email, Crystal with your contact info and I’ll send those off!

And here’s the HUGE plot twist – I’m going to go ahead and be all Canadian about it and send all my question-askers some candy!  So send me an email and get some Canadian treats!

And go ahead and tell someone how great they are, just for going through their life today!

Are there ways you try and one up others, either outloud or in your head? Be honest, I know I do it all. the. time. 

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Related posts:

Contest Series: Why Can’t We All Just Get Along – Guest Blogger Taingamala! A Canadian Contest Why Can`t We All Just Get Along – Guest Post by Carpe Diem Crystal! Why Can’t We All Just Get Along – Guest Post by the Young Retiree!