A navy veteran takes part in Remembrance Day services at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Ont., Wednesday November 11, 2009.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
A suddenly reinvigorated policy that requires veterans of the Royal Canadian Navy to request permission to wear their old uniforms to public events is an intrusive, bureaucratic and unnecessary burden. What possible reason could there be for telling a retired sailor he or she can't honour fallen comrades by wearing their navy blues at a memorial service? And if there is no good reason, why demand permission?
According to a newspaper report, a senior navy commander has sent a message to active and non-active personnel telling them that, "Requests by former RCN service members to wear uniforms, including mess dress, will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Such approval shall be limited to exceptional circumstances where the wearing of the uniform is necessary and will favourably contribute to the RCN."
It will come as a surprise to anyone who has attended a Remembrance Day service that the Canadian Armed Forces has long had a blanket ban on the wearing of uniforms by veterans unless prior permission is granted. This even extends to the simple wearing of berets and other "undress caps" with civilian clothing; technically, our soldiers, air force personnel and sailors can only wear their old caps "subject to agreement of the branch/regiment concerned."
This has not been strictly enforced, and with good reason. While the wearing of a uniform is a privilege and not a right, most forces around the world allow veterans who served in declared or undeclared wars and were honourably discharged to pull their old uniforms out of the closet for the proper occasions. The U.S. military, for instance, gives express permission to veterans to wear their uniforms at funerals, weddings, memorial services and in parades, and expressly forbids them from wearing them for commercial or political purposes.
The RCN's resurgent enforcement of the rules appears to stem from an incident in which active officers were offended by the sight of retired admirals wearing their formal mess uniforms without permission. This officers' spat and the navy's reaction to it now mean than an honourably discharged sailor who saw active duty in a battle zone and arrives in uniform, or even just wearing a cap, for his or her local Remembrance Day ceremony may be challenged by local regiment officers. It's an appalling thought.
The Canadian Armed Forces could pay better tribute to its veterans by drafting rules that allow them to wear their old uniforms without permission where the desire to do so would be obvious and not bring the Forces into disrepute. Or it should stick to its longstanding policy of not enforcing the rules too strictly. Anything else is a failure on the Forces' part to properly recognize the faithful service of our country's veterans.