Canada in Afghanistan

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Out today..
God bless our troops..

Governor General of Canada


Governor General of Canada
Nov 04, 2009 10:25 ET
Governor General to Preside Over the Inaugural Presentation of the Sacrifice Medal

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Nov. 4, 2009) - Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, will present the first 46 Sacrifice Medals to members of the Canadian Forces and, posthumously, to a Canadian diplomat. The inaugural ceremony will be held on Monday, November 9, 2009, at 11 a.m. at Rideau Hall, in the presence of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada.

The Governor General will present 46 Sacrifice Medals of which 21 are awarded posthumously. The recipients come from all regions of the country and from a variety of Canadian Forces regiments. The list of recipients is attached. .

The Sacrifice Medal was created to provide a tangible and lasting form of recognition for the members of the Canadian Forces and those who work with them who have been wounded or killed by hostile action and to Canadian Forces members who died as a result of service.

Members of the media who would like to conduct interviews with the recipients are asked to contact the National Defence Media Liaison Office. Members of the media wishing to cover the event are asked to inform the Rideau Hall Press Office, and must arrive at the Princess Ann Entrance for 10:30 a.m.


RECIPIENTS OF THE SACRIFICE MEDAL

To receive the Sacrifice Medal and Bar:

Sergeant Lance Thomas Hooper, M.S.M., C.D.

To receive the Sacrifice Medal:




Captain Casey Balden
Corporal Cole Daniel Bartsch (posthumous)
Corporal Robbie Christopher Beerenfenger (posthumous)
Dr. Glyn Raymond Berry (posthumous)
Master Corporal Roger Dennis Boudreau, C.D.
Private Darryl James Caswell (posthumous)
Sergeant Joseph Anatole Serge Charette, C.D.
Corporal Ryan E. G. Elrick, C.D.
Corporal Andrew James Eykelenboom (posthumous)
Master Corporal Paul Milson Franklin
Master Corporal Michael Christian Gauthier, C.D.
Corporal Vincent C. Gauvreau-Roussin
Master Corporal Dave Gionet, M.M.V.
Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard, M.S.M.
(posthumous)
Corporal Joseph Francois Etienne Gonthier (posthumous)
Private Richard Anthony Green (posthumous)
Captain Charles Trevor Greene
Corporal Phillip J. Guy
Private Michael Yuki Hayakaze (posthumous)
Sergeant Sheldon Herritt, C.D.
Private Arielle Marie Keyes-Oliver (posthumous)
Major Paeta Derek Hess-von Kruedener, M.S.C., C.D.
(posthumous)
Private Joseph Simon Maurice Serge Longtin
(posthumous)
Captain Juli-Ann Dawn Mackenzie (posthumous)
Captain Simon Jean Mailloux
Corporal Nicholas George Makischuk
Master Corporal Bounyarattanaphon Makthepharak
Corporal Joseph Francois Maurice Malboeuf, C.D.
Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish, C.D. (posthumous)
Officer Cadet Jesse Lee Melnyck
Master Warrant Officer
Joseph Christian Michel Mario Mercier, M.S.C., C.D.
(posthumous)
Master Corporal Jody Allan Mitic, C.D.
Master Corporal Kirk Bradley Noel (posthumous)
Corporal Michael P. O'Rourke, M.M.V.
Master Corporal Darrell Jason Priede (posthumous)
Corporal J. Y. Martin Renaud
Master Corporal Joel Emile Richard
Master Seaman Crysta L. Rutherford
Lieutenant(N) Christopher Edward Saunders, C.D.
(posthumous)
Sergeant John Sloan, C.D.
Sergeant Mark William Soper, C.D.
Sergeant Shane Hank Stachnik (posthumous)
Master Corporal Jeffrey Scott Walsh (posthumous)
Sergeant Gregory Owen White
Private Joel Vincent Wiebe (posthumous)






The Sacrifice Medal

The Sacrifice Medal was created to provide a tangible and lasting form of recognition for the sacrifices made by members of the Canadian Forces (CF) and those who work with them who have been wounded or killed under honourable circumstances as a direct result of a hostile action or action intended for a hostile force. The medal is also awarded posthumously to any member of the CF who served on or after 7 October 2001, and dies under honourable circumstances as a result of an injury or disease related to military service.

Applications

A commanding officer will submit an application through the usual military chain of command for eligible members of their unit.

Description of the Medal

The Medal consists of a silver circular medal that is 36 mm across, has a claw at the top of it in the form of the Royal Crown, and is attached to a straight slotted bar.

On the obverse of the Medal appears a contemporary effigy of Her Majesty the Queen of Canada, facing right, wearing a Canadian diadem composed alternately of maple leaves and snow flakes, and circumscribed with the inscriptions "ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA" and "CANADA", separated by small maple leaves.

On the reverse of the Medal appears a representation of the statue named "Canada" -that forms part of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial - facing right, overlooking the horizon. The inscription "SACRIFICE" appears in the lower right half of the Medal.

The Medal is suspended from a watered ribbon that is 32 mm in width, consisting of a 10-mm black stripe in the middle that is flanked by 11-mm red stripes, on which are centred 1-mm white stripes.

The bar to the Medal is in silver with raised edges and shall bear a centred, single silver maple leaf overall. The Bar is presented for subsequent awards of the Medal.


Related Information: For more information on military honours, please see the Department of National Defence Web site for Canadian Forces Honours and Awards: http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhr-ddhr/index-eng.asp. For more information on the Sacrifice Medal, visit http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhr-...eng.asp?ref=SM.

For more information, please contact
For information on the ceremony:
Annabelle Cloutier
Rideau Hall Press Office
613-993-2569
www.gg.ca
www.citizenvoices.gg.ca

or

For information on the Sacrifice medal and its recipients:
Department of National Defence
Media Liaison Office
1-866-377-0811
613-996-2353
www.forces.gc.ca
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[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

RIP, Lieutenant Nuttall. You shall not be forgotten.

Canadian soldier killed by IED in south Afghanistan

CTV.ca News Staff
Updated: Thu. Dec. 24 2009 6:44 AM ET

A Canadian soldier was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated while he was on foot patrol in Afghanistan, the military announced early Thursday.

Lt. Andrew Nuttall, 30, of Prince Rupert B.C., died along with an Afghan soldier in the town of Nakhoney in the Panjwaii district of southern Afghanistan on Wednesday. An Afghan interpreter was also seriously injured in the IED attack.

Nuttall belonged to the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton. He is survived by his mother Jane and father Richard, who said they were proud of their son's decision to join the military.

"We have lost a bright light in our lives," said the family in a statement.

In total, 134 Canadian soldiers have now been killed while serving in Canada's mission in Afghanistan which begain in 2002. Nuttall is the first soldier to die since Sapper Stephen Marshall was killed on Oct. 30 in a similar IED attack.

Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard, commander of coalition forces in Kandahar province, desribed Nuttall as a generous person who came to Afghanistan because he thought he could make a difference to the Afghan people.

"He wanted to lead from the front and set the example -- attributes he passionately displayed every time he was in front of his platoon," Menard said Thursday morning in a statement from Kandahar.

His death comes during a period of relative calm after a summer that saw a spike in violence, and as NATO forces are seeing an infusion of hundreds of fresh U.S. troops who are helping in the effort to secure areas in and around Kandahar City.

Nakhoney, about 25 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City, is part of the Panjwaii trangle -- an area where Canadian forces have found factories used by Taliban to make IEDs, as well as large quantities of other weapons.

Menard said Nuttall was searching for Taliban transit routes at the time of his death.

"His patrol was part of our efforts to protect the people of the village from insurgents," said Menard.

In a statement, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean said Nuttall's death comes at the end of a "particularly difficult year," and during the holiday season, "an important time for families."

"It is a harsh reminder of the enormous sacrifices our soldiers and their loved ones have agreed to make so that stability and security can be re-established in a dangerous region of the world and to help people who have been deprived of their most fundamental rights, distressed by years of violence and oppression," said Jean.

With a report from the Canadian Press

[Brian Gough]

Four Canadian soldiers and a Canadian journalist have been killed in a powerful blast in Kandahar city.

The deaths Wednesday afternoon occurred as they drove through a supposedly safe part of the city on a regular patrol.

The military did not immediately release any names, but reporters at the base at Kandahar Airfield has identified the journalist killed as Michelle Lang of the Calgary Herald.

She had been in Afghanistan for just over two weeks on her first assignment in the country for Canwest News Service.

The four soldiers were based at the Canadian military-civilian outreach compound in Kandahar.

In all, 138 Canadian soldiers and two civilians have died on the Afghan mission.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1415241/

[Mark W. Tonner]

DND News Release:

Four Canadian soldiers and one Canadian reporter killed and five injured in an IED strike

CEFCOM NR - 09.034 - December 30, 2009

OTTAWA – Four Canadian soldiers and one Canadian reporter embedded with Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) were killed, while four other Canadian soldiers and one Canadian civilian official were injured in an IED incident in Kandahar province, on Wednesday December 30, 2009.

The incident occurred 4 km south of Kandahar City at approximately 4:00 p.m., Kandahar time, Wednesday afternoon as a result of an improvised explosive device attack on an armoured vehicle during a patrol.

We will not release the names of the soldiers, as notification of next-of-kin is ongoing at this time. Further information on the incident will be provided once this has been completed.

All of the injured personnel were evacuated to the Role 3 Multi-National Medical Facility at Kandahar Airfield. They are undergoing medical examination and treatment, and their names will not be released.

Members of Task Force Kandahar are committed to improving security and increasing development in Kandahar Province. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of our fallen comrades and our prayers go out to the family and friends of our fallen civilian reporter during this sad time, but we are determined to continue working with our Afghan and international partners towards a better future for the people of Afghanistan.



... At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

RIP to:

Sgt. George Miok, 28, Cpl. Zachery McCormack, 21, both of Edmonton, Sgt. Kirk Taylor, 28, of Yarmouth, N.S., and Pte. Garrett Chidley, 21, of Cambridge, Ont.

Along with journalist Michelle Lang, 34, of the Calgary Herald, of course.

My prayers are with their families at this difficult time.

[Mark W. Tonner]

CEFCOM NR - 09.035 - December 31, 2009

OTTAWA – Four Canadian soldiers and one Canadian reporter embedded with Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) were killed, while four other Canadian soldiers and one Canadian civilian official were injured in an IED incident in Kandahar province, on Wednesday December 30, 2009.

The incident occurred 4 km south of Kandahar City at approximately 4:00 p.m., Kandahar time, Wednesday afternoon as a result of an improvised explosive device attack on an armoured vehicle during a patrol.

Killed in action was Sergeant George Miok a member of 41 Combat Engineer Regiment, based in Edmonton, Alberta and serving with the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team.

Killed in action was Sergeant Kirk Taylor a member of 84 Independent Field Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery, based in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and serving with the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team.

Killed in action was Corporal Zachery McCormack a member of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, 4th Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, Alberta and serving with the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team.

Killed in action was Private Garrett William Chidley a member of the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Manitoba and serving with the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team.

Michelle Lang, a Canwest journalist from Calgary, embedded with the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan was killed in the same incident.

Four Canadian soldiers and one Canadian civilian official were also seriously wounded in the incident. All of the injured were evacuated by helicopter to the Multi-National Medical Facility at Kandahar Airfield. The injured soldiers and civilian are reported to be in stable condition.

Members of Task Force Kandahar are committed to improving security and increasing development in Kandahar Province. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of our fallen comrades and our prayers go out to the family and friends of our fallen civilian reporter during this sad time, but we are determined to continue working with our Afghan and international partners towards a better future for the people of Afghanistan.

[John McGillivray]

Canadian soldier killed after stepping on IED
CTV.ca News Staff
Date: Sat. Jan. 16 2010 4:36 PM ET
A Canadian soldier, Sgt. John Faught, 44, has died in a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan. He was the first Canadian casualty in the war torn country this year.
Faught was killed after stepping on an improvised explosive device in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province while on a joint foot patrol.
He was a member of the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based out of Edmonton.
Faught was described as a "father figure" among the soldier, who was affectionally known as "Toast" because he was "hard and crusty."
"He could always be counted on to tell it like it is when asked for his opinion," Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard said late Saturday.
"He was a very conscientious and thorough section commander who always put the needs of his soldiers above his own."
Faught was from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
The explosion occurred at about 2 p.m. local time on what was described as a routine foot patrol, about 15 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City.
No one else was hurt in the incident.
There have been 139 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, and two Canadian civilians.
The death was the first since Dec. 30, when four Canadian soldiers, Sgt. George Miok, Sgt. Kirk Taylor, Cpl. Zachery McCormack and Pte. Garrett Chidley -- along with Calgary Herald reporter Michelle Lang were killed when their armoured vehicle was struck by a massive roadside bomb.
With files from The Canadian Press

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...b=TopStoriesV2

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

He held on, but not long enough...

August 30, 2010
Canuck soldier dies of battle wounds

By Laura Payton, QMI Agency


OTTAWA - A Canadian soldier has died in Germany, days after he was wounded by an explosive in Afghanistan.

Cpl. Brian Pinksen, 21, was badly injured in an improvised explosive device attack in the Panjwaii district of Afghanistan on Aug. 22. He was on foot.
Pinksen was evacuated to Kandahar Airfield, then to Landstuhl Regional Medical Centre in Ramstein, Germany.

He died of heart failure after suffering injuries to his limbs and internal organs in the Aug. 22 attack.

Pinksen served with the 2nd battalion of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in Corner Brook, N.L.

A second soldier was also hurt in the blast. Brig. Gen. Jonathan Vance is expected to make a statement around 3:15 p.m. Eastern Time.

Since the Canadian Forces deployed to Afghanistan in 2002, 152 soldiers have been killed.