Generational service: Alberta father and son share their military experience

It is a tale of two veterans, a father and a son sharing their experiences and memories in the military. And it is a story of generational service for the country. 

Budd Holmans was born in Newfoundland and served in the military for 36 years. He started his as military police in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1966, with his first post in quebec before retiring at the age of 63 in 2002. 

Holmans took inspiration from his two brothers in joining the military.

“The three of us ended up sending money home to my mom to support the rest of the family.”

The call to service runs beyond Holmans and his brothers.

Holmans’ son John McNabb joined the military following his father’s and uncles’ footsteps.

“In my teenage years, I do recall waking up and watching dad get dressed and looking sharp in uniform and very disciplined,” said McNabb who served as an infantryman from 1991 until November 2024.

McNabb says it was overwhelming to him when we first joined the armed forces, but the sense of adventure and wanting to follow in his dad and brother-in-law’s footsteps motivated him. But that does not come withouta cost.

“We lost four of my brothers in an instant in Tarnak Farm, which was heartbreaking,” McNabb said. “Iniitially you feel lost, and you feel some pain and then with that comes other feelings of anger and resentment of what you’re doing.”

Holmans also remembers his own ordeals during his time in service. When he was on peacekeeping duty with the United Nations during the war in Cyprus.

“The Greeks were on one side, and the Turks were on the other, and they started dropping artillery back and forth on each other,” Holmans recalled. “We received a landline phone call that we should take cover. I found myself wondering ‘you volunteered for this.’”

With the federal budget proposing to increase defense spending, both veterans are hopeful that this will improve training and provide more equipment to the armed forces.

But they worry about what support for veterans would look like in the future.

“It’s something that can’t be just a thought every couple of years; it needs to be a consistent thing, not just to be a player on the main stage of all the rest of the G7 countries,” McNabb said. “But it’s something that needs to be done to make sure you take care of your soldiers.”

Holmans said he was concerned about potential cuts to services to veterans.

“I’ve also heard that there’s a likelihood that the Veterans Affairs organization — that looks after veterans like [me and those] who have been injured like my son — they’re going to be reducing the budget, and that doesn’t sit very well with me,” Holmans said.