Yarmouth County resident honoured for commitment to veterans

Todd Muise is a recipient of the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation

On a recent windy, but warm, Saturday November morning, Yarmouth County resident Todd Muise and others walked through several local cemeteries, pausing to lay Canadian flags at the graves of veterans, and vowing to never forget their sacrifices.

For Muise, a Royal Canadian Legion member, such simple gestures speak volumes.

Proudly noting he comes from Frog Point – that’s in Melbourne, Yarmouth County, for those who don’t know – he calls this a meaningful way to remember veterans.

“It’s important that we take that moment to remember what they sacrificed for us,” he said.

Others have also taken notice of what Muise has done when it comes to honouring and helping veterans. Recently, he was one of a half dozen Nova Scotians to be recognized for their efforts.

Prior to Remembrance Day, Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence – alongside Darrell Sampson, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence – presented Muise and the others with the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation.

The recipients were:

• Commander (Ret’d) Heather Joan Armstrong, Hammonds Plains

• Sergeant (Ret’d) Tyson Bowen (Posthumous), Lorne

• Chief Petty Officer 2nd

Class (Ret’d) Banford “Ben” Broome, CD, Halifax

• Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret’d) Frank Egan, Halifax

• Catherine Marguerite Holt (Posthumous), Halifax

• Todd Muise, Yarmouth County

“Each year since its creation in 2001, the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation

has been awarded to deserving Canadians who have improved the care and well-being of veterans or honoured the sacrifices they have made,” reads a media release.

Close to 1,200 individuals across provinces and territories have been awarded the Commendation over the past two decades for their volunteer contributions in service to Canadian Veterans.

“Too often, the vitally important work undertaken by volunteers to support and honour veterans goes unnoticed,” Minister MacAulay said, calling this the highest honour he can bestow to these volunteers who have gone above and beyond to make the lives of veterans and their families better. “These Nova Scotians have truly made a difference in their communities and deserve to be recognized.”

The Commendation consists of a certificate, a lapel pin for civilian wear and a bar for wear with decorations. The design is a gold maple leaf resting on a red poppy, with the Royal Crown on the top of the pin.

Muise – a former member of the Royal Canadian Regiment – was nominated for his support of veterans and their wellbeing.

A member of the Wedgeport Royal Canadian Legion for six years, he is the Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) representative on the branch executive.

“As he searched for ways to help veterans, he was introduced to the OSISS group in Greenwood and decided, with their support, to organize the Yarmouth OSISS Peer Support Group,” reads information about his Commendation. “His group has become a wellattended and respected support group for veterans.”

To further support this peer group, and to extend help to others, Muise organized an OSISS Awareness Rucksack March in 2018 and 2019 with all proceeds donated to the Rally Point Retreat in Sable River, which provides a safe place and support for military veterans, police and first responders.

In 2019, he worked with the Family Resource Centre in Greenwood to hold a Veterans’ Appreciation Day. As part of the Communities in Bloom initiative Muise – the Parks Supervisor for the Town of

Yarmouth – ensured that Legion halls and local schools received 150 tulip bulbs each, which had been donated, and helped organize planting events with veterans and youth.

In 2020, he organized a Wounded Warrior Rucksack March for Remembrance in Yarmouth, with donations going to the Nova Scotia Strong First Responder Fund.

In a previous interview with Saltwire Network, Muise noted that long ago supports didn’t exist for veterans, even though they were badly needed.

“You take us today with PTSD resources … those guys had nothing,” he said. “They had each other, that was about it.”

His goal has been to let veterans know they are not alone and that people care and are there to help.

Muise also plays an instrumental role in the Town of Yarmouth’s veterans memorial banner program, which was introduced in 2021, and participates in the Legion’s Poppy Campaign, in addition to also placing Canadian flags on veterans’ graves.

Veteran André Boudreau – a member of the Wedgeport Legion Branch 61, who has worked with Muise on several of the above noted projects and initiatives – was Muise’s nominator for the Commendation.

“Todd is very deserving of this award,” Boudreau said. “He was the driving force behind the creation of an Operational Stress Injury Peer Support Group for local Veterans, which meets weekly, and now has members from Yarmouth to Shelburne. The support group is only one example of his commitment to supporting veterans. It is an honour to work with him.”