Canadian Soldier with PTSD no longer faces discharge

Soldier with PTSD no longer faces discharge
Bay Today Canada
Murray Brewster and Terry Pedwell, The Canadian Press
December 05, 2013

OTTAWA - Master Cpl. Kristian Wolowidnyk is no longer facing an imminent discharge from the Canadian Forces because of his post-traumatic stress disorder.

The former combat engineer and Afghan war veteran, who survived a recent suicide attempt, was told this week that he now qualifies to remain in the military as part of a prolonged release process for injured soldiers.

The change of Wolowidnyk's classification means that upon his eventual release, he will have reached the 10-year service mark and will qualify for a fully indexed military pension.

For Wolowidnyk and his wife, Michele, the news eliminated a major source of stress. But more than that, they say it validated his psychological injuries.

"They've recognized his injury, I think is a lot of it," Michele Wolowidnyk said in an interview Thursday.

"Not just that his release is not pending anymore, but that they've recognized this is a very serious injury for him and now he's going to get the proper treatment going forward."

Until Wednesday morning, it appeared Wolowidnyk — father to a two-year-old child — would be discharged, even though he was desperate to stay in the Forces and re-qualify for another military trade.

He tried to kill himself on Nov. 21 — two days after being told he was being discharged.
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