This has been blogged and reblogged over the past few days and is worth the time it takes to watch. The Rick Mercer Report - YouTube Ironically it answers a number of questions we have been asked lately but certianly does give us a glipse of how veterans are being treated in Canada
Rick's rant is spot on. Short, but too the point. Veterans are being poorly served by their countries all over the world. I know what he's saying about apps as well. I'm only in my 40's and can't be bothered figuring them out on my "smart" phone. My partner had me down load an app so we could play cribbage if we were apart and my email in-box has been absolutely swamped with junk mail since, from casinos to betting web sites. I'm downloading no more apps. I can get junk mail from the same source half a dozen times a day! Wonder what junk emails the veterans would get if they downloaded the Veterans app as your government suggests to communicate their needs? Have you tried downloading it yourself just to see if it at all useful?
Very interesting ........ Especially when the reporter stated that the average age of Veterans in Canada was 88. I write as someone who was called up in 1942 at the age of 19 and has now reached the age of 90, Would someone care to do the research for the average age of ww2 Veterans in the UK ? Ron
Never heard of him but looks like he had fun driving a Leopard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEKUYjDakuM
Couldn't find a direct answer to your question Ron, but this article on the BBC News website today mentions this: Centenarians increase five-fold over 30 years, ONS says http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24300051 Lesley
Ron, For the U.S. and Canada, the average age is 89 and the median age of surviving veterans is 92. I suspect the U.K.must be close to those numbers.
Rick Mercier, is well known here in Canada. I am not certain what his correct status is. That is to say, is he a comedian or a reporter. His commentaries and narratives are both serious and comical at the same time. IIRC he got his start on a show called "This hour has 22 minutes"
Canuck Not being a mathematician - I did my sums and came up with the average at 92 also ...predicated at aged 18 in 1939.....90 at 19 in 1942.....89 at 18 in 1942..works for me Cheers
It didn't get much notice when it was posted last November. http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/43433-ricks-rant-must-see-video-by-cbcs-rick-mercer/ really glad it is being seen now. there are quite a number of WW2 veterans in our area living 2 or 3 have been exceedingly successful. Most others regular folks who went on living their lives in privacy. I'm sure there many who are at odds with Veterans affairs as my parents were for many years. However I also know that my fathers 1/4 pension for losing a lung in Sunny Italy helped many days to feed his Family. When they granted it they figured he would only collect it for a couple of years. He died at in 1992 leaving 36 grandchildren and many great grand children since then It is an outrage that our veterans and the aged in general are being left behind by social services. Matt
Owen Canuck's title was clearly more effective perhaps the threads should be merged the other way lol Matt
Matt, I didn't think our UK brethren would have a clue who Mercer was so I changed it up. No matter, as long as it gets seen.
I'm all for a push to use your title for that reason lol. Dont think it has had much activity since Owen changed it to my thread...drat.
when I merge a new thread into an old thread it takes the title of the thread that was started first. I shall edit thread title now.