Brig.-Gen. Mike Jorgensen extends a hand and executes a friendly squeeze that belies his many years in the field of combat. 
The much-decorated Canadian soldier has come to Lethbridge College to attend a gala dinner in recognition of the 18th Air Defense Regiment and 100 years of military presence in Lethbridge.
The black-tie event, hosted by the college last fall, has drawn dignitaries both military and civilian, including the Honourable Norman Kwong, lieutenant governor of Alberta and college president Tracy Edwards. In addition to supporting local armed forces personnel, one of the objectives for the evening is to introduce an educational endowment fund spearheaded by Howard Tennant, former University of Lethbridge president.
The initial funding for the endowment will come from a portion of the ticket proceeds for the dinner, matched by donations from Lethbridge College. The money will be available to Lethbridge College students who are reservists or former full-time members of the regiment.
Though not directly involved in the fundraising aspect of the dinner, Jorgensen is enthusiastic about the opportunities that may be provided by the endowment.
“I would love to see if there’s a way that we could leverage, if you will, the military calling that some of these young people and have, perhaps, indicate that with a little bit of education and a little bit of experience, we could make quite a career out of some of these young folks.”
Tennant says military personnel often have difficulty transitioning back to civilian life when their period of duty is completed.
“They have to anticipate that their 20 or so years of military service will be over and they need to upgrade their skills,” he says.
Tennant says Lethbridge College is a good fit for the soldiers because of the availability of counselling and support services, an important benefit for those who may be daunted by the prospect of undertaking full-time studies. There may also be some who are limited by financial considerations.
“Post-secondary education is important for soldiers. . . the scholarship will help those who feel they can’t afford it,” says Tennant.
Despite their fears about making what may be a monumental life change, Jorgensen says he believes soldiers are often quite well prepared to commence a civilian career.
“Most of the time I think military people don’t realize the skills they have . . . A military career doesn’t line up neatly with many other careers. On the other hand, people who make that leap find that the skills they’ve learned in the military — leadership, time management, management techniques, people skills, communications — all can be applied immediately to almost any job at all.”
Not all members of the armed forces who pursue an advanced education are doing so after a long military career, however.
“A lot of young people these days are not making it a 30-year career,” says Jorgenson. “They want to make a fairly short career out of it. They want the excitement of a short tour, for instance, but then they would like to have a way to come back and start another career. Perhaps that would be the ideal purpose [of the fund].”
The general acknowledges the tremendous sacrifice made not only by full-time army personnel, but also by the reserve forces who may be called to active duty and must put their lives on hold for the duration of their service.
“Citizen soldiers make a huge sacrifice to come; most of them have to negotiate with their employers to get considerable time off. Today, they would have to commit for a period approaching a year and a half. The bottom line is at least six months of pre-deployment training, at least six months for the tour. By the time you add a little bit of post-deployment leave and post-deployment administration, you catch up on life in general, you can see how quickly 18 months goes by. It’s a huge commitment . . . you can’t make that decision lightly.”
Jorgensen says the experience of reservists has changed significantly.
“You might have been able to, 20 years ago, serve in the reserves and, except for local exercises at Suffield maybe and an extravagant tour to Wainwright, that would be sort of the extent. You could have quite a fulfilling, happy career within your unit. You could attend your normal parade nights, you could do your twice-a-month exercises and so on. You probably wouldn’t deploy anywhere.
“That pattern really disappeared more than a decade ago, but it has really transformed completely, in my view, with the arrival of the war in Afghanistan.
“The regular forces began, in many ways, to depend on reserve soldiers to come and fill some of the positions within the required troop level. Reserve soldiers have proved . . . they are fully up to the challenge of undergoing a three to four week training period and then contributing fully in a very difficult operation like Afghanistan.”
Jorgensen says he’s hopeful the soldiers who have given such dedicated service will be able to take advantage of the opportunity to continue their studies when they return home.
Though some former armed forces members are transitioning to a second profession, others attend college with the goal of upgrading their education and skills as a way to advance their military career.
“If there’s a way of recognizing their military contribution, and then allowing them to benefit from that contribution by supporting their education and their military career, that would be terrific.”
It will likely be some time before any students are in receipt of the endowment funding. The initial banquet revenue of just over $30,000 will be conservatively invested and allowed to mature a while before any funds are drawn. The details of eligibility are yet to be hammered out, such as whether the fund will become a scholarship or bursary.
In the meantime, Tennant urges those wishing to contribute to the fund to “donate early and donate often.” Arrangements for donation can be made by contacting Steven Dyck, executive director of the Lethbridge College Advancement Office.
Jorgensen says those who feel a military career might be right for them should contact the regiment recruiter at 403-320- 3386 or visit the CFRC Recruiting Office in Lethbridge at Vimy Ridge Armoury, 337 Stubb Ross Road.
