The health implications range from battlefield injuries (mental and physical) and serious trauma to exposure to toxic chemicals, life-threatening diseases and viruses. As a result of the consequences of high intensity training and operations associated with such missions, the life course health and well-being of these veterans can be seriously affected. Over the last 25 years, the Canadian government has called upon the Canadian military to deploy to war zones and humanitarian missions around the globe, including the former Yugoslavia, Kosovo, the Middle East, Central Africa, Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Haiti, and recently Libya. The veterans of the current war in Afghanistan have joined the more than 700,000 living Canadians who have unselfishly served their nation in the Canadian Forces. Currently, the number of Canadian Forces casualties and the breadth of their health problems arising from military operations are greater than those at any time since the Korean War.” This highlights the fact that there is an immediate need for health programs and research for Canadian Forces members, veterans and their families. According to the Honourable Roméo Antonius Dallaire, Lieutenant General (Retired), Canadian Senator, “…the unique physical, mental and social context of military service intimately defines how military personnel, veterans and their families deal with health throughout their lives.
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