Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 Recognizes Month of the Military Child
April is internationally recognized as the Month of the Military Child, and with the help of Mainland BC Military Family Resource Centre, we would like to highlight the Tetreault family, who joined us at our One Year To Go celebrations last month. This piece provides some insight into what it’s like for military families to integrate with civilian communities compared to living on base.
When someone talks about force strength in the military, they are typically referring to the number of active personnel, but there’s another way to look at strength. Sometimes the strongest force is family.
Vincent, a Canadian Armed Forces member with 24 years (and counting) in the military, is grateful for the ways his boys (ages seven, nine, twelve, and fourteen) strengthen him.
The family has lived on many large bases with military-specific resources close at hand. However now that they are in an area where the military members are very spread out, the family is more involved with the civilian community. This includes taking advantage of the grants offered by the Mainland BC Military Family Resource Centre to attend local camps. It was through these camp experiences that the boys ended up supporting their father.
Vincent explains, “Camp provides growth and development opportunities for the boys. They have a safety net at home, but once they’re at camp for the day, they have to integrate—get out of their comfort zone. You have to be very well-grounded to be able to walk up to someone and introduce yourself, and the boys are learning how to do that.”
Vincent continues, “Now the boys are the ones leading me. Sometimes it’s hard to transition to civilian life, but my boys are helping me with this. Living on base previously, they had the opportunity to ‘know military’—now they’re in the position to ‘know civilian’. They have the benefit of learning to balance between military and civilian life, which is really important—for them and me.”
The family had a great time at the one-year-to go events, and they are excited to attend the Games in 2025.
