Boycott The Legion

Its past its due date.

There are many ways to open this “article”. Generally, the amount of disdain I feel for the subject organization is pretty palpable. So maybe just announcing “I hold a lot of disdain for the legion” would be the best way to go.

I hold a lot of disdain for the Royal Canadian Legion (RCL). Over the last two years, it’s almost like they went out of their way to bury themselves in my and many many a veteran’s views.

The RCL was started after WW1. Soldiers returned home and found that their support was wanting. When veterans as individuals would petition the government of the time, they would also leave with their needs unfulfilled. So, veterans banded together and created the Royal Canadian Legion. Originally the legion was extremely important for veterans and their families. Creating a place for the bonds built in a warzone, to continue, and a place where you could gather to remember those who were not so lucky to make it back home.

The RCL would do great work, helping wounded veterans access things like wheelchairs, prosthetics, etc. For a time, the legion had a valid purpose. This purpose was built on supporting veterans due to the lack of Government support, at that time.

After some years, a new threat across the water emerged. Canadians again answered the call. This time upon the end of the war there was a new Government establishment. Veterans Affairs (VA). Which was stood up just before the end of the second world war, in 1944. Though not always perfect, the VA ended up making a lot of the purposes/mandates of the RCL obsolete.

This obsoleteness has come to full fruition over the last 30 years. The legion chapters across Canada hardly draw a crowd, and membership is extremely low some rumours suggest they have been asking for government grants to remain open. Currently, a good chunk of that small membership isn’t even what most would consider a veteran. That might come as a shock to you but it’s the unfortunate truth.

You see at some time in the ’90s the RCL realized they were having some serious membership issues. Along with those memberships, issues came monetary issues. Perhaps an intelligent member would have recognized that perhaps they weren’t as necessary as they once were, in the light of ever-growing governmental support for veterans through VA. No one would or wanted to admit that. Instead, RCL claimed they were a cultural and social organization that veterans had come to depend on. The reality was more; old drunks enjoyed a cheap beer. For a good chunk of time, the legion campaigned on bases, and at veteran, associations to try and bolster their numbers. This unfortunately didn’t pan out.

There are a few reasons why vets, were uninterested in membership. One of the main reasons was the old wars vs the new conflicts. In the 90’s and early 2000’s many Bosnia Era veterans simply felt different about their careers, vs the previous WW2 and Korean veterans, large groups of men who volunteered specifically to go fight a war on behalf of the King and Country vs Men and women who were already in uniform and sent to peacekeep on behalf of the United Nations. Needless to say, the experiences of these separate eras had little comparison, and the vets knew and felt it, and often would feel out of place in the legion.

This example seems pretty reasonable. As an Afghanistan vet I often find little similarity between my experiences in the “War on Terror” in comparison to Peacekeeping missions, and most certainly all-out bloody slaughters like WW1, 2, and Korea. I often have seen even during Remembrance day, almost like a school dance, War on Terror Vets grouped up across the Legion from Cold War Peacekeepers, huddled in their own groups. Both these groups do have one thing in common. No use or want to be part of the Royal Canadian Legion. In fact, I dare say Remembrance day is the only day of the calendar year the legion actually gets any veterans from these factions in their buildings.

Why? It’s simple. Ask almost any Cold war or War on Terror vet. Most will joke about the only point of the legion is getting a fancy License plate. Others will talk about how the legion hand out fake medals to non-veterans. Wait WUT?? Yeah, that’s right.

Due to the dismal membership numbers, the legion had decided to remove a lot of restrictions about who could be a member. This included Spouses, children, and even grandchildren of actual veterans. Largely at most RCL’s, you can walk into you will be running into a non-veteran. On top of this, in order to appear as if there is some military service, the legion has created their own “legion medals” which they award these members, and they also get a cool blazer and a legion beret.

These “civilian” members have done a lot to further the lack of appeal to actual veterans. No combat soldier in their right mind wants to sit around a bar with a bunch of boomers who talk about their dads, while they wear medals you might as well found in a box of crackerjacks. This has furthered their membership problems.

“You would think the legion would see this as an opportunity to grab some members.”

Now a lot of these civies, don’t have the actual war and deployment experience unless they worked at Tim Horton’s in Kandahar, and even then just typing this I offended myself. They do have a lot of I stayed in Canada and watched the CBC experience though. Again largely the members are what are considered “boomers”. Recently they have been making it extremely clear that Veterans are not welcome, or at least ones they decide aren’t worthy of their support.

During Warrant Officer James Topps mind-boggling, body-crushing march across Canada, the organization Canada Marches, sought to rent a few different Legion buildings to do meet and greets. Many who supported WO Topp were still serving and veterans themselves. You would think the legion would see this as an opportunity to grab some members. WRONG. The legion saw it as the perfect time to tie their wagon to Government and Mainstream Media narratives. Narratives that said Men like WO Topp were unCanadian. Men like Topp with 5 combat tours, and huge racks of shiny bling, were not worthy of RCL venues. This was extremely unencouraging.

At one point in Quebec, a legion agreed to host WO Topp. This Legion must have had some actual veterans running it. Or did it, because as soon as the National Legion HQ caught wind they put nonstop pressure on this Quebec Legion to cancel hosting WO Topp and his crew, which was largely made up of Veterans. This was pretty shocking for WO Topps civilian supporters, who still believed the legion was supportive of veterans.

”The legion recently has also after denouncing a Veteran like James Topp, decided to host drag queen shows”

SURPRISE! That’s simply not the case. Due to the fake medal-wearing boomers who run the place, It managed to ostracize itself from the current Veteran community.  The current makeup of the legion is generally and largely based on selling poppies on remembrance day and organizing remembrance day ceremonies. They do have some reasonable programs, which seem to be poorly promoted. They have an emergency fund for veterans in financial situations, which I have heard has helped a few people out in the past. Unfortunately, that’s really not much to write home about.

The legion recently has also after denouncing a Veteran like James Topp, decided to host drag queen shows. I mean they need the money, but who is deciding this is an appropriate use of the Kemptville Ontario Legion? There is a video and photos currently making their way across multiple veterans groups and social media of Drag queens performing in front of a crowd in this legion, while kids are present.

It appears that if James Topp put a dress on and wanted to dance for kids, he would have had better luck.

”This Remembrance day find a legion member, they aren’t hard to spot. Look for fake medals, and tell them you are ashamed of the direction they are taking.”

YES, I know you are thinking it. Instead of hosting a veteran, who cares about the rights all previous soldiers fought and died to defend, and presenting this to Canada’s children. The Kemptville Legion thinks it better to instead bring in men dressed as women, to perform in front of Canada’s children. THIS WASN’T EVEN THE FIRST TIME! A legion in Comox BC hosted a drag show, and last year during Valentines’ another legion hosted an “Anti-Valentines” drag show. So instead of promoting veteran culture, the legion is now promoting a culture that appropriates and make a blasphemy of womanhood and sexualized young children.

That’s all you really need to know.

So why did I write all this? Easy.

This Remembrance day find a legion member, they aren’t hard to spot. Look for fake medals, and tell them you are ashamed of the direction they are taking. DON’T buy a poppy. Yes, I said that. DON’T BUY ONE. Make your own. It’s time for the legion to disappear. Events hosted at the legion for remembrance day?

Last year the legion denied Afghanistan Veterans and Bosnia Veterans and members who have many years of service entry, due to their Vaccination status.

You see, the Organization that started with the mandate to fill the gaps the government was letting veterans fall through, now is willing to let Veterans fall through gaps if they make different personal choices. It was fine when the veteran choose to go to a war zone and come back a double amputee but choosing not to get vaccinated revoked their hero status apparently.

It is time to boycott the Royal Canadian Legion. If you respect our Veterans it’s the obvious thing to do, as the legion as I have clearly put forward…DOES NOT!