What The F*&#!?!?

Canadian in U.S. Special Forces wins bravery medal

2011-02-25T09:32:00.001-05:00

OTTAWA — A Canadian who served with U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan is to receive an American bravery medal.

Grant Derrick, a duel Canadian-American citizen, will receive the Silver Star on Friday for his part in a 14-hour battle in Hendon village, an isolated community east of Kabul.

The former Ottawa man, a member of the U.S. army special forces, was part of a raid in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan last spring. The action saw two commandos killed and three badly wounded.

Derrick, a 31-year-old retired staff-sergeant, was a member of Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, based in North Carolina.

A medic who spent most of his life in Canada until joining the U.S. army in 2003, Derrick is credited with saving the life of an Afghan commando shot in the face as the force swept into a Taliban weapons depot May 4.

He was carrying the wounded platoon sergeant — Sami Ullah — through an open patch of ground hoping for a medical evacuation helicopter when Taliban and foreign fighters in the hills above pinned them down.

The Afghan soldier was hit a second time laying on the stretcher and Derrick shielded the man with his own body, treating his wounds, as bullets whizzed around them for more than 20 minutes.

“I knew that he got hit. I could feel the jolt in the litter,” Derrick said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

“I thought to myself, at first, there’s no way this guy got shot again. Poor bastard. He already got shot in the face, now he gets shot again.”

They managed to take cover behind a pile of rocks.

Derrick was hit in the foot before the other commandos rallied to get them out of the open.

The village was surrounded by hundreds of Taliban who dug in to the steep mountains, amid dozens of well-hidden caves and spider holes. They poured down machine gun, AK-47 and sniper fire.

“It was coming down like a heavy rain. I’d never seen anything like it.”

The wounded soldier survived and his rescuers got to the landing zone just as two helicopters took off. The U.S. soldier directing aircraft on the ground, one of Derrick’s colleagues, had to beg for another flight.

A combat search-and-rescue CH-47 Chinook swept in under heavy fire and dropped its ramp, allowing Derrick to get the wounded man aboard.

“Everybody, every one of the guys, deserved a Silver Star that day. I just happened to be lucky enough to get one,” he said.

Two Afghan commandos died that day. Throughout the assault, U.S. helicopters and warplanes pounded the mountain sides in support of the beleaguered force.

Derrick, who left the army on Jan. 31, will receive the Silver Star and a Purple Heart at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Derrick says he considers himself Canadian, despite having fought with the Americans, and that Ottawa is still home because his parents and friends are there.

The Canadian Press

CHRISTMAS AT ORTONA - 1943

2010-12-24T15:04:00.001-05:00

Bill Twatio, National Post · Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010

As Christmas 1943 approached, Canadians read in the newspapers of a fierce battle being fought by their troops in Italy for "a key Adriatic port."

That port was Ortona, a picturesque place dominated by the cathedral of San Tommaso and a castle perched on a cliff overlooking the sea. The town had boasted a pre-war population of 10,000, but few were left by the winter of 1943.

Neither the Germans nor the Allies considered Ortona an important military target. But the more Ortona was defended, the more bitterly it was attacked. As one Canadian military historian put it: "The struggle for Ortona assumed a public relations importance out of all proportion to its military significance."

Since mid-July, the 1st Canadian Division, part of Montgomery's Eighth Army, had been slogging through Sicily and southern Italy, Churchill's "soft underbelly of Europe." "It is going to be one of the greatest marches in history," an enthusiastic civilian in Cairo told the American novelist Irwin Shaw, then a sergeant in Mark Clark's Fifth Army. "A long narrow green country, full of handsome people who have been enslaved for 20 years and now are being liberated and know it. You will be greeted like water in the desert, like a circus on the Fourth of July, like Clark Gable at Vassar."

That was news to the footsore Canadians. It had been very tough going indeed, but they had at least maintained some sense of freedom of movement. Now, as they closed on Ortona, the front became crowded and confined and conditions brought to mind Ypres and the Somme of the First World War.

To reach Ortona, the Canadians had to cross a deep gully to gain the Orsogna-Ortona highway. The Germans would contest every step of the way through a tangled wilderness of wire and vine, mud, ruined farmhouses and mangled trees, reeking with the stench of cordite and decomposing bodies. "What followed was what men dream about in after years, waking in a cold sweat to a surge of gratitude that it was only a dream," Farley Mowat, an officer with the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment wrote. "It was a delirium of sustained violence."

The battle for Ortona itself began on the morning of Dec. 21, 1943, when the Seaforth Highlanders and Loyal Edmonton Regiment moved into the outskirts.

The German paratroopers who held Ortona were determined to keep it. The harbour had been wrecked. Houses were fortified and booby trapped. It became a house-to-house battle of platoons, sections and sub-sections as the troops could not spread out, nor could movement be easily co-ordinated. Covered by Bren guns, two or three men would rush a house, kick in the door and lob grenades.

The Canadians became adept at "mouse-holing," moving under cover from house to house by blasting through the walls. A section might storm its way into a house at the end of a block, clear it to the top, then blow a way through at roof-level into the adjoining house, which it would clear to the bottom. The Germans placed demolition charges beneath the houses in the line of advance, firing them as the Canadians moved in. A platoon of Edmontons was wiped out this way with the exception of a corporal who was pulled out of the ruins after being buried for three days.

A soldier described the battle as "an intimate affair." "You tried a little game," he said. "If it succeeded, your opposite number was dead; if it failed you were dead."

Some companies were soon reduced to a third of their strength as the battle raged through Christmas week. "Four more killing days to Christmas," the troops joked sardonically. "Three more killing days ...."

Christmas Day dawned overcast and cold and the fighting went on. But for the Seaforths there was a brief respite in the ruins of the Church of Santa Maria di Constantinopoli, a Christmas miracle of sorts produced by the regimental quartermaster. Seaforth padre Roy Durnford describes the scene:

"Preparations for Christmas dinner were well advanced when I arrived ... The companies came in rotation ... The men looked tired and drawn, as well they might, and most of those who came directly from the town were dirty and unshaven. 'Well,' I said, 'at last I've got you all in church.' The floor had been cleared and tables set up, and it was a heart-warming sight to see the white table cloths and the chinaware which some of the boys had scrounged from houses we had occupied, and the beer, cigarettes, chocolate bars, nuts, oranges and apples laid out as extras. For the dinner itself, there was soup to start, then roast pork with apple sauce, cauliflower and mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy. Christmas pudding and mince pies for dessert ... Plates were heaped high, as much as any man could eat.

"So the tables filled and emptied and were filled again all day ... What a concert of noise it was! As the sense of relief took hold, the talk became louder, and shouted greetings and jokes were exchanged from one table to another. Up behind the altar, in a ruin of church furnishings, the company cookers hissed and sizzled, and the plates clattered as they were cleared from the tables and piled high on the altar itself ... In one corner, the battle still being in progress, the signal bell would ring urgently and there would be shouted snatches of conversations on the radio sets. Above the din one could hear the chatter of machine-gun fire and the whistling crump of shells landing not far from the church. And through it all the visitors came and went ..."

At each sitting, Padre Durnford held a service with a few short prayers and carol singing. "I have talked with many men in the course of the day, most of them, I'm sure, fearful of what lies ahead, but they are fine men and I know they will give the best that is in them," he said. "My heart grieved to see them turn their faces again to the battle."

Across town, the Germans sheltered in a railway tunnel and sang Silent Night around a Christmas tree decorated with candles.

2010-12-20T15:43:00.001-05:00

Cpl. Steve Martin is shown in a Canadian military handout photo. Cpl. Martin, 24, from 3rd Battalion Royal 22e Regiment, was killed by an improvised explosive device, or IED, while on foot patrol in Afghanistan, early Saturday afternoon, Dec.18, 2010.

CFB TRENTON, ONT.—The remains of a Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan just before his 25th birthday will be brought back home Tuesday.

Cpl. Steve Martin, from 3rd Battalion Royal 22e Regiment, was killed by an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol Saturday.

He was going to turn 25 Monday.

Martin arrived for his second tour shortly after burying his grandfather in his hometown of Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover, about 115 kilometres northeast of Montreal.

Fellow Canadian soldiers bid him farewell Sunday at a ramp ceremony at Kandahar Airfield and the military plane carrying his casket is set to return to Canada on Tuesday.

Dignitaries such as Governor General David Johnston and Defence Minister Peter MacKay are set to attend a repatriation ceremony at 2 p.m. at CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario.

Vets lose tiger in their corner

2010-08-19T10:50:00.001-04:00

By PETER WORHTINGTON,Toronto Sun

Last Updated: August 17, 2010 7:22pm

They appointed him as the first veterans’ ombudsman on Remembrance Day 2007, and they’re firing him on Remembrance Day 2010.

“They” is the Harper government, and the ombudsman whose appointment is not being renewed is retired Colonel Pat Stogran, who commanded the first Battle Group (Princess Pats) to serve in Kandahar in 2002.

So why is this exemplary soldier being bounced, whose dedication to the troops is unquestioned? Good question. The answer: Because he took his terms of reference seriously and fought hard and loudly on behalf of veterans.

When the government announced the role in 2007, it said the ombudsman was to be “an impartial, arms-length and independent officer with the responsibility to assist veterans to pursue their concerns and advance their interests.” Pat Stogran seemed a perfect fit. A field commander, somewhat outspoken, he is on record as observing that government tends to regard wounded veterans as accident victims, which is a cop-out and justification for doing little.

As the watchdog on behalf of veterans he’s been relentless, ruffling the feathers of some by his concern for vets who fall through the cracks, are homeless, whose nature is not to complain, but who may be casualties from their service.

Those wounded in war, be it from physical or mental injuries, are special because they were damaged in the name of the country, and their country (or those who run the country) have an obligation to honour their future well-being.

Authorizing a lump sum payment to wounded vets in Afghanistan of some $250,000 instead of long-term pensions, seems more cop-out by government than a gesture of gratitude.

It’s seen as an abdication of future responsibilities, while supposedly compensating veterans for whatever disabilities they have sustained. In other words, they are on their own. That’s a continuing issue of contention in Canada.

If not, it should be. It worries Stogran.

As a battalion field commander, Stogran had a “warrior” mentality that dictated he look after his men, and do what he could on their behalf. With the Princess Patricias in Afghanistan, he won the regiment the respect of American allies, and Canada an esteem that was often missing during the dog-years of passive peacekeeping.

Our efforts in Afghanistan have vaulted Canada back into the ranks of consequence. Canada and its soldiers are taken seriously. But the government seems to be backing off — and the reluctance of Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) to renew Stogran’s mandate as ombudsman, seems symptomatic of the Canada’s shift away from the military, and Afghanistan.

Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn is hardly a tiger on behalf of vets and is unlikely to defy DND or the PM if they want a noisy advocate like Stogran sidelined and silenced.

If Blackburn were to protest the replacing of Stogran in a manner similar to his protestations when airport security confiscates a bottle of his tequila, perhaps the vets could be assured or a spokesman on their behalf.

To his credit, Stogran is more soldier than politician. A battalion commander is, arguably, the highest rank that thoroughly understands the rank and file.

General officers tend to be more political, with one eye ever-open for promotion. Battalion commanders deal directly with soldiers and the enemy.

Canadian Press says news of Stogran’s dismissal “went off like a bombshell” among veterans. It’s true. Veterans can read the signs and feel how the political wind is blowing. In Ottawa these days, it’s about saving money.

Rudyard Kipling said it best: “It’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ ‘Chuck him out, the Brute!’/ But it’s ‘Saviour of ’is country’ when the guns begin to shoot.” The shooting hasn’t stopped: They got Pat Stogran – and all veterans.

2010-08-16T13:56:00.000-04:00

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Villagers in a key rural district near Kandahar City are "fed up with conflict" and with what they perceive is a standoff between Canadian forces and the Taliban, says Canada's top military commander in Kandahar.

In an exclusive one-on-one interview with Postmedia News, Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance said people in Panjwaii district feel "despondent" over what seems "like a tie every day" between a despotic insurgency and Canadian troops promising to help deliver freedom, resources and good governance.

Keeping to those commitments has been a challenge, acknowledged Vance, commander of Task Force Kandahar.

"We need more forces to hold effectively what we've got," he said, adding that "more are coming" in the weeks ahead. It has been reported that operations in Panjwaii could intensify in September, after the Muslim fasting period of Ramadan.

The Canadian military's focus has already shifted from central and western Panjwaii — where its troops were pulled from hard-won territory last year — to the eastern part of the district that's closer to Kandahar City and to Kandahar Airfield (KAF), the largest ISAF base in southern Afghanistan.

Giving a candid assessment of present conditions in eastern Panjwaii, Vance described an atypical battlescape. He discussed at length a village of 3,000 called Nakhonay, just 15 kilometres west of KAF.

"There are Taliban sympathizers and Taliban in town. We're in town. The Afghan army is in town, the police are in town. So we're all there together, and it's at that point where it feels the worst."

Nakhonay's population is "fed up with conflict," he added. "It doesn't necessarily have any intrinsic trust in government because it hasn't felt government in a very, very long time. Neither good nor malign, (government has) just been absent."

The situation is at a tipping point, he suggested. About 70 per cent of the village has recently been cleared of insurgents. People are now inviting Canadian soldiers into their homes for tea, he said.

What's more, "the lens of the international community is focused a little more tightly on Kandahar than it ever has been," something he finds "gratifying." He gave as an example a recent biannual United Nations report on civilian casualties. It described in stark terms specific atrocities by the Taliban in Kandahar province: an alarming increase in insurgent-directed assassinations and targeted killings, including murders inside mosques and executions of children.

"The insurgency is gradually, more and more, being seen for what it really is," said Vance. "I think people are seeing more clearly what we've known or perceived here for quite some time. Given an opportunity, the insurgency has demonstrated a willingness to kill what we would term as innocents. They don't perceive them as innocents. They perceive them as being on the other side."

According to the UN report, victims include children as young as seven, who are accused by the Taliban of spying and then hanged.

While public perception of Canada's task at hand is important, more vital are resources, especially boots on the ground.

The American troop surge into provincial districts formerly under Canadian command has allowed Vance to concentrate his troops in Panjwaii. Holding the easternmost part of the district must not fail, he said. If it does, the insurgents will be huge step closer to their biggest objective: taking Kandahar City.

"We're trying, we're getting there, the forces are flowing in and we're gradually moving," Vance said in the interview.

Nakhonay and other villages in eastern Panjwaii are just starting to benefit from a reworked ISAF and Afghan formula that's meant to bring security, governance and development to war-impacted communities. The same formula was used under Vance's direction last year in Dand district, which lies directly east of Panjwaii. It is sometimes called the "model village" approach.

Dand "was about to fall" to the Taliban last year, said Vance. Insurgents had toppled Dand's district centre, its point of local government.

Canadians and Afghan counterparts pushed in and began applying the reworked counter-insurgency formula. Security rings went up around villages and population clusters, and infrastructure was rebuilt to facilitate better economic development and governance. Dand's district centre is being restored, with funding from Canada and guidance from Canadian military engineers, and a courthouse has just been built inside the district centre compound.

"They're actually dealing with the finer points of political assembly in Dand right now," said Vance.

Returning civil discourse and stability to Panjwaii remains a bigger challenge.

The district has been central to Canada's military mission in Kandahar since it began. Canadian soldiers prepared for and led Operation Medusa in September 2006, in the district's middle. Medusa was the Canadian military's largest combat operation since the Korean War. During the two-week offensive, 12 Canadians were killed. There were hundreds of Taliban casualties, and their leadership was either killed or left the immediate area.

Canadian and Afghan national security forces then pushed further west in the months that followed, into the so-called Horn of Panjwaii, an insurgency hotbed. But they weren't able to hold the area. In 2008 and 2009, three Canadian-built patrol bases — they were also called strong points and police substations — were dismantled in the Horn of Panjwaii and troops were drawn back.

The area reverted to Taliban control. It remains in their hands. If there is a plan to return to the area, Vance did not mention of it.

"We didn't have enough resources" in western Panjwaii, he explained. The Canadian presence was "too risky. No use. No value. An island of ANSF and ISAF that had a 300-metre patrolling radius, and every time we did one of these river run convoys we risked losses. For what? Nothing."

"It wasn't a very practical military thing to be doing either," he added. "Where you purport to put security in place, if it's so porous that the population has no confidence in you, or in fact you're experiencing that daily tie in the backyards, then you're not seeing it happen . . . you don't put a little pocket of nothing out there. (So) we pulled back."

Canadian military posts in the central part of the district have held but the Taliban are in close proximity; they continue to have success planting IEDs around these small bases, making troop movement dangerous, especially on the ground. Even air transport can be interrupted; last week, a Canadian Chinook helicopter was brought down by small arms fire less than two kilometres from Bazaar y Panjwaii, a village nestled beside a well-established Canadian forward operating base.

The focus is now several kilometres east, and on communities such as Nakhonay. Canadian soldiers arrived in force there last year. The immediate area is now dotted with small Canadian patrol bases. While these are closer to Kandahar Airfield than other Panjwaii installations, the environment is still thick with insurgents.

Securing the area remains a struggle.

"It's not open warfare," said Vance, "but in the last couple weeks we've reinforced, because we're having a real challenge with our own force protection."

The situation is improving. Vance was in the village earlier this week, and said he noticed some "unclenching."

"It's nothing big, but I've got to tell you, I walked into the town, and election posters are up in the town for the parliamentary elections coming up in September. There's actually a couple of posters up, of candidates."

Campaigning didn't happen in Nakhonay during last year's presidential election, he noted. The village was the seat of the Taliban's "shadow" government that issued directives for the province.

"I'm not trying to make more of it than it is," said Vance, "but (the election posters are) indicative of the population's desire. They want security. And they'd rather there not be a tie in their backyard."

bhutchinsonnationalpost.com

2010-07-20T18:06:00.002-04:00

A Canadian soldier, Sapper Brian Collier, was killed by a bomb in Afghanistan today.

Collier was killed while on a foot patrol in the village of Nakhonay, in the eastern part of Panjwaii District.

He had dismounted from his vehicle near Nakhonay, about 15 kilometres west of the city of Kandahar, when he was killed by the improvised explosive device.

Collier, 24, was born in Toronto and raised in Bradford, Ont. He was a member of the 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based at CFB Edmonton and was serving in Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment.

Collier, who was on his first deployment to Afghanistan, was previously injured in a separate IED blast.

"He fought hard to overcome his injury in order to get back to doing his job with his comrades," Brig.-Gen. Jon Vance, commander of Task Force Kandahar, said in a statement.

"Always quick to smile, Brian had an easygoing nature and a great sense of humour. Brian was an enthusiast of fine automobiles, and loved to spend time with his Audi," Vance said.

"Any Canadian who could have seen Brian in action would have been proud of him and proud of our country for the work being done with and for Afghans."

In another statement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper commended Collier's service, and extended condolences to the soldier's family and friends.

"The bravery and remarkable commitment of Canadians like Sapper Collier are bringing safety and stability to the people of Afghanistan," Harper said.

"Every day, their dedication and work protect our interests and values here at home and around the world. Sapper Collier's sacrifice will not be forgotten."

Collier's is the first Canadian death in Afghanistan since June 26, when Master Cpl. Kristal Giesebrecht, 34, and Pte. Andrew Miller, 21, died after the vehicle they were in was struck by an IED.

The latest death brings to 151 the total number of Canadian soldiers who have died as part of the Afghan mission since it began in 2002.

The honour of Capt. Semrau

2010-07-10T14:45:00.002-04:00

Lorne Gunter July 9, 2010 – 7:49 am

Canada doesn’t send monsters into combat. Our soldiers are not bloodthirsty killers eager to “off” as many enemy as possible. They are as intelligent, thoroughly trained and compassionate as any soldiers in the world.

We should be proud of men such as Capt. Robert Semrau — even if it is true, as prosecutors allege, that he killed a fatally wounded Taliban captive on the battlefield to put the man out of his misery.

Were any of us in his boots?

In October 2008, Capt. Semrau had just finished leading men — successfully — through a lengthy ambush in Helmand province, which was at the time the most violent province in Afghanistan. His unit consisted of a handful of Canadians and several Afghan National Army officers and soldiers.

After a brief firefight, a U.S. Army Apache helicopter was called in to clear the Taliban out of the area Capt. Semrau’s troops were patrolling. The gunship blasted an insurgent out of a tree. An Apache fires rounds the size of a man’s thumb, several of which ripped through the enemy combatant, cutting off both his legs. According to eyewitness reports, the man had lost a lot of blood. One Afghan said “there was no blood in his body.”

There was no chance of saving the man, even if a medevac flight could have been arranged to airlift him to a field hospital. In any case, with the ongoing battle, there was no chance a medic and helicopter could reach the site. A man in Capt. Semrau’s position, then, had two options: Leave the man behind in agony or put him out of his misery and move his men along to safety as quickly as possible.

He was responsible for his men’s lives. He was anxious to get them out of harm’s way. Even if he shot the Taliban soldiers — which has not been proven in court — he didn’t snap and perform the action out of spite or revenge.

Would it have been better if he had used the situation as a teaching moment for the benefit of the Afghan soldiers who accompanied him? Sure. According to reports, they were hitting and spitting on the wounded Taliban fighter. They should know not to abuse their prisoners, no matter how detestable their actions. But such lectures are not a realistic option in the heat of battle.

Still, Capt. Semrau is on trial. A four-officer panel will now decide his guilt or innocence. If they find him guilty, he could face a life sentence for murder.

Let’s just hope and pray his judges act honourably — as honourably as Semrau did, even if it is the case that the charges against him are proven in court.

National Post

lgunter@shaw.ca

2010-06-29T11:11:00.001-04:00

The bodies of Canada's latest fallen soldiers in Afghanistan are expected to return home Tuesday afternoon.

Master Cpl. Kristal Giesebrecht, 34, and Pte. Andrew Miller, 21, were killed Saturday when their armoured vehicle was struck by an improved explosive device in Afghanistan's Panjwaii District, about 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City.

The two medics from Canadian Forces Base Petawawa - about 160 kilometres northwest of Ottawa - are the 149th and 150th Canadian soldiers to be killed in Afghanistan since Canada entered combat there in 2002. They were the sixth and seventh medics to die in Afghanistan and the 11th and 12th Canadians to die there in 2010.

Giesebrecht, who was married and leaves behind a stepson, is the third female soldier to die while deployed for Canada in the war-torn nation. She was serving her second tour in Afghanistan.

Miller, who was from Sudbury, Ont., was with 2 Field Ambulance, while Giesebrecht - who called Wallaceburg, Ont., home - was from 1 Canadian Field Hospital. Both units were based in Petawawa.

He is survived by his mother, Wendy Miller, his father, Raymond Ealdama, two sisters, a brother and his girlfriend, Staci Jessup - "his soulmate."

In a statement released Monday, Miller's family said he was "proudly following in his father's footsteps, initially into the military and then by deploying to Afghanistan."

Miller's father, a member of the Greater Sudbury Police Service, served in Afghanistan in 2008 as part of the Canadian Civilian Police training contingent in Kandahar City.

"Andrew believed strongly in the mission and went to Afghanistan knowing he was making a difference for the Afghan people," the statement said. "Andrew loved his job and died upholding his beliefs and values in the service of his country."

Another Canadian soldier was injured in the blast, but was listed in stable condition.

At the time the soldiers were killed, Giesebrecht, Miller and other Canadian troops were responding to a call for help from an Afghan family whose doorway had been rigged by the Taliban with an improvised explosive device.

The repatriation ceremony is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Canadian Forces Base Trenton.

In addition to the families of the two fallen soldiers, Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walt Natynczyk are also expected to attend.

© Copyright (c) CW Media Inc.

2010-06-22T11:51:00.002-04:00

Sgt. James Macneil of Glace Bay, N.S., was killed Monday, July 21, 2010 while on a foot patrol in Nakhoney, 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar.

Macneil was a combat engineer with 2 Combat Engineer Regiment of Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Ont. A 10-year army veteran, the 28-year-old Cape Bretoner was two months into his fourth tour in Afghanistan.

The sapper, who was known to his comrades and friends as "Jimmy," was patrolling with other members of the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group in Panjwaii District, when he was killed by an improvised explosive device -- a homemade landmine.

He is the 148th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan since 2002.

"Insurgent forces use improvised explosive devices to instil fear in the local population and restrict the efforts of those attempting to aid and protect that population," Brig.-Gen. Jon Vance said in announcing Macneil's death near a memorial honouring all those Canadians who have fallen in Afghanistan.

Eight other NATO soldiers were killed in militant attacks and a helicopter crash on Monday, the second deadliest day this year.

Three Australian commandos and a U.S. soldier were killed when their helicopter crashed in southern Kandahar province -- the single worst loss of life for the Australian military in the nearly nine-year Afghan war. It was not known if it was due to hostile fire.

Another U.S. soldier died in an explosion elsewhere in the south, the power base of the Taliban militia that is fighting an increasingly deadly insurgency against Western troops.

Three more American soldiers were killed in other militant attacks, a NATO spokesman said.

2010-06-08T13:19:00.001-04:00

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN – Sgt. Martin Goudreault was looking for a stockpile of insurgent weapons shortly after dawn yesterday when a makeshift bomb detonated, killing him.

On his third tour of Afghanistan, Goudreault would have been more aware than most of the dangers leading such a patrol.

But he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“Sgt. Goudreault died what he loved doing best: leading his section from the front,” Brig.-Gen. Jon Vance, the commander of Task Force Kandahar, told a news conference Monday at Kandahar Airfield.

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

The 35-year-old Goudreault died Sunday after an improvised explosive device went off at 6:30 a.m. near the village of Nakhonay in the Panjwaii district, about 15 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city.

“Insurgents hide their weapons and IEDs amongst the civilian population and soldiers like Martin, both Canadian and Afghan, are working each and every day to find and eliminate these weapons caches,” Vance said.

The native of Sudbury, Ont., known as “Marty” to his friends, was a 15-year veteran of the Canadian Forces and on his fifth overseas deployment when he died. Deployed about a month ago, he was a member of 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based at Canadian Forces Base Edmonton, serving with the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group.

“Recognized early in his career for his leadership, Sgt. Goudreault was a model soldier, someone the soldiers in his section could look up to and emulate,” Vance said.

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

Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed his condolences to Goudreault’s family and friends.

“The lives of the Afghan people are better due to the efforts of Canadians like Sgt. Goudreault who provide security and stability,” Harper said in a statement.

“These are the cornerstones that will allow the country to rebuild and grow into the future.”

Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Goudreault’s death was another example of the daily risks faced by the men and women of the Canadian Forces.

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

The latest death brings to 147 the number of Canadian military personnel who have died since the Afghan mission began in 2002.

It comes less than two weeks after Trooper Larry Rudd of Brantford, Ont., was killed by an IED, also in the Panjwaii district.

Known as the birthplace of the Taliban, the district has been a bloody battleground for Canadian troops since they arrived in Kandahar province in strength four years ago.

Dozens of Canadians have been injured or killed in the restive region, and while villages and towns have been repeatedly cleared, the Taliban has quietly reasserted itself in parts of the area.

IEDs have been the single biggest cause of death among Canadian troops in Afghanistan.

Seven out of nine Canadian deaths this year were the result of an IED blast. In all, 88 of the 147 Canadian fatalities in the eight-year-old Afghan mission came about from IEDs — roadside bombs or some other type of explosive, according to the Department of Defence.

2010-05-25T13:39:00.001-04:00

Trooper Larry Rudd is the latest Canadian soldier to be killed in Afghanistan.

Rudd, 26, died yesterday while on a resupply patrol to deliver supplies and equipment to Canadian soldiers near the village of Salavat, about 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City. He was killed by an improvised explosive device.

A native of Brantford, Ont., Rudd was with the Royal Canadian Dragoons based at CFB Petawawa in Ontario.

Rudd was "a go-to soldier who always put the needs of his family, friends and fellow soldiers before his own," said Col. Simon Hetherington, Deputy Commander of Task Force Kandahar.

Rudd never complained, regardless of the hardships he and his crew endured, and was mature well beyond his rank and experience, demonstrating enormous potential, Hetherington added.

"He was dynamic and motivated; generous and outgoing," Hetherington said. "And despite his intimidating size, he was considered the Gentle Giant within his squadron, within the armoured corps and certainly within his regiment."

He is the 146th member of the Canadian Forces to die in Afghanistan since the current mission began in 2002.

2010-05-23T20:20:00.002-04:00

CFB TRENTON, Ont. - As the C17 Globemaster military aircraft carrying the body of Col. Geoff Parker drew closer on the tarmac, tears flowed down the cheeks of some of the hundreds of onlookers as they pressed up against the fence of the air base to catch a glimpse.

Upon arrival, Parker's wife walked to the hearse with her son and daughter, and placed a tall can of Heineken on her fallen husband's flag-draped casket. The three then said goodbye to the 42-year-old father and husband with a military salute.

Parker, a member of the Royal Canadian Regiment, was killed Tuesday when a massive car bomb hit his convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Canadian military officials said the battalion commander was in Kabul to interact with international organizations, in an effort to prepare his team for their upcoming mission.

Five American soldiers and 12 Afghan civilians were also killed in the explosion.

Parker is the seventh Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan this year and the 145th since the mission started eight years ago. He is also the most senior NATO soldier to die in the conflict.

Among the approximately 300 people who gathered along the fence to witness the repatriation ceremony was Ian Stock, who served with Parker several years ago.

The pair met in 1995, when Parker was a regular support staff officer with the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment in Belleville, Ont.

Stock said the Oakville native, showcased signs of an "excellent officer" throughout all their encounters.

The two men met again a couple of years later when they served in Bosnia.

"Even though I wasn't a close friend, to hear of rising star passing, it just hits everybody," he said. "Close friends or not, we are all a brotherhood."

Five members of the U.S. Army's Fort Drum base in New York State attended the repatriation ceremony to show their support. The Fort Drum's unit lost two of their soldiers during the attack.

Parker was posted to the military's headquarters at Downsview. This fall, he was expected to take up a posting with NATO's Regional Command South.

- With files from Jerome Lessard

Canadian Soldier Killed near Kandahar City

2010-05-14T11:36:00.001-04:00

A Canadian soldier who was two days away from finishing his tour in Afghanistan has been killed by an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol southwest of Kandahar city.

Pte. Kevin McKay, 24, was born in Richmond Hill, Ont. He was a member of the 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton.

McKay was killed around 8 p.m. local time Thursday while on patrol near the village of Nakhonay in the Panjwai District, about 15 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city, military officials said.

Until recently, Taliban insurgents walked the streets in the community openly and armed, CBC journalist Darrow MacIntyre reported. But over the past several months, Canadian soldiers — including McKay — have established a strong presence in the area, driving most of the Taliban out of the area.

Despite the progress, the area is riddled with roadside bombs, and Canadian soldiers find them on an almost daily basis, MacIntyre said.

"His platoon brothers and friends will remember Kevin, better known as Mickey to his buddies, as a dependable and generous man with a quick wit and great sense of humour, which was exemplified by his awesome moustache," said Col. Simon Hetherington, deputy commander of Task Force Kandahar.

"He was a highly skilled soldier who loved his job and whose positive outlook spread to all those around him."

McKay's death brings to 144 the number of Canadian Forces members who have died in the Afghan mission since it began in 2002.

In a statement issued Friday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said McKay served the country valiantly, and "deserves the gratitude and respect of his nation.”

"There are risks to our mission, but the brave men and women of the Canadian Forces are showing leadership, alongside our international partners, in standing up for something that is just: helping the Afghan people achieve peace and stability and rebuild their country and its institutions," Harper said.

Saluting Our Warriors

2010-05-07T11:51:00.002-04:00

Yesterday marked another painful day for Canadians as the body of Petty Officer 2nd Class Craig Blake returned home to Canada.

The 37-year-old father of two is the 143rd member of the Canadian Forces to die during the Afghanistan mission, but the numbers don’t diminish the sadness of this solemn event, or the sympathy we feel for Blake’s grief-stricken family.

Blake was the first Canadian sailor killed in Afghanistan, which lent an element of mourning to ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of Canada’s navy on Tuesday.

The centennial, plus the throngs who turned out in Holland Wednesday to honour and remember the Canadians who liberated their country from the Nazis in 1945, remind us of our nation’s proud history of stepping into the breach when the need arises.

Tomorrow, Saturday May 8, 2010 marks the celebration of VE-Day and 65 years after the end of the Second World War, our men and women in the Armed Forces are still putting their lives at risk for the cause of freedom.

The gratitude expressed by the Dutch people, who were starving and desperate when the Canadians marched in to save the day, is heartwarming.

That conflict, a clearly delineated fight between good and evil, stands in vivid contrast to the more nuanced battle our troops confront in Afghanistan.

Government corruption and a culture of religious oppression and gender discrimination pose a daunting challenge for our soldiers in their quest to bring peace and freedom to the people of that country.

These complexities make it difficult for some Canadians to lend their unwavering support to this mission.

They should try to imagine the plight of innocent Afghans and the impact to reconstruction efforts without the presence of our soldiers — who refuse to abandon the country to chaos and tyranny.

The death of Petty Officer Blake is a reminder of the price paid in blood and tears for this tenaciousness.

Questions may linger in the minds of Canadians about the complicated quest to bring peace to Afghanistan, but the dedication and sacrifice of those who serve there is unassailable.

Through our anguish and frustration, we must never lose sight of that.

Canadian sailor killed in Afghan bomb blast

2010-05-04T13:30:00.001-04:00

Petty Officer Second Class Douglas Craig Blake, 37, was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated. He was on foot around 4:30 p.m. Monday May, 3, 2010 near the Sperwan Ghar base in Panjwaii district.
Photograph by: Handout, Canadian Forces

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — A member of the Canadian Forces has died in a Taliban bomb blast next to Canada's front-line base, bringing to 143 the number of Canadian troops killed in the Afghan war.

Petty Officer Second Class Craig Blake was on foot around 4:30 p.m. Monday near the Sperwan Ghar base in Panjwaii district when an improvised explosive device detonated.

Blake, 37, of Simcoe, Ont., was an explosives-disposal operator, tasked with defusing IEDs. "At the time of his death, he and his team were returning to camp after a successful IED disposal near the village of Paye-e-Maluk," Canadian Forces Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard said Tuesday.

A competing triathlete and peewee hockey coach, Blake was a married father of two. "Craig was a family man who was often heard telling glowing, heartfelt stories about his wife and two sons," Menard said.

Blake arrived in Afghanistan last month for his first tour of duty in the country.

Though Blake was a navy "clearance diver" serving with the Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic in Halifax, "he effortlessly adapted to the rigours of land operations," Menard said, adding that Blake was "incredibly fit, with a backbone of steel."

Blake's fellow troops dubbed him "The Poker Pirate" for his skill in card games, Menard said.

Paye-e-Maluk's compounds begin within 200 metres to the west of the Sperwan Ghar base, 25 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City. Canadian soldiers patrol through the village regularly. Just over a week ago, a group of insurgents was spotted at night laying wire to plant an IED under the road that passes Paye-e-Maluk and leads to Sperwan Ghar, but were interrupted by a salvo of Canadian cannon fire from an armoured vehicle atop the Sperwan Ghar hill. No killed or wounded Taliban were found at the scene. On Thursday, Canadian soldiers and Afghan troops searching compounds in Paye-e-Maluk found a bloody makeshift stretcher.

Insurgents in the area place IEDs that can be triggered by remote control or by the pressure of a footstep or vehicle. Taliban are also increasingly using "directional" IEDs that blast shrapnel out of a concealed spent cannon shell or length of pipe. The Canadian military has not revealed which type of IED killed Blake.

The Canadian Forces did not report whether any soldiers were injured in the explosion that took Blake's life, as per a recently imposed policy of refusing to make public any information about wounded soldiers except in an annual report.

Eighty-seven of the Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan were killed by IEDs.

Most recently, Pte. Tyler William Todd, 26, died April 11 from an IED blast while on foot patrol near the village of Belanday in Dand district near the border with Panjwaii.

Tuesday morning, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean said the death was tragic news for Canadians.

"Petty Officer Second Class Blake, like all of his comrades deployed to Afghanistan, demonstrated extraordinary commitment in providing assistance to the Afghan people and helping in the reconstruction of this devastated country. He offered the best of himself and we salute his tremendous courage, his generous spirit and his commitment to excellence in the line of duty.

"Our thoughts are with his mourning parents, his fellow sailors and his friends. We can only imagine their great suffering and grief. On behalf of all Canadians, we offer them our sincerest condolences," the Governor General said in a news release.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said: "Petty Officer Blake was a brave Canadian who made the ultimate sacrifice while proudly serving his country. Thanks to Canadian Forces members like Petty Officer Blake, we are making progress in Afghanistan in creating a better future for the Afghan people. On behalf of the Canadian people, I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to his family and friends during this difficult time.

"This is a loss for Canada and the Canadian Forces — but it was not in vain. With the help of the international community, Afghans are rebuilding their communities and improving their lives," Harper said in a news release.

"Let us never forget Petty Officer Blake, who died trying to make life better for others."

Another Canadian Soldier Killed in Afghanistan

2010-04-11T18:36:00.001-04:00

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- One Canadian soldier was killed and another injured when a blast from an improvised explosive device hit their foot patrol this morning southwest of Kandahar City.

Pte. Tyler William Todd, 26, a member of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, 1st Battalion, was the 142nd Canadian soldier to die in the Afghan war. He was killed in an area considered vital terrain for NATO's upcoming Kandahar province offensive.

"Tyler was a practical joker: he would often hide rocks and candies in other soldiers' bed spaces," said Canadian Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard. "He never allowed the small things to get to him and was often the rock that other soldiers could depend on. He was a dedicated soldier and excelled in all the positions in which he was employed. His enthusiasm and strong will were inspirational to the platoon."

The injured soldier was taken for medical assistance, but was reportedly conscious and talking after the explosion.

The blast occurred around 7:30 a.m. local time, within what the Canadian Forces consider to be the "ring of stability" around Kandahar City, a densely populated area where Canada is focused on solidifying NATO and Afghan-government control.

Patrols such as Sunday's are part of Canada's effort to prepare for NATO's major Kandahar summer offensive by identifying threats and local needs while putting forward an Afghan-led NATO presence.

NATO's counter-insurgency strategy for southern Afghanistan relies on such tactics to try to counter Taliban influence, and they are intended to reduce the need for fighting during the offensive.

Pte. Todd, born in Kitchener, Ont., and posted in Edmonton, was killed near the village of Belanday, eight kilometres southwest of Kandahar City in Dand district

"The patrol was part of the battle group's effort to learn more about the people of the village and their needs," Brig.-Gen. Menard said.

News of the soldier's death shook those who knew him from his time in Alberta.

"He was a very focused and strong young man who wanted to serve his country," said a tearful Marlene Peters, a relative in Calgary who hosted the young soldier during his summer training stint in Edmonton.

"We were just so proud of him."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered his condolences to family and friends of the dead soldier while expressing hopes for a quick and full recovery for the injured Canadian.

"Canada is grateful for Private Tyler William Todd's sacrifice. We are all saddened by this loss," Mr. Harper said. "The courage demonstrated by the Canadian Forces in this mission speaks to their dedication of creating a better future for the Afghan people. Canada's commitment to this goal is not diminished by this incident."

In a statement, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean offered the family "our most sincere condolences and deepest sympathy" noting the death "occurred just days after a national commemorative ceremony to mark ‘The End of an Era,' during which thousands of Canadians honoured the brave contribution veterans made during the First World War."

Dand district, where the Canadian "model village" of Deh-e-Bagh is located, had been considered relatively safe until four Canadian soldiers and a Calgary Herald journalist working for Canwest News Service were killed by a road bomb there in December. Pte. Todd died very close to the border with Panjwaii district, where many Canadian soldiers have died.

Canadian Lt.-Col. Simon Bernard nine days ago described areas such as Belanday as "key terrain" for the early stages of the offensive, planned to be NATO's largest-ever in Afghanistan.

Pte. Todd's death came 22 days after Cpl. Darren Fitzpatrick, 21, succumbed to wounds suffered on a March 6 foot patrol hit by an improvised explosive device.

Such homemade bombs -- usually booby-trapped munitions or plastic jugs full of fertilizer and diesel oil, have now killed 86 of the 142 Canadian soldiers lost in the war.

East of Kandahar City on Sunday, four people were killed when medics arrived at a site where a Demining Agency for Afghanistan van had been hit by an improvised explosive device, and another IED went off. Mirwais Hospital in the city received 16 wounded, some of them in critical condition, a doctor said. The anti-mine team had been travelling to a mine-clearing site, said Zalmy Ayoubi, spokesman for Kandahar province Gov. Tooryalai Wesa.

In Kandahar City, additional U.S. civilian staff have been brought onto the Canadian Provincial Reconstruction Team to bolster co-operative work on governance and development in Kandahar province as Canada prepares for a military pullout in 2011, and the U.S. is sending thousands of additional troops to southern Afghanistan.

Canwest News Service

Fallen soldiers' parents call for troops to remain in Afghanistan after 2011

2010-04-03T17:15:00.002-04:00

Ethan Baron, Canwest News Service

Published: Saturday, April 03, 2010

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - After an emotional Easter-weekend ceremony to honour nine Canadian soldiers who have fallen in recent years, parents of dead sons called for Canada's troops to remain in Afghanistan after 2011.

While military brass continue to assert Canada's mission has made significant headway toward stabilizing Afghanistan, Prime Minister Stephen Harper repeated as recently as Tuesday that all Canadian troops will leave the war-torn country by the end of next year, to be replaced by diplomatic and aid workers.

"Mr. Harper, you've still got to have security," said Myles Kennedy, whose son, Pte. Kevin Kennedy, was killed on Easter Sunday in 2007.

Withdrawing all the soldiers would "send the wrong message to the world," said Mr. Kennedy, a high-school teacher in northern British Columbia who came to Afghanistan with his wife, Kay, and attended Saturday's ceremony.

"If you look at our history, we always went in with strong moral causes, and we went in to do a job," Mr. Kennedy said.

"Our job will not be complete if [Harper] pulls out the whole group. We have to maintain some type of military presence for security, and . . . to let the world know that we haven't really abandoned this mission."

Other parents among the 18 family members flown here for the ceremony expressed similar views on the withdrawal.

Theresa Charbonneau, whose son, Cpl. Andrew Grenon, died in September 2008, said she wants Canadian troops to stay in Afghanistan to fight the global terrorist threat. Grenon had written a poem that ended with the words, "I fight so my children won't have to," she said.

"One hundred forty-one Canadian lives have been lost. The journalist has been lost. The diplomat has been lost. I don't want their deaths to be in vain," she said. "I don't want to see (Afghanistan) collapse. If by staying longer we can help that not happen . . . I would like to see that."

The parents' statements followed a 45-minute tribute to Grenon, Kennedy, Cpl. Stephen Bouzane, Cpl. Mark McLaren, Sgt. Gregory Kruse, Master Cpl. Scott Vernelli, Sgt. Vaughan Ingram, Cpl. David Braun and Cpl. Aaron Williams.

"It is easy to use words like service and sacrifice," Canadian Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard, commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, said to the family members seated facing the cenotaph outside the Task Force Kandahar headquarters. "As you know, it is quite another thing to live and breathe those words every day.

"Every time we step out on patrol, we know that each and every name on this monument is watching over us. I would like to highlight the effect that your presence has on the men and women in theatre. Your presence gives comfort to them, just as I hope that your time here will give you some comfort as well."

German Troops in Firefight

2010-03-31T16:25:00.002-04:00

This is the first incident I've heard of German troops actually shooting back at the insurgents. Previously the caveats in their ROE required them to get higher command approval to even load their weapons while under fire from enemy combatants.

ISAFMEDIA
March 28, 2010

German troops exchange fire with insurgents during a patrol in Kunduz Province.The International Security Assistance Force(ISAF) is a NATO-led, 44-nation military coalition with Germany securing an...
German troops exchange fire with insurgents during a patrol in Kunduz Province.The International Security Assistance Force(ISAF) is a NATO-led, 44-nation military coalition with Germany securing and pushing forward reconstruction in the northern part of the country. (Courtesy German Ministry of Defence)

82nd Airborne and The ANA

2010-03-26T15:04:00.000-04:00

dvidshub
March 10, 2010

Story about how coalition forces are learning about their Afghan counterparts while living and working with Afghan security forces in the Herat province of Afghanistan and first-person live footage of a convoy of scouts being hit by an improvised explosive device roadside bomb. Provided by American Forces Network Afghanistan.

Marines! Ya Gotta Love 'em

2010-03-19T18:00:00.002-04:00

Corporal Charly Mabry USMC (otherwise known as the 'Strawberry Bars and Bullets"guy) made this video and wrote the following words:

"Not your normal "Mot Video" but this video will make you think twice about the men and women in the Marine Corps. Against GySgt Wallgreens request I recorded his speach in secret..... the result is this awesome video with the last words we heard before boarding helos and heading into the heart of Marjeh. Have you ever wondered how Marines get pumped up? This video will show you how true leaders inspire their Marines to do the unthinkable."

2010-03-17T14:46:00.000-04:00

Eight Imperatives of COIN

2010-03-11T18:46:00.002-05:00

ISAFMEDIA
March 11, 2010

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of the International Security Assistance Force, and the "8 Imperatives of COIN". Part 1 of 8. The other 7 parts are below. I sure would like to know who is in the room for this lecture. I get the impression that even though General McChrystal has established a school in Kabul for commanders to learn these 8 imepratives that they are not putting them in practice. The force that is practising COIN well is the Marines as witnessed in Marjah.

I had a problem with this first part stopping at the 1.54 minute mark which I hope doesn't happen here. If it does all the other parts work and should give anyone who doesn't understand COIN a good lesson in it.

2010-03-11T18:40:00.000-05:00

2010-03-11T18:39:00.000-05:00

2010-03-11T18:31:00.000-05:00

2010-03-11T18:27:00.000-05:00

2010-03-11T18:23:00.000-05:00

2010-03-11T18:20:00.000-05:00

2010-03-11T18:16:00.000-05:00

Farah Village Gets Electricity

2010-03-10T17:19:00.000-05:00

ISAFMEDIA
March 08, 2010
The village of Kadanak receives electricity as part of a broader effort to provide security and stability and create the conditions for reconstruction and development in Afghanistan. Produced by Tech. Sgt. Elicia Summerville for American Forces Network Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Roundtable

2010-03-09T16:44:00.004-05:00

ISAFMEDIA
March 09, 2010

General Stanley McChrystal, International Security Assistance Force commander, and Ambassador Mark Sedwill, NATO Senior Civilian Representative, spoke with reporters Mar. 8 at ISAF headquarters. Gen. McChrystal and Ambassador Sedwill discuss Operation Moshtarak as the effort enters a new phase. Part 1 of 6

(I apologize for cutting General McChrystal in half. That's just the way it turned out.)The remaining 5 parts are below.

2010-03-09T16:42:00.002-05:00

2010-03-09T16:42:00.001-05:00

2010-03-09T16:41:00.001-05:00

2010-03-09T16:39:00.000-05:00

2010-03-09T16:34:00.000-05:00

Traumatic Brain Injuries in the Military

2010-03-09T13:45:00.006-05:00

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is becoming a common wound of modern warfare. It has even been coined the “signature wound” of the War on Terror. While TBI is becoming more prevalent in wartime activity, many service men and women continue to go undiagnosed. Institutions, like Veteran's Affairs Canada and the US Department of Veterans Affairs, are working to make quick and accurate diagnoses in order to prescribe appropriate and effective treatment.

TBI is caused by forced trauma to the head, either by being shaken or hit. The severity of a TBI varies from case to case, but symptoms range from mild concussions to a debilitating state. The majority of TBI’s acquired by military personnel are classified as mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI). Initial symptoms of MTBI consist of loss of consciousness, disorientation, loss of memory, headache, and temporary loss of hearing and vision. They are often partnered with anxiety, irritability, difficulties processing information, limited concentration amongst other problems experienced down the road. While MTBI is most common amongst the men and women of the armed forces, more severe cases of TBI are happening much more frequently and often require the victim to attended specialty rehabilitative nursing centers, like CareMeridian in the United States and support from organizations like Wounded Warriors in Canada .

The most common cause of a TBI in the military is due to blasts. There are three degrees of blast injuries where a TBI is common; Primary (due to blast itself), Secondary (due to objects being propelled by a blast) and Tertiary (due to a collision with a third party object). According to the Veterans Health Initiative, active male members of the military from the ages 18-24 are hospitalized with a TBI at a rate of 231 per 100,000 and females 150 per 100,000. Based on military force projections this would mean that 4,141 military personnel are hospitalized on average each year with a TBI, and these numbers often rise during wartimes.

The best prevention for veterans to avert the long-term effects of a brain injury is to recognize the symptoms of a TBI. Once the symptoms are identified an individual should take basic precautionary measures in order to begin the healing and recovery process until a more specific diagnosis can be made.

Service men and women give so much to protect this country and they deserve to come home to a happy and healthy life. Creating awareness about TBI will help ensure their long term health. By helping our veterans, their friends and their families recognize the early warning signs of a TBI, treatment can be sought as early as possible.

Afghan VP and Senior ISAF Officials Visit Marjah

2010-03-08T16:14:00.001-05:00

The Afghan Second Vice President, Karim Khalili, visited the former Taliban stronghold of Marjah to meet local residents. The town formed the central point of Operation Moshtarak, launched over two weeks ago. It was the biggest operation, involving ISAF and Afghan forces, since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Also in attendance today were Helmand's Governor Mohammed Gulab Mangal, NATO's Senior Civilian Representative Ambassador Mark Sedwill and Commander of ISAF General Stanley McChrystal.

1st battalion 6th Marines in Marjeh Afghanistan

2010-03-08T15:33:00.000-05:00

Video courtesy of Corporal Charly Mabry USMC

Interview With General Stanley McChrystal

2010-03-04T17:26:00.002-05:00

General Stanley McChrystal, Commander of NATO ISAF, talks about his assessment of the condition of Afghanistan. In three parts. The interviewer's voice is hard to hear in parts 2 and 3.

2010-03-04T17:25:00.000-05:00

2010-03-04T17:23:00.000-05:00

Greta Perry Reviews Severe Clear

2010-02-28T19:14:00.006-05:00

“Severe Clear is raw, rough, real, informative and entertaining. These components combined to make for a successful military documentary.”
~Greta “Hooah Wife” Perry~

Read Greta's full review here

Canada's Last WWI Vet Has Died

2010-02-24T16:06:00.004-05:00

John “Jack” Babcock — a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather — died Thursday, February 18,2010 at his home in Spokane Washington, at the incredible age of 109.

The federal government has plans to “properly and respectfully” mark a milestone in history — the death of Canada’s last veteran of the Great War. Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn said Babcock’s passing marks “the sad turning of a page.”

“More than 650,000 brave Canadians and Newfoundlanders served our country in the First World War,” he said in a statement. “Now that their voices have fallen silent, it becomes our duty more than ever to remember them and honour their great sacrifices and their great achievements. We will never forget them.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said that Babcock's death marked the end of an era.

"As a nation, we honour his service and mourn his passing," Harper said in a statement.

"His family mourns the passing of a great man. Canada mourns the passing of the generation that asserted our independence on the world stage and established our international reputation as an unwavering champion of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law."

The government offered the family a state funeral but they respectfully declined. A memorial service for Canada's last known First World War veteran is planned for next Saturday. Memorial services have been set for 2 p.m. Saturday Feb., 27 at Messiah Lutheran Church, Spokane, according to a notice in the Spokane Spokesman-Review.

Babcock had a thick shock of white hair, a hearty laugh and steady hands well after he lived more than a century. He enjoyed daily outdoor strolls and reciting funny poems to his beloved wife Dorothy (“Dot”).

He received his pilot’s licence at 65, didn’t retire until age 89 and earned his high school diploma through correspondence courses at 95.

Afghanistan Day 14

2010-02-22T13:02:00.000-05:00

Canadian Rations

2010-02-22T12:44:00.002-05:00

US Air Force Tech Sergeants Ken Raimondi and Nathan Gallahan are contintuing information opertations for ISAF. Today they focus on food. Check out their complete blogHere.

Hurt Locker: Canadian Style

2010-02-20T17:09:00.002-05:00

US Air Force Tech Sergeants Ken Raimondi and Nathan Gallahan are contintuing information opertations for ISAF. They're getting better at it as they go along. This is the best one yet. They've finally done away with those annoying hard to read written questions. Check out their complete blogHere.

Interview With a Canadian Soldier

2010-02-20T17:01:00.002-05:00

US Air Force Tech Sergeants Ken Raimondi and Nathan Gallahan are contintuing information opertations for ISAF. They're getting better at it as they go along. Check out their complete blogHere.

Leopards in Afghanistan

2010-02-19T11:04:00.003-05:00

US Air Force Tech Sergeants Ken Raimondi and Nathan Gallahan are contintuing information opertations for ISAF. Here they interview women combat Soldiers, a Leopard tank loader and a tank driver at FOB Ma'Sum Ghar, in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.

Building Relations With The ANA

2010-02-18T16:50:00.003-05:00

US Air Force Tech Sergeants Ken Raimondi and Nathan Gallahan are doing information opertations for ISAF. Here they interview a Canadian Captain (who gets seriously tongue tied at one point) and an ANA Major.

Canadian Soldier-US Air Force Nurse

2010-02-17T12:12:00.003-05:00

“A crew from the United States Air Force spent Saturday night and Sunday morning airlifting different groups of wounded soldiers from Kandahar to Camp Bastion to Bagram, back to Kandahar, then back to Bagram, and back to Kandahar. These patients were from Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, and the United States. Here, an Air Force nurse caresses the head of a wounded, unconscious Canadian soldier while whispering into his ear.”

This picture was taken by Michael Yon and posted on his website on February 14, 2010. The following day the nurse wrote on Yon's Facebook page what she was whispering to the wounded Soldier.

"I am very blessed.

As the Critical Care Air Transport Team Nurse in the picture, it is truly my honor to transport these brave men and women here in theater! This brave young man was sedated but arousing, I was telling him who I was, where he was, what injuries he had and where he was going. He calmed right down. He was our team’s 70th critical care patient since being here in theater, truly, I have been blessed many times over this deployment.

God bless
Major “Lucy” Lehker
February 15, 2010”

Operation Moshtarak Day 3

2010-02-15T17:56:00.002-05:00

Marine LT COL Dietz Talks to a CNN reporter about day three of Operation Moshtarak, a military offensive in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Operation Moshtarak. Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs. Video courtesy of DVIDS.

Generals Address Marines and ANA Soldiers

2010-02-13T18:12:00.002-05:00

Marine Expeditionary Brigade - Afghanistan, Commanding General, Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson and Brig. Gen. Mohayedin, addressing Marines of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment and their Afghan National Army Counterparts before major operations in Helmand Province. Includes a brief interview with Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson. Operation Moshtarak, RCS2010. Produced by Cpl. Jennifer Calaway. Video courtesy DVIDS.

About Opertation Moshtarak

2010-02-13T17:48:00.005-05:00

Gen. Stanley McChrystal (US), Commander, ISAF, speaks at a press conference about Operation Moshtarak in Marjah, Afghanistan, where thousands of Afghan and ISAF troops are working to establish government control in the area. Produced by Mel Preen for the NATO channel. Video courtesy of DVIDS.

Strawberry Bars and Bullets

2010-02-12T11:22:00.005-05:00

The US Marines are preparing for the coming attack on the Taliban stronghold in the town of Marjah, in Helmand province Afghanistan. The joint opertaion is called Moshtark, which means together in Dari, and consists of Marines, British forces and the Afghan National Army .

So after packing his gear US Marine Cpl Charly Mabry thought about what his father would think if he could show him the gear he will have to carry around and live out of for "who knows how long". The people in the states for some reason have this idea of Marines sitting on large bases and eating at these nice chow halls.... have you forgot about the Marines with 1/6 who live in the dirt, dont have wireless internet, dont have showers, no phones to call their loved ones? The gear Cpl Mabry shows you in this video is the gear that these Marines lives depend on. Some carry more than others... some carry outstanding amounts of ammo, weapons, and grenades.... tons of weight while trying to fight their way through Afghanistan. This isnt Iraq, this isnt Camp Leatherneck.... the Marines of 1/6 are the most bad ass Marines in Afghan right now... When you watch this... think about how you would live out of a backpack in the mud and cold for weeks on end while carrying a ton of weight.... you think you can do what these guys do?

Hat Tip: Mary Ann of Soldier’s Angels Germany

Almost Through The Door

2010-01-25T15:02:00.004-05:00

This is a song written a while back by th UK band Cormack. They have finally got a clip together for it. Please take the time to watch it and post onto every website, friend and wall you can, then ask them to do the same to support these brave soliders that have and continue to defend......... our way of life despite sacrificing there own. Our goal is to have it viewed by over 1 million. Thanks for the support in advance.

http://www.cormack.co.uk/

An unnecessary trial of a fine Soldier

2010-01-18T15:06:00.002-05:00

Soldier should not be facing charges for killing a wounded enemy

By Peter Worthington: The Toronto Sun

Last Updated: 18th January 2010, 8:19am

When Capt. Robert Semrau’s court martial starts next Monday, it will be the first time in the long history of the Canadian army that a soldier on the battlefield, in a war, faces murder charges for killing a wounded enemy.

In no way should this imply that it’s the first time this has happened.

In every war Canada has fought, things happen on the battlefield that rules and traditions forbid, but which are deemed necessary at the time. Invariably, silence prevails.

Semrau’s patrol of mainly Afghan soldiers, for whom he was a mentor and trainer, was ambushed in October 2008 in the volatile Helmand province. Two months later, he was charged with murdering a gravely wounded Taliban fighter.

When the ambush was broken, two shots were heard and it was presumed the wounded Taliban insurgent was killed. Later Semrau, 35, was charged with second-degree murder, attempted murder (odd, but one supposes this is in case the murder charges collapse). Other charges are “behaving in a disgraceful manner,” and “negligently performing a military duty” — both of which seem absurd, considering Semrau’s exemplary record of three years in the British army (Macedonia and Iraq) before joining the Canadian army in 2005 and serving with the Royal Canadian Regiment in Afghanistan.

It would seem Semrau’s choice on the battlefield that Oct. 19 was either to leave the wounded man to the mercies of Afghan soldiers, or to abort the patrol to attend to the mortally wounded man.

Aborting the patrol would have meant the ambush had succeeded in deterring the patrol. Semrau opted to continue the mission, which was his prime duty.

However the trial in Gatineau, Que., turns out, it is unprecedented and startling.

And in my view, should never be taking place.

Of course, once an official complaint was made, high command really had no choice. The soldier who “informed” on his officer is another story — and I cannot imagine him staying in the army, where I suspect he’s reviled and despised by fellow soldiers.

As one who has been in a war, been on a battlefield, faced a determined enemy, I have some sympathy with Semrau’s situation. As an officer, the responsibility for a quick decision was his alone — and a life-and-death one at that.

My battlefield experiences — apart from those encountered in journalism — involved the Korean war. I suspect I may be the only working journalist in Canada today who has been a platoon commander in a war.

Looking back, I can see myself and other field commanders reacting as Semrau may have reacted. What I would not expect — and cannot even imagine — is men I served with blowing the whistle if I had to make the sort of decision Semrau faced.

I think my reaction is pretty typical of my generation of wartime soldiers.

After D-Day, in the Second World War, Canadian soldiers shot German prisoners in retaliation for the SS summarily executing Canadian prisoners. Nothing was said, nothing done. No remorse. No recriminations. Just silence.

With no body, no identity, perhaps no credible witnesses, no tangible proof, the case against Semrau may founder. A crime may be difficult to prove.

Ironically, former U.S. presidential candidate John Kerry was awarded a Silver Star in Vietnam for killing a wounded enemy who was trying to kill him. If found guilty, Semrau faces prison. Some difference!

As a fine officer and excellent soldier, I hope the army doesn’t lose Saskatchewan-born Robert Semrau.

Canadian Soldier Killed on Foot Patrol

2010-01-17T18:37:00.003-05:00

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- As a piper mournfully skirled Dark Isle and Going Home, Sgt. John Wayne Faught's flag-draped casket was borne by fellow infantrymen Sunday to an air force transport that will return him to Canada one last time.

The sergeant from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., was the first Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan in 2010. He was killed Saturday when a landmine exploded underneath him while he led a foot patrol near the village of Nakhoney, about 15 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City.

The 44-year-old section commander from Delta Company, 1 Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry of Edmonton was on his sixth foreign tour and his third in Afghanistan. He was the 139th Canadian and the 38th Patricia to die in Afghanistan since Canada first sent troops to Afghanistan in 2002.

"He was a leader who led from the front," said Padre Dennis Newhook of Trinity Bay, N.L. Sgt. Faught's troops have lost "an extraordinary friend who died leading and protecting them," he said.

Sgt. Faught is survived by his mother, Donna Marie, in Sault Ste. Marie, a sister in Toronto and a girlfriend in Thunder Bay.

Maj. Wayne Niven said he would remember Sgt. Faught, who served in his company, always chewing on a plug of tobacco and for his exceptional devotion to his young troops.

Before deploying to Afghanistan, Sgt. Faught, who joined the army 23 years ago, had spent a lot of time with each of his soldiers to make sure that their personal affairs were in order.

"He was known for his methodical, disciplined approach to soldiering," Niven said. "He was on point [the first man at the front of a patrol] and would never have handed off to one of his soldiers. That's why we're here today."

1000 Canadian Troops Heading to Haiti

2010-01-17T18:32:00.001-05:00

The federal government announced Sunday that 1,000 french speaking troops from Canadian Forces Base Valcartier in Quebec would start heading to Haiti next week as disaster relief from around the globe poured into the Caribbean country following last week's devastating earthquake.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the troops would take about a week to arrive.

"There's a lot of moving parts. We have equipment going in, we have Canadians going out and we will have these soldiers, beginning early next week, flowing into the country," Mr. MacKay said at a news conference in Ottawa on Sunday morning.

He described the situation in the capital as "grave and fragile" with stress and anger creating security problems.

"There's no doubt the security situation is volatile," he said. "We have Canadian forces that are trained specifically in crowd control."

There was evidence of that instability this weekend.

Reporters for Global National came across the bodies of two men with their hands bound behind their backs. Their limbs had been hacked at by machetes and they had been shot in the head.

People nearby said police had killed the men for being thieves.

The earthquake has left prisons in shambles, allowing some inmates to escape, adding to security concerns in the region.

More than 1,150 Canadians remain missing in the devastated country, and 1,122 have been located since the 7.0-magnitude quake on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs minister Lawrence Cannon confirmed at the same Ottawa news conference Sunday.

Hundreds of Canadians have been flown back to Canada on military aircraft with another plane load arriving on Sunday morning. In total, nearly 600 people have been rescued.

Donate to Haiti Relief Through Rogers or FIDO Text Messaging

2010-01-15T12:50:00.004-05:00

A lot of relief money is being raised for Haiti through social media. The campaign, made viral on networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, had raised $8 million by Friday, in the United States according to a Twitter message from the White House that was reposted on the Red Cross account.

Here in Canada people with Rogers or FIDO phones can also donate directly through a mobile giving campaign which enable customers to donate funds to help the relief efforts in Haiti in the wake of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on January 12, 2010, which has left many parts of the country devastated.

Rogers Wireless and Fido customers are encouraged to help those in Haiti by donating to Partners In Health: Haiti and other Haitian relief organizations. By sending the text message "HELP" to shortcode 1291. Customers can donate $5.00 CDN to the Haitian relief efforts. Rogers is working with The ONEXONE Foundation to facilitate 100 per cent of donations in funds and goods to Partners In Health: Haiti and other Haitian relief organizations.

In conjunction with the text-to-donate campaign and on behalf of its more than 10 million customers across the country, Rogers Communications and The Rogers family together will donate $250,000 in funds and goods to Partners In Health: Haiti and other relief organizations in Haiti.

Marines Interact With Locals in New Territory

2010-01-13T12:29:00.001-05:00

Story by Lance Cpl. Dwight Henderson
Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs

HELMAND PROVINCE , Afghanistan – Laki, a village in Afghanistan, located in the southern portion of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment's area of operation in the Garmsir District of Helmand province has never had a conventional coalition force visit or even walk down its streets.

The Marines and sailors of Weapons Company and Jump Platoon, 2/2, were the first to break this streak as they entered the village and patrolled the streets of Laki Jan. 4-7, 2010, to familiarize themselves with the local populace and to begin providing security in the area.

One such patrol began in the mid morning hours of Jan. 5, as Marines and local members of the Afghan National Army set off with the hopes of meeting with the local village elders of Laki.

Their first stop on the trip across the muddied roads and fields of Laki was at a local physician's office and pharmacy where Navy Lt. Malcolm Brown, the battalion surgeon, met with the doctor to find out what kind of medical equipment and medicine he needed.

The office was a small, white compound located down a road that connected to one of the main roads that went through the village. Surgical equipment sat on a small metal tray next to the front entrance. Off to the side, in a smaller room, the doctor and Brown sat talking to one another about the hospital, what equipment or medicine it may need, and how to get it to Laki.

"I think initially he was nervous with us being there," said Brown. "Fear of the unknown from us and the Taliban a little bit."

Along with the main doctor, the office also employed a doctor who administered injections and female nurses which allowed them to also care for female patients. Having two doctors and a few nurses enabled them to see around 50 patients a day using the provisions provided by their government.

"He seemed well equipped with the exception of not many medications," said Brown. "He seemed pretty satisfied with the process of asking the central government for funding and supplies."

After the meeting with the doctor the Marines set off across the fields of alfalfa, through tight alleyways, and one-lane roads, stopping for anyone who would stop working long enough to talk to them. They eventually ended up in an open area, surrounded by compounds, where a group of men sat drinking tea.

"We're (International Security Assistant Forces) and we're here to ensure that the Taliban are not destroying anyone's way of life," said Capt. Matthew J. Kutilek, the commanding officer of Weapons Company, as he began a short dialogue with the men.

The older men identified themselves as the village elders of Laki and discussed with Kutilek the current security situation in the area and how they could help one another with the searches of the compounds.

With respect to their culture, the elders simply asked that the Marines inform them when the searches would be done so that they could call their farmers in from the fields.

"We are happy about this," said one local elder. "There was 20 to 30 years of conflict in this area. We are happy you are here."

The short conversation brought about positive results as the Marines and elders took the chance to get to know each other.

"The elders here are very strong people with good leadership skills who have the respect of the local populace," said Kutilek. The people here do not support the Taliban. They were just under their control. They don't like the Taliban."

With the hot afternoon sun overhead, the Marines passed through more alleyways and fields and talked to farmers in the fields and groups of men meeting beside the roads.

As they continued their patrol they came across an older man sitting on the road with two of his kids. After speaking to him for a few minutes he informed the Marines of a possible improvised explosive device in the road ahead because of wire he had seen laid and buried across the road.

"We've had multiple people tell us about locations of weapons caches, IEDs, and command wire," said Kutilek. "The people here have been very helpful."

After a thorough search of the surrounding area the Marines located and gathered up the command wire but were unable to find any roadside bombs. However, it showed that the locals had a willingness to help the Marines despite being in an area where Taliban intimidation was expected.

"I believe they see the U.S. as liberators from the oppression of the cowardly foreign Taliban," said Kutilek. "I think most people here desire peace and the Taliban does not offer that; they offer instability."

With one more day done, and one more possible IED found the Marines of Weapons Company will continue to establish a relationship with the Laki locals and continue to work to provide security.

"I think we're well on our way to providing security for this area because the elders have not allowed the Taliban to have a stronghold, which is a welcome surprise," said Kutilek.

Hat tip: Dawn Patrol

Stryker soldiers say commanders failed them by defying Gen McChrystal's orders

2010-01-01T15:54:00.006-05:00

What follows is from the December 30, 2009 issue of the Army Times and it is disheartening to read that US Military commanders are defying GEN McChrystal's COIN doctrine. This is very frustrating because COIN is proven to work and if NATO is going to have any chance to win then COIN must be embraced and practiced. This is a long article but I'm posting it in full.

GEN McChrystal has praised Canadian troops in Afghanistan for embracing population centric COIN. That he is having problems with his own commanders in the U.S. military is very disturbing to say the least. My old friend and COIN trainer Blue writes here about the dificulties he and his team face in getting the word out.

By Sean D. Naylor - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Dec 30, 2009 8:24:16 EST

ARGHANDAB RIVER VALLEY, Afghanistan — The view west from the roof of the Arghandab district center at sunset in mid-autumn is breathtaking, the remaining leaves turning the valley into a sea of green and gold.

But the beauty deceives.

Beneath the branches, the Arghandab’s signature pomegranates lie in rotting piles and the orchards are strewn with booby traps ready to sever a limb or take a life. Gunfire and explosions echo from end to end of the valley’s lush “green zone.” Once known as the breadbasket of Afghanistan, the Arghandab has become a killing field.

Battle has been joined in the valley because of its proximity to Kandahar city, a rich prize two miles to the east across a razor-backed ridgeline. Until this summer, insurgent control of the valley was unchallenged. Then 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, moved in, and the fight was on.

The vicious struggle in and around the Arghandab since the battalion’s arrival has killed 21 1-17 soldiers and more than 50 insurgents, led to a popular company commander’s controversial replacement and raised questions about the best role for Stryker units in Afghanistan.

It has also caused the soldiers at the tip of the spear that the United States hurled into the Arghandab to accuse their battalion and brigade commanders of not following the guidance of senior coalition commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal to adopt a “population-centric” counterinsurgency approach. And now, reeling from the deaths of their comrades and the removal of their company commander, the troops have been ordered out of the Arghandab, a move they say feels like a defeat.

It was July when 1-17 deployed to Afghanistan, and August when the battalion moved into the Arghandab. Within 48 hours, they were in combat with some of the 200 to 300 insurgents in the “green zone” — a 14-mile-by-four-mile patchwork of small fields, orchards and vineyards. The dense foliage and high mud walls offered insurgents ample hiding places for the booby traps the military refers to as improvised explosive devices.

The first 1-17 soldier to die was Spc. Troy Tom, killed Aug. 18 by an IED. The casualties mounted steeply thereafter, climaxing Oct. 27 when seven soldiers and an interpreter died when their Stryker was destroyed by the force of an estimated 1,500 pounds of homemade explosive buried in the banks of the Arghandab River. By early December, the battalion had lost 21 men.

In late November, brigade commander Col. Harry Tunnell decided a change had to be made. He replaced Capt. Joel Kassulke, the commander of 1-17’s Charlie Company, which had taken 12 of the casualties.

But Kassulke’s former soldiers say that not only was he not to blame for the casualties, the 1-17’s problems started much, much earlier.

Mismatched training

The battalion had spent much of the previous two years training for combat, but preparing for the wrong theater — until February, when it got orders for Afghanistan, 1-17 was scheduled to deploy to Iraq.

However, 1-17 soldiers said their training, which had been focused on highly “kinetic” urban warfare drills such as room clearing, did not change much to accommodate the change in mission. “The COIN-intensive fight here … isn’t so much what we trained on,” said 1st Lt. Kevin Turnblom, Charlie Company’s fire support officer.

“We trained [in] urban fighting in Iraq and then they give us Afghanistan,” said Staff Sgt. Jason Hughes, Weapons Squad leader in 1st Platoon, Charlie Company. “The principles are the same but the details are day-and-night different, and we’ve learned that the hard way over the last almost five months.”

In response to e-mailed questions from Army Times to Tunnell, Maj. Brian DeSantis, a spokesman for Regional Command-South, said the Stryker brigade “showed a great understanding of what it would take to operate in a COIN environment by the training they conducted before arrival in Afghanistan.”

Kassulke also defended the pre-deployment training in e-mailed answers to Army Times’ questions, saying it was “as realistic” as could be achieved. “[I]t is hard to say that the training didn’t prepare us,” he said. “We have done a lot of kinetic, enemy-focused missions and the soldiers were definitely trained to do that.”

The 1-17’s soldiers said their train-up was also marked by an absence of good intelligence on what they would be facing in the Arghandab. In their zeal to give their men some insight into their future area of operations, noncommissioned officers such as Staff Sgt. Matthew T. Sanders, 1st Squad leader in Charlie Company’s 1st Platoon, resorted to printing out information on the Arghandab region from the Long War Journal, a respected non-Defense Department Web site, and posting it on bulletin boards.

“We made our own little S-2 because we weren’t getting anything from the S-2 [intelligence directorate],” Sanders said.

Nasty surprises

When 1-17 got to the Arghandab, the insurgents were lying in wait in the green zone, armed with homemade bombs similar to those that have killed thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. This came as a shock to 1-17 commander Lt. Col. Jonathan Neumann, who hadn’t anticipated being drawn into a fight in such constrictive terrain, where the troops learned quickly that they needed to dismount from their Strykers and patrol on foot.

“What we didn’t understand is really where the enemy was making his push against Kandahar city,” he said. “We did expect more of an open desert fight.”

The IEDs also came as a huge surprise to Neumann and most of his soldiers, who said they’d been told to expect that the major threat would come from direct fire. This, despite the fact that during the first six months of 2009, as the brigade was training up, more than twice as many U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan died from IED strikes than were killed in gunfights.

As the casualties from IEDs began to rise, so did the troops’ anger with what they viewed as their leaders’ failure to prepare them for the threat.

“The extent of the IED threat was a surprise to us all,” Kassulke said. “The enemy we faced in the Arghandab adapted to our TTPs [tactics, techniques and procedures] faster and more effectively than anyone expected.”

RC-South spokesman DeSantis said that 1-17 had conducted “extensive leader training” and “comprehensive” lane training on IEDs before deployment. Once the extent of the threat became clear after arriving in Afghanistan, the brigade pursued innovative training and “intelligence employment” to counter it, he said.

As a result, the brigade has not lost a soldier in more than a month, while the percentage of IEDs that are found and cleared rather than struck has improved from 41 percent in August to 63 percent so far in December, he said.

Failing on the big picture

In command briefings and interviews, 5/2 Stryker Brigade leaders are keen to give the impression that the unit has fully embraced the tenets of counterinsurgency doctrine. There is much discussion of the governance, reconstruction and development fusion cell headed by Lt. Col. Patrick Gaydon, the brigade special troops battalion commander.

“We think that mission is so important that we devoted his battalion staff to be the fusion cell leads,” Tunnell said. “He and his kids have done a superb job,” leading to the creation of a database of village elders, government leaders and similar figures, he said.

But lower down the rank structure, 1-17 soldiers said that a major factor behind the battalion’s difficulties in the Arghandab was the failure of their battalion and brigade commanders to adhere to McChrystal’s published counterinsurgency guidance, which states up front: “Protecting the people is the mission. The conflict will not be won by destroying the enemy.”

Soldiers in 1-17 say that while the battalion’s junior leaders have embraced these principles, Neumann and Tunnell — whose brigade’s motto is “Strike — Destroy” — have not. “There’s definitely a disconnect between the platoon and company level and the battalion and brigade level,” said a Charlie Company soldier in a leadership position, who requested he remain anonymous.

“McChrystal’s guidance is very clear on its population focus,” said another junior leader.

But 1-17 soldiers thought that focus was missing from their operations. “When we first started operations, we were told we were going to stay enemy-focused,” said Capt. Jon Burton, an assistant fire support officer who is also 1-17’s civil-military and information operations officer co-located with Charlie Company. “That came from brigade.”

“That has absolutely been the message that’s been delivered from higher,” agreed Turnblom, the Charlie Company fire support officer.

When the brigade deployed to Afghanistan, Tunnell announced his intention to pursue a “counter-guerrilla” campaign. Most observers perceived a conflict between Tunnell’s approach and McChrystal’s population-centric counterinsurgency campaign.

But Tunnell said that his approach was drawn straight from Army Field Manual 90-8, Counterguerrilla Operations (last updated in 1986), and that it was complementary to, not competitive with counterinsurgency. However, he added, the “counter-guerrilla” concept “is misunderstood. ... That’s why we don’t use the term anymore.”

Brenda Donnell, spokeswoman for the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Ga., said FM 90-8 had been superseded by FM 3-24.2, Tactics in Counterinsurgency. “It’s not supposed to be used anymore,” she said of the counter-guerrilla manual.

Tunnell, who was badly wounded as a battalion commander in Iraq in 2003, was adamant that the situation in the Arghandab lent itself to the counter-guerrilla approach.

“Here in the green zone ... they’re hard-core guerrillas,” Tunnell said. “They form and they operate in teams and squads, and they mass into platoons very quickly. So I think you can’t ignore that. We haven’t seen any $10-a-day Taliban here.”

He outlined how he intended his approach to work. “[W]hen it comes to the enemy, you have leadership, supply chains and formations. And you’ve really got to tackle all three of those,” Tunnell said. “I was wounded as a battalion commander and they had a perfectly capable battalion commander in to replace me very quickly; our supply lines were interdicted with ambushes and they never stopped us from getting any resources, but when you degrade a formation substantially, that will stop operations. And then if you degrade formations, supply chains and leadership near simultaneously, you’ll cause the enemy in the area to collapse, and that is what we’re trying to do here.”

Asked if this was an enemy-centric approach, Tunnell replied: “The enemy informs how you gain access to the population. You cannot ignore it. We were taking horrible casualties trying to gain access to the population, and we knew that we needed to get to the population, and so if we didn’t conduct the types of operations that we’re conducting throughout the brigade’s area ... we wouldn’t be able to get to the population. So you can’t separate the two.”

Tunnell’s counter-guerrilla vision has driven his brigade’s missions, particularly in 1-17’s area of operations. “We definitely haven’t been COIN-focused in the Arghandab, we’ve been counter-guerrilla focused,” Burton said.

The perceived disconnect between Tunnell’s approach and McChrystal’s guidance has led to intense frustration in Charlie Company. One young soldier said all the squad leaders in his platoon “have done COIN fights before, and they’re pissed that we’re not doing COIN properly.”

Clearing operations

What has particularly angered soldiers here is the series of brigade-level clearing operations through the Arghandab ordered by Tunnell to cement his troops’ hold over the Arghandab and particularly the green zone, where the bulk of the population live, according to Tunnell.

“That’s one of the challenges of a population-centric strategy: you have to go to where the population is,” he said.

One operation, Opportunity Hold, at the end of August, “was a unique opportunity to mass resources and go right to the hold” phase of counterinsurgency doctrine’s “clear, hold and build” model, Tunnell said. “So we did that and seized initial key terrain, mainly on the periphery.”

Sustain Hold was aimed at getting 1-17 deeper into the green zone and establishing platoon-level patrol bases, he said.

The most recent operation, Focus Hold, which began in late November, focused on the green zone’s southeastern section. “It’s really one of the final approaches to Kandahar city,” Tunnell said, adding that Focus Hold’s operational goal was “to dislocate the enemy so they don’t want to continue operations.”

But while the logic behind the operations is clear to Tunnell, it is less so at the company level.

”We have done absolutely nothing as a company to improve the quality of life for the average Afghan living in the central Arghandab Valley,” Sanders said. “What we’re doing is not working, and we need to go on a different tack.” Asked what that tack should be, Sanders replied: “Basic counter-insurgency — give them a better option than Islamic extremism.”

That is the prevalent view in Charlie Company.

“The ‘clear, hold, build’ thing that we’re supposed to be doing ... we’re not doing that,” Hughes said. “If any commander in this brigade goes to sleep at night thinking after we’ve walked through that orchard over there that it’s clear, he’s a f------ idiot.”

Hughes added a comment that could have been taken straight from McChrystal’s guidance: “The non-kinetic side of the house is what wins counterinsurgency, not attrition.”

Frustration has bred a cynical humor at the Joint District Coordination Center where Charlie Company has made its home. A quote posted on the wall of the company’s command post and attributed to the first sergeant, Charles Burrow, reads: “Apparently COIN stands for Clearing Operations in November.” Burrow declined to be interviewed for this story.

Trying to do both

Among the young leaders who chafed against the “counter-guerrilla” approach was then-Charlie Company commander Kassulke, described by a subordinates as “a really smart, really knowledgeable guy” who “was the company commander that everybody in the battalion wanted to work for.”

“He made no dice about the fact that he was openly trying to conduct a more counterinsurgency fight,” Turnblom said, adding that Kassulke was trying to nest population-focused missions inside the enemy-focused operations imposed by Neumann and Tunnell.

“We were working to bring some security to the region, and that meant that we went to the areas where the enemy was,” Kassulke said in an e-mail. “We still did all we could to effectively engage the population before, during and after all of our operations.”

But soldiers who worked closely with Kassulke said he harbored deep misgivings about the enemy-centric focus of the missions he was ordered to conduct. Those doubts, along with his determination to do what he thought was right, brought him into conflict with his battalion and brigade commanders, his soldiers said.

In one instance, the point of friction was a quote from McChrystal’s counterinsurgency guidance posted on the wall of Kassulke’s command post. It read: “Sporadically moving into an area for a few hours or even a few days solely to search for the enemy and then leave does little good, and may do much harm. The local insurgents hide in plain sight and the people remain ambivalent. Once we depart, the militants re-emerge and life under insurgent control resumes.”

In the context of Charlie Company’s experience, the McChrystal quote seemed right on point. But when Neumann saw the quote during a visit to the JDCC, he told the battalion operations officer to direct Kassulke to take it down.

”I had them take it down to not get ahead of ourselves,” Neumann said in an e-mail to Army Times.

“The quote was deliberately put up to make a point, probably one I was out of my lane to make,” said Kassulke. “I knew that the quote would be a point of contention when I put it up.”

Kassulke said the incident was “not even a big deal at all,” but to his soldiers, the fact that their battalion commander was ordering the removal of a quote from McChrystal emphasizing the population-centric approach to counterinsurgency summed up the apparent disconnect between the company-grade leadership and their higher chain of command.

‘Backbone’ of Charlie Company

In early November, Tunnell visited the JDCC. According to soldiers who were there, he asked Kassulke if he had any concerns about the upcoming Focus Hold operation. According to Turnblom, Kassulke “expressed reservations about the idea of undertaking another brigade-level offensive operation.”

A few days later, Tunnell announced that he would be replacing Kassulke early as commander of Charlie Company.

The replacement was not a formal relief. Kassulke and the incoming commander, Capt. Max Hanlin, conducted a regular change-of-command ceremony Nov. 24 at 1-17’s headquarters at Forward Operating Base Frontenac, 364 days after Kassulke took command. A standard company command lasts two years. But Tunnell’s removal of the popular and charismatic Kassulke stunned Charlie Company.

“His guys absolutely loved and respected him,” Burton said. “He just exemplified everything a leader should be and for him to be removed, it just never made sense to me, and kind of made me question leadership in general and how the Army perceives leadership.”

“The glue that was holding the company together was Captain Kassulke,” said Spc. Nicholas White, a machine gunner in 4th Platoon’s second squad, who was not alone in describing Kassulke as “the backbone” of Charlie Company.

None of the Charlie Company soldiers interviewed said Kassulke was at fault for the heavy casualties his unit had suffered.

“I certainly don’t think the company-level leadership could have done anything differently” that would have prevented the casualties, Turnblom said.

Neumann said if it had been up to him, he would not have replaced Kassulke, but the decision was Tunnell’s. “His main point to me was [that he was] worried both about the company and about the man,” Neumann said. “Either one can hit a breaking point.”

But Kassulke’s troops didn’t see any strain affecting him. “I saw him every day,” said Staff Sgt. David Myers, also of 4th Platoon’s second squad. “He never once lost focus. He was on top of his game.”

Tunnell said that the casualties suffered by Charlie Company influenced his decision to replace Kassulke “a month or two” earlier than planned. “It was going to happen in the December/January time frame anyway,” he said.

But the soldiers were unanimous in their view that Tunnell was making Kassulke a scapegoat for the battalion’s high casualty rate. “He [Kassulke] didn’t do anything wrong, but he was thrown under the bus,” said one leader in Charlie Company. “He’s the last guy that should’ve lost his job.”

Some in Charlie Company thought Tunnell’s replacement of Kassulke so soon after the captain had told the colonel of his concerns over Focus Hold was no coincidence.

“It’s probably bad juju for an O-3 to tell an O-6, ‘Hey, you’re not doing what the four-star wants you to do,’ ” said a soldier.

But Tunnell denied this through DeSantis, who said Tunnell had visited and spoken with Kassulke at the JDCC prior to Focus Hold as part of a routine process of gathering “input” from subordinate leaders prior to a major operation. “[I]t did not have any bearing on his assignment within the brigade,” DeSantis said.

Kassulke, who was moved to a brigade staff position in Zabul province, likewise played down the conversation’s significance. “As far as I am concerned, this was a normal conversation about operations, and ... he was genuinely interested in hearing my opinions as one of the company commanders who would be participating,” he said.

Army Times asked Tunnell via e-mail to respond to Charlie Company soldiers’ comments about his removal of Kassulke. In response, DeSantis e-mailed that “other than change of command ceremonies ... details about the assignment of officers [are] not released.”

Kassulke declined to detail the conversations he had with Tunnell regarding the switch. “The change of command was a surprise to me, but the brigade commander had a plan and this was part of it,” Kassulke said.

The impact on the company of Kassulke’s reassignment was exacerbated by Tunnell’s decision to pull the unit back to Frontenac for two weeks, coinciding with the memorial ceremony for two of the company’s soldiers killed in a Nov. 5 IED strike and the change of command. The move to Frontenac kept the company out of the fight “when we needed to get back on the horse,” Hughes said.

Change of mission

But the final blow to the company’s morale was still to come: the new RC-South commander British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter chose to pull Charlie Company and the rest of 1-17 out of the Arghandab permanently and replace them with elements of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 4th Brigade.

Carter had a new mission for Tunnell’s brigade: ensuring freedom of movement along the major highways in his area of operations. The mission was a vital one for which the Strykers were uniquely suited, the British general said in an interview with Army Times.

Restoring security to Afghanistan’s major highways is a necessary and important step in boosting southern Afghanistan’s economy and restoring governance to the region, Carter said.

After analyzing the forces at his disposal, Carter concluded that the Stryker brigade was the best fit for the freedom-of-movement mission, in part because of its high-tech command-and-control gear. “In terms of an organization that can bring freedom of movement as an effect to me, there is no better capability than the Stryker brigade.”

Soldiers in both Bravo and Charlie companies said the order to pull out felt like “a defeat.” For Charlie Company, with the heavy toll it has taken, the move is particularly painful. Soldiers feel they are leaving the Arghandab without being given the chance to achieve success in the mission for which their comrades died. “I’ve lost 14 friends since I’ve gotten out here,” said White. “Now what have they died for?”

Several junior leaders in the battalion said the change of mission was a reflection of their chain of command’s failure to embrace population-centric counterinsurgency.

“I know exactly what my soldiers feel,” Hughes said. “This is hallowed ground to them. ... They want to do good things here. They were fully committed and mentally and physically prepared to fight for the rest of the year to make our guys not die in vain.” Hughes said that at every battalion formation, 1-17 soldiers had to recite the Army’s Warrior Ethos, which includes the line, “I will never accept defeat.”

“Us leaving here, I’m pretty sure that qualifies as a defeat,” he said.

Carter disagreed, saying the 1-17 soldiers “created the conditions to hand over the Arghandab in much better condition than it was two months ago, to another unit, thus releasing [the 1-17] to go on to what is a much higher priority task, and a task which is much better suited for [the 1-17’s] capability.

“They’ve been pulled out because they are the right capability to go on to what is the most important task in my judgment in Regional Command-South at the moment,” he said.

Carter dismissed the fears of some Stryker brigade soldiers that they would be little more than “traffic cops.”

“[T]his task is not simply a task of driving up and down a strip of highway,” Carter said. “In order to secure freedom of movement you have to secure the ground — a tactical bound — to the left and to the right of the highway, and in some places that could be as much as three or four kilometers; in others, it’ll be right up adjacent to it.

“Therefore, this organization has probably got the largest area of operations in the whole of Afghanistan, and that is quite a commitment to give it. ... And on that basis, my sense is that [the 1-17] has got the opportunity during the course of the last seven or eight months of its deployment here to make a significant impact upon the campaign.”

Neumann said it was important for his soldiers to retain a professional outlook. “The challenge for us is to be emotional about our losses, not emotional about our mission,” Neumann said. Hanlin, the new Charlie Company commander, echoed his boss. “We follow orders,” he said.

Most soldiers seemed determined to put aside their disappointment to focus on their new task.”

“We’re going to do the best job we can no matter what mission we’re given,” Hughes said. “We don’t quit.”

Five More Canadians Killed By IED

2010-01-01T15:36:00.004-05:00

Kandahar City, Kandahar, Afghanistan (AHN) - The Canadian government on New Year's Day will honor four soldiers and a female journalist who died Wednesday from a blast while their armored vehicle was traveling in Kandahar City.

Sgt. George Miok, 28; Sgt. Kirk Taylor, 28; Cpl. Zachery McCormack, 21; and Private. Garrett William Chidley, 21, will be honored in a formal ramp ceremony in Kandahar as their bodies are loaded aboard a transport. Calgary Herald reporter Michelle Lang, who was traveling with the soldiers, also will commemorated.

Their bodies are expected to arrive in Canada on Sunday afternoon at the Canadian Forces Base Trenton.

Brig. Gen. Daniel Menard of the Canadian Forces said the four soldiers were enthusiastic and passionate. Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai also voiced condolences with the families of the five blast victims.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement, "These four brave soldiers lost their lives seeking to help Afghans build a better future for themselves. They represent the best Canada has to offer and they perished in a far away land, working tirelessly to advance Canadian values. We owe them a debt we can never repay."

He added, "I also offer my most sincere condolences to the loved ones of journalist Michelle Lang, who courageously risked her life reporting from one of the world's most dangerous countries. She lost her life reporting on the invaluable work being done by Canadian soldiers, aid workers and diplomats in Afghanistan."

Christmas in Kandahar: A soldier's thoughts

2009-12-25T16:26:00.001-05:00

Cpl. James Dalton, 21, of the Canadian Scottish Regiment in Victoria, was deployed to Afghanistan on Thanksgiving weekend. He's been writing monthly dispatches from the Canadian Forces base at Kandahar. This is his fourth column forThe Victoria Times Colonist .

Wintertime sees a relief from the intense heat of the summer months and the start of frigid cold temperatures at night that would make you think you're back in Canada.

Even the Afghans think we're crazy when they see us sleep outside. Unfortunately, the backs of the vehicles we drive are uncomfortable just to sit in, let alone stretch out and sleep.

Traditionally over the winter, we see a decline in insurgent activity as many of the Taliban leaders head back to their homes in Pakistan and order attacks from there. Usually, there is a decline in firefights between coalition forces and Taliban, but we see a spike in IEDs around the country.

Last week, I went on a foot patrol through a built-up urban area of Kandahar with some Americans and Afghan police forces. This being my first patrol on foot, I was slightly edgy and careful of every step I took. Every bush I walked by I thought could potentially be a spot where someone could put a bomb.

After walking for about 10 minutes, I started to relax a little. Kids come up to you constantly to say hello in hopes that maybe you have something to give them. Two boys asked me if I had money, chocolate or candy. I shook my head and held out my hand to show them I didn't have any, but they still grabbed it and went through each one of my fingers to make sure.

and the other Canadian on the patrol seemed to get the majority of the attention, possibly because we were dressed differently, but many of the Afghans driving by would yell "Canada!" out their car windows and wave or give us the thumbs-up. One kid ran by the police officer and the American in front of me to shake my hand.

Getting to walk around and see people face-to-face was much more rewarding than driving past them in an armoured vehicle.

The thing you realize is that in the end, people are the same everywhere. They just want to feel safe and to be able to work so they can feed their children and provide them with a normal life. It's hard to do that in a country that's seen nothing but war since the Russians came in 1978.

Christmas doesn't have the same feel as it does most years. Other than an occasional decoration in certain buildings, it's hard to get into the Christmas spirit.

We've been receiving a lot of great gifts from back home. Unfortunately, I opened mine as soon as I got them, thus fulfilling the Christmas dreams I had when I was eight years old.

I'm also missing out on my family's tradition of watching the movie A Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve. We've watched that movie every year since I was about seven years old. What kind of parents would make their child watch a movie on Christmas Eve about a man being haunted by three ghosts ... on Christmas Eve! I couldn't sleep; I just sat straight up all night with a baseball bat and a whistle.

The year is coming to a close and I'm sure a lot of people are looking forward to the start of 2010 and the end of another decade, a decade where we saw the reality-show craze and Facebook reach new heights in popularity.

You could probably make a reality show about a gas jockey and turn him into a sex symbol for high school girls overnight. They would go crazy for his two-cent narratives for every emotional scene.

"I couldn't believe he wanted me to check the oil after I just filled up his truck! My girlfriend just dumped me and my parents made me walk the dog at six this morning! Nobody understands me."

Merry Christmas, everyone, and a happy new year.

© The Victoria Times Colonist 2009

What Canadian Soldiers Need From You

2009-12-23T14:51:00.004-05:00

Nothing more than that we be mindful of their sacrifice, appreciate their effort and take the time to understand what they're trying to achieve in Afghanistan before forming an opinion. To honour soldiers and to support their mission is not hagiography. It is not blind patriotism, or unquestioning acceptance of any government's propaganda, be it Conservative or Liberal.

It is simply to recognize that people, who believe passionately in a humanitarian ideal, volunteer in the service of that ideal and then risk their lives for it, are praiseworthy.

Behind the combat glasses, the body armour, the helmet and the assault rifle, is a man or a woman whose fear and discomfort are managed only by training, the company of other soldiers and the knowledge that we, the public, support them.

Support Wounded Canadian Soldiers

Wounded Warriors

True Patriot Love

American UAV's Hacked

2009-12-19T17:34:00.001-05:00

American Milblogs Go Silent In Protest

2009-12-15T15:32:00.008-05:00

U.S. Army Master Sgt. C. J. Grisham has always led from the front, from combat that earned him the Bronze Star with V device, to doing right by the men he led. His honesty won him readership and respect, from the White House on down. Yet, when he stood up for his children in school, his command did not stand by him. You can read more at Military Times to get the full story. Please donate via PayPal; or you can log into PayPal on your own, go to the send money page, and put in his email: dj_chcknhawk -at- yahoo -dot- com; or, you can send donations directly to:

Milblogs have been a vital link in getting accurate news and information about the military, and military operations, to you. Today, many milblogs are gone and others are under attack from within and without. Today, you have the chance to imagine a world without milblogs, and to do something about it. Make your voice heard by writing your congressional representatives and others, and by making donations as you see fit.

The battle for freedom of speech and the marketplace of ideas is fought on many fronts and in many ways. Without your help, the battle may well be lost.

UPDATE:November 17, 2009. From Marcus Penn, Producer/Host

CJ will go from host to guest on tonight's You Served Radio. The show
will begin at 1900 EST with our usual intro and first guest, at 2000
EST CJ will give a statement regarding the milblogs going silent, and
then Troy and I will interview him for the rest of the show.

Who: CJ Grisham
What: You Seved Radio Interview
When: 2000 EST 17 December
Where: You Served Radio

We may take calls from listeners depending on how long the interview
goes. The call in number is (347) 202-0679.

The Highway of Heroes

2009-12-14T15:31:00.003-05:00

A very moving musical tribute to the troops from Canadian country singer Ginny McIlmoyle performed at the regimental headquarters of the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment which is part of 33 Canadian Brigade Group, one of four Brigade Groups of Land Force Central Area.

GEN. McChrystal Speaks to Congress

2009-12-10T13:30:00.001-05:00

Marching Off To War

2009-12-07T14:55:00.004-05:00

"Even though we lost our fallen comrades ...no one is going to stop us from completing our mission."-- 1st Sgt. James McLeod, 467th Medical Detachment

The 467th Medical Detachment that had soldiers both killed and wounded during the Nov. 5 shooting at Ft Hood deployed as scheduled to Afghanistan. Three soldiers from the Madison, Wisconsin-based Army Reserve unit were killed during the shooting.

"This is how it is, mostly: no brass bands, or even drum and bugle corps. No cheering throngs. Just a simple walk in the pre-dawn hours to a bus that takes you to the flightline, to a plane that takes you to war."Greyhawk

NATO-ISAF Commander Discusses the Surge

2009-12-02T15:44:00.001-05:00

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of the International Security Assistance Force, addresses members of his staff Wednesday, moments after President Barack Obama announced he would send 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan in order to help ISAF gain the initiative against violent extremists, deny them safe haven and enhance the coalition's ability to train and mentor Afghan security forces.

Obama to Announce 30,000 Troop Surge

2009-12-01T15:58:00.005-05:00

President Barack Obama is sending 30,000 extra U.S. troops to Afghanistan on an accelerated timetable that will have the first Marines there as early as Christmas and all forces in place by summer report various news sources. But he'll also declare Tuesday night that troops will start leaving in 19 months.

In a prime-time speech from West Point, New York, that finally ends a painfully long three-month review, Obama will seek to sell his bigger, costlier plan for the 8-year-old stalemated war said two senior administration officials speaking as usual anonymously.

This falls 10,000 troops short of what NATO Commander, U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal had called for. This will definitely impact Canada's Task Force Kandahar. NATO confirmed Tuesday that Canada's area of operations in south Afghanistan will expand slightly to include a northern suburb of Kandahar City known as Arghandab.

Few Canadian troops will actually move back into Arghandab. Rather, new U.S. soldiers who will be under Canadian command, will soon take over responsibility for the area, which is one of several Taliban hotbeds close to the provincial capital. The Stryker force had been and will remain under U.S. command.

In Kabul, Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell, the new head of a U.S.-NATO command responsible for training and developing Afghan soldiers and police, said Tuesday the groundwork is being laid to expand the Afghan National Army beyond the current target of 134,000 soldiers and 96,800 police by next October. But, he said, no fixed higher target is set.

What's Next for Kanadahar?

2009-11-20T17:04:00.003-05:00

Current Task Force Kandahar (TFK) Commander, Brigadier General Jonathan Vance, greets the incoming TFK Commander, Brigadier General Daniel Ménard, upon his arrival at the Kandahar Airfield,Photo: Master Corporal Angela Abbey, DND.

Canadian Forces Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard took over Task Force Afghanistan from Brig.-Gen. Jon Vance, Thursday, November 18, in a ceremony at Kandahar Airfield. Brig.-Gen. Menard told reporters that he was awaiting direction from "higher headquarters" regarding what may unfold in the coming months.

"We are going to receive more troops. It is complex because in certain cases they come from different parts of Afghanistan or from the United States. There could be as many as four other units attached to Task Force Afghanistan."

When this completed "it will be a huge brigade," he said. "To tell you the truth, it is a Canadian-U.S. brigade. That is how it is known. Those troops are under my command and I have full authority to manoeuvre them and do whatever needs to be done."

Canadian Lt.-Gen. Marc Lessard, who commands all Canadian forces overseas met with NATO/ISAF Commander, US Gen. Stanley McChrystal earlier in the week in Kabul. Gen. McChrystal commands NATO's more than 100,000 International Security and Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan.

Lt-Gen. Lessard said, "Everyone who know Afghanistan knows that Kandahar is the hub in the South. He who controls the South controls the insurgency and counter-insurgency. Kandahar City and its approaches is the vital ground for ISAF."

Among the plans under consideration were to return Arghandab, which lies just north of Kandahar City, to Canadian control again, as it had been until a U.S. army Stryker battalion took over there three months ago.

All of this hinges on the much delayed decision by the Obama administration as to whether or not he will grant Gen. McChrystal the troop increase that he has requested. If a troop increase is granted Gen. McChrystal is intent on beefing up security in Kandahar, which is the Taliban heartland.

IED: The Deadliest Weapon

2009-11-18T10:58:00.004-05:00

Watch CBS News Videos Online
Traumatic Brain Injuries(TBI)are the signature injuries of the Afghan War for coalition troops. This 60 Minutes video explains what American troops are doing to combat Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). (This is very similar to what Canadian Soldiers are doing.) Combat Engineers have one of the most dangerous jobs in the military and account for a high percentage of casualties among American and Canadian troops.

LEST WE FORGET

2009-11-11T07:26:00.003-05:00

Remembrance Day is a day like no other in Canada. It is an occasion - once a year, every autumn - for Canadians to honour those who have served, and continue to serve, our country. It is a unique expression of solidarity for those who have died so that we can live in freedom.

Two minutes of silence, everywhere, across this country. Two minutes to stop and think. Two minutes to reflect and respect.

Imagine those of us at home, at school, in offices, factories and farms, stopping for two minutes. Imagine Canadians from coast to coast to coast -- on the street, in the supermarket, at train stations, bus terminals or airports -- stopping for two minutes to honour the men and women who have died to make this country what it is.

We invite you to join us in this personal commitment:

At eleven o'clock this morning, we will take two minutes to remember. We will stand up and be silent. When we do, we will join our fellow Canadians, wherever they may be, whatever language they speak, in honouring those who have served and are serving Canada, and those who have died, or suffered wounds, mental or physical, for our country. When we take two minutes to remember, we pay tribute to their courage and sacrifice.

Prisoner of War No. 52605

2009-11-09T13:44:00.006-05:00

Flt. Lieut. Anton Novak's prisoner ID card.

In the early morning of July 29, 1944, during six hours of Allied bombing, Royal Canadian Air Force Flight Lieutenant Anton Novak's Lancaster was shot down over Germany. Badly injured, he was quickly captured and experienced the chaotic close of the Second World War from the discomfort of a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp.

Three weeks after arriving in Stalag Luft III, 160 kilometres southeast of Berlin, Lieut. Novak received a blank notebook from the YMCA in Geneva, with the words "A Wartime Log" written on the front.

The following excerpts are from the National Post’s three part Rememberance Day exclusive: Inside a Canadian POW's secret diary .

This is the first time pages of the secret diary of RCAF Flight Lieutenant Anton Novak, Prisoner of War No. 52605, have ever been published:

Nov. 7, 1944 — Received this book today. Memories that should and won't go down here, but stored away, safe from prying eyes... Show tonight -- shades of home life -- female impersonators very good. Was almost out of fags when Bob Andre, a big good-natured Australian gave me 1,000 Sweet Caps. Really a godsend...

Nov. 8, 1944 — We are now on half rations but we can all thank God for the Red Cross parcel that means all between starvation and some comfort.... But I'm a very lucky young man to be alive. Four of my crew died in the crash.

Nov. 10, 1944 — Grey day -- cold -- why go on? Homesick and lonely....

Nov. 11, 1944 — Remembrance Day — same as any other day here. For a change it has rained all day without let up. A cold wind.... Haven't started to gamble yet -- need my dough for something better: a HOME. Good night, Beloved.

Nov. 21, 1944 Raining like hell -locked out of our quarters all morning as the Germans searched for contraband. What a miserable day.

Nov. 25, 1944 — Have managed to get a bit of food stored away for a real need later on. Now the Germans are confiscating all extras. God knows where it will end up. We will most certainly be hungry before we get home....

Could hear Berlin being blasted again. About 100 miles from here, must have been the heavies [Lancaster bombers]. Wished I was taking part up there instead of down here.

Dec. 11, 1944 ....Allied armies bogged down again. Might have known it! Thank gosh Joe [Stalin] is moving again. We are about halfway between the two. Bet the man of steel gets here first.

Dec. 21, 1944 ....My third Christmas away from home. It is hard on our son. He and I will be strangers when we meet again (if we ever do!).... My injuries give me no trouble now except my leg. There are one or two scars but they won't be seen. Lost my right heel, broke right leg, fractured three and broke two ribs, broke right collarbone, ripped right arm from shoulder to elbow and a few scratches on left hand and both sides of face.... It is very cold now and is miserable most of the time.... But there is always something to live for. Hope to be able to build our own home when I get home. Should have the money by then. Wonder what Jac will have saved?

Dec 31, 1944 New Year's Eve — Thoughts of home and loved ones, food and comfort and warmth.... I wonder how long it will be before I see them again. It was two years tomorrow that I came home on my last Canadian leave....What a wealth of sights, scenes and good and bad experiences in that time!... Over five months and no news from Jac yet. Am getting slightly worried...but I haven't lost faith in my wife yet. She always was square with me and now that I am in a jam and very low is no time to start. So Happy New Year, Beloved, it can't be long now.

UPDATE:November, 10, 2009

The following excerpts are from the second batch of never-before seen pages of the secret diary of RCAF Flight Lieutenant Anton Novak, Prisoner of War No. 52605. Click on the images to zoom in and read the pages for yourself.

Jan 1, 1945: German advance finally checked. Said it would be — we and Joe [Stalin] are moving again. Looks a bit brighter. Started to snow this a.m. and now a howling blizzard….

Jan. 24: My wife’s birthday. I hope you are as happy as you can possibly be…. I love you so very much. 24 below zero and we were locked outside all morning till 1300 hours as the Germans searched our rooms for contraband. Thoroughly chilled.

Jan. 25: Stalin has put in a BIG push and is only 62 miles from here last night. Closer now. Explosions and the rumble of guns can he heard in the east. If we don’t get shifted from here within four days, our days of captivity may be at an end. Excitement and optimism reigns in the camp as we at last may be free and the end of this senseless war is in sight at last...

Jan. 27: … Fooled ourselves by wishful thinking. At 2130 hours we were ordered to pack in readiness to move off at once as the Russians were only a few miles away but did not leave until until 0630 next day. Much flap and a very terrible wastage of clothes and cigarettes as we couldn’t carry them all. Made a sled which comes in very handy.

Jan. 31: Wakened at 0430 hrs in a room roughly 15 x 25 ft with 126 others; how we managed I can’t say, but we are all very sore and stiff. One thing about sleeping together like this is the fact that we keep warm to some extent by being close together… The roads are in a terrible state, crowds of refugees and evacuees hinder progress; we are all travelling west… By gosh I could go for a big chicken dinner with all the trimmings! Four Americans died of cold and exposure. They were left where they dropped, but later picked up.

Feb. 4: … After interminable delays we at last arrived here in a pouring rain and nearly dark…. Had to march us to the camp where we stood around a further two hours in the rain before we were admitted. Then it was nearly 10 at night before we got indoors as air raid was in progress to liven things up a bit. We were soaked to the skin and the sick toll is mounting alarmingly. One American’s pack rope broke, he stooped to repair it, received three bullets in the back and a final resting place at the side of the road. Another fell on his face from sheer weariness – got three slugs in the head. I seem not too ill, but not too strong yet. God, how these bastardly Germans push you around…. Beloved, oh, my Beloved, if murder was ever justified, it really is now…

Feb. 7: … Cigarettes very valuable here, could buy almost anything except freedom, if we had them to spare.…

Feb. 9: … Running out of bumph [toilet paper] and there are no newspapers. Wonder how things are at home?? I’m lonely.

Feb. 10: I have kept notes of the past two weeks and will endeavour to keep this up, provided I can keep going (many have perished) and we get shelter of some sort from the elements… That much closer to home or death, don’t seem to care much which it is now.
… Today were issued with one spoon for every ten men as eating tools. No cooking utensils whatsoever. What stupendous generosity. Also, 1,500 blankets for over 4,000 beds. Managed to get one of them… What I long for almost as much as my family is a long, long hot bath, clean clothes and a deep warm, soft bed. My back and sides have had enough of boards. And some privacy! Am heartily sick of having someone’s front or butt end stuck in my face at odd moments…

Feb. 15: … Heavies [Lancaster bombers] went over last night in great force. Dresden got it in the neck again… Wonder if the Germans will pack up? I doubt it. Still have heavy cold. Bought a wrist watch for sixty cigarettes from an American. That’s how short they are. Shouldn’t have taken it but he insisted, so my conscience is clear…

Feb. 17: … By dint of denying ourselves, we managed to save up 4 loaves of bread between 4 of us. Today we find some lousy bastard has stolen one! I could cheerfully kill that animal with my bare hands — and take great delight in doing so…

Feb. 20: … Am slowly going downhill. Oh, hell, why can’t we die and get it over with? This slow starvation is hell on earth…

Feb. 22: By God, I didn’t think I’d ever be reduced to eating potato peelings, but I started today. Anything to keep alive. When I think of all the food I used to refuse, at home, in England, I damn near burst into tears. … Odd reports come in about the chaos in Berlin and the surrounding country — according to them we are still in the lap of luxury…

Feb. 25: … Made a forced air blower burner out of tin cans — now can heat up some of our food, if we don’t run out of wood chips. Must make one for up the lake when I get home…

March 12: … To my delight I have discovered, or rediscovered, the use of my hands again. The absence of any sort of useful tools hampers my results but what I make are serviceable. All I have to work with are a knife and fork in lieu of all else. But I have made an egg beater (wish we had eggs) for mixing up milk —which comes in powder form and has to be mixed with water. A spoon or fork took too long so the beater was the only answer. Have put sturdy on cans and they can now be used as cups and when we boil water, no longer burn fingers by hanging onto a tin can…

March 14: … Saw a swan this morning as it circled the camp twice Dazzling white and very graceful and beautiful. Made me feel a pang of bitterness and hatred against everyone in general, just because I was unfortunate enough to land here. Wish I could fly again — hope I can get out to the Far East.

April 15: The Germans are trying to find out who escaped in the last three days. Quite a few did but I can’t see the sense of that as we are so near to freedom now. The risk is great and there is no need of it — just a foolish bravado in an endeavour to get your name in the papers. To hell with that! I want to live to grow old at home with my Beloved…

April 20: Can hear the Russians at night. Terrific air raids night and day. Can see the bombers in the daytime, see the markers go down and see the mushroom clouds of smoke as they hit the deck. We are rocked continually by blast but don’t mind as we are so near to freedom… Will soon be home, I hope, if I’m not killed before the end of the war.

UPDATE: Remembrance Day, November 11, 2009

Final installment of the National Post’s three part Rememberance Day exclusive: Inside a Canadian POW's secret diary

It took 29 days after liberation for the prisoners to be repatriated and while he waited within the barbed wire, Flt. Lieut. Novak documented appalling scenes for which even nine months in a Nazi prison camp had scarcely prepared him.

The atrocities he bears witness to in his 114-page diary, revealed here for the first time, serves as a shocking endnote to his account of ingenuity, courage and a deep longing for home.

"I am so full of horror and terrible sights that sometimes I wonder what humanity is made of to carry on in such a senseless and bestial fashion," Flt. Lieut. Novak wrote two weeks after liberation.

Among the acts he recorded and condemned: rapes and close-range shootings of civilians by Russian soldiers; the killing of Western POWs by their Russian allies in disputes over German women; freed POWs exchanging scraps of bread for sex with starving children and rampant sex with civilians seeking protection in the camp.

Before his liberation turned so sour, however, there was euphoria.

"I am no longer a prisoner, but once more a member of our Majesty's Air Force on active service," he proudly wrote on April 21, 1945. "All the Germans, guards and officers, have disappeared and we once-prisoners, 40,000 of us, have the camp to ourselves ... The majority took it quite calmly. No yelling, shouting.

"We have managed to get some machine guns, rifles and small arms. Just in case the Germans come back. Some of them were too slow in getting away and are now locked in the cooler where the former prisoners are their guards. Until troops arrived, all we can do is sit tight and wait."

German civilians arrived before the troops, however.

"Women and children fleeing the flames were at our gate screaming to be let in under our protection! What an irony! They who had us under their thumb are now on their knees begging," he wrote.

In the morning came the Russians, first by armoured car, and then, later in a convoy of a dozen tanks, followed by truckloads of motorized infantry.

"The whole camp went mad with joy!" wrote Flt. Lieut. Novak.

But it wasn't long before he saw cracks appearing. "Though we are free and have the run of the countryside now, we are still virtually prisoners and it is very irksome. Tempers are fraying.

"Russians are killing the Frenchmen who refuse to give up the German women they are living with," he wrote on April 25.

Because he could speak some German (his mother was German), he joined foraging parties with Russian soldiers searching for food, radios, and other items.

"The Russians are indeed heartless to the Germans and [I] have seen some unforgettable sights of their treatment. Germans shot at close quarters. One of the most horrible was the sight of a burly Russian soldier raping a German woman who was hysterical with fear and terror and in convulsions it seemed to me," he wrote on May 1.

"Ugly as it was, I was powerless to do anything for her."

The night before, there had been a skirmish outside the wire.

"This morning, looking over the field, such a scene of carnage and death met the eye that my stomach was almost sick, but past experience allowed me to take it with some sort of composure," he wrote.

Refugees continued to arrive.

"The stray women are attaching themselves to the men here and many are the couples that can be seen strolling the countryside and woods... Women very loose – a lot of the boys are sleeping with them and many have contracted V.D. Personally I value my health too highly.

"[The Germans] are sending their kiddies, pitifully thin and ragged, to the camp to beg for food. I am giving them what I can, for who knows, they may be some of my relatives, and I just can't but feel sorry for the wee tots who are so pathetically grateful for anything they get.

"Young women and girls are so desperate for food that they are selling themselves for scraps of bread – and filthy Poles and Frogs are capitalizing. I thought I had seen everything but this about tops it all. You come upon them all over the shop, in the woods surrounding the lager and by the lake."

Finally, on May 20, the POWs moved west and on July 19, Flt. Lieut. Novak arrived back home to find his wife had left him for another man and never told his family about his diary, but it was recently discovered and returned to his family.

Massacre at Fort Hood - Killeen, Texas, USA

2009-11-06T13:59:00.006-05:00

Above, a medic salutes. A first responder to a lone gunman's attack at Fort Hood Nov. 5 renders honors at retreat after aiding his fellow soldiers. U.S. Army photo

The following is from the founder of the Facebook cause: Remembering Our Fallen Soldiers

Corporal Tobin, (RCAF) and I along with all of our members of Remembering Our Fallen Soldiers , (cause on Facebook), would like President Obama, and all American citizens everywhere that we are deeply saddened and shocked about today's events.

All of us send our deepest sympathies to all of the families and friends of these fallen heroes. We pray and hope that family members and friends of these slain precious people would be comforted in the days, weeks and months to come. Also that everybody's needs would be met, either for finances, looking after the children, or just living each and every day.

Our thoughts and prayers also lie with the 31 people that were critically injured. We pray that while you are lying in your hospital bed, that you will be aware that we Canadians, really do love and cherish our neighbours to the south of us.

We also pray that your broken bodies and broken spirits would be completely healed, that your relatives would also be healed during the difficult days that lie ahead.

May God bless each and every single person that was touched by these scenes of carnage and absolute horror.

Respectfully yours,

for Corporal Tobin- Royal Canadian Air Force (creator)
Rebecca Leah Duesbury- administrator

I've just joined this wonderful group of Canadians and you can too here

Hat tip Soldier’s Angels .

Veterans Week 2009 November 5 to 11

2009-11-04T09:33:00.001-05:00

This November, Canadians from coast to coast to coast will come together to mark Veterans' Week.

At hundreds of ceremonies and events, culiminating on Remembrence Day, November 11, we will remember and recognize the sacrifices and accomplishments of our veterans those of past missions and conflicts, and those who are still returning home today.

Lest We Forget.

Hallmark Canada Introduces Canadian Hero Cards

2009-11-02T16:17:00.003-05:00

The life of a soldier deployed overseas can be hard and lonely, but Canadians can brighten their day with a new card-writing campaign.

Hallmark Canada has introduced Canadian Hero cards to encourage people to write to the troops, even if they don't know someone stationed overseas.

"It's a great morale boost for them to know we are thinking about them and supporting them. This is what the troops need when they're lonely and away from home," said Barbara Macisaac, the first vice-president of the Ladies Auxiliary Ontario Command, Royal Canadian Legion, who has two family members currently serving overseas.

People can write the troops about what is going on in their home town, tell them how badly the Maple Leafs are doing or about the latest politician to embarrass themselves.

"Few things mean more to our men and women overseas than hearing from their fellow Canadians," said Lt.-Col. James Peverley, director of deployment support for the Canadian Forces Personnel and Family Support Services.

"The knowledge that their contribution is appreciated and is making a difference is a primary motivating factor."

There are six cards in English and two in French, said Dan Bengert, with Hallmark Canada.

"The line was developed by consumer demand," he said.

Each card costs $2.69, but can be picked up for free at Hallmark Gold Crown stores between Nov. 9 and 11.

One of the cards in the series says, "Saving our country has taken you far away, but your place at home is always filled with pride and love every day until you come home again," and shows two empty rocking chairs on a porch.

"Canadians are concerned about people protecting our freedom and serving in the Canadian Forces," said Patrick Carr, vice-president of marketing for Hallmark Canada.

"The war in Afghanistan is in the news and on everyone's minds. Canadians want to let people in the Forces know that their efforts are appreciated, that their sacrifices are noticed and that we are all grateful."

You can write to the troops here . The website includes a number of addresses that cards can be sent to Afghanistan, as well as Sarajevo, Congo, Golan Heights, Haiti and more.

Canadian Combat Engineer Killed in Afghanistan

2009-10-31T17:37:00.003-04:00

The latest Canadian victim of the relentless IED campaign by terrorists in Afghanistan was headed home Saturday after his flag-draped coffin was loaded onto a military transport plane.

Sapper Steven Marshall, 24, of 11 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, was the sole casualty of an explosion that struck his patrol Friday in Panjwaii district, 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city.

More than 2,300 Canadian and foreign troops gathered under the floodlights on the tarmac at Kandahar Airfield to pay their last respects to the Calgary native.

"Steven was a passionate hockey fan who loved his hometown Calgary Flames," said padre Cpt. Steve Defer in a eulogy delivered by the Hercules C130 that will take Marshall to CFB Trenton.

"His ever present grin and sense of humour was contagious."

One of Marshall's best friends, Sapper Dustin Perry, also called attention to his penchant for cracking jokes, which he said brought out the best in everyone.

"Those of us who knew him remember that he was the kind of guy who would do anything for you and ask nothing in return," he said following the ramp ceremony.

"He always put his friends before himself."

Marshall and Perry had been close since training together at CFB Gagetown three years ago, despite Perry being partial to the Vancouver Canucks.

"When Vancouver and the Flames were playing it was gloves off for me and Marshall," Perry said.

"Marshall was a very competitive hockey player. I was always kind of jealous of his skills."

There has been more than 60 per cent increase in the use of IEDs in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2008 according to some analysts.

It has already tracked well over 100 more cases in 2009 than for all of 2008.

Since April 2007, 65 of the 88 Canadian deaths in Afghanistan have been the result of improvised explosive devices.

As a combat engineer, Sapper Marshall was on the front lines of efforts to minimize the threat presented by the home-made bombs.

"With his skills Steven held one of the critical keys to a lasting peace in Afghanistan," said Defer.

"Clearing the mines and IEDs that threaten our soldiers promises more than just our safety, but also, it offers the real promise that the people of Afghanistan might one day know a truly lasting freedom."

Marshall was working in an area thought critical for the future success of the counter-insurgency strategy initiated by Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance earlier this year.

The Canadian military is working to establish a series of model villages in the Dand district that will allow them to separate insurgents from the population at large by providing security and basic economic development.

Marshall was killed in the area around Belanday, which borders Panjwaii and was considered one of the success stories of the new strategy.

May God rest his soul.

Another Canadian Soldier Gives His All

2009-10-30T09:52:00.003-04:00

One Canadian soldier was killed and two were injured Wednesday in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device.

Lt. Justin Garrett Boyes, 26, was killed when his foot patrol was hit by the blast, at about 9 a.m. local time, 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City in Panjwayi district.

Boyes belonged to the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based in Edmonton and was 10 days into his second deployment to Afghanistan when he was killed. At the time of his death, Boyes was mentoring an Afghan national police patrol.

Two other soldiers who were wounded in the incident were treated at the Kandahar Airfield medical facility and are in good condition.

Boyes is survived by his wife Alanna and son, James, 3, his parents Angela and Brian, a brother serving with the 2nd Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in Shilo, Man., as well as a sister living in the U.K.

In Kandahar, Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance called Boyes "a dedicated family man" who spent every possible moment with his wife and son.

"Growing up in Saskatchewan, he was an easy-going Prairie boy who preferred sitting around the backyard with good friends, his family and a cold drink."

Boyes is the first Canadian soldier to be killed in action in October.

Canada's previous casualty was Pte. Jonathan Couturier of the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment, based in Valcartier, Que., who died when his armoured vehicle struck an improvised explosive device on Sept. 17.

Boyes is the 132nd Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan since the mission began in 2002. The vast majority of dead and wounded have occured since Canada became responsible for security operations in Kandahar in early 2006.

May God rest their souls.

True Patriot Love

2009-10-27T16:21:00.003-04:00

True Patriot Love is an organization founded by corporate and community leaders dedicated to raising funds for programs to improve the well-being and morale of members of the Canadian military and their families, and to celebrate their selfless service. They strive to help meet the needs of Canadian heroes serving at home and abroad, as well as the needs of the families who support them.

In addition to ongoing fundraising, their signature initiative is the annual True Patriot Love Tribute Dinner, a benefit in support of the Canadian Military Families Fund - a fund established by Canada's former Chief of Defence staff, Gen. Rick Hillier. The inaugural event will be held in Toronto on November 10, 2009.

Blue's Analysis of Insurgent Strategy in Nuristan

2009-10-16T12:45:00.006-04:00

Blue, is a US Army Senior NCO on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. He has a very interesting piece up on his blog Afghan Quest regarding insurgent strategy, including the recent events at COP Keating.

He writes: "I’m convinced that the latest attack in Nuristan is part of a larger operational strategy on the part of insurgents. Actually, I believe that it ties in to the persistent insurgent presence in the Tag Ab Valley of Kapisa. Numerous rat lines have existed through Kunar and Nuristan, many of them leading to Tag Ab, which ties them in to the ancient smuggling route that avoids the capital… or leads to it. There is no doubt in my mind that the increase in violence is tied to the increase in Coalition (and GIRoA) presence in Kunar and Nuristan. There was no reason for violence prior to the increased presence and control in Kunar and Nuristan, because they had free run of the area. The people were easily intimidated and there is significant appeal to residents because they are so isolated and fear outside (especially un-Islamic) presence. In this area, Arabs are preferable to Americans as far as the locals are concerned… and they bring money to pay for local men to participate."

Read the rest here

Afghan Quest is must reading for those seeking infromation about events on the ground from the perspective of a front line Soldier with experience and excellent contacts.

The Battle at Combat Outpost Keating

2009-10-09T12:59:00.007-04:00

The Soldiers at COP Keating, a very remote outpost in Nuristan province, were scheduled to be be redeployed to population centric areas of Afghanistan as part of General Stanley McChrystal's counterinsurgency to protect the Afghan people. Nuristan was never a place that coalition troops should have been deployed to in the first place. It is a center for jewel smuggling and the people there don't need or want help from the coalition. It has no strategic value to the war effort.

Here is a piece from Karen Russo that sheds more light on the recent battle.

Apache Pilots Shocked by Size of Attack on Afghan Outpost

Some Keating Survivors Left With Only 'Weapons in Their Hands'

By KAREN RUSSO

JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Oct. 8, 2009—

The pilot of an Apache gunship who flew to the rescue of U.S. soldiers nearly overrun at a remote outpost in Afghanistan last weekend told ABC News today that he had "never seen that large of a force" attacking coalition troops in Afghanistan.

By the time Chief Warrant Officer 3 Ross Lewallen and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Chad Bardwell arrived over the embattled outpost, dubbed Camp Keating, parts were in flames and dozens of insurgents could be seen on the camp's perimeter.

When the battle was over and the fire extinguished, many who survived had nothing left "except the clothes off their backs and the weapons in their hands," one soldier told ABC News.

The pilots and two ground controllers who were at Keating spoke to ABC News, providing fresh details of the weekend battle, the bloodiest engagement in Afghanistan in the past year.

The firefight, which killed eight U.S. troops and left 24 soldiers wounded, came as President Obama is formulating a revised strategy for the now eight-year-long war in Afghanistan.

"When we first showed up and put our sensors on Keating, it was just kind of shock," said Bardwell, 35, of Liman, Wyo., who piloted one of a swarm of Apaches that rushed the base's defense. "All the amount of flames and the smoke and to see that amount of personnel running outside of their wire. It was really kind of shock."

Lewallen added, "I've been on three deployments and I've never seen that large of a force attacking one static position." When he first arrived on the scene Saturday, Lewallen said he could see about 30 fighters just along the camp's perimeter.

The number of attackers has been estimated from 100 to 200. Lewallen said he thought as many as 350 were involved in the assault.

Hunkered down inside the base's operations center were 1st Lt. Cason Shrode, 24, of Dallas, and Sgt. Jayson Souter, 22, of Tuscon, Ariz. The two men were working radios and directing traffic for the Apaches and attack jets that swarmed overhead. But they knew the camp was ablaze and that insurgents had breached the camp's defenses and were inside the wire.

"It's definitely not a comfortable feeling to be at a place where you're most vulnerable, just not a comfortable feeling knowing these guys are right outside," Souter told ABC News.

The camp is located at the base of two steep mountains, allowing the enemy to fire down on the camp with a powerful .50 caliber machine gun and other heavy guns.

The U.S. and Afghan army Soldiers inside Keating had been reduced in ranks because the camp was scheduled to be closed as part of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's strategy of pulling back from sparsely populated areas to protect population centers instead.

The camp's defenders, who endured small attacks several times a week, had been warned by villagers about 10 minutes before the onslaught began. While the camp prepared for a pending attack, soldiers were not alarmed by the warning because it was one of the almost daily stream of tips they received.

"We get reports all the time," Shrode said. "I will say it's 50-50 [the attack] will happen."

The soldiers quickly realized the assault was much larger than any they had ever endured. The camp's generator was hit immediately, plunging the camp into pre-dawn darkness.

Soon the camp was on fire with strong winds fanning it along to additional buildings. Eventually, every building in the camp, except one, was burned.

"We were basically surrounded 360 degrees," Shrode said. "I think there were significant numbers [of enemy fighters] throughout the day." He immediately called for air support.

"We had fixed wing [jets] 20 minutes after fight started," Shrode told ABC News. "We had helicopters 20 minutes later. ... We had so many different assets up in the air ... they were stacked on so many different levels."

Nevertheless, the battle raged throughout the morning. There was a lull about noon, before the attack resumed.

"We had everything we needed. It was just a big attack with a lot of people. Bad things happen, but I think we did well, considering the circumstances." He added that cooperation with the air cover ensured that a "bad situation did not turn worse."

For the pilots, it was, at times, difficult to find the enemy. And because of the smoke, visibility was restricted to a half mile. "One of the primary reasons the fight took so long, it is in extreme terrain," said Lewallen, of Clarksville, Tenn. "There are a lot of rocks and a lot of cover. You really can't detect the enemy until they start moving again."

Three of the attacking Apaches were damaged by insurgent fire, officials said.
By the afternoon, cloud cover moved in, which helped reveal the position of enemy gunners. "At that time we were able to see some of the larger muzzle flashes that were a little higher in the mountains," Lewallen said. "We started to eliminate the larger weapons."

One concern was a report that several large caliber weapons were trained on the helicopter landing zone, waiting for a Medevac flight to take out the wounded. The Medevac chopper didn't arrive until after 9 p.m. that night under the cover of darkness and after those weapons had been located and destroyed.

ABC News had previously reported that when the Medevac flight arrived, some of the wounded refused a chance to leave Keating and kept on fighting. Soldiers also confirmed an earlier ABC News report that some troops gave blood during the fight to be transfused into wounded comrades.

When the attack was over, Souter and Shrode said the soldiers checked on each other and assessed the damage. The fire had destroyed much of the camp.

Lost in the blaze were "cameras, movies, stuff that helps you pass the time ... but there were guys who literally lost everything except the clothes off their backs and the weapons in their hands," Souter said.

Copyright © 2009 ABC News Internet Ventures

8 Fort Carson Soldiers Killed in Battle in Afghanistan

2009-10-05T15:59:00.002-04:00

Eight soldiers from Fort Carson's 4th Brigade Combat Team died in Afghanistan when insurgents attacked a pair of remote outposts in Nuristan province, two Colorado Springs media outlets reported Sunday.

The Army hasn't identified the dead, but the Colorado Springs Gazette and KOAA-TV said military sources confirmed that all eight were from the 4th Infantry Division's 4th Brigade, which went to war in May.

U.S. military officials said Sunday that the day-long battle near the Pakistan border, in which the eight U.S. soldiers were killed as hundreds of insurgents stormed a pair of remote outposts, is likely to fuel the debate in Washington over the direction of the troubled eight-year war effort.

The insurgents were armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades during the fierce gunbattle Saturday in the Kamdesh district of Afghanistan's mountainous Nuristan province. It was the heaviest U.S. loss of life in a single battle since July 2008, when nine American soldiers were killed in a raid on an outpost in the same province.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, plans to shift U.S. troops away from remote outposts that are difficult to defend and move them into more heavily populated areas as part of his new strategy to focus on protecting Afghan civilians.

U.S. troops used artillery, helicopter gunships and airstrikes to repel the attackers, inflicting "heavy enemy casualties," according to a NATO statement. Fighting persisted in the area Sunday, U.S. and Afghan officials said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay, a spokesman for NATO, said the assailants included a mix of "tribal militias," Taliban and fighters loyal to Sirajudin Haqqani, an al-Qaeda-linked militant based in sanctuaries in the tribal areas of Pakistan near the Afghan border.

Afghan authorities said the hostile force included fighters who had been driven out of the Swat Valley of neighboring Pakistan after a Pakistani military offensive there last spring.

"This was a complex attack in a difficult area," U.S. Col. Randy George, the area commander, said in a statement. "Both the U.S. and Afghan soldiers fought bravely together."

Details of the attack remained unclear Sunday, and there were conflicting reports of Afghan losses because of poor communications in the area, 20 miles from the Pakistani border and about 150 miles from Kabul.

A NATO statement said the attacks were launched from a mosque and a nearby village on opposite sides of a hill, which included the two outposts — one mostly American position on the summit and another mostly Afghan police garrison on a lower slope.

Denver Post staff writer Tom McGhee and Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez and Lori Hinnant in Kabul and Noor Khan in Kandahar contributed to this report.

Michael Yon Embed With 2 Rifles

2009-10-05T12:49:00.001-04:00

Is Obama Giving Up on Afghanistan

2009-10-02T17:12:00.003-04:00

Apparently the president feels that the Chicago Olympics is more important than the War in Afghanistan that he campaigned on as a must win. I hope that's not the case but th following story from CanWest News doesn't bode well for the people of Afghanistan nor the Soldiers who have fought, shed blood and died there.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama summoned his top commander in Afghanistan for private talks aboard Air Force One on Friday amid new signals White House officials are deeply divided over a request to send up to 40,000 more troops to fight the eight-year-old war.

The 25-minute meeting between Obama and Gen. Stanley McChrystal occurred in Copenhagen, where the U.S. president had travelled to support Chicago's unsuccessful bid for the 2016 Olympics. It marked the first time in months the two men had spoken in person about deteriorating security conditions in Afghanistan, and as McChrystal wages an unusually public campaign in favour of a U.S. troop surge.

The four-star general had been in London only hours earlier delivering a speech in which he rejected a proposal - reportedly being pushed by Vice-President Joe Biden - to narrow the focus of U.S. operations in Afghanistan.

"Gen. McChrystal expects that the president and others are going to ask him questions about the assessment that he's made," said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, "and that we're going to ask questions of our diplomatic side, of our intelligence side, and of all of those involved in this to get the best strategy for success in Afghanistan."

Mr. Obama is in the midst of a prolonged review of the U.S. role in Afghanistan and as the Pentagon warns the American-led NATO mission could fail within a year unless there is a dramatic overhaul of the coalition strategy.

Gen. McChrystal is lobbying for the White House to embrace a shift in strategy that focuses on greater protection of the Afghan population, while placing less emphasis on winning tactical victories over Taliban insurgents.

The commander last week informed Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, he needs 30,000 to 40,000 additional American troops to meet that task. In a classified review of the war that was leaked last week, McChrystal warned a failure to reverse the situation in Afghanistan within a year could produce "an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible."

But Gen. McChrystal's recommendations have been met with deep skepticism among some of Obama's most senior advisers. Mr. Biden was among the administration officials who challenged the assumptions behind Gen. McChrystal's request during a three-hour meeting of Obama's war council on Wednesday in the White House's Situation Room, according to the Washington Post.

Among the biggest questions being asked in the White House is whether the Afghan government can be a reliable partner in economic development and improved governance - especially in the wake of ongoing corruption and the still-disputed August presidential election.

The U.S vice-president and others in the White House are said to favour maintaining U.S. force levels at 68,000, while stepping up surgical strikes on al-Qaeda targets inside the country.

Defence Secretary Robert Gates, meantime, is tilting towards an endorsement of Gen. McChrystal, CNN reported Friday. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has not publicly indicated whether she favours more troops.

Gen. McChrystal dismissed as "short sighted" the idea of narrowing the focus of the war in a speech to the Institute for Strategic Studies in London on Thursday, prior to his meeting with Mr. Obama on Air Force One.

"The short answer is no," McChrystal said when asked in London if he would back a scaled-down strategy that emphasized targeting al-Qaeda with unmanned aerial drones.

Since taking office last January, Mr. Obama has committed 21,000 new U.S. troops to Afghanistan as part of a strategy that linked stability in Pakistan to the outcome of the Afghan war.

But with American public opinion souring on the war, Mr. Obama has come under increased pressure from Democrats in Congress to reject a military surge.

He has also faced criticism from Republicans, who say the White House is taking too long to conduct its review of the war. Until Friday, Mr. Obama had not met face to face with Gen. McChrystal since the summer, although they spoke via teleconference on Wednesday and on another occasion in August.

Obama's War

2009-10-02T14:49:00.003-04:00

This is a preview to the Frontline documentary special to air on October 13. The future of Afghanistan is in the hands of the Obama administration. The decisions are being made by his administration at this moment. We'll know soon enough whether he makes the right one.

General McChrystal on 60 Minutes

2009-09-28T14:08:00.003-04:00

Watch CBS News Videos Online

General Stanley McChrystal the new ISAF Commander believes that things have got to be shaken up and fast to ensure conditions to win this war.

Charles Krauthammer: On the McChrystal Report

2009-09-22T13:59:00.001-04:00

A scathing analysis from Charles Krauthammer on the Obama administration.

McChrystal to resign if not given resources for Afghanistan

2009-09-22T09:51:00.006-04:00

What follows is from Bill Roggio the preeminent source of reliable information regarding the Long War.

Within 24 hours of the leak of the Afghanistan assessment to The Washington Post, General Stanley McChrystal's team fired its second shot across the bow of the Obama administration. According to McClatchy, military officers close to General McChrystal said he is prepared to resign if he isn't given sufficient resources (read "troops") to implement a change of direction in Afghanistan:

Adding to the frustration, according to officials in Kabul and Washington, are White House and Pentagon directives made over the last six weeks that Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, not submit his request for as many as 45,000 additional troops because the administration isn't ready for it.

In the last two weeks, top administration leaders have suggested that more American troops will be sent to Afghanistan, and then called that suggestion "premature." Earlier this month, Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that "time is not on our side"; on Thursday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates urged the public "to take a deep breath."

In Kabul, some members of McChrystal's staff said they don't understand why Obama called Afghanistan a "war of necessity" but still hasn't given them the resources they need to turn things around quickly.

Three officers at the Pentagon and in Kabul told McClatchy that the McChrystal they know would resign before he'd stand behind a faltering policy that he thought would endanger his forces or the strategy.

"Yes, he'll be a good soldier, but he will only go so far," a senior official in Kabul said. "He'll hold his ground. He's not going to bend to political pressure."

On Thursday, Gates danced around the question of when the administration would be ready to receive McChrystal's request, which was completed in late August. "We're working through the process by which we want that submitted," he said.

The entire process followed by the military in implementing a change of course in Afghanistan is far different, and bizarrely so, from the process it followed in changing strategy in Iraq.

For Afghanistan, the process to decide on a course change began in March of this year, when Bruce Reidel was tasked to assess the situation. This produced the much-heralded yet vague "AfPak" assessment. Then, in May, General David McKiernan was fired and replaced by General McChrystal, who took command in June. General McChrystal's assessment hit President Obama's desk at the end of August, almost three months after he took command. And yet now in the last half of September, the decision on additional forces has yet to be submitted to the administration.

Contrast this with Iraq in the fall of 2006. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was fired just one day after the elections in early November. The Keane-Kagan plan for Iraq was submitted to President Bush shortly afterward, and encompassed both the assessment of the situation and the recommended course of action, including the recommended number of troops to be deployed to deal with the situation. General David Petraeus replaced General George Casey in early February 2007, and hit the ground running; the surge strategy was in place, troops were being mustered to deploy to Iraq, and commanders on the ground were preparing for and executing the new orders. The first of the surge units began to arrive in Iraq only weeks later, in March.

Today, the military is perceiving that the administration is punting the question of a troop increase in Afghanistan, and the military is even questioning the administration's commitment to succeed in Afghanistan. The leaking of the assessment and the report that McChrystal would resign if he is not given what is needed to succeed constitute some very public pushback against the administration's waffling on Afghanistan.

More on this topic here here and here

Royal 22nd Regiment Losses Mount

2009-09-18T13:26:00.012-04:00

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD — Another Canadian soldier has been killed in Afghanistan The second to die in a roadside bomb attack this week. The circumstances and details of the latest loss will be far too familiar to those at home. He is the fourth to be killed in action this month. Seemingly, only the names change.

Pte. Jonathan Couturier, 23, was killed in action at 10:15 a.m. Thursday when a Canadian armoured vehicle struck an improvised explosive device about 25 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City in Panjwaii district. He was a member of the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment.Eleven other soldiers suffered slight injuries and have returned to duty after receiving treatment at the NATO hospital here.

In a statement, Brig-Gen. Jonathan Vance said Couturier was returning from an "operation designed to protect the population by removing important insurgent command and control networks in Panjwaii district.

"This meant capturing weapons and IED caches, and preventing the movement of insurgents and weaponry into areas where the innocent civilians might be harmed. These types of operations were an important part of the security that Jonathan and his comrades were providing in Kandahar province."

He was considered "the little brother" by members of his section and was known for his work ethic."He knew how to communicate his sense of humour during the most difficult times.Couturier never missed the chance "to talk about his passions — hockey, his Mustang, and the love of his live, Andreanne," said Vance.

Pte. Couturier was born in Loretteville, just outside Quebec City. He left for Afghanistan in April 2009 for his first tour of duty abroad. He is survived by his common-law spouse, Andreanne, mother Celine, father Yvan and brothers Nicolas and Mickael.

Pte.Couturier died in the service of his country and the people of Afghanistan. May we always remember him. Rest in Peace.

Another Canadian Soldier Killed in IED Blast

2009-09-14T12:44:00.004-04:00

CEFCOM NR–09.024 - September 14, 2009

OTTAWA– One Canadian soldier was killed and four injured when an improvised explosive device detonated near their armoured vehicle on a road in Panwjai District. The incident occurred approximately 10 kilometres South-West of Kandahar City at around 1:00 p.m., Kandahar time, on 13th September, 2009.

Killed in action was Private Patrick Lormand from the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment based in Valcartier, Quebec. Private Lormand was serving as a member of the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group, Quebec.

Four other Canadian Forces members were injured during the incident. They were evacuated by helicopter to the Multi-National Medical Facility at the Kandahar Airfield. They have all since been released. Their identities will not be made public.

Our thoughts and condolences go to the family and friends of our fallen comrade.

Members of Task Force Kandahar work with Afghan security forces for the greater good of Afghanistan. We remain focused and determined to bringing peace, stability and good governance despite the challenge imposed on us by the insurgents. We remain committed to Afghanistan.

Canadian Soldiers Believe in Afghan Mission

2009-09-14T10:51:00.003-04:00

Matthew Fisher is an independent Canadian journalist whom I've followed for years. He has reported from wherever Canadian Soldiers have been deployed since the late 1980's; first for The Toronto Sun and subsequently The National Post, owned by Canwest. His reporting has always appeared to me to be unbiased although he doesn't hide the fact that admires Canadian Soldiers. This is his latest from The National Post.(The emphasis is mine.)

Confident voice of Canadian troops rarely heard in Afghan debate

Matthew Fisher, Canwest News Service
Published: Sunday, September 13, 2009

Sapper Alexandre Beaudin-D'Anjou, his face still bloodied and badly swollen one day after a homemade landmine had killed two of his colleagues last week, announced he would answer questions about the awful incident, but only after making a statement.
In what was an exceptional "cri de coeur" to his countrymen on the home front, the young combat engineer from Quebec City declared: "I want to say that part of the Canadian population negatively views the work that we do here, above all because they don't understand what we do. In my opinion, the majority of the Afghan population benefits from what we do.

"Sadly, there are dangers in this, as you saw in yesterday's incident. All the soldiers feel deeply that we will finish this work for one another."

With Internet access, and radio and television stations streaming news programs to their forward-operating bases and strongpoints, soldiers are acutely aware that some commentators -- with little or no knowledge of what soldiers confront in Afghanistan -- have given up on them and their mission.

They say they are more than a little bewildered by all the discussion about "wither Afghanistan" and disappointed that the Liberals and Conservatives -- who ordered them to the far side of the world -- have become so terrified about the Afghan file's potential political consequences that they have fallen silent about the current mission and what Canada may do when Parliament's current mandate expires in 2011.

There could not be two more different views of what Canada is achieving in Afghanistan than that of the troops and of the mission's critics at home.

Unlike the U.S., where there is a robust, multi-faceted debate about Afghanistan in which senior soldiers can make their views known, all Canadian soldiers are under strict orders from Ottawa to remain silent about the Afghan mission's future and ways that Canada might adapt or change its mission for the better.

However, in stark contrast to the talk at home, there is confidence among Canadian troops and civilians in Kandahar that a tipping point has been reached recently in the province, with the long awaited arrival of the U.S. cavalry.

In this context, the cavalry is an infantry battalion, three Stryker light armoured battalions, a slew of military policemen and scores of helicopters from the 82nd Aviation Brigade.

Among soldiers there is confidence that Canada's task force is finally in a position to focus on what the government has always wanted them to do.

That is, to "clear, hold and build" within their area of operations which, thanks to the Americans, is now about 60 per cent smaller, and to devote more time to mentoring Afghan army and police units who must take over the fight against the Taliban. It's hoped this will deny the Taliban and al-Qaida safe havens from which they can again use Afghanistan as a kindergarten for global terrorism.

The debate in the U.S. about Afghanistan, which has a profound spillover effect on views in Canada, is being shaped by an odd double whammy. The first was George W. Bush's colossal blunder in abandoning Afghanistan soon after 9/11 to pursues his misadventure in Iraq. The second is that because of that long war, there is little patience south of the border for the long campaign now required in Afghanistan because the former president shifted his focus from South Asia at a time when it would have not taken a great effort to stabilize the situation.

The debate about the Afghan war in Britain has been shaped by some of the same factors. But the British have also been slow to respond to problems of their own making. The decision to pretend that Afghanistan was Northern Ireland, and to roar around the desert in thin-skinned vehicles was a deadly error. So was Britain's inability to muster sufficient helicopters to fly some of their troops out of trouble.

Thanks largely to the Manley Commission, Canada's equipment shortcomings were dealt with some time ago. The G-wagons, which had become notorious improvised explosive devices traps, were banished and more armoured vehicles were brought in. Helicopters were also provided, taking many Canadians off the roads and a U.S. infantry battalion was dispatched to help the Canadians in Zhari/Panjwaii.

Clear evidence of the high regard the Pentagon has for Canadian military leadership was Washington's unusual decision to place that infantry battalion and, more recently, some U.S. military police under Canadian command. At the same time, and in a similar situation, U.S. Marines fighting beside the British next door in Helmand have all remained under U.S. command.

Further evidence of how well Canadian forces are thought of was provided recently by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the American who commands the NATO force in Afghanistan, and Anders Rasmussen, the Danish NATO secretary-general. They both lauded Canada for its model village project, which is being expanded at this moment from its base in Dand District, southwest of Kandahar. It is now being copied by other armies, most notably by the Stryker battalions.

Last month's presidential election in Afghanistan has created a political debacle. However, what was obscured by credible charges of vote-buying and ballot stuffing has been the fact that, despite loud boasts by the Taliban, the Canadians and their Afghan and U.S. allies kept the lid on violence in Kandahar on election day, denying the insurgents an expected propaganda victory.

For more than three years now, some media have claimed Kandahar City was about to fall to the Taliban. In fact, the Taliban have not once mounted a serious attack to gain control of even one part of Afghanistan's second largest city. What several deadly attacks on Afghan civilians in the provincial capital have demonstrated is that suicide bombers and IEDs have become the only way for insurgents to fight.

It is impossible for the Taliban to win a war with such tactics unless the coalition countries succumb to the propaganda that such terrorist attacks generate, and fold up their tents.

Although badly battered, the Taliban remains resilient because there still is a steady stream of religious fanatics being recruited from across the border in Pakistan and wealthy donors in the Gulf continue to provide strong financial support.

Despite the Taliban's abiding strength, Kandaharis remain overwhelmingly united about two things. Thanks in part to the huge number of Taliban attacks on civilians, the general population still wants nothing to do with leader Mullah Omar and his Arab friends. What they want is for Canadian and coalition forces to stay until their own forces are strong enough to confront the insurgents.

The view of many Canadian soldiers, which they have not been allowed to express publicly, is that the war in Afghanistan is far from being lost. There is much evidence that the Taliban is running out of room to hide and will find themselves in a dire situation if more U.S. troops are made available to cover the flanks and the routes they take to their winter sanctuaries in Afghanistan are cut off.

Beaudin-D'Anjou spoke for all the troops in South Asia when he said that those who have a negative view of their mission do not understand the many challenges that they have met and why it is of crucial importance to Kandaharis and to Canadians that they are there.

Rick Rescorla, Hero: From LZ-XRAY to 9/11

2009-09-11T10:07:00.014-04:00

No sleep for 48 hours. Grimy, unshaven, filthy uniform. Canteens loose, dogtags hanging out, pocket unbuttoned, helmet strap hanging. No insignia of rank, sleeves up. Dirty fingernails. His bayonet is fixed; trigger finger alert and ready for action.

Lt. Rick Rescorla, Platoon Leader, B Co 2/7 Cav in Bayonet Attack on the morning of 16 Nov 1965. This is not a posed shot; this is a man moving forward into combat. Eyes forward. Ready.

That is how he was described on that morning in this Photo by Peter Arnett www.lzxray.com

On this, the 8th Anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, no single person comes to my mind as the symbol of pure selfless heroism as does Rick Rescorla, born in Cornawall, England. At age sixteen he joined the British military. He fought against Communists in Cyprus and Rhodesia. A true British Warrior with no more wars to fight, he went to America, he said, so that he could enlist in the Army and go to Vietnam where he served with distinction above and beyond the call of duty.

It would be at the World Trade Center, serving as Director of Security at Morgan Stanley where Rick Rescorla gave his all in the service of his fellows. He had most of Morgan Stanley’s 2700 employees as well as people working on other floors of WTC 2 safely out of the buildings by the time United Airlines Flight 175 hit WTC 2 at 9:02 a.m.

According to Stephan Newhouse, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Rescorla was seen as high as the 72nd floor evacuating people, clearing the floors and working his way down.

He was last seen heading up the stairs of the tenth floor of the collapsing WTC 2. His remains were not recovered. As a result of Rescorla's actions, all but 6 of Morgan Stanley's 2700 WTC employees survived. Four of the six included Rick and three of his deputies who followed him back into the building - Wesley Mercer, Jorge Velazquez, and Godwin Forde.

He left behind a widow, Susan Rescorla, two children and three stepchildren. Rick was also followed by his mother, Ciss Rescorla, who died the following year, his uncle Trevor Rescorla, who has also since died, as well as many dear friends and family members in the United States and Hayle, Cornwall, England. A memorial stone was erected in his hometown of Hayle, Cornwall, to commemorate his life.

Canadian Soldiers have fought, died and been severely wounded in Afghanistan in the years since 9/11. Like Rick Rescorla, they have sacrificed not for an ideal but for their fellow Soldiers. Let us never for get why we are at war in Afghanistan today. It's not to create a democracy in a place mired in a medieval timewarp. It is to provide a secure environment where ordinary Afghans can prosper and to keep our shores free from further attacks by extremists who would destroy our way of life.

Coalition COIN Academy Needs Book Donations

2009-09-09T12:19:00.007-04:00

Guest Blogger: Scott Kesterson-Donations needed for COIN Reference Library
Posted By Bouhammer on September 5, 2009

The Counterinsurgency Academy is located in Kabul, Afghanistan at the base of the ruins of the Queens castle. The purpose of the Academy is to teach and expand the doctrine of population centric concepts for operations in Afghanistan, and beyond. The contributions the Academy is making to (NATO/ISAF forces commander) Gen. McChrystal’s, strategy can not be understated, nor can the challenges of implementing an expanded doctrine of population centric operations.

In an attempt to support the operations of the Academy, as well as the many soldiers that attend and instruct here, I have developed a “wish list” on Amazon.com of books in hopes of creating an Honorary Counterinsurgency Learning Library made up entirely of donations from our Coalition communities back home. The intent is to further expand the awareness of culture, methods and operations that promote the end goal of national unity, governance and security for the people of Afghanistan.

To find the list, all you need to do is click on Wish Lists
The name of the wish list is: COIN Library – Kabul.

I am continually being asked about donations for soldiers and items of need. This list, though only in the initial phases of development, is something that will have a lasting use and impact on the soldiers here at the Academy and the students of the Academy who eventually take what is learned here and apply the concepts downrange. If the interest is there to support the soldiers by way of donations, I would encourage you become involved in this effort through Amazon.com. The shipping address is listed through the “Wish List.” If you wish to donate another book for the library not listed on the list, or wish to purchase a book from another source other than Amazon.com, the same mailing address applies. For reference, the mailing address here at the academy is listed below:

Scott Kesterson
COIN Academy
Camp Phoenix
APO AE 09320

Thank you all in advance.
Scott Kesterson.

UPDATE: September 10, 2009

To give you some idea who the user community is I quote this paragraph from Blue:

"The Counterinsurgency Training Center – Afghanistan is growing, and its role in propagating the doctrine of counterinsurgency, or COIN, across many organizations is growing. Students of counterinsurgency from every branch of the United States Military, all NATO and Coalition allies, and most importantly Afghans from government, the Afghan Military, Afghan National Police and even non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) are being trained in counterinsurgency every week. Some of this training is conducted on site at the CTC-A, while other training is carried directly to the units and organizations in the field.

Read more about the Academy, including curriculum here

Also KY Woman has more information about The Counterinsurgency Training Center – Afghanistan, plus a video here

Two More Canadian Combat Engineers Killed in Afghanistan

2009-09-08T16:51:00.005-04:00

More than 1,000 Canadian, U.S., Dutch and British soldiers turned out in the bright Afghanistan sunshine on Monday for the ramp ceremony to pay tribute to Major Yannick Pepin, 36 and Corporal and Jean-Francois Drouin, 21.

Both men were members of the 5 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Valcartier, Que. A military official at the base said Pepin was a native of Victoriaville, Que., and Drouin was born in Quebec City.

They died Sunday in a powerful roadside bomb blast that hit their armoured vehicle on a road southwest of Kandahar, bringing to 129 the total number of Canadian soldiers who have died as part of the Afghan mission since 2002. The vast majority of deaths ocuured since Canada began combat operations in Kandahar in January, 2006.

Maj. Pepin, the highest ranking Canadian killed in combat in Afghanistan, had lamented the death of two soldiers under his command just five weeks ago.

"The loss of these two is very difficult, but the work will continue" Pepin had told reporters Aug. 3, two days after the deaths of Sapper Matthieu Allard, 21, and Cpl. Christian Bobbitt, 23 - also in a roadside explosion.

The soldiers stood quietly as the flag-draped coffins carrying the two were loaded aboard a C-130 for the long flight home.

"Today the entire task force is mourning our fallen comrades," an emotional Col. Roch Lacroix, deputy commander for Task Force Kandahar said late Sunday night when announcing the deaths.

"Saying goodbye to Yannick and Jean-Francois so prematurely is hard for me, it is hard for their friends, and it's hard for their families," Lacroix said, standing in front of a cenotaph marking each of Canada's fallen soldiers

My heart goes out to the family, friends and fellow Soldiers of these two Canadian heroes who died doing what they believed in while performing one of the most dangerous jobs in the Army.

In Memory of SPC Jordan Shay

2009-09-05T18:29:00.006-04:00

As I was leaving work yesterday I checked Jordon's site to see if he had left a new post, Not seeing one I moved on to Alex's site and saw the title Through Amber Lenses, A Light. That's all I read. I thought it would be a post a promoting Jordan's site and made a mental note to read it today.

Today I recieved an email from someone who was also following Jordan's site and realized the worst had happened. In the terse words of the U.S. Department of Defense:

DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Sept. 3 in Baqubah, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over. The soldiers were assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Killed were:

Staff Sgt. Todd W. Selge, 25, of Burnsville, Minn.; and

Spc. Jordan M. Shay, 22, of Salisbury, Mass.

The incident is under investigation.

For further information contact the Fort Lewis Public Affairs Office, (253) 967-0147 // 0152, or after-hours

My thoughts, prayers and sincere condolences go out to the families of SSG Todd W. Selge and SPC Jordan M. Shay.

I leave off with the words of Alex Horton a former member of the 3RD Stryker Brigade Combat Team with whom Jordan served: "The United States lost a brave soldier, and the military blog community lost a brave new voice. I ask that you take the time to read his blog from beginning to end. In his comments section, his girlfriend tells us the blog was important to him. I hope he realized how important it was to those who read it."

Read Alex's complete post. Army of Dude: Through Amber Lenses, A Light

GEN McChrystal Demands Strategic Change in Afghanistan

2009-08-31T17:02:00.001-04:00

In a move that will affect Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, US Army General Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in the country, said today as he handed over to US and NATO commanders a sweeping review of operations.

"The situation in Afghanistan is serious, but success is achievable and demands a revised implementation strategy, commitment and resolve, and increased unity of effort," General Stanley McChrystal said. His findings will be submitted to President Barack Obama, who faces a public increasingly restive over a war that has lasted eight years.

McChrystal has been working on the review since Obama put him in charge of the war in June after firing his predecessor, David McKiernan. The document has been sent to General David Petraeus, responsible for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to NATO headquarters in Brussels.

The review is expected to confirm that protecting the Afghan people against the Taliban must be the top priority. The document has not been published yet, and the severity of McChrystal's assessment was difficult to gauge.

McChrystal says the aim should be for Afghan forces to take the lead, but that the Afghan army will not be ready for three years and the police will need longer.

Although the report does not mention increasing troop numbers, the implication is that more soldiers will be needed to turn around an unsuccessful strategy. Officers in Afghanistan consider much of the effort of the last eight years wasted, with too few troops deployed and many of them placed in the wrong regions and given the wrong orders.

"Over the next 12 to 15 months among the things you absolutely, positively have to do is persuade a sceptical American public that this can work, that you have a plan and a strategy that is feasible," Stephen Biddle, a military expert who advises the US-led command in Afghanistan, told the McClatchy-Tribune news service.

Another leading counter-insurgency expert said Afghanistan's government must fight corruption and deliver services to Afghans quickly, because Taliban militants were filling gaps and winning support. The Taliban were already running courts, hospitals and even an ombudsman in parallel to the government, making a real difference to local people, said David Kilcullen, a senior adviser to McChrystal and Petraeus.

"A government that is losing to a counter-insurgency isn't being outfought, it is being out-governed. And that's what's happening in Afghanistan," Kilcullen told Australia's National Press Club.

Reality Check on Recent Events in Afghanistan

2009-08-19T09:58:00.003-04:00

Tim Lynch has been living and working outside the wire in Afghanistan for the past five years. Through his blog Free Range International he and his partner Shem Bot have been providing us with very good analysis of what the situation is on the ground. Here, in part, is his latest report.

Ground Truth

by babatim on August 16th, 2009

As the elections approach there has been much in the news on Afghanistan and most of it is not terribly accurate. Yesterday’s VBIED in Kabul is a good example. Most news outlets are connecting this attack to a countrywide effort by Taliban groups to interfere with the Presidential election scheduled for Thursday. I’m not buying that and I don’t think the Taliban view this upcoming election as a significant event. Some groups have publicly stated they will not interfere, other groups say they will disrupt the process, but we are not seeing any real attempts to do that.

This Washington Post story is typical of the MSM reporting on the Kabul blast with the title of “Pre Vote Blast in Kabul Signal Taliban Intent.“ That is bullshit – what the blast signals is that somebody was able to bribe their way past the ANP check-posts and get right up to the U.S. Embassy checkpoint without being detected. This is the first successful Taliban attack in Kabul since last winter and although the execution was better than average the Taliban once again managed to kill or wound innocent Afghan civilians most of whom were undoubtedly children. I was interviewed for my take on the bombing by the Christian Science Monitor and remarked that it seemed this attack was executed better than the average Taliban lash up but after seeing the picture above I take it back. Poor bomb making with typically poor execution – there would be nothing left of the vehicle or that poor bike rider had this been a Baghdad VBIED.

Read the whole very interesting article here