BZ Kevin D. Reed

I always find it odd seeing civilians given a military rank, even if it is an honourary one. But in some cases, the honour is undoubtedly well-deserved and the uniform seems to just fit: such is the case with Honourary Lieutenant Colonel Kevin D. Reed.

(Now the news stories say this: "In December, Mr. Reed was made honorary lieutenant colonel of an army reserve unit in southwestern Ontario – the 31 Service Brigade." Unless I'm completely mistaken, there's no such unit. There's 31 Canadian Brigade Group, and within that brigade, there are three service battalions: 21 (Windsor), 22 (London), and 23 (Hamilton). I don't know how the honourary appointments are made in such a structure, so I can only assume he's somehow associated with one or more of these battalions. But enough nitpicking...)

There are quite a few reasons I'd say Reed seems to fit. This is a small but positive indicator:

Reed, meanwhile, will soon face his own test: an attempt to meet the army's physical fitness standard.

"I made the commitment to do my battle-fit testing," he said.

So is his financial backing of this effort to help reservists and potential civilian employers find a fit:

Civi-Side was conceived by 2nd Lt Ken Seville, a reservist with 23 (Hamilton) Svc Bn. Ken recruited Jamie Smith, a friend and web developer from McMaster University (where both graduated from) to be a technical partner. Initial seed funding for the prototype came from our incoming Honourary Lt. Col. Kevin Reed.

With that said, it's more important to explain why the service was conceived. Ken saw many of his reserve colleagues having their military career either hindered or shortened because they were working for civilian employers that weren't supportive of the reserve.

Ken did some research and found that 40% of the reserves were students. He realized that if a service existed that helped these student reservists find work with an employer that was reserve-friendly; many of them would progress further, and stay longer in the military. The necessary focus of civi-side.com was clear.

But the biggest reason is his obvious commitment to serving the military community. It's a concept lost on all too many scions of the business world. Reed has been the driving force behind a university scholarship program for the children of fallen CF members:

The itch he had to honour the sacrifices of Canadian Forces manifested itself in Project Hero: a new scholarship program that covers tuition for four years and residence fees for one year for the children of fallen soldiers.

The first scholarships will be offered to students who enroll this September at the University of Ottawa, University of Windsor, Memorial University and University of Calgary.

...

Mr. Reed, who founded several companies in Ontario, and is vice-chairman of Grey Horse Corp., a corporate trust firm, worked with retired general Rick Hillier to launch the scholarship program at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador, where Mr. Hillier is chancellor.

From there, Mr. Reed brought the idea to Allan Rock, president of the University of Ottawa. The University of Windsor then came on board, and on Tuesday, the University of Calgary followed.

...

Mr. Reed said he knows of about 30 to 40 children of fallen soldiers in Canada ranging from babies to teenagers. He said a handful of them would be eligible for the scholarship this fall.Each university will cover the cost of undergraduate tuition and first-year residence fees for eligible students, and the number of scholarships awarded each year will depend on how many students qualify. Students must be 26 or under and Canadian citizens or permanent residents to apply.

Mr. Reed said he wants to bring the program to all Canadian universities.

“This is the least I can do and we can do as people who are proud to be Canadian,” he said. “We're the people who get to live under a blanket of freedom that the military lays out for us every day.”

Well done, sir. That's leadership.

Update: It's amazing the unexpected effects that can occur when someone leads...

"The Scholarship of Honour was created in recognition of all individuals who stand up for peace and freedom with courage and dedication," Wall said. "Our government is pleased to bestow this scholarship on Saskatchewan's returning soldiers, and the sons and daughters of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice."

The scholarship is for $5,000, provided in two $2,500 payments to all eligible candidates.

Eligible candidates will be assessed on the following criteria:

• Current or past permanent residents of Saskatchewan;


• Returning soldiers who actively served in military operations in the Canadian Forces after September 2001, or the spouse and/or children of severely injured or deceased soldiers who served after September 2001; and


• Enrolled in a recognized Canadian post-secondary institution