Canada in Afghanistan

[John McGillivray]

Cool video on Think Defence about Canadian Armour in Afghanistan

http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2010/0...n-afghanistan/

[John McGillivray]

Canadian Forces colonel killed in Kabul suicide attack
CTV.ca News Staff
Date: Tue. May. 18 2010 12:50 PM ET
A deadly suicide bombing in Kabul has claimed the life of a Canadian Forces colonel.
Col. Geoff Parker died Tuesday, after a car bomber attacked a NATO convoy, killing 18 people in total, including five U.S. soldiers and 12 civilians.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said "there were casualties among the NATO forces as well as among civilians -- women, children and schoolchildren."
The deadly blast wrecked nearly 20 vehicles, including five SUVs in the NATO convoy.
Condemning the attack, NATO Secretary-General Andres Fogh Rasmussen said the violence would not deter members from their mission.
"NATO remains committed to its mission to protect the Afghan people and to strengthen Afghanistan's ability to resist terrorism," Rasmussen said in Brussels.
The Canadian Press reports that Parker is the highest-ranking member of the Canadian Forces to die in Afghanistan.
He died in the deadliest attack NATO troops suffered in Kabul this year.
Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid claimed in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that the bomber was from Kabul and carried 750 kilograms of explosives in his car.
The bomber had been targeting the NATO convoy, Mujahid said.
According to his official Department of National Defence biography, Parker was a career solider who signed up for the military in 1989 when he was a student at the University of Western Ontario.
After graduating from UWO with an undergraduate degree in engineering science, Parker later earned two master's degrees -- one in electrical engineering, the other in defence studies -- from the Royal Military College.
He is married and has two children.
Parker, who is originally from Oakville, Ont., is the 145th Canadian soldier to be killed during the Afghan mission.
Two civilians -- diplomat Glyn Berry and Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang -- have also died.
With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...b=TopStoriesV2

[John McGillivray]

IED blast kills Canadian soldier in Afghanistan
CTV.ca News Staff
Date: Monday May. 24, 2010 2:22 PM ET
A Canadian soldier has been killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.
Trooper Larry Rudd, 26, was killed at 12:30 p.m. local time Monday near the village of Salavat, about 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city.
Rudd is the fourth Canadian to die in Afghanistan in May. On May 5, Petty Officer (second class) Craig Blake, 37, was killed by an IED about 25 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city.
On May 14, Pte. Kevin McKay, 24, was killed by an IED while he was on foot patrol near Kandahar city.
And on May 18, Col. Geoff Parker, 42, was killed alongside five U.S. soldiers and 12 Afghan civilians by a suicide bombing in Kabul.
Rudd is the 146th Canadian soldier to be killed during the war in Afghanistan.
Two civilians, diplomat Glyn Berry and Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang -- have also died.

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

[Yeo.NT]

Tropper Rudd will be missed by the Squadron, Myself and the rest of maintenance crew.
Rudd was always trying to fix thing on he vehicle he wasn't suppose, trying to make you laugh and always ready to help you out. RIP http://www.mapleleafup.org/forums/ed...tpost&p=131021

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

RIP Sgt. Martin Goudreault

Canadian soldier killed by IED in Afghanistan


CTV.ca News Staff
Updated: Mon. Jun. 7 2010 7:39 AM ET

A Canadian Forces sergeant died Sunday while on a mission to find a stockpile of insurgent weapons southeast of Kandahar.

Sgt. Martin Goudreault was near the village of Nakhonay, in the Panjwaii district, when an improvised explosive device went off about about 6:30 a.m. local time on Sunday.

Goudreault, 35, was on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan. A member of the Edmonton-based 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, his latest deployment in the Afghan theatre began only one month ago.

At a press conference at Kandahar Airfield, Brig.-Gen. Jon Vance described Goudreault as a brave soldier and natural leader.

"Sgt. Goudreault died doing what he loved doing best: leading his section from the front," Vance said Monday.

"If your way of life was in peril, you would want someone like Sgt. Martin Goudreault to show up and help."

Vance said Goudreault was "a model soldier, someone the soldiers in his section could look up to and emulate."

"His subordinates and superiors alike will remember him as a tireless leader who was passionate about his work."

Offering his condolences to the fallen soldier's family and friends, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said "the lives of the Afghan people are better due to the efforts of Canadians like Sgt. Goudreault who provide security and stability."

"These are the cornerstones that will allow the country to rebuild and grow into the future," Harper said in a statement.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Goudreault was an example of the risks Canadian soldiers face when serving in Afghanistan.

"Sgt. Martin Goudreault's sacrifice will not be forgotten and it will not deter us from continuing to help Afghans rebuild their country," he said in a statement.

Goudreault had served 15 years in the Canadian Forces at the time of his death.

The native of Sudbury, Ont., is the 147th Canadian soldier killed during the Afghan mission.

Figures from Canada's Department of Defence indicate that Goudreault is the 88th Canadian soldier to be killed by an IED in Afghanistan.

[Brian Gough]

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Sgt. James MacNeil of Glace Bay, N.S., was killed Monday morning while on a foot patrol in Nakhoney, about 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar.


MacNeil, a 28-year-old combat engineer with 2 Combat Engineer Regiment of CFB Petawawa, Ont. was on a foot patrol with other members of the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group in Panjwaii District, when he was killed by an improvised explosive device — a homemade landmine.


He is the 148th Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan since 2002



Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/...#ixzz0rVeHYArG

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

RIP MCpl. Giesebrecht and Pte. Miller. You shall not be forgotten.

An improvised explosive device struck an armoured vehicle in Afghanistan, killing two Canadian medics, the military said Saturday.

Master Cpl. Kristal Giesebrecht, 34, and Pvt. Andrew Miller, 21, were responding to a report that a mine was found in the doorway of a home when an IED detonated at about 11 a.m., killing them both about 20 km southwest of Kandahar.

A third soldier is in steady condition in a hospital at the Kandahar Airfield Base.

Our thoughts are with the families and friends of our fallen soldiers during this difficult time. We will not forget the sacrifice of these soldiers as we continue to bring security and hope to the people of Kandahar Province,² said the Department of National Defence in a media release.

Both soldiers were members of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group.

Miller was born in Sudbury, Ont., and was based at CFB Petawawa. This was his first overseas mission.

Giesebrecht, the third Canadian woman to be killed in Afghanistan, was from Wallaceburg, Ont., and was also based at Petawawa.

Capt. Nicola Goddard of the 1st Regiment of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery was the first Canadian woman killed in Afghanista, in a grenade attack on May 17, 2006. Trooper Karine Blais of Les Mechins was killed by a roadside bomb blast last April.

The tragic news brings the death count of Canadians in Afghanistan to 150 soldiers and four civilians.

This comes less than a week after Sgt. James MacNeil of Glace Bay, N.S., was killed on June 21.