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From the Toronto Sun/QMI, shared under the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the Copyright Act.:
Cpl. William Kerr wears his wedding band on his right hand — a poignant reminder of both what he has lost and what he has gained.
Kerr's left hand was blown off by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan two years ago. The blast also ripped away both his legs — rendering him Canada's first triple-amputee combat veteran since the Second World War.
Using his single remaining limb to play fetch with his dogs, Hunter and Boomer, their long leash becomes entangled in the electric wheelchair he uses to navigate the big backyard and cramped rooms of his family's rental home.
This is but a minor frustration in the daily onslaught of physical, emotional and financial challenges that have shaped Kerr's life since Oct. 15, 2008.
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Kerr was raised never to take "hand-outs," and he resisted his friends' offers to raise funds for a new barrier-free bungalow. Eventually he accepted the gesture of support and gratitude, and the "Home for a Hero" project was born.
"When I was first approached about it I felt like I was a charity case and I didn't want to feel like that," he says. "I did feel like I was going to be taken care of by the people who sent me over there, the people who you think you are working for, or defending or whatever it is. That's who you want to rely on taking care of you."
Kerr is among a new generation of combat veterans returning home permanently disabled by physical and psychological wounds.
They left the war, though, to fight a new battle at home over financial compensation for their wounds.
One key complaint with the New Veterans Charter — passed in Parliament five years ago — is the lump-sum payment awarded for catastrophic loss — currently maxed out at $276,000. There is no extra compensation for a double-amputee who also loses his sight, hearing, or in Kerr's case, a third limb.
"It's a slap in the face — it really is," he says. "For the billions of dollars they waste everywhere, it blows me away that you have to fight for something that you shouldn't have to fight for at all. This should be black and white — they should be sitting down and writing a cheque, without even hesitating, for soldiers in this kind of situation."
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At 46, Maj. Mark Campbell is more worried than most about growing old. He was at the "pinnacle" of his military career with the 3rd Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton when he was hit by a command-detonated IED on June 2, 2008.
The blast took both his legs. Enemy then used the dust, confusion and screaming to launch a three-way ambush — pummelling the Canadians with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine gun fire.
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"We're trapped in a uniform because we can't afford to get out," he says. "I want to get out. I want to take the uniform off. Every time I put the uniform on, I die a little bit inside because it reminds me of what I can't do."
Campbell suffers acute phantom limb pain, short-term memory loss and hearing impairment from the explosion.
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Campbell has no quarrels with the Canadian Forces or the government ministers of defence or veterans affairs — he blames federal bureaucrats for crafting flawed policy that disadvantages the most vulnerable, needy veterans.
"I'm outraged. I feel betrayed. I don't feel betrayed by the Canadian Forces, I feel betrayed by Canada," he says. "It's quite a feeling to serve your country and then turn around and have to battle against it in order to get a reasonable standard of living for you and your family for your horribly altered life."
Master Cpl. Jody Mitic, a double amputee who now serves as national outreach co-ordinator for the Soldier On program, is also hesitant to leave the military due to financial uncertainty. He calls it "disappointing."
"It isn't nearly enough when they're spending $2 million for a temporary lake in downtown Toronto and a guy gets $250,000 for getting his legs blown off," he says. "And it's not about money — it's about security and quality of life that you earn for yourself."
Cpl. Kerr has received funds for temporary renovations, equipment and prosthetics and may be eligible for some federal help for his new home. But he worries about how long he can stay on contract with the army — and what his financial future holds.
He has trouble sleeping and chases away the "demons" and dark thoughts by staying focused on the positive: his daughters, wife Tracy and their new sanctuary.
"I think about a lot of stuff, good and bad — how lucky I am, and how good it is to be alive," he says.