No medal required

I commute over an hour each way to and from work every weekday. The only radio station that provides decent news beyond local muggings and apartment fires is the CBC. While I have to grit my teeth on a fairly regular basis due to my perception of a none-too-subtle slant in their coverage, for the most part it's decent reporting and interesting material.

Tonight on As It Happens, however, there was a report that was woefully under-researched, and consequently misleading to the Canadian public (go to 16:18 of the recording). A well-intentioned retired policeman and former militia member is trying to have a medal created by the Canadian government to recognize wounded Canadian soldiers. It seems that both he and the CBC are completely unaware of the CF Wound Stripe.

Following is the text of an e-mail I sent to As It Happens, requesting a correction:

I just heard your segment with Murray Synott (sp?) regarding creating a medal for wounded Canadian soldiers.

Such a distinction already exists, and in many ways, it's superior to a medal: the Wound Stripe.

Read this post at The Torch for more detail: http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2006/03/wound-stripe.html

Note that many of the concerns raised by Mr. Synott are addressed by the Wound Stripe, but would not be addressed by a medal. Wearing medals is not optional for a soldier in uniform, but a Wound Stripe is - allowing a soldier to bring attention to his or her status or not, as he or she chooses. This is especially important for those suffering from PTSD, who may or may not want to wear a symbol of their trauma, but who would already qualify for the Wound Stripe under current regulations. Some soldiers may choose to wear the Wound Stripe while they're are recovering, but not once they're fully fit again - and it's their choice. Unlike a medal, the Wound Stripe can also be worn on civilian clothing at the discretion of the wounded soldier. The veteran struggling through the mall, as cited on your show, would not be allowed a medal in civilian clothing, but could wear a Wound Stripe if he wished.

Please correct the record on this issue, as your report was thoroughly, if unintentionally misleading.

The Wound Stripe is a distinct recognition with far more latitude than a medal could ever have. Instead of creating a medal, we should simply publicize and respect the Wound Stripe.

Update: As of noon EST on 25SEP06, a thread at Army.ca is going three to one for the wound stripe over a medal. The comments from those who have received a wound stripe themselves are telling.