Canada in Afghanistan

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

KIAs Identified. Girouard was RSM of the 1st Bn RCR. RIP to them both and condolences to their families.

CTV.ca News Staff

Updated: Tue. Nov. 28 2006 7:58 AM ET

Two Canadian soldiers killed in a suicide attack on their military convoy in southern Afghanistan were identified Tuesday.

Chief Warrant Officer Robert Girouard and Cpl. Albert Storm were killed in a suicide bomb attack near Kandahar. Both soldiers were members of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, based in Petawawa, Ontario.

Girouard was from Bathurst, New Brunswick, and Storm was a native of Fort Erie, Ontario.


The soldiers' identities have been released amidst news of another suicide attack against Canadians on Tuesday.


A suicide attack occurred near a Canadian convoy in Panjwaii as a patrol made its way back to the main base, confirmed CTV's Steve Chao in Afghanistan.


One soldier was injured receiving flash burns but his condition is not considered serious.


The vehicle was the same Bison Armoured Carrier that was targeted in Monday's attack that killed Girouard and Storm.


The soldiers on Monday had been helping with reconstruction projects outside Kandahar where heavy clashes had taken place over the past several months.

Chao said the suicide bomber pulled alongside the Canadian convoy in a vehicle and detonated his explosives. The bomber was reported to have been driving a small minivan.

Kandahar province has been relatively calm recently aside from some sporadic fighting.

"There has been talk for a while of a relative peace, and a hope that peace would last through the winter," Chao said Monday. "This obviously has not happened."

"It's also becoming more clear the Taliban is using suicide bombers as a main key tactic to attack NATO forces down here and instill a sense of fear in Kandahar City."

Brig.-Gen. Grant said the most common type of attack by insurgents is either small arms, or rocket-propelled grenades.

So the fact they're resorting to suicide bombings "shows they are desperate right now and they are trying to send a message."

"The professionalism, though, of NATO forces and the Canadians in particular will make sure they carry on with their mission here. We are not deterred by this attack," he added.

For Canada, there have been no fatalities since Sgt. Darcy Tedford and Pte. Blake Williamson died in an ambush west of Kandahar City on Oct. 14.

There are about 2,500 Canadian troops serving in Afghanistan. Including Monday's deaths, 44 have died since 2002, plus one diplomat.

© Copyright 2006 CTV Inc.

A list of the names of our Fallen Soldiers:

Canadian death toll in Afghanistan: 44 soldiers, one diplomat

(CP) - Since 2002, 44 Canadian soldiers and one Canadian diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan. Here is a list of the deaths:

2006

Nov. 27 - Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Girouard, his battalion's regimental sergeant major, and Cpl. Albert Storm, both of the Royal Canadian Regiment based in CFB Petawawa, killed when a suicide car bomber attacked their Bison armoured personnel carrier on the outskirts of Kandahar city.

Oct. 14 - Sgt. Darcy Tedford, based at CFB Petawawa, and Pte. Blake Williamson from Ottawa, killed in ambush west of Kandahar.

Oct. 7 - Trooper Mark Andrew Wilson of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont., killed when his armoured vehicle was hit by a roadside explosion in the Panjwaii district.

Oct. 3 - Sgt. Craig Gillam and Cpl. Robert Mitchell of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont., killed in series of mortar, rocket attacks just west of Kandahar city.

Sept. 29 - Pte. Josh Klukie of First Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, based in Petawawa, Ont., killed by explosion in Panjwaii while on foot patrol.

Sept. 18 - Pte. David Byers, Cpl. Shane Keating and Cpl. Keith Morley, all of 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based in Shilo, Man.; and Cpl. Glen Arnold, 2 Field Ambulance, based in Petawawa, Ont., killed in suicide bicycle bomb attack on foot patrol in Panjwaii.

Sept. 4 - Pte. Mark Graham, who was based at CFB Petawawa, killed when two NATO planes accidentally strafed Canadian troops in the Panjwaii district.

Sept. 3 - Sgt. Shane Stachnik, Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish, Pte. William Cushley and Warrant Officer Richard Francis Nolan, all based at CFB Petawawa, Ont., killed in fighting in Panjwaii district.

Aug. 22 - Cpl. David Braun, who was based at Shilo, Man., killed in a suicide bomb attack in Kandahar City.

Aug. 11 - Cpl. Andrew Eykelenboom, 23, of Comox, B.C., stationed with 1st Field Ambulance, based in Edmonton, killed in suicide attack.

Aug. 9 - Master Cpl. Jeffrey Walsh, 33, of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Man., killed by apparent accidental discharge of rifle.

Aug. 5 - Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt, 31, of Loyal Edmonton Regiment, killed when large truck collided head-on with his G-Wagon patrol vehicle.

Aug. 3 - Cpl. Christopher Reid, 34, of 1st Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, killed by roadside bomb. Three other members of same battalion killed in rocket-propelled grenade attack by Taliban forces west of Kandahar: Sgt. Vaughan Ingram, 35, Cpl. Bryce Keller, 27, and Pte. Kevin Dallaire, 22.

July 22 - Cpl. Francisco Gomez, 44, of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, and Cpl. Jason Warren, 29, of Black Watch, Royal Highland Regiment of Canada, based in Montreal, killed when car packed with explosives rammed their armoured vehicle.

July 9 - Cpl. Anthony Boneca, 21, reservist from Lake Superior Scottish Regiment based in Thunder Bay, Ont., killed in firefight.

May 17 - Capt. Nichola Goddard, artillery officer based in Shilo, Man., with 1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, killed in Taliban ambush during battle in Panjwaii region. She was first Canadian woman to be killed in action while serving in combat role.

April 22 - Cpl. Matthew Dinning of Richmond Hill, Ont., stationed with 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade in Petawawa, Ont., Bombardier Myles Mansell of Victoria, Lieut. William Turner of Toronto, stationed in Edmonton, and Cpl. Randy Payne, born in Lahr, Germany, stationed at CFB Wainright, Alta., all killed when their G-Wagon destroyed by roadside bomb near Gumbad.

March 29 - Pte. Robert Costall of Edmonton, machine-gunner, killed in firefight with Taliban insurgents in Sangin district of Helmand province.

March 2 - Cpl. Paul Davis of Bridgewater, N.S., and Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson of Grande Prairie, Alta., killed when their armoured vehicle ran off road in Kandahar area.

Jan. 15 - Glyn Berry, British-born Canadian diplomat who had served with Foreign Affairs Department since 1977, killed in suicide bombing near Kandahar.

2005

Nov. 24 - Pte. Braun Woodfield, born in Victoria and raised in Eastern Passage, N.S., killed when his armoured vehicle rolled over near Kandahar.

2004

Jan. 27 - Cpl. Jamie Murphy, 26, of Conception Harbour, Nfld., killed in suicide bombing while on patrol near Kabul.

2003

Oct. 2 - Sgt. Robert Short, 42, of Fredericton, and Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger, 29, of Ottawa, killed in roadside bombing southwest of Kabul.

2002

April 17 - Sgt. Marc Leger, 29, of Lancaster, Ont., Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, 24, of Montreal, Pte. Richard Green, 21, of Mill Cove, N.S., and Pte. Nathan Smith, 27, of Tatamagouche, N.S., all killed when U.S. F-16 fighter mistakenly bombed Canadians on pre-dawn training exercise. Eight other Canadians wounded in friendly-fire incident.

A story about a woman nurse who served in Afghanistan

http://www.calgarysun.com/cgi-bin/pu...es&s=lifestyle

City nurse has an eye-opening experience in her role as military reservist
Angel in fatigues
Nadia Moharib
Calgary Sun
November 26, 2006

Tara Sawchuk is one of three nurses from Foothills hospital who works with the Canadian Forces Reserves and served in Afghanistan.


TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS ... Foothills hospital nurse and Canadian Forces reserve Tara Sawchuk is used to the hectic pace of emergency room medicine but found herself in a whole new world during her tour of Afghanistan.

— photo by Kevin Udahl, Calgary Sun


The 38-year-old spent three months treating civilians and soldiers, and in the process, had an experience she will never forget. In February, the ER nurse returns to the military hospital at the Kandahar airfield.

• • • • •

She could barely sleep.

It was Lt. Tara Sawchuk's first nap before her first shift as a reserve nursing officer on the Canadian Forces base in Kandahar.

It was dusty, noisy, uncomfortable and she still had jetlag.

And the anticipation of a rocket attack weighed heavily on her mind as she tried to get to sleep in the stifling heat.

"I was waiting because I knew it was going to come," she said.

And when it did, Sawchuk said it felt "like somebody slugged me in the chest."

"I jumped up and grabbed my boots and shirt thinking I was late for work," she recalled.

"Then I woke up enough to know that was no alarm clock, that was a rocket ... 'Oh my gosh,' put your helmet on and lie on the ground."

Soon, Sawchuk would become all too familiar with the base being rocketed.

But in a country where many don't know their exact ages, only if they were born in the time of the Taliban or the time of the Russians, there was so much foreign territory for her to see.

"I took a pashto phrase book there and was just trying out phrases, saying silly things like 'Excuse me, I think the toilet is backed up,' " she said.

"The interpreters were laughing at me, but many of the patients didn't laugh because they didn't know what a toilet was."

Some had never seen running water, while one man ended up squatting outside rather than realizing he had taken the wrong door on the way to the bathroom.

The culture shock went both ways, Sawchuk said.

One day, she was struck in the chest by an Afghan soldier confused by the sight of a woman at work.

"It was quite a novelty for the Afghan men seeing women running around wearing pants with short hair, telling them what to do," she said.

"The interpreter told me (the patient) slugged me in the chest to know if I was a boy and I told the interpreter if he touched me again I was going to find out if he was a man."

The man was being treated for a chest wound in a military hospital a world away from modern-day conveniences of home but nonetheless a well-oiled machine.

"What I saw clinically, I expected to see,"Sawchuk said.

"It was just the reality of dealing with wounds you only really imagined and had never really seen ... gigantic machine-gun wounds, wounds from mines and bombs ... things you had seen in textbooks, educational and TV shows.

"Real life is very different.

"If they made it to the hospital, we did very well," Sawchuk said.

"It might not have been as slick and pretty as here in Canada, but I was very impressed with how it all worked out."

When a pager went off, it was a team effort on the whole base.

"When Canadians got hurt, soldiers would line up wanting to give blood," Sawchuk said.

"These guys would come in and I'm trying to treat them and they are trying to crane their head to say 'How's my buddy?' 'How's my sergeant?' 'How's my men?' and then they would go into surgery and wake up and say the same thing," she said.

"It was nice to be included in a team where people looked out for each other that much."

Those scenarios buoyed Sawchuk but so did meeting many of the locals.

There was the young girl who screamed in terror the entire time she was given a shower because she'd never had one before and another who didn't know how to hold a pencil and another .

"These people are just at such a disadvantage, but within a week, that little girl could count from zero to 10 in two different languages and could write the figures down," she said.

"What a difference from a little child baffled by a pencil."

She said her time there gives her a much better glimpse of what people in Afghanistan have gone though -- and, on the flip-side, confirmation of how valuable the mission to bring them help actually is.

"They deserve as much help as the world can give,"she said.

"We are so lucky and those four words just don't encompass the reality of what we've got here.

"On our worst day, we've got paradise compared to them."

The sad plight of women was something Sawchuk hopes to see change as the country rebuilds.

And she saw -- with one patient -- that possibility.

"He really, really wanted a photograph of all the staff," she said.

At first they refused, mystified by his request.

But there were touched when they learned why he made it.

"He said he wanted to take them home to show his daughters what women can do in other places in the world," Sawchuk said.

Sawchuk is scheduled to return to Kandahar in February for three months.

[Jon Skagfeld]

Originally posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball
KIAs Identified. Girouard was RSM of the 1st Bn RCR. RIP to them both and condolences to their families.

Why is there not a "no-go" ring painted around our vehicles whilst on convoy/patrol duties?

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!

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

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.

[Jon Skagfeld]

Originally posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball
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.

I disagree with the last part of your last paragraph.

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?

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

This from CTV News:

Canadian tanks deployed in Afghanistan combat
Updated Sat. Dec. 2 2006 12:39 PM ET

Canadian Press

PANJWAII, Afghanistan -- It's the reason they're called "rolling thunder.''

The throaty roar of engines announcing the approach of the squadron of Canadian Leopard tanks could be heard from kilometres away as they emerged from the mist and rain Saturday to back up ground troops in the war-torn Panjwaii district.

The 42-tonne monsters left Kandahar Airfield under the cover of darkness early Saturday morning in the first combat deployment of Canadian tanks since the Korean War.

Hours later they rolled down the streets of the village of Panjwaii in an impressive show of force on their way to the nearby forward operating base, or FOB.

Residents of Panjwaii, hearing the rumble of the metal tracks biting into the concrete, rushed from their homes to watch the biggest display of firepower since their war with the Soviets in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

It also caused excitement at the FOB. Battle weary troops, who have been fighting the Taliban on a regular basis, couldn't contain their glee.

"Merry Christmas to the Taliban,'' said one soldier.

"It's time to open a can of whuppass,'' said another.

The tank crews, members of Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) armoured regiment based in Edmonton, were excited to be finally joining the fight.

"This is definitely going to send a serious message to the Taliban,'' said Trooper Ian MacDougall, 30, of Burlington, Ont.

"Everybody likes the tanks. It's the first combat deployment since Korea. It's pretty interesting to be part of that.''

Military officials will only say the Leopard tanks are there to "augment'' the efforts of the Battle Group in this region, surrounded by mountains, fields of opium poppies and marijuana and a former stronghold of the Taliban.

Moving the tanks through the village was no accident.

"I'm confident the sign of the tanks showing up will represent to the people around here and probably the Taliban as well the resolve of the coalition to bring security to this area,'' said Maj. Trevor Cadieu, 33, of Vernon, B.C., commander of the squadron.

"Introducing the Leopard tank into this theatre will certainly beef up our firepower and protection. We're dealing largely with an insurgent threat that chooses to fight us with small arms and RPGs (rocket propelled grenades).''

"We have that ability to reach out to several kilometres with a 105-millimetre cannon,'' he added.

Trooper Matt Dube, 25, of Montreal said he saw a few smiles on the faces of the residents of Panjwaii and has hopes his squadron will ultimately making a difference in the region.

"It's going to be great because we're really going to help them solve this problem once and for all,'' Dube said with a smile. "I think we will do great here and eventually peace will come back to this region.''

"We're finally going to do our job.''

Cadieu said it's been tough sitting on the sidelines while the fighting was going on in Panjwaii.

"It's been a long journey for this squadron and we've been in Afghanistan now for about a month so these soldiers are extremely motivated to join the fight with the Battle Group and to be able to contribute to any operations here,'' added Cadieu.

"It is historic. The Strathconas have had tanks deployed to Kosovo but it is the first time tanks have been deployed in combat operations since Korea,'' he said.

And while the remains of Soviet tanks still sit rusting in the village and surrounding area, these tanks are suited for the mountainous terrain said the commander.

"The terrain here isn't bad at all for tanks. We just conducted a move over 60 or 70 kilometres. We started this move with the whole squadron, we finished the move with the whole squadron,'' added Cadieu.

Dube said the Taliban won't know what hit them when they eventually go toe-to-toe with the Leopards.

"Nothing on the ground right now can compare to this. This is ten times more powerful than anything on the ground,'' said Dube.

"I mean 25-millimetre guns on LAVs (light armoured vehicles) is the biggest thing we have right now. This is bigger. This is stronger.''

Canada spent C$200 million upgrading the Leopard tanks and improving their armour. It cost $1 million apiece to transport 15 of the tanks, which each have a four-member crew, from their base at Wainwright, Alta., to the Kandahar base.

Good onya, mates!

[John McGillivray]

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

GO SUPERBEASTS !!!



Karmen

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

A pretty cool story.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/War_Terr...654077-cp.html

December 6, 2006

Abundance of youth in Afghanistan mission

By BILL GRAVELAND


MAS'UM GHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - With his clean-cut, boyish looks, Matt Blakewood seems barely old enough to shave, let alone serve as a corporal in the Canadian Forces.

"Actually I haven't shaved for a week," admits Blakewood sheepishly, rubbing what little stubble there is on his chin. Blakewood, 21, from North York, Ont., has heard every joke in the book about his youthful appearance. "The lieutenant is on me all the time, and says, 'One day when you're old enough to join the army, you'll know,' " he chuckles.

Blakewood has been in the reserves since he was 17.

"I would have joined when I was 16 if I could, but because of the co-op program at school you had to be in Grade 11 at the time, so I did it when I was 17," says Blakewood, now working with the Psy Ops (psychological operations) unit of the Canadian Battle Group.

How does one decide to pursue a military career while in high school? It started earlier than that, Blakewood says.

"I just thought it would be something noble to do. When I have kids, they can say, 'My dad's in the military' and they can look at me and respect me . . . hopefully," says Blakewood.

"And I think it was like a childhood thing. I used to watch those black-and-white army movies with my dad and it just seemed like a cool thing to do at the time."

Blakewood drives an RG-31 light armoured vehicle as part of his duties and has been under fire. He eventually hopes to go into a career in law enforcement and has started going to college to obtain his diploma.

The one concern he had in accepting his Afghanistan tour was leaving his two younger sisters and mother at home - especially at Christmas.

"I'm very close to my mom. She's done an incredible job in raising us. I don't talk to my dad very often," he says.

"I feel really bad being away from her at Christmas and it's going to be a hard time for her," Blakewood says, brushing away a tear.

His unit mate, Cpl. Kris Downie, 21, of Hamilton, is a month younger than Blakewood but has been in the forces a year longer.

"I hadn't secured a summer job, to be honest with you, so I went down to the recruiting centre and got all the information I could. I tried to join right there but I was still 15," says Downie.

"When I turned 16, the recruiting officer said 'Happy birthday, you're in the Canadian Army," he recalls.

Downie isn't looking at the military has a permanent career but has learned a lifetime of experience already.

"How many 21-year-olds can say they've been shot at and blown up. It's not that it's a great experience, but it's stories to tell your kids," says Downie, who has completed a law-enforcement course but is considering going back to school.

"Even going out camping - all my civilian friends are complaining about being wet and I say, 'Dude, you have no idea. Try sitting in a swamp for a week straight.' "

A tour in Afghanistan isn't something Downie's parents had expected.

"It was a little white lie," he admits. "I told them I wasn't going to do a tour but when I got to the age when I was a little more on my own, I said, yeah, I am going on this tour."

For Pte. Scott MacDonald of Surrey, B.C., the reason for joining two years ago when he turned 18 was more straight forward.

"My family knew when I joined I wanted to come over here. That's why I joined - I wanted to go over here and I will go back in 2008 if they'll let me," says MacDonald.

"I think it has really opened up Canada's eyes to what our military does and have a better appreciation for our military."

[John McGillivray]

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

A story about one of our Canadian Soldiers from "back home area" who was wounded in Afghanistan.

Fisher Branch pulls stops for injured soldier

By Cindy McKay
Friday December 08, 2006


Klodt may have sustained a serious injury in Afghanistan but his spirit remains high.

Submitted
“I still don’t know what to say,” Bob Schreyer says of the tremendous support the community of Fisher Branch has shown him and his family.
Neighbour and co-worker Brian Karsin, along with colleagues at the Fisher Branch Personal Care Home, are organizing a fundraising social to help Schreyer’s daughter, Deena, and her fiancee Christopher Klodt. The social is set for Sat., Dec. 16.
“They’re pretty brave,” Karsin said of the couple. “Most couples don’t face any kind of challenges that come close to a lot of things these kids are going through.”
In June of this year, Klodt and Deena Schreyer were busy as they just purchased their new home in Brandon. They were expecting a baby and making plans for a wedding. They paid a visit to Fisher Branch on Father’s Day weekend, shortly before Klodt was deployed to finish his tour in Afghanistan.
“Christopher had six weeks left in his tour and two weeks into it, Sat., July 7, the news came that he had been shot. Karen had gone to work and I was out mowing grass. When she got home she couldn’t speak,” Schreyer said of his wife’s reaction.
The Fisher Branch couple drove to Brandon to be with a very pregnant Deena before she flew to a hospital in Germany. The prognosis wasn’t good, as Klodt had been shot in the neck in a battle about 20 km outside of Kandahar, Afghanistan.
“The real story is what happened and the rescue in itself. It’s the stuff movies are made of,” Schreyer said. “The other guys were the real heroes. I still get emotional thinking about it.”
Klodt was the pointman as his team headed into a village, about 20 kilometers outside of Kandahar, where there had been a lot of fighting.

“He was the first man out and remembers the sound of a gun, getting hit and then going down,” Schreyer explained. “Four other soldiers were in the group and one broke cover to grab him. Two more came to help and they continued to fire guns at the Taliban. Their shells landed on Chris, who was being dragged by his comrades, and he has burn marks on several areas of his body.”
Klodt’s injuries were severe. A bullet went through his throat, crippling his esophagus and larynx before lodging in his spine. He is paralyzed from his shoulders down and the doctors believed, at the time of assessment, that he would never breathe without support.
“One of the commanders came in to see Chris, as he was classified as critical for the first three or four days, to thank him. Chris weakly waved the commander off and pointed to the tattoo on his chest which reads ‘Proud Canadian Soldier’,” Schreyer says of his future son-in-law. “He’s an amazing man.”
He was on life support for two months during which time Deena gave birth to their son Johnathan.
A new sense of determination over took the 24-year-old athlete and he used the discipline learned from the military and applied it to his latest mission ... to get as well as he possibly can.
While Klodt still has a five-inch bullet lodged in his neck, he has regained his voice and is progressively gaining more movement in his arms and hands.
He’s being discharged on the 7th of December from a hospital in Hamilton, where his family resides, and will return daily for physiotherapy treatments. The couple is looking forward to returning to Brandon as soon as Chris are able.
Knowing determination will only carry him so far, Klodt is exploring stem cell surgery. It’s a high-risk procedure, with no guarantees.
“It’s elective surgery. The risks are very high and a number of things can happen,” Schreyer says of the procedure. “He might be paralyzed completely, not make it through or it could be successful. They are meeting with the surgeon before they come out.”
Insurance companies are unwilling to cover the procedure and the couple is willing to gamble, no matter what the cost.
“Deena said he’s determined to look after Johnathan,” says Schreyer. “We are blown away by the support shown for Chris. He is not from here but I hope the event will make people aware of all the military families who have relatives enlisted.”
Schreyer said the event offers the community the opportunity to support the soldiers who proudly do their job.
“This event is so much larger than Chris. He’s just the catalyst, as the whole idea is to create more of an awareness campaign for the people in the area,” says Schreyer. “Whether you agree or disagree, we need to support these Canadian men and women. If we don’t, they have nothing to be proud of. They are adamant they are there to do the job and they are proud of what they are doing.”
In the Fisher Branch area alone, he knows of about 12 families who have military connections.
“Some may be deployed. I hope they all get back home safely,” Schreyer concludes.

There is a photo of Christopher Klodt to go with this story about him.
http://www.interlakespectator.com/News/274018.html

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

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.

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.

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

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.

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

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

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

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.

[John McGillivray]

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

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.

[John McGillivray]

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

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.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/War_Terr...736776-cp.html

December 11, 2006

Military barber takes on role of den mother, confidante for Canadian troops

By BILL GRAVELAND

Barber Linda Sylvester, of Sydney, N.S. gives Lieut.-Col. Miguel Pelletier a trim at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. (CP PHOTO/Bill Graveland)
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Linda Sylvester has cut thousands of heads of hair during her career as a barber. Working for the military since 1988, she has also seen the bodies of 27 Canadian soldiers sent home after ramp ceremonies from Kandahar Airfield and provided a soft shoulder to cry on for countless young recruits.

"This is real. It's different. It's scary, but the troops here are making a difference," said Sylvester, a native of Sydney, N.S., who normally works at CFB Gagetown, N.B.

Sylvester's son-in-law is stationed at the forward operating base at Mas'um Ghar in Afghanistan's Panjwaii district. Her daughter is a leading seaman and cook in Shiloh, Man., and her son is a captain also back in Canada.

Sylvester does 15 haircuts an hour, but more importantly serves as a sounding board for many of the soldiers at Kandahar Airfield and some of the forward operating bases she travels to as part of her job.

"They sit there and they're quiet and they don't say too much, and then all of a sudden you're alone and I usually say 'How you doing, bud?" she explained.

"And then sometimes they just start to spill their guts and they'll talk and talk and talk."

Most of the conversation involves their friends being wounded or killed and they need someone to listen.

"They were seeing their buddies being killed, or they were hurt and wanting to go back and scared. They talk to you and get if off their chest," she said.

"Sometimes they cry and so do I. I hug them, talk to them like a mom - I've got kids that age - so they're good kids. Our military is the best."

The barbershop at Kandahar Airfield is a small trailer but a beehive of activity. Although a few of the troops are particular about how their hair looks, most simply go for the simpler approach - a quick job with the clippers. Waiting customers lounge in chairs outside.

Sylvester keeps up a steady stream of banter with her customers and in some ways appears to have taken on the traditional role afforded to bartenders back home in Canada.

But with a zero alcohol rule in effect here, it is the military barber that fills the void, and soldiers share their fears and bad memories.

"The one young fellow said he wasn't doing so good. He watched his buddy walk on a landmine and he broke down. They don't like to tell you the gory, gory stuff and I don't want to hear a lot of it because it just breaks my heart," said Sylvester. But the important thing for her is to keep a happy face for those soldiers coming in for a clip and compassion.

"I'll do my crying when I go home because I know it's going to be tough," she said with a catch in her voice. "I know it is, because I watched 27 bodies leave here and you don't have to know them to feel heartbroken for their families."

Her familiarity with her clients was evidenced as she stood outside the barbershop with a reporter.

"Surely you can't expect to get any intelligent conversation interviewing someone from Cape Breton?" called out a laughing young soldier as he walked by.

Sylvester took the good-natured jibe in stride. She looks forward to seeing all of her customers again in the future.

"When this is over, when I go home and they're all back and they come and do training at Gagetown, they will find me and say, 'Remember me?' And I will."

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

A magnificent story, thank you passing it along.

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

http://dragoons.ca/Regiment/fineday.html

BEWARE!!

It has come to our attention there has been an individual naming himself "Major Mark Andrew Wilson" contacting people for donations on behalf of the Guild of the Royal Canadian Dragoons.

Before giving any money, you should contact the Regimental Second in Command to verify that the person is an official representative of the Dragoon Family. As a family, we would prefer that you only make your donations directly the the Second in Command at our headquarters location.

As a final guide, we do not endorse any telephone or email solicitation.

Please keep us informed of this heinous act.

Thanks again for your concern and continued support,

Jim Follwell
Major
Second in Command
Guild Executive Officer
The Royal Canadian Dragoons

[John McGillivray]

Originally posted by Vets Dottir
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

What a low life!!!

Lets hope that the RCDs catch the SoB and use him to grease the tracks of their tanks.

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

[John McGillivray]

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

[John McGillivray]

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

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

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.

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Two interesting observations marked in bold. Gotta love these guys!

December 18, 2006

NATO papers Taliban

Hardcore militants urged to flee Panjwaii district ahead of Operation Baaz Tsuka

By DOUG BEAZLEY

Pte. Matt Kozakieniez of Burlington and Capt. Ryan Hanna of Brampton leave Mas'um Ghar operating base in their LAV 3 yesterday for operation Baaz Tsuka against the Taliban. (Alex Urosevic, Sun)
Day 2 of Operation Baaz Tsuka, NATO's latest drive to purge southern Afghanistan of the Taliban, began with a bombardment -- a paper one.

At a briefing at Kandahar Airfield yesterday, officials with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan said the alliance had dropped leaflets over the mountainous Panjwaii district west of Kandahar City -- warning hardcore Taliban fighters to flee the area, and urging the less committed to surrender and swear loyalty to the government in Kabul.

"We're going to do as much as possible to avoid getting (civilians) involved in any fighting," said Col. Mike Kampman, NATO chief of staff in southern Afghanistan.

So far, that doesn't seem to be much of an issue. Over the weekend NATO forcessent feelers throughout the Panjwaii district -- once the heartland of Taliban power -- but only made fleeting contact with the enemy.

ANA and NATO forces reported seizing multiple weapons caches throughout the region and delivering aid to civilians "displaced" by the Taliban yesterday.

Lt. Col. Ron Smits, chief of operations for ISAF south, said American forces moving in Panjwaii hadn't engaged the Taliban in large numbers.

"So they may well have responded to our leaflet drops," he said. "The whole operation is going according to plan."

Despite the apparent calm, the Canadian forward operating base at Ma'sum Ghar -- the point of NATO's spear in the region -- was the scene of furious activity the past two days.

Canadian Leopard tanks from the Edmonton's Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) were digging into the hills overlooking the Arghandab River valley. Troops from 2PPCLI out of Manitoba were checking weapons and equipment.

New concrete bunkers were erected around the base. Soldiers stood in groups, happy at the promise of movement.

"Man, I love this stuff," Cpl. Chad Chevrefils said. "We've been waiting here for so long for something to happen. We just want to get out and do our jobs, do what we were trained to do."