A ceremony was held at the Halifax waterfront on Saturday to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the end of the Persian Gulf War.

Speaking at the event, Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight, said it was an occasion to honour those who deployed and the families who stood by them.

McKnight said it was particularly significant that the ceremony was held at the dockyard where HMCS Athabaskan, HMCS Terra Nova and HMCS Protecteur set sail for the Middle East.

“Families gathered on the jetty, offering brave smiles and steady waves as their loved ones deployed into uncertainty at sea,” she said.

Harold Davis, president of the Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada, noted that the commemoration was important.

“We’re here today to recognize veterans of the Persian Gulf War. It is the first time in 35 years we have been recognized for our service in the Gulf,” said Davis, who began his Royal Canadian Air Force career in 1978.

While the Canadian Armed Forces held military-led events for the 25th anniversary in 2016, Davis said this year’s government-led commemoration feels like the first time the conflict is being elevated to the same national status as Canada’s world wars.

However, Davis said the recognition on Saturday remains distinct from the official ‘wartime service’ designation veterans are seeking from the federal government.

Veterans of the Persian Gulf War are designated as having served Special Duty Service.

“I can’t tell you why it hasn’t been recognized after 35 years,” Davis said.

“I can only tell you that we feel we went to a war, we participated in the war, and we came home from the war—yet our government doesn’t want to recognize this as wartime service.”

In a statement to CBC News, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) said the government “honours and supports all Veterans regardless of how a conflict is classified.”

The statement said the “Special Duty” designation ensures disability benefits are considered in the same manner as those for veterans of the World Wars and Korea.

The department said changing the classification “would not result in any change in the eligibility criteria” or corresponding benefits.

The statement acknowledged that past programming focused primarily on the World Wars and Korea, leaving “modern-day and under-represented Veterans” feeling unrecognized.

For many families, however, the distinction is about more than just administrative criteria.

Natasha Mohr was among those gathered at the dockyard on Saturday.

While Veterans Affairs maintains that the “Special Duty” designation provides the same legal eligibility for benefits as wartime status, families like the hers argue that the classification creates an uphill battle for support.

Her husband, Petty Officer 1st Class Richard Mohr, served on HMCS Athabaskan during the Gulf War.

Seventeen years after he returned home, Richard suffered a seizure at work which tests revealed to be a glioblastoma multiforme brain tumour.

“It took me nine years of fighting, with the help of Harold Davis, to have Richard’s condition recognized by Veterans Affairs as service-related,” Mohr said.

She said the wartime service designation is crucial for accessing “pensionable services” and the full suite of benefits that wartime status allows.

Davis agreed that while the distinction affects benefits, it is ultimately about the legacy of their service.

He noted that veterans of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan face the same hurdle which he says “isn’t right.”

“Our Afghan brothers and sisters are not recognized as wartime service veterans either. Both of us are recognized as ‘special duty area’ veterans, and that’s not right.”

For Mohr, despite the ongoing legislative battle, Saturday’s ceremony carried deep personal significance.

“It’s very special to me,” she said. “The Persian Gulf War veterans hold a very, very close place in my heart.”

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