By Sandra Bolan, Nov 10, 2010 - 9:54 AM
When soldiers come home from combat, they no longer have to fear IEDs and suicide bombers. But that does not mean their battle is over.
For many soldiers, their tour of duty ends because of injury, injuries so bad some of them arenÕt expected to survive.
But when they do, life is typically not what it was before that last tour. For many service people returning home, they face a life with lost limbs and/or post traumatic stress disorder.
For Stouffville resident Peter Haley, 40, the effects of war made a direct hit on his family.
Mr. HaleyÕs fianceÕs cousin, Lt. Commander Christian Hatch, served three tours with the Royal Canadian Navy in Afghanistan.
While Mr. Hatch was overseas, Mr. Haley, a labourer by day and songwriter by night, could see the concern his family faced and one day, all of those emotions were turned into a song, Waiting.
"It was just my small way of showing appreciation for the freedoms they allow me to have," Mr. Haley said, whose uncle is local music great Grant Fullerton.
Shortly after Mr. HatchÕs return home in 2006, he was diagnosed with ALS - Lou GehrigÕs disease.
People living with the disease become progressively paralyzed due to the degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. There is no known cure.
Mr. Hatch heard Waiting and "he thought we should do something good with it", Mr. Haley said. And he is.
With the help of producers Dave Barker and Tony Daniels, singer Basia Lyjak and video producer Antonio Di Cicco, a song and video for Waiting were recorded. A partnership with Wounded Warriors was also forged.
"You hear so much about the fallen soldiers. But at times we forget about the injured soldiers who follow the fallen soldiers (home). You donÕt hear about them and thereÕs a lot of them," Mr. Haley said. "ItÕs such a well-rounded organization," he said of why he approached Wounded Warriors. "They donÕt just stop at the soldier, but (they help with) everything, the whole family."
Although Mr. Haley originally wrote the song as a way to express his emotions, he is hoping it will now not only raise money for Wounded Warriors, which is a not-for-profit organization, but also awareness about the life of a soldier and his or her family post-combat.
"The way that it changes your family when they return and even the ongoing stresses when they return, the worries donÕt stop," he said. "I just hope people listen to the words," Mr. Haley said. "If it touches one person, IÕve accomplished what I set out to do."
The video can be viewed here:
The song can be downloaded from iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/waiting/id376260455. The song costs 99 cents with proceeds going to Wounded Warriors.
"ItÕs less than a coffee. ItÕs $1. Even if you donÕt like the song, itÕs $1," Mr. Haley said.
For more information on Wounded Warriors, go to www.woundedwarriors.ca
