God and the Soldier

• God and the soldier,
• All folks adore,
• In times of trouble,
• And then no more.
• When war is over,
• And all things righted,
• God is neglected ...
• The soldier, slighted.

 Inscribed in stone on a sentry box in Gibralter -- Author unknown

 

A Differnet Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps Canadian, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at 'Dieppe on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."

My dad stood his watch in that Korean Land',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
Something red and, white, ... a Canadian flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a trench with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbour no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled,
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Pensions

I joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in November of 1965.  The Canada Pension Plan was brought into effect 1 January 1966.  Consequently, I was never involved in any briefing for the new CPP, I was paying into both pension plans almost from the star.

My understanding, and this is the understanding of most everyone I knew, of the military pension, was that for each year of service you would accummulate a portion of your annual salary for the average of your best six years of pay.

Pretty straight forward.

Now, for a few minor complications.

1. If you took a release within the first 10 years, you would not receive a pension, but instead a return of contributions.
2. If you serve 25 years or longer you get the 1/50th per year for the number of years served.
3. if you take your release in less than 25 years, then you will be penalized 5% for each year less than the prescribed 25 years.

Still pretty clear.  For example, in my case, I took my release with 24 years service. Therefore, I accummulated 24/50ths or 48% of my best 6 pay years. Since I served 1 year less than the required 25, I incurred a 5% penalty. Therefore, my pension is 43% of the annual average of my best 6 years of pay.

There's one other thing that comes into play, and that's what's called "Indexing". What this means is, I will continue to draw my pension at the established amount, without any increases including cost of living, until a combination of age and service time equals the magic number of 85. At this time, my pension will be indexed, increasing by the amount of the "cost of living" for the period since my retirement.

So, that's the general understanding of the military pension and nothing was ever said about a reduction at age 65.

Now, as for the CPP, I have paid into it at the maximum rate for my entire military carreer. Furthermore, I have been employed full time since taking my release from the military and have contributed to CPP at the maximum rate for the full time (and I expect to be employed at least to age sixety five  and continueing to contribute the maximum to CPP.

As you can see, a military member contributes to two pension plans. So how can they possibly take one away?

Another thing: military personnel contribute the maximum premium to EI and are not allowed to receive bennefits.  It's like paying life insurance premiums know that the only benneficiary is the insurance company, who get to keep all of the money you paid in premiums!

NICE!