Military Ames, a veterans’ support and camaraderie group, has been operating in the East Kootenay since 2014.
And for all those ten years, the driving volunteer force behind it has been Cindy Postnikoff. She says she couldn’t have imagined how many lives would be affected when Military Ames was first formed.
Postnikoff became interested in helping veterans for a very personal reason. Her son served in Bosnia, and she says he came back from that tour a very different person.
She said she searched for help for him but couldn’t find anyone locally that understood what was going on with him.
But in 2013, on a visit to Vietnam, she met a group of veterans who were revisiting the places they had served. She sat in on some gatherings with the group and says it became clear to her that she saw her son in many of them. One of those veterans, Bruce Ames, became a good friend, and in talking about Cindy’s son, he said it sounded to him that he was possibly suffering from Post Traumatic Stress.
He advised Cindy to get in touch with Veterans Affairs, and with some persistence on her part, she managed to get her son into the Veterans Affairs rehabilitation program.
While her son received the help he needed, Cindy became inspired by Bruce Ames and wanted to form a supportive group for veterans in the Kootenays.
‘What keeps me going and my biggest accomplishment is those phone calls thanking me for saving a life,” she said. ‘As a Veteran Advocate, I have a great working relationship with Veterans Affairs and have helped many Veterans get successful claims and benefits, often, this is life changing. It gives me a great sense of pride to know I’m changing lives.”
And for those ten years of Military Ames, Cindy has formed close relations to many of the veterans.
“Because of my willingness to help these folks, in some respects I have another family in the community. This is obviously very meaningful to me. I find great value in this unexpected gift.”
With the closure of the Legion branch in Kimberley, Military Ames took over Remembrance Day ceremonies in Kimberley. And they also noted that with the Legion closure, the Cenotaph was a lone monument in a parking lot.
And so began the quest to decommission the cenotaph and move it to a better spot, a dedicated park in downtown Kimberley.
It took a lot of effort, and a lot of fundraising, and grant applications, but the park is now a feature of downtown Kimberley with a beautiful black marble cenotaph, and memorials to all of Kimberley’s veterans.
“I can’t take all the credit for developing the Veteran Memorial Park however it is very satisfying to see how much it means to the community, who by all rights are the owners,” she said. “We are so proud of this world class cenotaph and park we created.”
Cindy also works with Quilts of Valour, providing quilts to veterans.
“My work with Quilts of Valour is very satisfying as well. This is most often the last recognition these veterans will receive and it is always really appreciated. It is wonderful to be a part of QOV and have the opportunity to perform these meaningful and often emotional presentations. “
She says that being recognized as a volunteer is not why she does what she does, but it is heartwarming to know people care.
“The community has been very supportive of me and the work I have done and continue to do. Anyone knows how good it feels to be shown appreciation and support. I am fortunate to live in a community where people share these compliments so readily.
“Much of my involvement in the community is not visible though diverse. The amount of time and energy is considerable as anyone with a similar experience with volunteerism would understand.
“Military Ames has changed my life and continues to be an absolute work of heart for me.“