As rate of PTSD increases, ‘Loops for Troops’ run raises awareness

CALGARY – Lots of Calgarians laced up for the annual ‘Loops for Troops’ run in north Glenmore Park Sunday.

The event raises money for military families and was started by a Calgary man, whose son was killed while serving in Afghanistan.

Many at the run said there needs to be more focus on the mental health of soldiers who have served our country.

The runners and walkers came to pay tribute to those who have come back from serving overseas and those who protect us at home.

“Also, to recognize that first responders of many different types, who are still out there serving and sacrificing for us all the time. We just had a tragic incident a couple weeks ago of a policeman losing his life in the line of duty,” Michael Hornbug, the Loops for Troops founder said.

For those returning from a over a decade of bloodshed in Afghanistan, some of the wounds don’t easily heal.

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The rate of post traumatic stress disorder among members of the Canadian military has nearly doubled since 2002 according to a Canadian forces survey  released last year.

“The soldier of today has been subjected to enormous psychological stresses in a bunch of different missions. I have friends that went to Africa, Rwanda and Sierra Leone that will never be the same again,” Lieutenant-Colonel Ross Wickware said. “When they came back we didn’t understand what the issues were, those were the days and they’re not that long ago, where it was just suck it up soldier and you will be okay. Well, you will not be okay.”

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "The soldier of today has been subjected to enormous psychological stresses in a bunch of different missions. I have friends that went to Africa, Rwanda and Sierra Leone that will never be the same again," Lieutenant-Colonel Ross Wickware said. "When they came back we didn't understand what the issues were, those were the days and they're not that long ago, where it was just suck it up soldier and you will be okay. Well, you will not be okay."

The survey found that 5.3 per cent of soldiers reported experiencing PTSD.

The commanding officer of the King’s Own Calgary Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Ross Wickware, has five soldiers dealing with PTSD.

He says much more is being done for them now, than in the past.

“We can’t just let them dissipate on the streets and forget about them. They end up in the homeless situation, they end up with long-term psychological issues and so, we’re capturing that whole concept of treatment,” Lieutenant-Colonel Wickware said.

Darlene Barrett has been running in the Loops for Troops event since it started, raising awareness and money for military families.

“I get very emotional when I think about the military because I think of all the people that have sacrificed their life and gave so much. So I feel that if I can contribute in any small way, run a 5 km or donate then I’m here to do it,” Barrett said.

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "I get very emotional when I think about the military because I think of all the people that have sacrificed their life and gave so much. So I feel that if I can contribute in any small way, run a 5 km or donate then I'm here to do it," Barrett said.

It’s not just military members facing the greater risk of PTSD.

A study out of the university of BC found that emergency personnel like paramedics, police and firefighters experience post traumatic stress at twice the rate of the average population.

Funds raised from ‘Loops for Troops’ goes to various local organizations, including the Veterans Food Bank, local cadet groups  and friends of the Colonel Belcher Veterans Hospital Society.