#211
|
||||
|
||||
KIAs Identified. Girouard was RSM of the 1st Bn RCR. RIP to them both and condolences to their families.
Quote:
__________________
SUNRAY SENDS AND ENDS :remember :support |
#212
|
|||
|
|||
A list of the names of our Fallen Soldiers:
Quote:
|
#213
|
|||
|
|||
A story about a woman nurse who served in Afghanistan
Quote:
|
#214
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Wouldn't it make sense that the ROE dictate that ANY vehicle closing in on a Canadian vehicle within, say 30 metres, be immediately brought under suppressive fire? Would that not be a successful solution to the regular casualties inflicted by these "suicide bombers"?...I mean, if they can't get close to a vehicle, they can't blow it up! Alloah, Akbar...not!
__________________
PRONTO SENDS |
#215
|
||||
|
||||
This was the RSM and his driver, almost certainly high up in their hatches having just left the base. They were relatively new to Kandahar, so maybe hadn't had time to develop the paranoia necessary in the theatre. Depending on the size of the charge, either blast effects or bits of car might have gotten them anyway, but we'll never know...
Agreed in principle with the 'exclusionary zone', but it would defeat the purpose of being there in the first place to start shooting everybody who looked at you wrong, n'est-ce pas? It's a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't moment.
__________________
SUNRAY SENDS AND ENDS :remember :support |
#216
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Look at the facts...40+ soldiers killed by suicide bombers. Suicide bombers depend on getting close to their intended target in order to wreak their damage. If there were an exclusion zone, none of this bullshit would happen. Let's fully understand that we're dealing with a population mindset going back 2000+ years, of a people who have no concept whatsoever of "fair play" or "Rules of Queensberry", or even the Geneva Conventions. Their ideology is wrapped up the Q'Uran, bolstered by the sharia, augmented by hadith....all foreigh to Western thought processes. (Allah: note to self: Let's pause our jihad for a while, we're running our of virginal houris). I think that I voiced this opinion before...if Alexander the Great, Attilla the Hun, the Crusaders, the Holy Roman Empire, the Brits, the Russians...couldn't contain the muhadjin, who the hell are we, under NATO, to think that we will have any effect in the area?
__________________
PRONTO SENDS |
#217
|
||||
|
||||
The Strathconas Have Deployed...
This from CTV News:
Quote:
__________________
SUNRAY SENDS AND ENDS :remember :support |
#218
|
||||
|
||||
First Shots in Anger!
Cdn tanks fire in battle for 1st time in 50 years
Updated Sun. Dec. 3 2006 12:57 PM ET Associated Press MA'SUM GHAR, Afghanistan -- Canadian tanks fired their cannons in battle for the first time in half a century Sunday, replying to a Taliban rocket attack on their forward operating base. The squadron of Leopard Tanks arrived at the base Saturday, rolling through the nearby village of Panjwaii with an impressive show of force for local citizens and the Taliban. The Taliban obviously noticed. Two rebel rockets landed near the base at twilight Sunday, shattering the relative calm with a loud explosions. Canadian troops responded with two mortar bombs, the flash on the mountain top clearly visible from below in the fading light. Then, at 5:10 p.m. local time, a Canadian tank fired its first shot in combat in five decades. It was followed by a second blast at the Taliban a few moments later, the boom of the 105-millimetre cannon echoing off the rocks. "They know we're here ... (and) we think they're somewhat nervous of us,'' said Cpl. Andrew Baird, 23, of Parry Sound, Ont., who arrived with the squadron on Saturday. "I think it surprised them that we arrived and we're here now and we're here to stay.'' "The Taliban refer to the tanks as the superbeast. They used to refer to the Russian attacks as beasts and we're called the superbeasts now.'' The squadron made little attempt to hide its arrival and a few of the Leopards left on patrol to a local strongpoint early Sunday morning. Their first target was an abandoned grape drying hut with metre-thick mud walls said to have the resiliency of bullet-proof armour. But against the tank guns, the hut never had a chance. A line of Leopards took turns firing rounds at the hut, the sound of the shots surprisingly quiet considering the damage that was being inflicted. The shells punched holes through the mud walls and blew the roof off in a dramatic plume of smoke and dust. Sunday's foray by the tanks was their first into a countryside dotted with marijuana fields and small villages. Canadian casualties have been high here due to attacks by suicide bombers. The arrival of the armoured giants is a morale boost for everyone. "It does bring a few things to the table. The Battle Group is extremely well-equipped and prepared for their mission,'' said Maj. Trevor Cadieu, commander of B-Squadron. "We're here to augment it with increased fire capability. We have the ability to reach out and touch up to several kilometres,'' he added. The initial euphoria brought on by the arrival of the squadron subsided a little Sunday as members of the tank squadron settled into life at the camp and did maintenance on the vehicles after travelling the 70-kilometre route from Kandahar Airfield. "The soldiers are extremely pumped,'' acknowledged Cadieu. "We're looking forward to the challenges that this operation is going to bring to the squadron and to the Battle Group.'' Cadieu declined to disclose the military's plans for the Leopards other than to say they would be "used as required.'' Members of the squadron were relieved to finally arrive in the Panjwaii district after waiting for a month in Kandahar. Cpl. Gerri-Anne Davidson, 24, of Penticton, B.C., a gunner, wasn't quite sure what to expect but knows the tanks arrival will make a difference. "Being out here for the rest of the military that's out here, that's the thing,'' Davidson said. "People would say to me, so when are the tanks going to come out? They were all anxious to have the tanks come out here and give them a hand.'' http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories |
#219
|
|||
|
|||
GO SUPERBEASTS !!!
Karmen |
#220
|
||||
|
||||
A pretty cool story.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/War_Terr...654077-cp.html Quote:
__________________
SUNRAY SENDS AND ENDS :remember :support |
#221
|
||||
|
||||
That sounds all too familiar. My son was 17 when he joined. He is now 19. I was 16 when I joined.
In the current issue of “Maple Leaf” there is an article about Operation Medusa which was conducted by Canadian and NATO troops last September in Afghanistan. Go down to page 18 of the pdf file for the story. http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/communi...1/941_full.pdf |
#222
|
|||
|
|||
A story about one of our Canadian Soldiers from "back home area" who was wounded in Afghanistan.
Quote:
|
#223
|
||||
|
||||
I am speechless.
Someone should write a book chronicaling our wounded like that. They are generally ignored by the MSM in favour of the shock-headlines about our dead. I'm sorry, but this age of 30-second sound bytes pisses me off. THIS is a man. "Proud Canadian Soldier" indeed. Everyone in this country should know about he and his mates. [/rant over] FOR NOW.
__________________
SUNRAY SENDS AND ENDS :remember :support |
#224
|
|||
|
|||
Is it "OK" to post the photograph that goes with the story?
The story is an amazing one, for sure. The things war costs and the amazing people who are paying the price. How can anyone not be proud and grateful, and feel shamed somehow knowing others go through this for the rest of us to benefit whilst we sit with our lives protected by them and us going on as normal. These men and women deserve nothing but the best of everything they need in life for survival, health, and wellbeing, for the REST of their lives, as far as I'm concerned. It's only right and fitting that they reap all the benefits of what they sacrificed to protect and save for us ... for life, and continue serving that role and purpose, always when asked and needed. Their country owes them. Period. That's what I think about people in the services for our Country (any country) especvially so for those who have put their lives on the line, and even more especially so if they sacrificed in their service. Karmen. |
#225
|
||||
|
||||
Well-spoken, K... post the pic, but credit the source at the same time.
As a country, we have forgotten the cost of war, since Korea; our wounded and losses in the "peacekeeping" missions since went covered up by governments not willing to admit the cost of feeling good about themselves. Now it's in our faces and somebody bloody well better figure this out... it's one thing to weep over 30-second clips of a funeral on TV, quite another to ack the suffering of the wounded who in many cases have to spend the rest of their lives in pain. On OUR behalf. Oh man, I'm not having a good day, can you tell? But I mean every damned word I say on this subject.
__________________
SUNRAY SENDS AND ENDS :remember :support |
#226
|
|||
|
|||
Thanks Geoff. I'm uploading the photo here but can only see "submitted" under the photo, with no name for the credit. The photo goes with the story, of course, in the online edition of THE INTERLAKE SPECTATOR. IF this is not okay to post, I will understand if you remove it, or ask me to.
Regards your comments, I've felt that way, and progressively stronger and stronger all the time, since I first started visiting these sites, thanks to Uncle Eddie ... that photo and his memory that haunted me my whole life as a longing to want to know his story. Thank Uncle Eddie for his influence and power to effect people so positively, even from the grave, even almost 63 years later. THAT is what I meant by my comment about him shining eternal light on generations to come. The eternal light of knowledge and understanding is what I meant. His "voice" has been working through me to share the wealth Karmen |
#227
|
|||
|
|||
God, he looks so much younger than my youngest daughter at 23 ... like a younger teenager. I'll pray that he gets everything he needs and recovers a lot of what he lost.
Karmen |
#228
|
||||
|
||||
As said earlier, Karmen, the young men have always paid the price for 'old men's follies'.
BTW, did I ever say that the youngest man in the Canadian Moro River Cemetery in Italy is FIFTEEN YEARS OLD. I've seen his grave. Sure, he lied about his age to be with the lads, but my god... some of ours coming home crippled or dead right now aren't much older.
__________________
SUNRAY SENDS AND ENDS :remember :support |
#229
|
||||
|
||||
Here is a reminder as to why out troops are in Afghanistan. And to think that people like Jack Layton want to give Afghanistan back to the Taliban so that they can once again use soccer fields for public executions.
Taliban gunmen kill 5 family members in attack on teachers in Afghanistan Published: Saturday, December 9, 2006 | 12:20 PM ET Canadian Press GHWANDO, Afghanistan (AP) - Following up on a death threat, Taliban militants broke into a house and fatally shot two teachers and three family members, bringing to 20 the number of educators slain in attacks this year, officials and a relative said Saturday. The Taliban attack on two teachers, sisters living in the same house, happened overnight in a village in the Narang district of eastern Kunar province. After climbing over an outer wall with a ladder, gunmen killed the two teachers, their mother and grandmother and a 20-year-old male relative and wounded a younger male relative, said Dr. Ghaleb, a family relative who, like many Afghans, goes by one name. The sisters had been warned in a letter from the Taliban to quit teaching, said Gulam Ullah Wekar, the provincial education director. It warned the women that their work as teachers went against Islam, and if they continued they would "end up facing the penalty." The Taliban militia, which banned girls from going to school during its rule, opposes any education for females and non-religious education for anyone. So far this year, 20 teachers have been slain in Taliban attacks, said Zuhur Afghan, spokesman for the Education Ministry. He said 198 schools had been burned down. http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/061209/w120923A.html |
#230
|
|||
|
|||
If I could be there to help stop this crap happening to these poor people, I would be. I hate this sort of terrorism over people.
Karmen. |
#231
|
||||
|
||||
Taliban stepping up attacks on Canadian troops
Updated Sun. Dec. 10 2006 1:45 PM ET Associated Press KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- The military's pre-convoy briefing last week said it all. "Gentlemen, be aware of possible IED's (improvised explosive devices) on Highway 1 and Highway 4. And there are officially three less suicide bombers we need to worry about as of today,'' said Sgt. Christopher Murdy, 31, of London, Ont., who was the convoy commander that day. You can make that seven fewer suicide bombers now. The Taliban have stepped up their attacks on Canadian convoys over the past two weeks. As of Thursday there had been seven attacks in the previous 10 days. The first attack, on Nov. 27, came after six weeks of relative quiet and was successful. Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Girouard, 46, of Bathurst, N.B., the regimental sergeant-major, and Cpl. Albert Storm, 36, of Fort Erie, Ont., were in a Bison, an eight-wheeled armoured personnel carrier, when a civilian vehicle drove alongside and detonated explosives. They were the 43rd and 44th Canadian soldiers to die in this country since 2002. The others have been largely failures for the Taliban, although a suicide bomber killed two American civilian contractors across from the Canadian Provincial Reconstruction Team last week. Military officials are hesitant to talk about the reason for the escalation in the Taliban attacks. "Theorizing about why the enemy is employing a certain tactic drifts into the area of intelligence,'' said Capt. Ed Stewart, in turning down an interview request. The public-affairs officer at Kandahar Airfield said there is always an ebb-and-flow when it comes to attacks from the Taliban. "We have high points _ we have low points with regard to frequency,'' said Lt.-Cmdr. Kris Phillips. "On the surface it certainly appears as though there has been an increase in attacks, but I'm not so sure that trend could be verified.'' The increase in Taliban activity doesn't surprise Capt. Jordan Schaub, stationed at the forward operating base at Mas'um Ghar in the Panjwaii District. Schaub told The Canadian Press more than two weeks ago that he expected the Taliban was going to step up their attacks in the next month. "I can expect we're going to have continued attacks from the Taliban just to see how far they can go. I do believe they are going to try and push to at least make a statement,'' he said. "They're probably going to want to push before it gets too cold for them.'' Winter in Afghanistan, with freezing temperatures and snow in some areas, has traditionally signalled a slowdown in Taliban activity. Suicide bombers are being recruited from refugee camps and trained by the Taliban in Pakistan before being sent to continue the war in Afghanistan. There is no cut-and-dried figure on how many suicide bombers will be sent in at any given time, but the recent number in the Kandahar area was believed to be five, according to police intelligence. Three of the bombers were Arab, and the other two from Pakistan. The families of the suicide bombers are paid compensation following their deaths. The payments from the Taliban range from between $C11,500 and $23,000. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...210?hub=Canada |
#232
|
|||
|
|||
Good Morning All,
I just read this todays news story and thought you all would like to read it too. There is a photograph of Barber Linda Sylvester doing a soldiers hair, if you follow the link to the story. Karmen. Quote:
|
#233
|
||||
|
||||
A magnificent story, thank you passing it along.
__________________
SUNRAY SENDS AND ENDS :remember :support |
#234
|
|||
|
|||
Jeezuz ... this one will REALLY upset all of you to learn ... Mark Andrew Wilson was KIA October 7th ...
http://www.dragoons.ca/OnlineBookCon...vigation2.html Quote:
|
#235
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Lets hope that the RCDs catch the SoB and use him to grease the tracks of their tanks. |
#236
|
|||
|
|||
Here is something very moving and inspiring that was done for our Troops away from home right now ... letters from grade 7, and perhaps 8, kids ... scroll down the left side , below the photo of the Soldier, to the link that says "view kids greetings" ... (I hope that link stays accessible long enough for many of you to read it Its sure good to read these letters like this, especially right after the last story I posted about previous to this.
http://www.canoe.ca/CanoeClassic/home.html Karmen |
#237
|
||||
|
||||
NATO troops mass to root out Taliban
Last Updated: Friday, December 15, 2006 | 1:32 PM ET CBC News Armoured columns of NATO troops rolled into the southern Afghan province of Kandahar on Friday to launch a major military operation in the volatile Panjwaii district. The British-led operation, which also includes Canadian, Estonian and Danish troops, is one of the largest operations since Canadian troops led Operation Medusa in September to root out the Taliban in the same district. Operation Falcon's Summit, or Baaz Tsuka in the Afghan language, is intended to build on the success of Operation Medusa with the aim of creating stability so reconstruction projects can begin, NATO said in a news release Friday. The alliance is leading the International Security Assistance Force, a coalition of troops from 37 nations trying to bring peace to Afghanistan. Maj.-Gen. Ton Van Loon, commander of ISAF in the south, said the operation is a "show of unity and strength" and a demonstration by ISAF of its ability to combat and defeat the Taliban. The alliance consulted with tribal elders and district leaders before embarking on the operation, which was planned with the help of Afghan security forces, Van Loon said. "Operation Baaz Tsuka will send a very strong and direct message to the Taliban that the people of Afghanistan want them to leave," he said in the release. "Those people contemplating joining the Taliban should listen to their tribal elders and choose the way of peace, not destruction." Canada has more than 2,000 troops in Afghanistan, with the majority stationed in southern Afghanistan. Canadian military officials in Kandahar declined to comment on the operation. 'Take out the Taliban' CBC's Laurie Graham reported Friday from the Panjwaii district in Kandahar that NATO is enlisting the help of the Afghan National Army and provincial reconstruction teams, which consist of military and civilian members, in the operation. "It's all in an effort to take out the Taliban. The goal is to get into villages and to help the locals take back their towns but in order to do that, they have to take the Taliban out," she said. Graham said the troops are getting ready in Kandahar. "The sky was very busy today, with a lot of choppers flying around. On the ground, troops are very busy, preparing their weapons, adding ammunition. There is a lot of action on the bases in the south. Canada will definitely be a part of this, but the specifics are not to be reported." Troops on the move According to a Reuters news report, hundreds of NATO troops were on the move overnight Thursday, having left their base in nearby Helmand province to set up a camp in the desert north of the Arghindab River valley. The area is said to be a Taliban stronghold. "We're here on an intelligence-led mission against the Taliban," operation commander Lt.-Col. Matt Holmes told Reuters. "You can tell by the size of our presence that we mean business." In recent months, NATO troops have been the target of a number of suicide bombings. On Friday, two separate suicide bomb attacks killed at least one Afghan soldier and wounded seven people, including two Afghan soldiers. In the first incident, a suicide car bomber hit an Afghan and NATO convoy in the eastern province of Paktia, killing an Afghan soldier and injuring five people. In the second incident, a male bomber wearing a burka approached Afghan soldiers on patrol in a market place in the nearby province of Paktika and detonated his explosives, wounding two soldiers. Forty-four Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed since Canada sent troops to the troubled country in early 2002. http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/1...offensive.html |
#238
|
||||
|
||||
Here are two views from Google Earth showing the location of FOB Ma’Sum Ghar where some of Canada’s Leopard C2s are now based.
http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca...e=combatcamera |
#239
|
||||
|
||||
I heard on the news tonight that a Van Doo stepped on a mine today. He's in the process of being medivaced... poor bugger will have lost at least part of one leg, but hopefully his plumbing is intact.
This is gonna stir up shite with the Separatists in Quebec.
__________________
SUNRAY SENDS AND ENDS :remember :support |
#240
|
||||
|
||||
In action again...
Two interesting observations marked in bold. Gotta love these guys!
Quote:
__________________
SUNRAY SENDS AND ENDS :remember :support |
|
|