Rick Hillier-Book Response

maybe it is just my impression, but it appears that some in-fighting has been occurring here. I accept the fact that everyone on here is fighting for the same cause - some more than others. I personally can only offer moral support at this time, as I find it financially not possible to offer much more. I remain disturbed however, that the cause so dear to all involved is being slowly relegated to a bash of egos. I am not looking to offend anyone, as I am proud of the work done for so many on my behalf, and on behalf of so many others. When I first discovered this site, and when I first discovered the depth of passion which is so obvious that it slaps me in the face every time I read a story here, it made me proud to be at least associated with this group, if only from a distance. I am pleading here, but please, would it be possible to step back from issues that affect ego, and remain focused on that which we are all seeking: justice. You guys make me proud to be associated even from a distance, but I am concerned that some other group may misread these comments and use what I sense here against us. It is very easy to destroy a unified front - just cut off the supplies from behind. Lets not let that happen here guys. All of you have my deepest respect and I, for one, do truly understand what ALL of you are doing. I have a new list of heroes, and it includes every single person who is on here from the developer of this site all the way up and down the line. I do not recognize rank here - just heroes. Shake hands or salute each other, and remember that it is you guys who are doing what the rest of us will tell our grandchildren about
thank you
Tony

I wish Lew Mackenzie would re-enlist. along with Hillier and maybe the power vaccum would be filled.

Just finished reading, A Soldier First, and as when he retired, I felt depressed again that he was no longer wearing the uniform as our boss.

I know Walt a little from UNPF in Zagreb and have a lot of time for him and his great integrity and capabilities, and I know the CF is in fine hands with him as CDS, but I have to say I miss, as someone called Rick, 'Hollywood Hillier'.

I found in my service in the Army, as well as my family's long service in the CF, Cdn Army and the Brit Army that extraordinary leadership is usually backed by eccentricity, exuberance, vibrancy and panache. As a historian by education, there are few examples in human history of extraordinary leadership without these fine qualities. 'Hollywood Hillier', then I say thank God, because without those qualities I truly believe the dark decade (I would argue a plural 'decades') would have persisted. Remember those days when we returned from long, repetitive and exhausting op depl, and we were ignored or even worse verbally attacked or spat on? I still recall that not long ago, 01 July '95, after 13 months in Sarajevo being spat on in the Ottawa airport on my return. That Canada Day 'present' is only one minor example of literally thousands I heard from my brothers-in-arms during those black times.

Since The Big Cod, much of that has changed for the positive. No matter the nickname given (I personally like The Big Cod the best), this man and his dedicated staff, turned the CF around, gave it back to Canadians as 'their' CF. All this happened while we are fighting a war, gathering the man power and eqpt to fight that war.

Finally, after so many decades of Canada taking the back seat in a dark corner, once again Canada has come out as a leader on the international stage. In no small part, the CF, under the leadership of Hillier, can take credit for this awakening.

CJ (aka Bumpsy)

-----Original Message-----
From: Manuge, Dennis
Sent: October 29, 2009 4:44 AM
To: Doc D
Cc:
Subject: RE: RE: REF: Rick Hillier-Book Response


It is not about who has the power, in this instance, it's about who has the public....Hollywood Rick certainly had the public and continues to, we all know who controls the purse, the power and the puppet politicians....what i am saying is these retired Generals have not opened their mouths.

I have an extremely high valued Former high ranking officer who has given me some inside info to base my continued impressions of these guys...Rick Hillier has not done anything for our cause, not one word. No one can gag him now, and according to him , no one has in the past.

As mentioned to CJ yesterday...we can disagree. You guys have your experiences and information, I have mine. These guys are making huge money off the back of their troops....books, speaking tours, high profile jobs, all the while expressing how they are, "for the soldiers". Their actions are not congruent with their words, from where I am sitting. Again, this is my opinion. I was under the impression VVi was there for all to express opinions. When i do, there is always a publishers note to go with it. That's fine. Others get to express and say what they wish, including bashing me and my efforts with now qualifying notes. I am accepting of that, or I would have stopped offering anything to the site.

I respect both you and CJ a great deal. I do not and have not agreed with everything. Nor do you guys agree with me. That is ok.

D
Hope you are well.

Dennis Manuge



From: DOC D
Sent: October 28, 2009 9:52 PM
To: Manuge, Dennis
Cc: Subject: Re: RE: REF: Rick Hillier-Book Response



Dennis

Be carefully with naming calling or making statements that can (and often do) come back to you in a negative way. I agree with you about the SISIP Claw-back and the issues surrounding payments and the red tape policy making it difficult for you and others. Not everything appears they way we view it. The CDS might appear to be at the head of the SISIP affairs, but it is the elected and non-elected (deputy ministers, etc) members of the Canadian Government in Ottawa who control these funds. Where I place blame for many problems with SISIP, and Veterans Affairs, is with the Treasury Board President, the Prime Minister's Office, the Privy Council Offices and others like the finance ministers (past and present).

The Treasury Board of Canada (run by a key Minister in the Prime Minister Cabinet) has the total control on SISIP, medical allowances issued by Veterans Affairs Canada, military pensions, and other financial matters in the Government of Canada. After years of abuse with Canadian Taxpayers money, mis-handling of Pension Funds, and the raping of the pension funds by successive government, the Government of Canada ,via the Treasury Board of Canada, has to cut away at our medical allowances. This is so they, the Ministers, their Deputy Ministers (like the Clerk of the Privy Council), senior non-elected officials and others in the vast government machinery can get their pensions when they retire. This even means playing with SISIP funds. So a non-elected CDS has to listen to his masters (the Prime Minister, Treasury Board President and other elected and non-elected government brass) even when it comes to SISIP.

Our military Admirals and Generals (all ranks past and present) lost their power a very long time ago. Prime Minister Trudeau made sure that what was left was taken over by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. This now includes our current Prime Minister and Cabinet. Rick Hillier worked in a job with very limited power and scope. He pushed at the Government every chance he could, but in the end he could do little as all of the money for the CF/DND and SISIP as they are controlled by the Treasury Board of Canada and the Minister of Finance. It may appear that any past or present CDS had power over SISIP or Claw-backs, but that was an illusion created by the Government of Canada, both the elected and non-elected senior ranks.

If you look carefully at the Auditor General's annual reports, and at the CF/DND yearly budgets, you will see that the current governments of the day have even taken control of the SISIP funds.

I am not saying Retired General Hillier is perfect or without faults, but you cannot blame someone who is give no power to run a SISIP budget. I agree with CJ, as Rick Hillier is no doubt the best CDS in many - many decades. The last time we had a general of his caliber Pime Minister Dieffenbaker appointed him Minister of Defence Staff and then Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. This general was Major General the Honourable Georges Pearkes, VC, PC, CC, CB, KStJ, MC, CD (NDHQ Headquarters Building Ottawa). Book or no book, Hillier did at least try and then some. But without power to our CDS, little change can happen to SISIP. It is all in the hands of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. Rick Hillier did the very best he could do with the resources made available to him as CDS. His priority was to the soldiers overseas and those who need attention medically. He even retained service members that we injured because he knew that they would have to fight with SISIP and Veterans Affairs for a rightful pension on release.

Dennis I admire you very much and wish more Canadians had your fight and determination. You are representing 6500 people fighting a system abused by many prime ministers and governments, and are doing your volunter job with excellence. If you get upset, make sure you focus your fight on the right group or individual. The Government wants us to blame powerless Generals or Admirals so we will not blame them, the abusers. For 27 years now, I have been fighting for Veterans pensions one retired service member at a time. What I learned over this 27 years is that those at the top, like elected Ministers and appointed Deputy Ministers control all government spending, even SISIP. I am proud to call you military brother and applaud your support of others. I however caution you on where you may try to lay blame. As a friend I am sending you a caution note. On 1 Jan 2010 I have to retire for health reasons as my condition has become much worse over the past 6 months. I have tried to find replacements but in a time where everyone needs to work hard to make a living, I completely understand why there is not line up to do a very thankless job. After helping thousands of veterans, only a handful ever stayed in touched or offered to help out. Our lives have become much too busy.

Dennis and CJ, thank you both for everything you both do. You both serve Canada well and are outstanding Canadians!

Thought I would post this discussion taking place on email, for others to join in.
Publisher CJ

From:
Sent: October 28, 2009 2:41 PM
To: Manuge, Dennis
Subject: RE: Rick Hillier-Book - Response to the Response
　
Dennis, we have no disagreement on the SISIP Clawback, or for that matter, Age 65 Clawback, revamping the VRAB, the DBA system, the uselessness and two-faced NVC, Vet Ombudsman limited mandate, where that office should actually be placed in the political structure and how it is budgeted, the many outstanding med issues of GWI, unification of vet pension plans, etc, etc. But to be fair, the CDS's primary responsibility, and therefore his primary task is to the org and op effectiveness of his serving soldiers, units and formations of all forces and commands. Hence, why we have a separate fed VAC dept that is supposedly tasked to assist vets.
In the former, Hillier did save the CF and has instituted long, long overdue changes, and hopefully permanent changes, to the mindset of the CF brass in how to prepare, conduct and learn from ops. This included bringing the CF back to Cdn citizens, making it their CF. In the latter, he did try to make changes, however always blocked by the civilian senior VAC bureaucracy.
With the innumerable changes that had to be made in both depts, his mandate demanded focus and restructuring to the 'inth' of CF operational readiness. In actuality, besides the number of attempts he did make to effect within VAC, he did effect certain changes within the CF when he constantly hit the VAC brick wall. Not included within the normal FY DND budget, he brought in things within his power to look after the wounded and disabled. They could remain in the CF as long as, and often beyond their contracted service if VAC was unable or unwilling to look after these disabled soldiers the moment they took off the uniform and became vets. Many other things that he did initiate included the funding of OSIS Centres for serving, but mainly for med released vets. A task that should have come out of VAC coffers and effort, not DND's resources. He started the Military Family Fund, as well as publicly supported whole-heartedly private military/veteran charity drives such as The CAV and Wounded Warriors. Let's not even look at the revamping of doctrine, or the training system, be it individual or collective, technical or leadership. It would take a book just to write on these changes and the needed re-education of the complete system and mindset.
The biggest he did was to ensure Gen Natynczyk took over the reigns of CDS to keep plying these policies and much-needed changes in how the CF did business.
Remember, the CDS is the General-Officer-Commanding-CF. He indeed did and still does have great concerns how current vets and vets of the future are looked after, but within his realm of authority, and his primary duty, his focus had to be, must have been on the CF and its operational readiness. This is specifically true of the time period he inherited the CF as its commander, when the CF had gone through a long black period, still retained the Cold War mentality in the policy and planning process, had lost support to the point of being ostracized by Canadians, had suffered through many FY budget cuts, saw poorly paid soldiers and their families lining up at soup kitchens, an over-abundance of uniformed bureaucracy empire-building, civilian bureaucrats and politicians running the dept they saw fit even though they really had no understanding of military requirements and need, and was stepping into another peacemaking conflict that has proven more deadlier than FRY.
No matter how great, how tall, how commanding, a single man cannot fix all these critical deficiencies while at the same time looking to failings and details of another dept. Way beyond his scope. Let alone, imagine trying to fix the CF mess and still have to deal with relatively minor failings within the CF, let alone DND. Amazingly though, when brought to his attention, he did do something. Little things like the hospital kits for our wounded soldiers put up in Landstuul US Military Hospital. Initially orchestrated and privately funded by The CAV and soon after the PPCLI Association, when this was brought to Hillier's attention, he immediately dictated a new CANFORGEN that public funds would pay for the wounded soldier hospital kits. This is but one very small sampling of the 'little things' he acted on while focusing on rebuilding a Canadian, operationally ready CF for the present day and into the future. Also remember, through all this process he still had to deal with politicians of all political stripes, small but influential and publicly funded lobbyists, the media, and the inefficient but ingrained uniformed Cold War-thinking brass.
In short, and in my opinion, I can arguably sate that General Rick Hillier was Canada's finest general to serve in all of Canada's military history. From tactical through operational levels to strategic and embroiled in national policy, no other general, including the Wolf's, the Brock's, the Currie's, have done as much for the Canadian military as he had, on or off the field.
CJ
PS: All to be posted to the Comment Blog
　
-----Original Message-----
From: Manuge, Dennis
Sent: October 28, 2009 12:00 PM
To: Dennis Manuge
Subject: Rick Hillier-Book Response
　
Response to:
" A Soldier's Story".
Hillier reveals battles against federal bureaucracy in autobiography
I find it difficult to empathize with or put any faith in "Hollywood Hillier." As CDS he was the policy holder for the SISIP LTD policy and was fully aware of the negative impact on his former and disabled troops. I know he is aware because I wrote and told him personally and never even got a response. Despite the show, the book, his so called CF family support, he left his most vulnerable troops on the field of battle, and that battlefield is here in Canada with our own ungrateful government and bureaucrats. He is one of them.
"When a soldier steps on foreign soil in a high-risk environment, every single Canadian should be walking with him or her."
-Rick Hillier
My rebuttal is; "when a soldier steps back on Canadian soil, broken, and in need, the person in charge ought to be the one to lead by example and offer his hand out to assist!"
In a few days it will be the sixth anniversary of Andre Marin's (initial DND Ombudsman) initial investigation and subsequent report, "Unfair Deductions From SISIP Payments to Former CF Members," October 330, 2003 where the top brass, ministers, and PMO was made aware of the profoundly unfair practice of the SISIP Clawback where essentially Veterans Affairs Canada disability payments which are un taxable and not income, are used as income and deducted off of medically released service members Long Term disability payments, which are income replacement. There are some of us disabled veterans having up to $3000 per month clawed back.
In January, 2010 we get to go to the Supreme Court to find out if the approximate 6500 of us that the clawback applies to, can proceed by way of Class Action, in the federal court of Canada to get our money back. Hillier, Dallaire, and Lew MacKenzie are all alike....retire, do a book, a tour, and live happily ever after, while their injured troops struggle in a life and death battle daily, for our dignity and the ability to live with less worry for our families, if only we were not losing our rightful and hard earned benefits.
Dennis Manuge
Representative Plaintiff, Manuge Vs Her Majesty The Queen
Musquodoboit Harbour, NS