The first meeting of the Military Ames group, an informal gathering of veterans, took place this past Tuesday, and Cindy Postnikoff, who organized the meeting, says it can be considered a success.
The meeting was put together by Postnikoff, herself the mother of a veteran, to give vets an opportunity to get together to support and socialize, something lacking in Kimberley since the closure of the Legion branch.
“The veterans in attendance commented that the evening of camaraderie was a “great success,” and are looking forward to the next get-together on November 4,” Postnikoff said.
Military Ames support/social evenings will be held the first and third Tuesday of each month from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the Kimberley Public Libraries reading room, which is accessible through the back door of the library. All military veterans are welcome.
And that means all veterans.
“I have had a few calls from veterans inquiring about the meeting but not feeling worthy of attending because they didn’t go to war,” she said.
That is not the case. She points to her definition of a veteran per the webpage of Red Friday.
“A Veteran - whether active duty, retired or reserve - is someone who at one point in his life, wrote a blank cheque made payable to ‘The Country of Canada,’ for an amount of ‘up to and including my life.”
Given what happened this week in Canada, that definition has particular resonance.
Anyone wishing more information on the Military Ames meetings can contact Cindy Postnikoff at 250 919-3137.