We Connect with Warrant Officer Cathan Perry
On February 9th, We Connected with a very special guest and our good friend Warrant Officer Cathan Perry from our Canadian Armed Forces. He is one of my closest friends and he was also very close with my brother Mark... Thank you for everything you do Cathan!
A little about this guy as he grew up in Macrorie Saskatchewan, where he spent the majority of time playing sports, fishing/hunting and working with his dad. He currently resides in Warman with his wife, Sascha, and two kids, daughter Remington, and son Declan. Upon graduation he went to the University of Saskatchewan to study Engineering. After his first year in University Cathan joined the Canadian Forces Primary Reserve with the North Saskatchewan Regiment and in 2008 deployed on his first tour to Kandahar, Afghanistan.
It was after Cathan's time in Afghanistan that he determined a military career was what he was meant to do and transitioned to the Regular Force in 2012. Since then he has deployed twice more, once to Kabul Afghanistan and most recently to Ukraine.
Mental health has been an important part of Cathan’s life since high school with the loss of friends and family to suicide and alcohol related incidents.
It wasn't until his first tour to Afghanistan when he lost one of his best friends where it became his own mental health at stake. At the time of his death, his friend was three weeks from coming home to his wife who was 8 months pregnant with their first child.
This situation led Cathan down a road of survivor’s guilt, which then came a period of alcohol abuse to help cope with it. It ended with him crashing a vehicle and being fortunate enough to recognize something was wrong, getting the help he needed in order to get “better”.
Recovery for him came with being able to speak about his issues and leaving nothing inside. Obviously now, years later, mental health is even more important with PTSD/Suicide being prevalent within both the military community and outside it.
This was a broadcast that you do not want to miss as the discussion topics relate to us all dealing with PTSD, suicide, substance abuse, guilt and tools to become healthy.
Watch the replay here!