Loyalist College Justice Studies Program Launches “Support Our Troops and Their Families – Wear Red on Fridays” Initiative
The soldiers leave their homes, saying goodbye to their mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, children … I can only imagine what the goodbyes are like and what the soldiers and their loved ones are feeling at that moment and while they are separated. Many members of the Loyalist College family don’t have to imagine.
Phil Howlett, Community and Justice Services Worker Coordinator, writes, “As a child of a career military man, I still vividly remember the sense of anxiety that filled our home when my father had to carry around a “ready bag” in case the Canadian military was called into action during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was on 24-hour-standby. And I was four years old. As I look at the faces of the soldiers and their families as our troops head into the combat theatre, I think of all the little four-year-olds and what they must be feeling. I think of what the spouses and parents must be feeling – the uncertainty, the fear – and the feeling of joy when their loved ones return safely home. And I think of the sorrow that is felt when one of our heroes returns in a flag-draped casket.
If by wearing a red shirt one day a week I can show that I care about our troops and their families, that’s a small gesture indeed compared to what our soldiers and their families are being asked to contribute.”
Kevin Rowcliffe, Investigative and Protection Studies Professor and Major of the Military Police Branch, writes, “Having served a total of 28 years in the Canadian Forces, I have noted a marked increase in support the past few years, during a time when we (the military and our families) have needed it the most. Recently, I was given one final opportunity to serve my country in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and I wish all of you could see first-hand the difference that is being made which has allowed things like girls to go to school, in some cases, for the first time.
Back at home in Canada knowing that our family, friends, community, and the whole country show support through the visual display of activities like ‘Red Fridays’ means a lot to all military personnel and their families. As a new Professor at Loyalist College, I am extremely pleased with this initiative and the support being shown to the troops.”
Sheighlyn Slade and Bridget Manahan, first-year students in the Centre for Justice Studies, are eager to participate with this initiative because they “want to provide support to our troops and their families for their bravery.”
The Centre for Justice Studies has initiated this heartfelt “Red Fridays” event to honour our troops and their families. We think of you, we appreciate your effort, and we thank you.
Media contact: Dianne Spencer, College Advancement, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2235; e-mail: dspencer@loyalistc.on.ca or Melanie Rabishaw, Professor of Communications, Centre for Justice Studies, Loyalist College, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2439; e-mail: mrabishaw@loyalistc.on.ca.