In the army, Firm Base is an important aspect of any attack. An attack must begin from a firm base and as the attack develops, commanders must continue establishing firm bases. This allows the attacking forces to maintain one foot on the ground and thus retain balance during the attack. Firm bases are established on terrain that provides the attacking forces an advantage in terms of fire and observation. A firm Base is a tactical area occupied by a part of the attacking force. In case the attack fails, the attacking troops fall back into the safe Firm Base.

In modern warfare involving international forces, a Firm Base can be described as a secure environment, at home and overseas, that sustains the Army, enables training for, and deployment on operations and ensures the consent and support of the public and host nations.

Applying this analogy to day to day living, our family, friends, community etc., provide us with a Firm Base at various stages in our lives as we tackle emerging challenges at school, college, our chosen career, breakup in a relationship, reversal in our fortunes and so on. When a person decides to leave his or her home and relocate overseas for higher studies or career prospects, initially one will feel like a fish out of the water as one adapts to a totally alien environment.

Who would need a firm Base in Canada?

Any new immigrant to Canada will require a Firm Base to fall back when the chips are down.  It isn’t easy to find one!

Recent immigrants to Canada who came seeking a new life, are here alone – with no close family or friends to help. They must adjust to living in a society that is new and strange. Some days are good, and some are bad. During the bad days, many wonder as to why at all did they decide to come to Canada. Over time, they adjust to the Canadian realities, feel comfortable, settle well and probably have more good days than bad.

During those days when they feel lost and down in the dumps, new immigrants need a Firm Base – a place they can go to, a person to whom they can confide their issues and seek advice and assistance.

We have been providing a Firm Base to many young people – mostly wards of Veterans – who immigrated to Canada. It begins with orienting them to the Canadian realities; providing food & accommodation for the settling down period; driving them to various Government offices for documentation; driving them to the grocery stores; finding schools for their children; help in rewriting their resumes; finding jobs; finding accommodation – the list goes on.

On 02 June 2023, at about 5 PM, I received a call from the Toronto Emergency Services, “Vicky, a University of Toronto student was evacuated by the ambulance as he had passed out on the streets of Toronto. Your number is listed as the emergency contact.” Vicky is the son of a Veteran friend. That day I was working on a tight schedule to meet an urgent business requirement. I rushed to the hospital. The drive that usually took 40 minutes, being a Friday evening, took 90 minutes.

Sheeba, daughter of a Veteran friend, was due for the delivery of her first child. Her parents could not get a Visa to be with their daughter. There was a minor complication and the gynecologist decided to induce labour before the due date. On the day she was admitted to the hospital with Shaan, her husband. I drove to their home – a drive of over an hour and stayed there for three days – to help them in case of any emergency or run any errands. By God’s grace, they were blessed with a smart boy without any complications.

Anmol, a Veteran who served for 15 years, a new immigrant, called me for help finding a job. I helped him rewrite his resume to a page and Bingo! He landed up as an Assistant Manager in a reputed firm.

A Veteran friend called me to say that his daughter Shrijani wanted a Canadian to co-sign the lease deed for an apartment as she was on a student Visa. I asked him to tell Shrijani to email me the form. In five minutes, I signed the form and returned it with my tax return. Shrijani was surprised that I did not ask her any questions. She said that her relatives in Canada asked her many questions, but declined to co-sign when it came to the requirement of attaching their tax return. They claimed that their Social Insurance Number (SIN) will be disclosed. (The tax return carries only the last three digits of the SIN – may be that their true economic status might be revealed.)

Hari, a Veteran’s son on immigration contacted me for help with settling down and finding a job. He was referred to by another Veteran who was my instructor in Army. He warned Hari, “He is a difficult man to understand, and it will take you a week to realise what he is worth. Listen to him and follow his instruction and you will do well in Canada.” Hari is today a Senior Project Manager with a leading Canadian bank.

Recently a Veteran friend called seeking help to resolve a domestic violence issue concerning his subordinate’s daughter. I refused to be involved in the case but advised him of the methodology to be followed. The same I reproduced as a Blogpost Canadian Immigration Woes – Please Click Here to Read.
A new immigrant is under a lot of professional, social, environmental, and academic pressure, and they need guidance to help them wade through. They cannot afford to fall through the cracks or become depressed or anxious.

A Firm Base will go a long way in ensuring a better future for the new immigrants.