Canadian War Museum marks 5th anniversary of Operation Veteran

The Canadian War Museum is proud to mark the fifth anniversary of Operation Veteran. Since it was founded in 2009, Operation Veteran has raised over $200,000, provided more than 6,500 free meals to Canadian veterans, and made thousands of students across Canada more aware of Canada’s military history and the service and sacrifice of our veterans.

In 2013, Operation Veteran expanded its support to include the Supply Line program.  Developed by the War Museum, the first Supply Line First World War Discovery Boxes were launched with great success in October 2014. Supply Line invites teachers across the country to borrow a Discovery Box containing authentic and reproduction objects linked to the First World War, promoting classroom discussion and hands-on learning. The kits can be borrowed for two weeks at no cost to schools. To date, 33 schools have received a kit and over 200 other requests have come in from teachers across the country. The 25 Discovery Boxes are now fully booked until January 2015.

“It is due to the tireless efforts of Dr. Kavanagh and students across the country that so many veterans have enjoyed a complimentary meal during their visit to the Museum,” said James Whitham, Director General of the Canadian War Museum. “And now, thanks to those very efforts, many more young Canadians will learn about the experiences of soldiers who served in the First World War.”

“The Supply Line project is an invaluable resource for students to have a hands-on opportunity to better understand the life of a soldier, nurse or pilot in the First World War,” said Rebecca Grimes, a teacher at Centre Wellington District High School in Fergus, Ontario. “Having the opportunity to try on a soldier’s jacket, dress cap, helmet, and gas mask; to look through a trench periscope; to hear the gas alarm rattle - all gave them a way to connect more personally to a war that can seem very distant.”

Operation Veteran was founded in November 2009 by Dr. Paul Kavanagh in association with the Canadian War Museum. For the past five years, the program has offered lunch vouchers, redeemable in the cafeteria, to all veterans visiting the Museum. School groups across Canada that fundraise for Operation Veteran are invited to participate in Remembrance Day activities in Ottawa. Highlights of the day include a special tour of the War Museum, where students meet and talk with veterans.

To mark this milestone anniversary, the War Museum has published a series of posts on Facebook, highlighting key moments from Operation Veteran’s first five years. See www.facebook.com/warmuseum . _ The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Its mission is to promote public understanding of Canada’s military history in its personal, national, and international dimensions. _