#391
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French Forces of the Interior?? C'mon, that's soooo WW2. And besides, in Afghanistan, everyone knows they're up North where it's safe!!!
Oh, and : Canadian soldier dies of gunshot wound in Kabul regards Darrell |
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C-17 in Kandahar Now
Well, the first of our new birds has alit in Afstan now. I'm glad to see they're putting her to work right away, rather than farming out those taskings to foreign powers! The next three are to be delivered within the next eight months or so, giving us a long-needed long-haul Air Transport capability!
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SUNRAY SENDS AND ENDS :remember :support |
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Forget I said anything... carry on, there's a good lad, chop-chop!
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SUNRAY SENDS AND ENDS :remember :support |
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News Release
Name of Deceased Canadian Soldier Released CEFCOM NR–07.038 - August 30, 2007 OTTAWA – The name of the Canadian soldier who lost his life on August 29 in Kabul, Afghanistan is as follows: • Major Raymond Ruckpaul, an armoured officer based at the NATO Allied Land Component Command Headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany who was serving in Kabul, Afghanistan with the International Security Assistance Force Headquarters (ISAF HQ). Major Ruckpaul was found significantly injured within the confines of the ISAF HQ in Kabul and later died of his injuries. The matter is under investigation by ISAF authorities and the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service. http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroo..._e.asp?id=2439 |
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23skedoo, way to go Vandoos
I have been pleasantly surprised at the news coverage both from the reporters and especially from the BG Comd. The CO has been compassionate over his losses, keen to praise his soldiers and their mission, and perhaps most importantly, he is sensitive to the feelings of his Regiments home Province. He has acknowledged that support from Quebec for the mission is poor, but he has said quite clearly that it is a problem, not of politics, but of education.
Hopefully with his help, Quebec will learn.
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.50 Cal Ammo Can |
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Canadian troops begin major combat operation
Updated Sat. Sep. 8 2007 12:42 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff Canadian troops are carrying out a major operation -- 'Operation Keeping Goodwill' -- in the volatile Zhari district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province. "This is likely the largest operation that we've seen this summer," CTV's Steve Chao told Newsnet from Afghanistan on Saturday. "We're told by Canadian commanders that it involves the entire Canadian battle group. It involves tanks, light armoured vehicles, hundreds of infantry soldiers supported by American air power. "We're also told that at the front of the pack is the Afghan army, who has so far taken the brunt of enemy fire." Zhari district is located about 20 to 30 kilometres west of Kandahar city. In September 2006, the Canadian military carried out Operation Medusa in Zhari and Panjwai districts. That operation saw Canadian troops plunged into some of the fiercest combat since the Korean War. Canada's forces prevailed, but Chao said the Afghan police haven't been able to keep the Taliban from returning. "What it seems they're trying to do is regain this ground and then teach the Afghan police how to keep the Taliban out," he said. Afghan police only get about 10 days of training and earn far less than the Taliban. They have poor access to weaponry and no armoured vehicles. "So they've consistently been the target of Taliban attacks in recent months, especially since the Taliban have learned they can't take on NATO forces directly," Chao said. Canadian commanders are only saying the operation has been going on for about 24 hours and could continue for a few days. Training the police will be a longer-term task, he said. Since Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment came to Afghanistan in late July, it has lost three soldiers. All three died in Zhari district, and all three died from roadside blasts. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories Winning and losing the Panjwai Friday, September 7, 2007 | 03:16 AM ET By David Common It was a vicious two weeks. During September 2006, in the place the movement was born, Taliban fighters gathered en masse in the Panjwai Valley, presumably to prepare for an all-out assault on the nearby strategic city of Kandahar. Almost all of Canada's battle group was sent out. Day after day, there were hours and hours of shooting. Canadian soldiers died. Taliban fighters died (though it's never been clear how many). When it was over, NATO claimed victory and suggested insurgent forces were destroyed. Operation Medusa, as it was known, became legendary. The problem is, while the Canadians could fight, they couldn't stay. The troops were needed elsewhere. So the relatively capable, though still small and lightly-armed Afghan National Army took over. But those soldiers also were eventually needed elsewhere in this chaotic land, so they left their corrupt compatriots of the Afghan National Police (ANP) to keep Panjwai and the area stable. However, the ANP is comprised of the former (and current) fighters of warlords, criminal gangs and, sometimes, the Taliban. The police are poorly equipped and while some mean well, many do not. Their salaries go unpaid for months at a time so they shake down the locals for money, thus alienating themselves more. So, it's little surprise that when Taliban fighters started challenging the ANP, the police left. All that was gained in Operation Medusa has now been lost, or is at least in doubt. NATO troops vs. Taliban troops So, why has this happened? I've been coming to this country since May, 2002. I've also attended meetings at NATO Headquarters since the alliance took over the mission. On every visit, the same subject has come up: troop numbers. There are 30,000 soldiers in this country under the banner of the International Security Assistance Force. In Iraq, a country half the size, the U.S. alone has 150,000 troops. The simple fact is this: NATO can seize land rather effectively. But there aren't enough resources to keep it. Almost every NATO nation has been asked to send more, if it can. Some have, Britain notable among them. Some have refused to send more, such as Italy and France (though this may change with a new President). Others, like Germany, have slightly increased their commitments but don't want their troops in combat. (The dilemma is that reconstruction in this country is often challenged, necessitating a combat response. If one country isn't willing to fight, then another country will have to pick up the slack). The Taliban, by contrast, has a seemingly endless supply of fighters. Within a couple of weeks of NATO claiming 50 or 100 insurgent deaths (they don't tend to find bodies, apparently assuming the survivors quickly bury their comrades, according to Islamic tradition), the fighters seem to be replaced. The Taliban’s new tactics Don't, though, expect any more large-scale battles. The Taliban have shifted tactics away from direct confrontations and towards more use of roadside bombs. While the Canadians have the best armoured vehicles in this country, huge amounts of explosives can shred through almost anything. So, the Taliban are using larger and larger amounts - forcing them to use more of their supplies on a single attack. Unfortunately, after three decades of war, there are a lot of unexploded bombs and other materials around Afghanistan for them to use. With such huge amounts of explosives, it is somewhat more difficult to plant the bombs just as a convoy is rolling down the road. Instead, the insurgents choose a well-traveled route and wait, hoping a convoy will go by. The Canadians, and NATO and general, can avoid this by, "changing the way they move," as a commander here told me. In short, that means changing routes as often as possible. And NATO is getting better at finding IED's. While they won't share numbers, the UN does keep a count. More than 500 of them have exploded so far in Afghanistan but nearly 500 have been found before they caused any destruction or death. Sometimes surveillance catches the bomb-planting, and sometimes locals call in with a tip-off. And sometimes, it is the drivers of the convoys themselves who notice something unusual in the road. That, in short, is where we're at. This country has known setbacks and NATO is experiencing many of them. But there are small successes too and considering where Afghanistan was five years ago, those small successes seem much larger. http://www.cbc.ca/news/reportsfromab...e_panjwai.html Last edited by John McGillivray; 08-09-07 at 18:46. |
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Afghan small "a" army
It does'nt cause me any greif to see the Afghan army "bearing the brunt of enemy fire", and being at the "front of the pack". Good for them. Soldiers fighting and dying to bring peace and stability to their own country will earn them a capital "A".
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One Afghan killed, 4 hurt in crash with Canadians
Updated Thu. Sep. 20 2007 9:33 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff An Afghan civilian was killed Wednesday and several others were injured in a road traffic accident involving Canadian troops in Kandahar. Two of the Afghan civilians remained in hospital on Thursday following the accident. The accident happened Wednesday morning as a Canadian combat logistics patrol convoy was travelling back to Kandahar Air Field. The civilian vehicle pulled out to pass as it approached the convoy, then lost control as it attempted to pull back into its own lane, colliding with the convoy. The Canadian vehicle leading the convoy, an armoured RG-31 Nyala, tried to swerve to avoid the civilian vehicle but was unable to avoid a collision, The Canadian Press reports. "ISAF troops immediately secured the scene of the accident, and requested medical assistance when it became apparent that civilians had been injured," said a statement from NATO's International Security Assistance Force. "Three of the civilian wounded were taken to a medical facility at Kandahar Air Field where it was later confirmed that one had died." During the summer, Afghan elders raised safety concerns about military convoys cutting through Kandahar city. Wing Cmdr. Antony McCord, an ISAF spokesman in the region, said great importance is placed on the safety measures surrounding such convoys. "ISAF goes to great lengths to ensure that patrols are conducted safely. This incident is deeply regrettable," McCord said in an ISAF statement. With files from The Canadian Press http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...0920?hub=World |
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Four Canadian soldiers injured by roadside bomb
Updated Sat. Sep. 22 2007 8:00 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff A roadside bomb explosion injured four Canadian soldiers, one seriously, early Saturday in Afghanistan. The blast, which occurred at 12:30 a.m. local time, struck a supply convoy en route from the international base at Kandahar Air Field to Canadian forward operating bases in Kandahar province. Two wounded soldiers and an Afghan interpreter were evacuated by helicopter to the hospital in Kandahar after first being taken to the forward operating base at Ma'sum Ghar -- seven kilometres away from the attack site. Two other injured Canadian soldiers were treated at Ma'sum Ghar and released. Military officials have confirmed that none of the injuries are life-threatening. Taliban insurgents are increasingly using improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, as their weapon of choice. A conservative estimate is that at least one vehicle a week is hit by a roadside bomb, reports The Canadian Press. More often, the IEDs are detected and defused by Canadian troops. Thirty-eight of the 70 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan since 2001 have been killed by roadside bombs. Thousands of Afghans have also been killed by roadside bombs. With files from The Canadian Press http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories Last edited by John McGillivray; 22-09-07 at 14:34. |
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RIP,Corporal...
Sep 25, 2007 07:14 ET
DND: Canadian Soldier Killed in Afghanistan OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 25, 2007) - NOTE TO EDITORS: Photograph of the fallen soldier will be forthcoming shortly on the Combat Camera Website www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca One Canadian soldier was killed and four others were wounded during Operation SADIQ SARBAAZ on September 24 at about 4:30 p.m. Kandahar time. The incident occurred approximately 47 km west of Kandahar City in the Panjwayi District. The identity of the Canadian soldier killed is Corporal Nathan Hornburg, a Reserve soldier from the King's Own Calgary Regiment, based out of Calgary, Alberta. Both helicopters and road ambulances were used to evacuate the casualties to the Multinational Medical Unit at Kandahar Airfield. The wounded soldiers are in stable condition and have contacted their families. Operation SADIQ SARBAAZ (Honest Soldier) is a joint Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and ISAF operation that will set the conditions for a continuous security presence and the establishment of a new police sub-station in the northern part of Panjwayi. For more information, please contact Information: 613-996-2353/54 After hours: 613-792-2973 www.forces.gc.ca
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Alex Blair :remember :support :drunk: |
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RIP, Corporal
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SUNRAY SENDS AND ENDS :remember :support |
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Forwarded to me by one of my KOCR friends:
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Darrell |
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R.I.P.
Aussie soldier confirmed dead in Afghanistan
The Australian Defence Force has confirmed that an Australian soldier has been killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. It is the first time an Australian soldier has been killed in combat while serving in either Afghanistan or Iraq. One other Australian soldier and three children were wounded when an improvised explosive device went off as a NATO convoy passed by in the southern province of Oruzgan. The Defence Department has issued a statement saying the families of the two Australian soldiers have been informed, but personal details will not be released yet. Defence says the wounded soldier was given first aid and evacuated to a nearby medical facility by an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) helicopter. "He is undergoing further treatment. His wounds are serious but are not considered life-threatening," the statement said. "Defence is providing assistance to the families of the two soldiers and will continue to support them through this very difficult time." The head of the ADF, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, is expected to provide further details at a media conference at 6:00am. The last time an Australian soldier died in action in the Middle East was when SAS Sergeant Andrew Russell was killed by an anti-vehicle mine in Afghanistan in 2002. Attacks on the rise Taliban attacks on international forces in the region have been increasing, and the Australian Government has been warning about possible casualties. Last month, two Special Forces soldiers serving in the area were wounded when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, and three troops were wounded in a fire fight with militants. Almost 1,000 Australian soldiers are based at Camp Holland in Oruzgan province, near the town of Tarin Kowt. They are working in partnership with Dutch troops, providing security and helping with reconstruction in communities affected by decades of civil war. Taliban militias occupy large areas of the province and have been involved in heavy clashes with Australian forces in recent weeks. The soldier's death takes to 181 the number of international troops to die in Afghanistan this year, most of them in hostile action. There are 39,500 soldiers with ISAF and about 15,000 with a separate US-led coalition that helped to topple the Taliban from government in late 2001. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...09/2054188.htm |
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From this side of the pond, I offer my condolences on the loss of the Australian Soldier today in Afganistan.
I hope the other casualties injuries are not too severe and he has a speedy recovery. To the families affected, I have only words of sympathy at a time when words are hollow. Sorry.
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http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/vide...ary_day_1.html |
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Is it time to pull out?
The truth about Canada's mission in Afghanistan By MICHAEL DEN TANDT, SUN MEDIA KANDAHAR -- The Afghan war is not one conflict but three -- a guerrilla war, a development war, a communications war. Canada is gaining ground in the first, slowly winning the second and losing the third. The military and the media deserve some measure of blame for this. Mainly though, responsibility falls to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Even as he struggles to sell the Afghan mission to an increasingly uneasy public, his mania for control is stifling the truth about what's happening here. On Friday, Harper announced he has tasked a blue-ribbon team to study Canada's future role in Afghanistan. Led by former Liberal deputy prime minister John Manley, the five-member group will begin by meeting with troops and development workers in Kandahar. The panel is expected to report back in February 2008. The truth of what is happening in Afghanistan is extraordinary: It's a story of courage and grit and idealism that, if more Canadians only knew it, would make them very proud. PLEASE DON'T GO But most don't know it, because the people best positioned to tell it have been gagged. I came back to Afghanistan to find answers to two questions: Is Canada's deployment here still worthwhile, despite the rising toll in lives? And if it is, then why do so many people back home think it isn't? In the past week I've spoken to dozens of Canadian soldiers, non-governmental aid workers, and Afghans, some who are very critical the U.S.-led international effort here, and of the Karzai regime. Their message was clear: Please, Canada, don't go. Our country has an influence and a reputation here that is vastly disproportionate to the number of troops we have on the ground. That's partly because we are spending money -- a great deal of money, $1.2 billion committed over 10 years -- on rebuilding and redevelopment. Your tax dollars are helping pay for a vast national de-mining project, led by Canada but in partnership with the United Nations. Every day on a mountain top in Kabul, Afghans mentored by Canadians carry on the painstaking and dangerous work of removing and destroying the thousands of pieces of unexploded ordnance that litter this country. Canada is the single largest donor, contributing $20 million annually. Your tax dollars are paying for a project that will help 3,000 war widows in Kabul start micro-businesses this year. Often, the aid begins with a single cow or goat. Your tax dollars are paying for the training of a professional Afghan National Army, which is increasingly imposing order in the volatile south. Thirty-four thousand troops are already trained. A thousand new troops a month are graduating from the Afghan National Training Centre in Kabul. Canadians are in the forefront of the training effort. Your tax dollars are paying for 200 small aid projects in Kandahar City, all geared to stimulating local business and trades, and developing a functioning local economy. These efforts are not being carried out on your behalf at arms' length. They're led, supported and protected by a Canadian military that has learned, through half a century of peacekeeping, how to properly and modestly engage with a foreign culture. You may have heard that no one can tell Canadians and Americans apart any longer. In Afghanistan, everyone knows the difference. Canadians are leaders here in the delicate trick of combining military power with aid. Other nations in the 37-member international coalition come to our Provincial Reconstruction Team base in Kandahar City, to study our methods. The PRT, Camp Nathan Smith, is a model, an experiment in a new kind of military engagement: Soldiers, working hand in hand with RCMP officers, diplomats, lawyers, doctors, specialists in governance and foreign aid workers helping the Afghans manage their own affairs, raise their standard of living and establish a functional state. You've heard about the 71 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat who've lost their lives in Afghanistan. You've heard about the CBC journalist and cameraman whose armoured vehicle was blown up by a roadside bomb. What you haven't heard, perhaps, is that the vast majority of the casualties and injuries in this civil war are Afghan. Mentored and supported by Canadian officers. The Afghans are in the forefront of every combat operation in the south and 85% of the casualties treated for war injuries at Kandahar Air Field, the main coalition base in the south, are Afghan army or Afghan police. It follows from this that our deployment here is not an occupation: It's a support mission. But few people back home appreciate this, because nobody's covering the Afghan side of the war. Afghan casualties, even mass casualties, get short shrift. The leading edge of Canada's humanitarian engagement here is the PRT, Camp Nathan Smith. But for reasons that defy explanation, only the soldiers stationed there are allowed to speak publicly about their work. The five officials from foreign affairs, the 10 RCMP officers engaged in training Afghan police, the head of the CIDA mission in the province (with a budget of $39-million this year alone), are not allowed to speak to the media. According to multiple sources here, they have been gagged by the Prime Minister's Office. Figure that one out. The very people who could best spread the word about the good works Canada is carrying out beneath the security umbrella provided by our troops, can't talk about it. This translates into a distorted portrait of the mission at home. The military can't get off scot-free either. The Canadian army's communications resources in Kandahar province are located at the Kandahar Air Field -- the centre of combat operations. Reporters at the airfield are supported by satellite and media tents with sophisticated communications equipment. At the PRT, there's a single media tent. It has no reliable, permanent Internet hookups. There's no satellite for television transmissions. As a result, most reporters choose to stay at the airfield -- where they don't hear a lot about development work, because it's all based at the PRT. The media? We're at fault too. Reporters driven by competition and the demands of editors back home, are hell-bent on covering Canadians in combat. That's a good thing, as far as it goes: Canadians need a public witness to the exercise of lethal force by their representatives abroad. Combat stories are dramatic and gripping and the tales we hear about soldiers at war can inspire and move us the way few other stories can. But the entire mission stands or falls on whether development can succeed. For media to ignore the tangible evidence of progress simply because these stories aren't as dramatic as combat, is beyond belief. Here's why all this matters so much: The Taliban are not fighting a conventional guerrilla war. All their efforts are geared towards forcing Western governments to pull their soldiers out of Afghanistan. DISTORTED VIEW Every suicide bombing and IED attack is about hurting Western troops, but it's even more about causing fear and uncertainty back home. This is why there's such frustration, among soldiers here, about the posturing and chest-beating in Ottawa each time a Canadian dies in combat. Each cluster of front-page stories is, in effect, a tactical victory for the insurgents. What happens if we pull out? Some say it would make no difference. The Americans could easily replace us. But it's not nearly that simple. The Afghans don't trust the Americans. Their approach is different from ours -- much more blunt, less culturally sensitive. Canada has an institutional memory now in Kandahar, won by five years of hard work on the ground. Canada has the aid projects, just now beginning to bear fruit. Canada has credibility with the Afghans, won by our soldiers' willingness to fight and die on their behalf. If we pull out, much of that will be lost. The mission will continue but the setback will be huge and Canada's standing in Afghanistan, and the world, will suffer immeasurably. http://ottawasun.com/News/Afghan/200...76954-sun.html |
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Canadians waging major battle against Taliban
Updated Wed. Oct. 31 2007 4:32 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff Canadian, American, and Afghan troops were engaged in a major battle against the Taliban near Kandahar City on Wednesday. Unconfirmed numbers from the police chief in the region state that more than 50 Taliban fighters have been killed and 50 others wounded. There is no word on Canadian or NATO casualties. But the Canadian Press reported that three Afghan police officers and an Afghan soldier have died in the fighting. The Taliban are believed to have about 300 fighters in the area. The fighting has struck fear in area residents, many of whom are now fleeing to Kandahar City for refuge. Rumors are swirling that more than 1,000 Taliban have come to the region and are attacking refugee camps. "There are a lot of wild stories going on here. Some people say there are 250 Taliban and others say it is 1,500 ... People are worried,'' an unidentified aid worker told the Canadian Press. "The psychological effect on the local population is dramatic,'' she said. The aid worker added she, too, is worried about her friends in the region. CTV's Paul Workman reports the Afghans asked for Canadian help to counter a significant attack by the Taliban, which comes in the wake of the death of a local leader who had been protecting the area. He noted that Canadian military officials say it appears a Taliban offensive, launched earlier in the week, is the most significant in the last month. The latest battle is a troubling development for the international mission in the area, according to Workman. He reported that the Canadian troops are already stretched thin west of the city, and now they're facing a second front. "The reason this area is quite vital is because it opens up another front just North of Khandahar City and in some ways leaves Khandahar vulnerable," Workman told Canada AM. He noted, however, that "the Canadians say that there is no danger of the city itself being overrun." http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories |
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Canadian soldier injured by blast in Afghanistan
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regards Darrell |
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Very different to do Remembrance when you've been there ... and grieve recent losses The young will now understand, like they couldn't before, the faces and feelings of our older Vets who have been through other past wars/conflicts ... and how sad is that? But also how proud to know of these men and women who value others and something, enough to risk their lives for it ... and more than that, the good for all by which the sacrifices happen. Good intentions ... and those intentions are the difference between the good guys and the bad guys ... our soldiers .... men and women, are all "good guys/gals" ... and Remembrance day, I know, hurts a lot closer to home and now for many of them and their loved ones, it's real and it's now ... for the fallen ... there are no words that can express it all, what we think and feel, but any gesture that shows we care and remember, and some of us even know ... is good ... lest we forget
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#411
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Manitoba Fallen soldiers, Afghanistan service, have water places in Manitoba named after them, near Kississing Lake just above/north of Flin Flon ... my Uncle Ed's lake named for him is on Kississing Lake, as are a number of other of Manitoba's fallen soldiers.
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Roadside bomb kills two Canadian soldiers
Updated Sat. Nov. 17 2007 9:38 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff Two Canadian soldiers and their Afghan interpreter are dead after a roadside bomb detonated. Three other Canadian soldiers were wounded in Saturday's incident and were transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The dead have been identified as Cpl. Nicolas Raymond Beauchamp of the 5th Field Ambulance in Valcartier and Pte. Michel Levesque of the Royal 22nd Regiment, popularly known as the Van Doos. Their ages and home towns have not yet been released by the military. The incident occurred in Zhari District, about 40 kilometres west of Kandahar City. The soldiers were north of a Canadian forward operating base near the village of Bhazar-e Panjawaii when the blast occurred shortly after midnight. They were inside a LAV-III armoured vehicle. Today's deaths bring Canada's toll to 73 military personnel and one diplomat since 2002. Canadian troops haven't suffered any fatalities since Sept. 24, when Cpl. Nathan Hornburg died. A mortar shell killed him as he was out on patrol. Retired brigadier general Lew MacKenzie told Newsnet the incident took place more than 12 hours ago. While information is sketchy, MacKenzie said roadside bombs -- more formally known as improvised explosive devices, or IEDs -- work in two main ways: The IED is fired at the vehicle, or is detonated as the vehicle drives over the device. "I must give the forces a lot of credit, because they intercept the vast majority of these things -- some while they're being built, some while they're being set up, and some before they explode," he said. "But regrettably, in a volatile situation, one or two of them every once in a while actually work, and tragedy in this case is it actually did." Zhari has been an active area of operations in recent days, MacKenzie said. That was echoed by Col. Christian Juneau at the Kandahar Air Field. He told reporters that the Taliban were desperate to end their fall combat season on a high note. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories Coroner probing suicide of Quebec soldier wounded in Afghanistan Last Updated: Friday, November 16, 2007 | 10:45 PM ET CBC News A Canadian soldier who lost part of his leg after being wounded in Afghanistan has taken his own life in his Quebec apartment. The Quebec coroner's office is investigating the death of Frederic Couture, who shot himself earlier this week at home in Roxton Pond, Que. Couture was 21 when he stepped on a landmine while on patrol in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar in December 2006. He was the first soldier from CFB Valcartier to be wounded there. Couture's left leg had to be amputated below the knee. But he drew media attention for his positive attitude and determination to move forward despite his injury. In an interview with CBC News in January, Couture appeared optimistic about his future. A Canadian soldier who lost part of his leg after being wounded in Afghanistan has taken his own life in his Quebec apartment. The Quebec coroner's office is investigating the death of Frederic Couture, who shot himself earlier this week at home in Roxton Pond, Que. Couture was 21 when he stepped on a landmine while on patrol in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar in December 2006. He was the first soldier from CFB Valcartier to be wounded there. Couture's left leg had to be amputated below the knee. But he drew media attention for his positive attitude and determination to move forward despite his injury. In an interview with CBC News in January, Couture appeared optimistic about his future. “My life is not finished. I'm going to have a prosthesis," he said. "And all the things that I was doing, I'm going to do it in the future. It's not because I lost a foot that I can't do anything." In his home town of Roxton Pond, neighbors said they were shocked to hear about Couture's death, although some said he appeared to be having a hard time and hadn't left his home in a while. Retired Brigadier General Gaston Cote of the Canadian Forces said Couture seemed to be recovering well both mentally and physically and that help was available. "From what I know about the system, everything was probably done," Cote said. But he said you can't make a person talk about their problems if they don't want to. "So it's difficult to make sure the mental health of our soldiers is up to par." A recent military survey of returned soldiers found that nearly 400 of the 2,700 who had served in Kandahar may have come home with mental health problems. The survey found problems ranged from post-traumatic stress disorder to suicidal tendencies, although high-risk drinking was the predominant problem. Rob Tyler, a former infantry captain and psychotherapist, said soldiers often mask their true feelings. "A lot of these people are having night terrors, wake up sweating as they went back to whatever it was and relived it again," he said. "Flashbacks during the day. A car backfires and to them it sounds like small arms fire." George Dumont, a former soldier recovering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, said many soldiers try to deny their psychological suffering. "We are supposed to be somewhat invulnerable, invincible. And when you come to terms with yourself, realizing you're just a human being like everybody else, it's pretty hard to swallow knowing that all your friends will shun you and put you aside because you are sick." Dumont also said there is little the military could have done to help Couture if he didn't ask for help. Speaking in Quebec City on Friday, Heritage Minister Josée Verner offered her condolences to Couture's family and said the Canadian military offers all possible support to soldiers returning from Afghanistan. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/st...ure-death.html Last edited by John McGillivray; 17-11-07 at 15:47. |
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More From CNEWS..
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SUNRAY SENDS AND ENDS :remember :support |
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Suicide bomber targets Canadian convoy in Panjwaii
Updated Tue. Dec. 11 2007 10:52 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff A suicide car bomber attacked a Canadian convoy in southern Afghanistan today. No Canadians were injured but a teenager and a child were evacuated to a Kandahar hospital, CTV's Murray Oliver reported from Kandahar. The attack occurred around 3 p.m. local time as the convoy was returning to Kandahar Air Field after re-supplying Canadian troops in the field, said Oliver. A man in a grey van parked on the side of the road detonated his explosives as the lead vehicle in the convoy pulled up beside him. "The Canadian vehicle was a Nyala -- which is one of the newest and most impressive Canadian armoured vehicles -- it didn't sustain any damage at all," said Oliver. Normally, Taliban activity quiets down in the winter because it's harder for the Taliban to import explosives via mountain passes from Pakistan, said Oliver. "It's possible that there's going to be a burst of activity just prior to the winter passes being full," said Oliver. "But it's also possible that this is some kind of retaliation for the attacks the Taliban are encountering really throughout southern Afghanistan." Provincial Police Chief Sayed Agha Saqib said the bomber died in the attack. Saqib told The Associated Press that the Taliban also ambushed another convoy of NATO supply trucks on the main highway connecting Kandahar and Herat. The attack provoked a two-hour battle that left five policemen and eight insurgents dead. No NATO casualties have been reported. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...1211?hub=World |
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Remembering our troops this Christmas ... Merry Christmas to all of you so far from home and loved ones!!!
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... just watching BRAVO COMPANY KANDAHAR on History Channel ... watching and listening to some of what our troops are doing and dealing with over there. (The main guy talking sure says EFF/EFFEN a LOT throughout though )
Can only imagine the Christmas over there. |
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More sad news from Kandahar,...RIP.
Canadian soldier killed on patrol in Afghanistan Updated Sun. Dec. 30 2007 11:05 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff An explosion has killed a Canadian soldier out on routine patrol in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province. Four others were wounded in the blast, which occurred about 9:10 a.m. local time on Sunday. The dead soldier has been identified as Gunner Jonathan Dion of the 5th Regiment d'Artillerie legere du Canada, which is based in Valcartier, Que. "The soldiers were carrying out a routine vehicle mounted patrol when the vehicle they were travelling in was hit by an explosion," said an ISAF news release issued Sunday. "They were immediately evacuated for medical care, sadly, one died of wounds inflicted by the explosion." "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the soldier who was killed and those who were injured," Wing Commander Antony McCord, Regional Command South spokesperson, said in the news release. Canada has 2,500 soldiers operating in southern Afghanistan as part of the NATO mission. Dion's is the 74th Canadian soldier to die since 2002. A Canadian diplomat has also been killed. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories |
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Cpl Labbe...RIP...
Jan 07, 2008 00:37 ET
DND: Two Canadian Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan Cpl Eric Labbe was killed January 6, 2008, when his Light Armoured Vehicle rolled over, during a tactical move across difficult terrain. The incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. Kandahar time in Nalgham, in the Zhari District, 40 km South-West of Kandahar City. Cpl Labbé was 31 years old and a member of the 2e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment, based out of Valcartier, Quebec. (MARKETWIRE PHOTO/Department of National Defence) OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 7, 2008) - Two Canadian soldiers were killed at approximately 6:30 p.m. Kandahar time on January 6, when their Light Armoured Vehicle rolled over, during a tactical move across difficult terrain. The incident occurred in Nalgham, in the Zhari District, 40 km South-West of Kandahar City during Operation TENG AZEM (Steadfast Decision), a joint ISAF and Afghan National Security Forces operation, aimed at disrupting insurgent activities in the region and establishing a permanent coalition presence in the area. This incident was not the result of enemy activity. The identity of one of the fallen is: - Cpl Eric Labbe, age 31, 2e Bataillon, Royal 22e Regiment, based out of Valcartier, Quebec. At the request of the family of the second fallen soldier, the name will be withheld until tomorrow morning. NOTE TO EDITORS: Photograph of Cpl Labbe is available upon request at the Media Liaison Office and will be available on the Combat Camera Website (search under last name) at: http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/ in the morning of 7 Jan 08. MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE: http://www.ccnmatthews.com/em/2856
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Alex Blair :remember :support :drunk: |
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RIP
Stand Easy
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.50 Cal Ammo Can |
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God Bless 'em..RIP..
Jan 15, 2008 12:46 ET
Canadian Soldier Killed-One Other Wounded in Afghanistan OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 15, 2008) - At approximately 7:15 a.m. local time (in Kandahar) on January 15th, one Canadian soldier was killed when the armoured vehicle he was in struck a suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED). One Canadian soldier was also injured. The identity of the deceased soldier is Trooper Richard Renaud, 26 years old, of the 12e Regiment blinde du Canada based in Valcartier, Quebec. The incident occurred during a presence patrol in the Arghandab District, approximately 10 km North of Kandahar city. The injured soldier was evacuated to the Multinational Medical Unit at Kandahar Airfield. The injured soldier is in good condition, has notified his family and is expected to be released from the hospital shortly. The thoughts and prayers of the men and women of the Canadian Forces go out to the family and friends of Trooper Renaud. NOTE TO EDITORS: Photograph of the fallen soldier will be forthcoming shortly at: www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca As per normal procedure the identity of the injured soldier will not be released.
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