Invictus Games offers Codroy veteran a sense of camaraderie again

By Olivia Bradbury/Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Invictus Games are an international sporting event for injured and ill members of the military, both serving members and veterans. In this year’s Games, Team Canada includes Clifford Samms, a Codroy resident who served in the air force for over 20 years.

Samms joined the forces after he finished high school in 1997 and served for more than two decades with the reserves and regular forces. Around 2018, he had a transition interview to be medically released from the regular forces, after which he would go to the reserves. During the interview, he said, the Veteran Affairs interviewer indicated she wanted to deny his release and refer him instead for a mental health evaluation. Samms agreed and eventually got a call from the Operational Stress Injury Clinic in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He had an initial interview with two nurse practitioners, and a follow-up interview with a psychiatrist. During this second interview he was told he had post-traumatic stress disorder.

“My whole world just came to a screeching halt right there for about 30 seconds,” Samms recalled.

He said while it was initially overwhelming, he was grateful for the diagnosis. His first marriage had ended in divorce, which he said was due to having gone through “so much hell” during his service. He was preparing for his second marriage when he got diagnosed with PTSD. “It was really good to get that diagnosis when I did,” he said.

Samms was medically released from the air force in 2021. While he also has physical injuries in his back, feet, and right elbow, the main reason for his release was his PTSD. He said his commanding officer was very understanding when informed Samms could no longer serve, and that his release from the forces was handled well.

“I’d done lots of good things for the forces over the course of my career,” Samms said. “I was pretty good. I did everything that they asked of me, and I was surrounded by good people. And those good people took the time to make sure that, when I was leaving, I got the proper sendoff that I deserved.”

A year ago, a friend of Samms, a Nova Scotia veteran who was injured in an explosion, asked Samms if he wanted to apply for the 2025 Invictus Games with him. They did, and while Samms’ application was accepted, he was disappointed that his friend’s was not.

Samms was hesitant about accepting, but with encouragement from his wife, he decided to compete. “I’m eternally grateful that I took that step and went and began this whole journey,” he said.

Samms has experience in athletic competitions. He competed in powerlifting at a national level for about 12 years winning medals and even the Canadian powerlifting nationals on multiple occasions, he said. He retired from powerlifting in 2011 and still holds the Nova Scotia records for his weight category. Samms also competed in softball at a national level in the Canadian Forces.  At the 2025 Invictus Games, he will compete in alpine skiing, swimming, and sitting volleyball, which are sports with which he also has experience.

“Part of the Invictus journey is to select something that, after the games are finished, you can continue on with,” explained Samms. He believes he will be able to continue skiing and swimming after the Games, especially with his close proximity to the Marble Mountain Resort as well as the Bruce II Sports Centre in Port aux Basques. Since he began training for the Games he has lost 55 pounds.

Samms said people can feel very isolated when they first leave the military. Not only can it be hard to connect with other veterans, but some may not openly advertise the fact that they served. Those dealing with issues following their service may, as Samms put it, “suffer in silence.” The Invictus Games gives injured and ill servicepeople and veterans a sense of camaraderie again, he said. The Games have allowed him to meet 55 others who have gone through similar experiences and are dealing with similar issues to himself.

“To be able to sit down in a close environment and chat and get to know these people and realize you’re not alone, for me, I don’t think I could ever thank Soldier On enough,” said Samms, referring to the CAF program that manages Team Canada at the Invictus Games. Samms said he is in group chats with fellow competitors, and they frequently offer each other encouragement.

For Samms, competing as part of Team Canada has been a long time coming. On two occasions he was supposed to compete in the world powerlifting championships with Team Canada, and both times he was deployed and could not attend.

“When they hand me that Team Canada uniform, it’s probably going to have a little more sentimental value to me than for the average person,” said Samms.

The Invictus Games will take place in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia February 8 to 16.

Clifford Samms, Photo courtesy of Soldier On