Silver Cross Mother lost both her sons to PTSD after serving in Afghanistan

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Maureen Anderson remembers when her two sons – Ron and Ryan – were about to ship off to Afghanistan in 2007. The military men had been to global hot spots before and both were embarking on their second tour in Afghanistan. This time, they were leaving together.

They were at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick, the second-largest military base in the country.

“We’re all gathered in the big drill hall, saying goodbye. All the wives, you know,” Ms. Anderson said with an East Coast lilt. “And at the back, where you went through the very, very back door, the buses were waiting for them to take them away.”

She hugged Ryan, her youngest, and said goodbye. “I said: ‘Where’s Ron?’”

Her eldest was out of sight. “He did not want to hug me and say goodbye. Here he was gone and on the bus, and I was so upset. But then I have to think of him, because it would have been too hard on him.”

Her boys – both sergeants in the Royal Canadian Regiment – returned from Afghanistan changed men.

They didn’t talk much about the war. They both suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ron retired from the Canadian Forces after 21 years of service and seven tours overseas. He died in 2014, at 39. Ryan, who retired after 19 years and three tours overseas, died in 2017. He was 38.

“They died due to PTSD suffering,” Ms. Anderson said. She remains close with their circle of friends, serving as a surrogate mother to those who are also struggling with the psychological aftermath of war.

The Royal Canadian Legion on Friday will name Ms. Anderson as this year’s National Silver Cross Mother. On Remembrance Day, she will place a wreath at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in service of the Canadian military. The first National Silver Cross Mother was recognized in 1936, although the Memorial Cross (more commonly known as the Silver Cross) was first authorized on Dec. 1, 1919, recognizing the personal loss and sacrifice of widows and mothers of Canadian sailors, aviators and soldiers who died for their country.

The Legion, in 2018, appointed for the first time a parent who lost a child under circumstances similar to the Anderson men.

Ms. Anderson, who lives in Oromocto, a small town near CFB Gagetown, was born in England. Her mother was a war bride and her father was a Canadian serving in Europe during the Second World War. She grew up in Derby, N.B., and trained as what is now called a licensed practical nurse. While living in Ottawa, she joined the Royal Canadian Air Force.

There, she met Peter Anderson. “He was one of my patients, if you can believe it. Asked me out on a date and the rest is history.” The pair married after a few months of dating. Ms. Anderson had to step down from her position in the air force as her husband pursued his military career, which took them all over the globe. The late Mr. Anderson retired as a master warrant officer.

Ron Anderson was born in Germany, where his parents were living at the time. In Afghanistan, he saved the life of an injured little boy, and was awarded a commendation. But he never told his parents. They found out after his death.

Ryan Anderson was born in Oromocto, five years after his brother. He liked to hunt, fish and always got Ms. Anderson lovely Mother’s Day cards. After his brother died, he would call Ms. Anderson, at any hour, and ask her to come over for a visit with coffee from Tim Hortons. Sometimes he would chat, sometimes he would cry. “I’m glad I did all that for him,” Ms. Anderson said.

As kids, the Anderson boys gravitated toward all things military. They were in cadets, the militia and always playing army games. They were kind, loving boys, close with each other and their mother.

Ms. Anderson has six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Ron’s second child, Bryce, is a soldier at CFB Petawawa in Ontario, she said.

“He said: ‘I want to do Dad and my Uncle Ryan proud.”