A RETIRED SOLDIER SAYS...

'Canadians have not earned the right to share our grief'

National Post Thursday, April 27, 2006

As a retired member of the Canadian Armed Forces, I'm disturbed by the media frenzy and the artificial public outcry over the government's decision to restrict the media from CFB Trenton for the arrival of Canadian war dead.

I fully support this decision, and I am ashamed of my fellow Canadians. For the past dozen years, when the Liberals were decimating the Canadian military, there was no public outcry. There was no media frenzy. You did not care. Canadians have -- due to their self-centred, insatiable demand for social programs -- wilfully neglected the men and the women of the Canadian Forces and allowed the federal government, under the Liberals, to gut the Canadian military. And now the media and other pundits wish to share in the grief of the military families for their fallen ones?

Where were the public outcry and the media frenzy over the government's obvious agenda to emasculate the Canadian Forces? There was no outcry when the air force was arbitrarily cut due to lack of resources; no outcry that the army, cut to the bone, is now unable to survive on a modern high-tech battlefield; and there has been not been a word over the decimation of the once-proud Canadian navy.

In short, there has been no outcry that the Canadian Forces cannot fulfill its mission to defend Canada.The Canadian media -- and Canadians -- have not earned the right to share our grief. Shame on the Canadian media, and shame on Canadians.

Ian Parker, Carleton Place, Ont.

A PRAYER FOR THE SOLDIERS

Prayer request ..............
According to the weather reports, it is my understanding that it is 122 degrees in Afghanistan right now -- and the low will be 111! Our troops need our prayers for strength, endurance, and safety. If it be God's will, give these men and women the strength they need to prevail. I am sorry, but I am not breaking this one.....Let us pray. payer chain for our> Military..please don't break it...Please send this on ater a short prayer. Pray for our soldiers...

Prayer

"Lord, please hold our troops in your loving hands.

Protect them as they protect us.

Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they

perform for us in our time of need. Amen."

Prayer Request: When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our troops around the world. There is nothing attached. Just send this to all the people you know.

Do not let it stop with you, please. Of all the gifts you could give a Canadian Soldier, Sailor, Airman, deployed in harm's way,

Prayer is the very best one.

THIS WAS PAST TO ME VIA E-MAIL. SEND IT ALONG IF YOU WISH

AFGHAN RESCUE

This pilot sure earned his pay....

No were esle to land to get the wounded out this pilot improvised and overcame.

SUPPORT FOR THE CANADIAN SOLDIER

Your alarm clock goes off , you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10 minutes.
He stays up for days on end.

You take a warm shower to help you wake up.
He goes days or weeks without running water.

You complain of a "headache", and call in sick.
He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.

You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends. He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.

You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.

You talk trash about your "buddies" that aren't with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.

You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls/hot guys. He walks the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.

You complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.

You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
He doesn't get to eat today.

Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.

You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.

You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.

You call your girlfriend/boyfriend and set a date for tonight. He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.

You hug and kiss your girlfriend/boyfriend, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.

You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.

You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.

You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.

You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.

You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
He does exactly what he is told.

You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.

You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5 minute nap, only to be woken by gunfire.

You sit there and judge him, saying the world is probably a worse place because of men like him. If only there were more men like him!

If you support your troops, send this to everyone you know.
If it gets to another veteran who hasn't received it yet, it will bring back memories.
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the Canadian Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom

THOUGHTS FROM A SOLDIER TO JACK LAYTON

Ole Jack Layton ~ Thoughts From A Soldier

Dear Jack Layton,

You sit there in your quiet home, no fear is in your heart,

You sleep soundly certain that it won't be blown apart.

Your children they can go to school and play out in the park,

They've never seen a bomb explode, heard air raids in the dark.

They've never seen dead bodies piled up on the street,

Your wife, she won't be beaten, treated like a piece of meat.

You are free to form opinions, read any news print you can see,

You enjoy your rights and privileges in this country wide and free.

The reason you can live like that is because I fight your wars,

I fight and push the enemy back, I keep them off our shores.

I am here and you are there pretending you know best.

Well Ole Jack now listen close while I get this off my chest.

You have the right to criticize, you have the right to complain

You don't have the right to drag me down in a stupid political game.

The thing about your rights Ole Jack, the part you can't comprehend

Is you work in the very system, the democracy I defend.

I stand on fences around the world protecting those that need it,

It is not for you to determine Jack whether or not it's worth it.

Ask the people in Afghanistan if they want me to stay,

Women and children depend on me - you say just walk away.

I don't need your changing policy, trying hard to not lose face,

What I need is you behind me, helping protect this place.

You know its hard to do this when I think I'm all alone.

I hear stories of young punks pissing on memorial stones.

I read the papers over here and they tell me what is said.

Canadians are losing faith I can't get it through my head.

You say that it is hopeless, it really brings me down
Don't tell my mother we're losing, don't spread that rumour around.

I'm doing good, were winning here but no-one will believe
Because we are way over here where no one there can see.

Women here can work you see, children starting school.
We built a working government, we've broken Taliban rule.

We are so close to winning this, it's not too far away
History will show that we were in the right to stay.

When that brilliant day arrives, victory you'll claim is ours
You'll forget you said to run away - forget you are a coward.

On that day just thank me for my courage and my trouble,
Find another place that needs help, and send me on the double.

written by Josh Forbes Calgary Alberta

A WOUNDED SOLDIER'S VIEW

It has been 2 month and 2 days since I deployed to Afghanistan, with 8 Platoon, Charles Company, 1 RCR. I was honored, as a reservist augmentee, to be attached to such a great group of probably the best soldiers our country has to offer.

In the three short weeks I was in Afghanistan, I learned more about commitment to my military family than most soldiers learn in a life time. It seemed both unfortunate and amazing that it took battle and blood shed to forge such a strong bond.

It has been 1 month and 12 days since I was wounded and pulled from the battlefield. When I was in the hospital in KAF, I had hoped that I would stay in Afghanistan to recover. Why would I want to stay in such a horrible place that almost claimed my life? I didn’t want to leave my family.

Germany and Toronto (hospitals) were a blur of Morphine, Demerol, Fentanyl, IV lines, wound packing’s, shrapnel removal surgeries, catheters, bad food, and good care. I think back on it and it seems dizzying. But when I close my eyes, only 2 images flash and they take me back to where I’m supposed to be.

I see Panjwayi; the fields of pot. Rockets and bullets. The smell of burning and the heat. Then all I see are the bodies of soldiers I helped carry to the CCP. Two covered by body bags (WO. Richard Nolan, Sgt. Shane Stachnik) and two on stretchers; my platoon warrant (WO Frank Mellish), and a soldier I new only casually from living in the shacks in Petawawa (Pte.Will Cushley)

While at the CCP I find out that a very close friend (from my reserve home unit) had been wounded by shrapnel from Taliban RPGs. His sections LAV had been left on the battlefield. For a long while, I didn’t know how badly he was wounded. (He’s still over there, thus no names) I’ll never forget the feeling; the sense and fear of loss.

I will never forget those who were lost that day.

I try to think of the good times I was privileged enough to have with my Platoon. WO. Mellish made me the unofficial piper of 8 Platoon, (shortly there after; Coy piper) and I played reveille as per his request (and everyone else’s distain) anytime I was able.

In dreams I still hear him shouting “Piper!!! Black Bear!!”… The last tune I played on my pipes… at panjwayi. (I still don’t have them back)

When I close my eyes, I also see the morning after Panjwayi. Sparks, smoke, fire… then the burp of the main gun of the A-10. I remember the feeling of panic as I crawled for my Weapon and PPE, thinking we were under attack. I can still feel the burning on my legs and back, the shock of thinking my legs were gone.

I can see the faces of the injured… the twice wounded soldiers of Charles. I see the face of the soldier who saved my life by applying tourniquets to my legs and stopping the bleeding from my back and arm… (He will remain nameless for now)

From then, everything’s a blur until I’m back in KAF. I remember asking if everyone was ‘ok’... Reaching from my gurney to other wounded soldiers walking by, trying to peace together what had happened… more confusion. I asked again and again…Pte. Mark Graham. An inspirational man whom I only really started to get to know shortly before deploying, a brother in our family of warriors, was dead. My heart sank even more.

Our CSM (who was also wounded) came over to me and asked if I was going to be able to play the pipes for the ramp ceremony the following day. I held up my right hand, which was numb, and looked at my fingers. The tips of 2 of them looked like they had been chewed up in a blender. I felt tears run down my face. Not because I thought I’d never play again, but because I couldn’t play for my departed brothers the next day… I would have given both of my hands and more for their lives.

I had hoped to attend the ramp ceremony the next day, even if I couldn’t play, but I couldn’t move my legs and they couldn’t put me in a wheel chair because of the shrapnel in my back. I was sedated that day, and came to on the plane to Germany.

I couldn’t attend any of the funerals of my fallen family, and I feel no closure.

It has been a month and 12 days since I lost my brothers in Panjwayi and it might as well have been yesterday.

When I close my eyes at night I not only see the ones who have paid the ultimate price, but also the ones who are still there… and I feel as though I am betraying them.

My life seems to be dragging me on. My fiancé and I are planning our wedding and future. My family and I get together often. I’ve been able to socialize with my friends… and yet each thing I do here makes me feel guilty, because I shouldn’t be here to enjoy this.

I wake up every day and plan and plot. I think of only one thing; how can I get back to my family… How can I get back to Afghanistan? My wounds are almost healed. Only 3 holes left and they’re almost closed. I can walk pretty well now, but I need to run.

My family and friends don’t understand. They don’t want me to go back. My fiancé has threatened to end our relationship if I chose to return… and yet this doesn’t dissuade me. I have to get back to my boys. I have to get back and do my part no matter the cost to me. I love my family here in Canada, but no one’s shooting at them.

Every time I see more soldiers killed over there a piece of me dies, and I feel the urge to return grow stronger. And each day I enjoy in my freedom here, I feel as though I have betrayed their memory. I need to finish my job over there. I need to go back.

I can only think of the families of those who have died, and I can only say this, and hope it provides some solace: A warrior’s sword is made from the finest steel, forged by hammer and anvil to create and edge, baptized in hot coals and flame for strength, then quenched in cold water to harden it.

Our brotherhood of Warriors, the finest of men, has been forged by Battle; Baptized by fire and Quenched by tears…

We became and will always be a fraternity of blood with a bond stronger than death.

Pro Patria

I hate to rant, but I need to vent. It’s been a hard road, and I know there are a few others here who have seen it and may or may not feel the same (HoM).

This is a post taken from http://www.army.ca/ of Injured Canadian Solider from the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry who served with the 1RCR

ONE AIRFORCE OPINION: Responce to "A Wounded Slodier's View"

People ask me Why would you want to leave the Air Force and Volunteer to go to Afghanistan. This Canadian Warrior says it well,

"Every time I see more soldiers killed over there a piece of me dies, and I feel the urge to return grow stronger. And each day I enjoy in my freedom here, I feel as though I have betrayed their memory. I need to finish my job over there. I need to go back."

Every time I see more killed or injured over there a piece of me hurts, Why should they go ....and not me......Why should they suffer, and not me .....because I'm in the Air Force and that's not my job?? I am a Soldier First......In this time that the CF is crying for Troops and requires more numbers for Relief. Whether Canadian's need to be there or not, those are not my decisions, it is not my place to comment. There are Canadian Soldiers there, and they need me, and others like me. They need the chance to finish their tours and come home and be with their families, they need the chance to come home and sit and do nothing, right now they don't have that chance as once this tour ends they know that in 6 - 9 months training begins again, and again over they go. But if Guys like me volunteer, then somebody, maybe just one person or one Section, one Platoon....Won't have to.

To all those who are serving now and don't agree with me....Why did you join? For a pay check? If our Veterans of WWI WW2 and Korea signed up just for a pay check we wouldn't have the freedom we have today. Now I understand that this is a different type of war but then we are still the same team, the Canadian Forces. Whether this war will stop Terrorism I can't say? Will it bring a new way of life for the Afghan People Hopefully....But What is Freedom? What does Freedom mean to you? Canada is a Free Country Right? Are our Soldiers Free right now to do what they want? Can they sit at home as I am right now without fear of being shot at? I am Canadian Soldier what allows me that freedom and not them? That's where freedom starts with me. I am Volunteering my freedom so that another Canadian Soldier that is having his freedom jepordized right now can have his back in Canada. I will pick up the Fight For Freedom of Terrorism, I will assist in the efforts of Freedom for the Afghan people. But When I get deployed to Afghanistan I will have won the battle on Freedom for at least 1 of my brothers in arms. He will have his family and his freedom returned in Canada.

Ubique

Once a Gunner Always a Gunner!

This is a post taken from http://www.army.ca/ of Injured Canadian Solider from the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry who served with the 1RCR

Gunner, I salute you.

SUICIDE (COWARD BOMBER) KILLS 2 MORE IN AFGHANISTAN

Two Canadian soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan on Monday when a suicide car bomber attacked a convoy of military vehicles on the outskirts of Kandahar city, NATO officials said.

The Department of National Defence has not officially released the soldiers' names, but one of the men has been identified in reports as Sgt. Major Bob Girouard, 46, originally from Bathurst, N.B. The other soldier has not been named, but both were based in Petawawa, Ont.
Girouard, married with three children, had joined the militia in Bathurst when he was 17 and then moved on to the army.

He spent 29 years in the infantry and was stationed in Germany, Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan and also served with NATO in various European countries.

He was based in Petawawa and had just been home for four weeks where he and his family had the opportunity to celebrate Christmas when he was home.

He returned to Afghanistan on Nov. 22 for what was to be his last posting overseas. He was scheduled to leave Afghanistan on Feb. 28.

Last Updated: Monday, November 27, 2006 11:47 AM ET
CBC News

LEST WE FORGET - In Flanders Fields

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.


Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)

QW - the Truth About Bravery

"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid."

- Col. David H. Hackworth

2 CANADIAN SOLDIERS KILLED IN AFGANI AMBUSH

Two Canadian soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan on Saturday after militants ambushed them with rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire.

Two soldiers were also wounded Saturday afternoon in the battle in Kandahar province, Canadian military officials said. The soldiers are in stable condition and their injuries are not considered life-threatening.

'The Taliban don't like roads because roads mean progress,' said Brig.-Gen. David Fraser. 'Whatever they destroy, we will rebuild.'(CBC)The soldiers were working on a road that would offer safer passage from the volatile Panjwaii district to Kandahar when they were attacked. The road, Highway 1, is often referred to by Canadian soldiers as "Ambush Alley."

"The operational report we're getting is that it was a single rocket-propelled grenade that hit one of our strongpoints," said Col. Fred Lewis, the deputy commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan.

The soldiers' identities and hometowns were not released.


'Whatever they destroy, we will rebuild'

The deaths of the soldiers brings the number of Canadian military fatalities in Afghanistan to 42.
The attack occurred in the same area around the road where several Canadian soldiers have been killed in recent weeks. Taliban militants have been stepping up attacks in the country's south, particularly in Kandahar and Helmand provinces.

"The Taliban don't like roads because roads mean progress," said Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, the Canadian and NATO commander in southern Afghanistan, in a news conference at Kandahar airbase Saturday after the attack.

"That progress will be challenged every day by that organization called the Taliban, who wants to take it down. Whatever they destroy, we will rebuild."

Canada has more than 2,000 troops in the Kandahar area who are working with NATO to fight Taliban forces.

The latest deaths came on the same day as more than 300 mourners gathered in Newfoundland at a funeral for Sgt. Craig Gillam.

Gillam and another Canadian soldier, Cpl. Robert Mitchell, were killed on Oct. 3 in a similar attack just west of Kandahar City.

Last Updated: Saturday, October 14, 2006 9:41 PM ET
CBC News

QW - The Shape

"It is war that shapes peace, and armament that shapes war."

-Fuller

40th CANADIAN TO BE LOST: while Afghan troop restrictions draw fire from O'Connor

Canada's defence minister has urged some NATO allies to do more in volatile areas of Afghanistan, saying they put too many restrictions on their troops — sometimes even banning nighttime missions.

A day after Canada lost its 40th soldier on the mission, Gordon O'Connor told CBC Newsworld on Sunday that the country, Britain and the United States are currently bearing most of the burden in dangerous southern Afghanistan.

Trooper Mark Andrew Wilson, a father of two from London, Ont., was killed in Afghanistan on Saturday.(DND/CP)

O'Connor said Poland recently agreed to contribute 1,000 troops to NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), but said other countries should be contributing more.

"There are larger NATO countries that have put a whole lot of restrictions on their forces. They will not move geographically from the north or from the west. Some of them will not even allow their forces to go out at night," O'Connor told the CBC.

"We want these restrictions taken off their forces so that they can be deployed by the ISAF commander anywhere in Afghanistan."

Pressed by the CBC's Carole MacNeil, who suggested he was referring to France and Germany, O'Connor said: "There's more than them," and then mentioned Italy and Spain.

He also said if there were two more battle groups from NATO countries, "then we can keep the Taliban suppressed."

He said he is lobbying for the additional forces, has asked Afghanistan to move more soldiers and police to the volatile south where Canadian soldiers are regularly fighting the Taliban, and wants Pakistan to close the border so militants cannot move back and forth.

Soldier mourned

O'Connor's plea for help came as troops mourned the death of Trooper Mark Andrew Wilson, who was killed by a roadside bomb on Saturday the Panjwaii district west of Kandahar. Thirteen Canadian soldiers have died in the volatile district since Sept. 1.

Wilson, a father of two from London, Ont., was part of the Dragoons reconnaissance team and was based in Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in northeastern Ontario.

He was killed as he rode inside a Nyala armoured truck, described by the Department of National Defence as a blast-resistant vehicle. It was the first time a Canadian soldier travelling in a Nyala has been killed in Afghanistan.

Canada, which now has more than 2,000 troops in Afghanistan and is leading NATO's forces in the south, has lost 40 soldiers and one diplomat since it began the mission in early 2002; 33 of the casualties occurred this year.

War at a 'tipping point': NATO chief

Elsewhere, NATO's top commander in Afghanistan warned Sunday that the war is "at a tipping point" and more troops are needed to defeat resurgent Taliban militants.

Gen. David Richards, a British officer who commands NATO's 32,000 troops in Afghanistan, warned in an interview with the Associated Press that Afghans could switch their allegiance to the Taliban if daily life doesn't visibly improve during the next six months. "If we collectively … do not exploit this winter to start achieving concrete and visible improvement," then some 70 per cent of Afghans could switch sides, Richards said.

Afghanistan is going through its worst bout of violence since an American-led invasion removed the former Taliban regime from power in late 2001, after the al-Qaeda attacks on the United Strates.

Last Updated: Sunday, October 8, 2006 3:22 PM ET
CBC News

BODIES OF CANADIAN SOLDIERS COME HOME

The bodies of two Canadian soldiers killed in a firefight in Afghanistan returned to CFB Trenton on Friday evening, the second repatriation ceremony at the base this week.

The flag-draped coffins of Sgt. Craig Paul Gillam and Cpl. Robert Thomas James Mitchell were carried by soldiers to the hearses.

The body of Cpl. Robert Mitchell arrives at CFB Trenton.

Gillam and Mitchell were killed Tuesday after insurgents attacked while they provided security to a construction project in the Panjwaii area, where Taliban fighters had been cleared from just weeks earlier. Five other soldiers were wounded in the attack.

The pair belonged to the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont. Both had just recently arrived in Afghanistan.

Gillam, 40, was a native of South Branch, N.L.

Family members of Sgt. Craig Paul Gillam approach the casket after arriving at CFB Trenton.

Although he had been with the military for two decades, he was on his first tour of duty. It was also his first time working away from his wife Maureen and two teenage children.
Gillam's commander, Maj. Andrew Lussie, told reporters Thursday that Gillam was able to return fire, and by doing so, probably prevented more deaths.

Mitchell, 32, is survived by his wife Leanne Hess and their three young children, aged five, three and two.

He grew up in Owen Sound, Ont., and had his first military posting with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton before returning to Ontario.

Military officials led by Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier attended the ceremony.
Their deaths came just hours before Pte. Josh Klukie, killed last Friday in Afghanistan, was returned to CFB Trenton.

Since 2002, 39 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan.

Last Updated: Friday, October 6, 2006 11:15 PM ET
CBC News

HILLIER TO LOOK AT POLICY OF CUTTING SOLDIERS' DANDGER PAY

The head of Canada's military said Friday he's going to do something about the current practice of taking away the danger pay of wounded soldiers.

Gen. Rick Hillier said he heard about the problem last week, and has some "big-brained people" working on the issue.

Gen. Rick Hillier promises to look after wounded soldiers, who are now losing their danger pay. (Les Perreaux/Canadian Press)The effects of the policy are being felt keenly now that Canada has soldiers getting wounded on a regular basis in Afghanistan.

"We're going to look after them," Hillier told reporters during a press conference at Canadian Forces College in Toronto.

Hillier said the military won't change the rules as they stand on danger pay, but said there will be no financial penalty suffered by Canadian soldiers pulled out after being wounded.
Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor also said his top staff will look into the matter.

"I've asked the senior military staff and department staff to look at how we treat wounded soldiers from a compensation point of view and they're moving quickly to look at that challenge," O'Connor said Friday

Injured soldier told in Germany

Trooper Jeffrey Hunter got the news his danger pay was being stopped shortly after he arrived at a military hospital in Germany, where he's on painkillers for a shattered leg.

Hunter, 23, was seriously wounded on Tuesday in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan that killed two other Canadian soldiers. He faces months of rehabilitation.

Under current military rules, if soldiers are injured and moved from Afghanistan, they lose their tax-free danger pay of $2,100 a month.

Military officials told the Toronto Star that the Department of Defence has the option of extending a soldier's danger pay for an extra 25 days. The military usually exercises that option to extend the benefit.

Hunter's father, Bill Hunter of Aurora, Ont., is angry and upset.

"They said they'd pay up to 25 days after leaving Afghanistan. Is the prime minister telling me I can sit my son down in 25 days and say, 'Listen, son, you're no longer in danger.' I don't think so."

It is not known when Hunter will return to Canada for further treatment.

Last Updated: Friday, October 6, 2006 12:01 PM ET
CBC News

QW - Caesar, Shakespeare & War

"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!"

- Shakespeare.

SEARGEANT'S HEROIC ACTION HELPED TO SAVE OTHERS

Sgt. Craig Paul Gillam and Cpl. Robert Thomas James Mitchell were killed during an attack by insurgents armed with rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles outside Kandahar City earlier this week.

They had been providing security for road construction about 20 kilometres west of Kandahar when they came under attack.

"(Gillam) was able to shout and warn the others about this and then in about 30 seconds the other units were also attacked. Craig Gillam was able to shoot back, however he was killed in the firing," CTV's Paul Workman reported from Afghanistan on Thursday.

Gillam was the only soldier who had opportunity to shoot back when insurgents tried to sneak up on the observation post to set up an ambush, Maj. Andrew Lussier, Gillam and Mitchell's commander, told the Canadian Press.

Seconds later, the insurgents attacked two other two posts.

Because of Gillam's heroism, the insurgents were forced to retreat, Lussier said after a ramp ceremony at Kandahar Airfield.

"His actions, I'm certain, saved the lives of the remainder of the patrol," said Lussier, leader of a surveillance and reconnaissance squadron of the Royal Canadian Dragoons.

Five out of eight soldiers in the observation post were wounded in Tuesday's attack.

About 1,500 soldiers, most of them Canadian, lined the runway just after sunrise to bid farewell to the two soldiers Thursday morning. Pallbearers carried the flag-draped caskets to an aircraft for the flight to Canada from the Kandahar base.

With 12 Canadians killed between Sept. 3 and Oct. 3, other attacks this week had set troops' nerves on edge, but those were thwarted without casualties.

The area has seen renewed fighting since an operation to take back the same Panjwaii area in September, which officials say have killed hundreds of insurgents. Seven Canadians have died trying to secure the area.

Gillam, who was from South Branch, N.L., and Mitchell, who grew up in Owen Sound, Ont., were both with the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont.

Gillam was about a month away from a visit home to Petawawa, where he planned to spend time with his wife Maureen and two teenage children.

His aunt, who with his grandparents helped raise him, told the Canadian Press they spoke last Sunday.

He told her that he wanted to leave the Canadian Forces if he was to be sent back to Afghanistan for a second time, she said.

"He didn't want to go," Rita Gillam said through tears as family members gathered at her home. "He wanted to come home."

Gillam recalled how the 20-year Forces veteran came home to South Branch, N.L. every summer and Christmas with his 13-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son to help the family prepare for the area's sometimes harsh winters.

He would haul wood and do repairs to the house near the farm he worked for his grandparents.
"He was like that all his life, even when he was a kid," she said.

"He was a very hard worker and was really devoted to his family."

Reached at her home in Petawawa, Mitchell's grieving widow Leeanne said she and her three children -- ages five, three and two -- were coping with the tragedy.

"Not so bad," she told CP when asked how she was doing.

But she declined further comment.

"I'll be releasing a statement later on and that will give all the information that I'm ready to give out."

Gillam and Mitchell are the 38th and 39th Canadian soldiers to die in Afghanistan since 2002.

06/10/2006 12:07:30 AM

2 CANADIAN SOLDIERS INJURED; by roadside bomb

Canadian soldiers were attacked by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan for the third day in a row on Wednesday, but only two were slightly injured when a roadside bomb hit an armoured vehicle.

Two soldiers injured in the roadside bombing were taken to a forward base for medical treatment but will likely return to duty quickly, a Canadian military official said.

Also Wednesday, several rocket-propelled grenades were fired at a Canadian camp.

The attacks come a day after two Canadian soldiers, Sgt. Craig Paul Gillam and Cpl. Robert Thomas James Mitchell, were killed and five other soldiers injured.

They were providing security for a road construction project 20 kilometres west of Kandahar City when they were attacked at about 4:50 p.m. on Tuesday.

Gillam was born in Stephenville Crossing, N.L., while Mitchell was born in Owen Sound, Ont. The Afghan mission had been the first deployment for both men, who left for Kandhar in August.

The latest attacks also occurred west of Kandahar City. The region was considered to be Taliban hotbed before Canadian troops led a NATO operation to clear insurgents out of the area. NATO officials said the operation, dubbed Medusa, killed hundreds of insurgents.

Mark Laity, spokesperson for NATO in Kabul, told CBC News early Wednesday that the area where the most recent attacks have occurred is still very dangerous for NATO soldiers, although it is safer after Operation Medusa.

He said the Taliban have resorted to their usual tactics involving improvised explosive devices, hit-and-run attacks, sneaking in under the cover of darkness to launch attacks, and disguising themselves as civilians so that they can detonate bombs without warning.

"This is, I'm afraid, a marathon, not a sprint. This is hard to stop," he said early Wednesday. "Without doubt, this is a dangerous area. It's safer but still dangerous. It requires good competent soldiering."

Last Updated: Wednesday, October 4, 2006 2:29 PM ET
CBC News

ANOTHER 2 CANADIANS KILLED IN AFGAN ATTACK IN LESS THAN A WEEK

Two Canadians were killed and five other soldiers injured in southern Afghanistan, military officials said Tuesday.

The soldiers were involved in a road construction project 20 kilometres west of Kandahar at about 4:50 p.m. when they came under attack from a handful of insurgents armed with rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles.

Sgt. Craig Paul Gillam, a member of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, was killed Tuesday in Afghanistan. (Courtesy of DND)

Canadian military officials identified the dead as Sgt. Craig Paul Gillam and Cpl. Robert Thomas James Mitchell, both members of the Royal Canadian Dragoons based in Petawawa, Ont.

Gillam was a native of South Branch, a small community in the Codroy Valley on Newfoundland's west coast.

Mitchell lived in the Niagara Falls area, but grew up partly in Owen Sound, Ont. His parents still live there.

Cpl. Robert Thomas James Mitchell, a member of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, was killed Tuesday in Afghanistan. (Courtesy of DND)

"They were members of the surveillance troop … a reconnaissance squadron," said Col. Fred Lewis, deputy commander of the Canadian contingent in Kandahar. "They were conducting vehicle checkpoints and observation posts at the time."
Two of the injured are in serious but stable condition. All were evacuated to Kandahar airfield, the main coalition base.

"Almost immediately other forces responded to it, treated and medevaced the casualties, and carried on with the operation," said Lt.-Col. Omer Lavoie, the ground-level commander of Canada's fighting force.

The attack occurred in the Panjwaii district, which had largely been cleared of Taliban insurgents in recent weeks as part of Operation Medusa.

"The last thing that the Taliban want is success in the final phase of Op Medusa," said Lewis, referring to the reconstruction effort.

"That is the phase that will sway the inhabitants one way or the other in terms of whether they want to support their own government or the Taliban," he added.

Canada has more than 2,000 troops in Afghanistan, most operating in Kandahar province.
With the latest deaths, 39 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed since the mission started four years ago.

In an incident earlier Tuesday, Canadian troops escaped injury after a suicide bomber on a motorcycle attacked near Kandahar city.

Last Updated: Wednesday, October 4, 2006 5:22 AM ET
CBC News

MILITARY IDENTIFIES CANADIAN SOLDIER - killed in Afghan blast

Canadian military officials released on Saturday the identity of a soldier from Thunder Bay, Ont., who was killed while on foot patrol west of Kandahar.

Pte. Josh Klukie, a member of the 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, which is based at CFB Petawawa near Ottawa, died Friday after triggering what may have been an improvised explosive device (IED) on a road in Afghanistan's Panjwaii district.

Private Josh Klukie, a member of 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, was killed on Sept. 29, 2006 in Afghanistan. (Department of National Defence)Military officials have not released his age. His remains have been flown to Kandahar airfield.

A woman at the home of Klukie's mother in Thunder Bay told the Canadian Press on Saturday that the family had no comment.

Capt. Jim Davis of Thunder Bay's Lake Superior Scottish Regiment said a public affairs officer from Winnipeg was en route to Klukie's hometown. Davis said officials were trying to organize a news conference where a family representative would likely speak to the media.

PM offers condolences

Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed his condolences Saturday to Klukie's family and friends.

"Canadians will not forget the dedication and courage he demonstrated," Harper said in a statement. "We are proud of him, and humbled by his willingness to serve Canada."

The military said one other soldier, Cpl. James Miller, of Hamilton, became deaf in his left ear and suffered a possible concussion in the incident.

Col. Fred Lewis said the soldiers were on patrol on a combat road created by a bulldozer for Operation Medusa, the large-scale offensive aimed at driving Taliban fighters from their strongholds in southern Afghanistan.

Device planted in road

He said an IED or a landmine planted in the road and one of the soldiers triggered it.
"The use of IEDs by insurgents indicates their callous lack of regard for people in the region," Lewis said. "It could have just as easily been a bunch of children playing in the area."
Lewis said it appeared unlikely the device had been set off by remote control.

The news came the same day funerals were scheduled for three of four Canadian soldiers killed earlier this month. They died when a suicide bomber on a bicycle detonated a device near the Canadians, who were on foot patrol.

Speaking from Kabul, NATO spokesman Mark Laity told CBC Newsworld soldiers know it is dangerous to get out of the armoured vehicles, but believe it is necessary if they want to win the "hearts and minds" of Afghans.

"These are soldiers. They understand they have to take these risks," he said.

Last Updated: Saturday, September 30, 2006 5:45 PM ET
CBC News