ONE AFGHAN HERO STANDS OUT

Last year, when I saw a TV documentary about Captain Trevor Green's miraculous rehabilitation, I cried. He is the Terry Fox of the Canadian Forces today but is so humble he doesn't realize it.

Back in public view, Capt. Greene, 44, was the honored guest speaker at a fundraiser founded two years ago by Canada's former chief of defence staff, Rick Hillier. Greene is the Afghan hero who best represents the families whose members have died and those caring for wounded Canadian soldiers who need assistance from the Military Families Fund so named the True Patriot Love Foundation to support their recovery.

Three years ago, Trevor Greene led his platoon into an Afghan village to negotiate with community elders about ways the Canadian military could help them develop their economy and build schools for their children. He and a colleague removed their helmets as they sat cross-legged within the circle. It was their gesture of respect. They were determined to win the elders' trust, but a young boy suddenly came up from behind and struck Greene with an axe. The brutal slash cut down through his head and effectively split his brain in two. No one expected him to live, but with dogged tenacity he clung to life.

Green calls his rehabilitation "a marathon of baby steps." Through it, his fiancée, Debbie Lepore, has been as brave, steadfast and determined as he has been. She has never lost her faith in him or in God's power to heal him, even when the doctors could not promise he would ever speak again, and then when he was told he would never walk again. Though he gave his speech from his wheelchair, he can now stand on his own. Next July, he intends to walk down the aisle to marry Debbie. They have a four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Grace, who has waited from birth to see the "impossible" feat of her daddy on his feet and hear her parents say, "mission accomplished."

On Monday night, Governor General Michaelle Jean presented him with a new medal recognizing Canadian soldiers' service and bravery today. On Tuesday night, November 10, 2009, he spoke in soft, halting sentences to high-powered dignitaries including Prince Charles and raised $2 million for the True Patriot Love Foundation. The folks who heard Capt. Greene's speech will never forget him. Neither do the soldiers who have served with him. And neither will I.

Canada's Afghan strategy tested with death of Sapper Steven Marshall

It's with sadness that I post another casualty just two days later. Below is an article written by Jonathan Montpetit of The Canadian Press.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Canada's new counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan will be put to the test after an IED blast Friday killed Sapper Steven Marshall near one of its showcase model villages, the second Canadian death in just over 48 hours. His draped coffin will arrive at Canadian Forces Trenton Air Base on Monday, November 2nd, 2009.

Marshall, 24, of 11 Field Squadron 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton, Alta., was struck while on a late-afternoon patrol through Panjwaii district, 10 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city. There were no other casualties.

The military said he was conducting a foot patrol at the time he was killed. His death contributes to a rough start for the current rotation of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, with whom Marshall deployed less than a week ago. Fellow Princess Pat Lieut. Justin Boyes, 26, was killed by an IED on Wednesday morning, only 10 days into his mission.

"At the time of his death, Steven was working toward securing the Panjwaii district in order to provide a more stable environment for the Afghan population living there," Task Force Commander Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance said Friday. "A stable environment is the best defence against insurgents, because they have no way to counter the positive effects that soldiers like Steven bring to bear."

A Canadian Press reporter who was at a platoon house in Belanday heard the explosion more than a kilometre away, which was followed by a brief burst of small-arms fire. There were conflicting reports about whether the gunfire was directed at the base. Griffon attack helicopters and infantry teams were dispatched to secure the area while Marshall was taken by helicopter to the military hospital at Kandahar Airfield.

"Know that his death will also sadden the Afghan community where he worked to bring them a better life," said Vance.

Marshall, whose hometown is being reported by CTV as Calgary, was described by Vance as a popular member of his unit thanks in part to his sense of humour and "contagious grin."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement Friday that also paid tribute to Marshall. "Sapper Marshall, a professional soldier and a dedicated Canadian, has made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan," it said. "The Government of Canada continues to work with its allies towards returning safety and stability to the people of Afghanistan. Progress has been made, but much hard work remains to be done."

Belanday's village elder, or malik, paid a visit to the platoon house late Friday night to hold a meeting with military officials. Belanday, and the five-kilometre area around it, are among a series of villages in Dand district where the Canadian military has been experimenting with a population-centric counter-insurgency strategy. Marshall's company is based in Belanday, though he was posted to a nearby platoon house responsible for patrolling parts of neighbouring Panjwaii, where Boyes was killed Wednesday. The army hopes to expand these model villages further west into Panjwaii, but have met stiff opposition from the Taliban. Canadian troops have maintained a continuous presence around Belanday since July, when they moved into a local compound after clearing the area of insurgents. Their presence was originally intended to provide a buffer zone to the original model village of Deh-e-Bagh, southwest of Kandahar city. But the Van Doos battle group opted to keep a platoon stationed in Belanday to mentor Afghan police and prevent insurgents from returning by offering work projects to locals.

The outgoing company commander, Cpt. Jean Vachon, says they eventually earned the trust of locals, to the point where soldiers on patrol walked hand-in-hand with children and received repeated tip-offs about IEDs. "When we arrived it was a ghost village, there was no one who wanted to speak with us; they were scared," he told The Canadian Press hours before Marshall was killed. "But soon the village streets filled up, even with women who were walking around without their faces covered."

But there had been worrying signs of late that insurgents were keen on reasserting their presence the area. On Sept. 13, Canadian soldier Pte. Patrick Lormand, 21, was killed by an IED. And several days later two young girls were killed in a similar blast. Marshall's death shows that months of progress made by the Van Doos is now being seriously threatened by the resurgent Taliban. "It means there are still insurgents out there living among the population," said Lieut. Jeremie Verville, who has headed a platoon based in Belanday for the past three months. "There is still some work (to) do."

Other Van Doos warned that their recently arrived replacements might be inclined to treat the population with suspicion and hostility in reaction to the death, which Verville said would strain the trust it took them months to build. There was also speculation within the platoon house that insurgents were seeking to exploit the troop replacement process. Soldiers themselves acknowledge that they become less aware as they near the end of their tours, and that new arrivals can lack experience in the field.

Casualties mount for NATO forces in Afghanistan

Lt. Justin Boyes was killed in an IED blast Wednesday morning in Afghanistan's Panjwaii district. The explosion also injured two other Canadian soldiers. More than 2,500 Canadian and international troops lined the tarmac at Kandahar Airfield as Lt. Boyes' flag-draped coffin was carried onto a military transport plane. Boyes was only 10 days into his second tour in Afghanistan. He was leading a platoon tasked with mentoring Afghan National Police when it was struck by the IED. He is the 132nd Canadian soldier to die in the Afghan mission since it began in 2002, and the first soldier killed in the current rotation. His body arrived at Canadian Forces Trention Air Base on Saturday afternoon, October 31st, for the honorary trip down the Highway of Heroes.

(Excerpted from the Canadian Press)

In the U.S., President Obama was part of the honor guard waiting for the return of 18 fallen Americans Thursday at the Delaware military base. At least 55 U.S. forces have been killed in October, making this the deadliest month of the war for U.S. forces since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban.

(Excerpted from the Associated Press.)

Has Canada’s prime minister jeopardized chances for saving Canadian journalist retained in Iran?

Maziar Bahan, a Canadian journalist on assignment to Newsweek magazine, was covering the Iranian election when he was retained in Iran without charge. He's been held incommunicado in a solitary cell since June without access to his lawyer or Canadian consulate. Recently he was allowed one phone call to his wife in Canada, who is expecting their first baby shortly. She has pleaded with Canadian Foreign Affairs that she needs him home with her when the baby arrives. In the phone call, she did not tell Maziar about the complications she has suffered during her pregnancy. She used the time to bolster his spirits the best she could.

When Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper boldly walked out of the United Nations yesterday to protest against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech denying the Holocaust and breeches of human rights within Iran, did he even consider how his actions could impact one of Canada's own citizens? Already the federal government has experienced the result of its "do-nothing to interfere" action toward another Canadian journalist wrongfully detained in Iran in 2003, when the Iranian regime murdered Zahra Kazemi, a Montreal photojournalist. No justice has ever been served in her death.

Prior to Harper's walkout at the UN yesterday, he said: “It is important that countries that have a moral compass stand up and make their views known.”

I agree with this morning's Globe and Mail editorial. Mr. Harper should back up his rhetoric and do more publicly to "condemn the unjustified detention of Mr. Bahari." All Canadians demand his release. Why don't you, Mr. Prime Minister? Where is your moral compass when we need it?

Hoooorah for Rosie!

Rosie Dimanno, a columnist for “The Toronto Star,” has undergone seven news assignments in Afghanistan since 2001, a few tours as an imbedded reporter with the Canadian Military. Fed up with the growing debate over Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan, she spoke out in her column today: AFGHANS NEED US.

She decries two “The Globe and Mail” columnists’ recent comments, opinions formed by the way from their cozy chairs in their home offices. (I could be accused of the same thing except I was once out there with the Canadian military in Rwanda and “eyes on the ground” change your whole perspective). Margaret Wenty claims that Canadian solders no longer risk their lives going “outside the wire.”

Unquote Wenty in her column: “Apart from the model village, our soldiers don't get out much. They no longer chase the Taliban. Mostly, they’re trapped behind the wire at the base in Kandahar, where IEDs won’t get them. There is no technical answer to the roadside bombs, which explode even on what are supposedly the safest roads. Whenever possible, personnel fly by helicopter. Development efforts are increasingly managed from inside the wire—Afghans go in to report, but Canadians don’t see for themselves. Outside the model village, they no longer have contact with Afghans.”

I agree with Rosie. Unless she has been embedded in the Canadian military and seen this for herself, she has NO right to make such outrageous and misleading statements. Two days ago, another soldier was killed and the 11 other troopers with him in their armored vehicle injured in an IED attack on patrol beyond the safe haven of the base. The Canadian military continues to carry out its mission in Afghanistan to protect and to develop despite the ignorance of those at home who spread such inappropriate rumors.

And then there’s good ole, thought-provoking Rick Salutin, the other “Globe” columnist Rosie targets. She scoffs at his suggestion the Taliban have a justice system that works, compared to Afghans’ miserable courts. Of course it works. The Taliban rule by fear. Rosie’s point: To the Taliban, jurisprudence is managed with summary executions.

Salutin makes his “get-out-of-Afghanistan” position by comparing Afghanistan to another Viet Nam defeat or to the British abandoning India. He says this to make his point that liberators such as the British and the United States never learn they can’t interfere with the local people’s civil riffs, customs, cultures and traditional attitudes without robbing the victims of their right to self-sufficiency.

Hello!! Has this not been the very reason why Canada has insisted that local development goes hand-in-hand with our military intervention on behalf of the UN?

Out of the 131 killed while serving in Afghanistan, only one family has spoken out against the mission. In troop rotations stretched beyond capacity, this is an amazing endorsement by the personnel on the ground. They better than anyone can judge how effective their mission has been.

Rosie states: “I am well aware of what is not working . . . but I’ve seen Afghans—the vast majority of them—alarmed about the West abandoning them again and withdrawing troops prematurely.”

Rosie has witnessed that Western intervention has been the only thing both to hinder the Talibans’ return and to permit effective reconstruction of the Afghans’ country. “For those who care to actually look, this has been a historic period of restoring institutions in a country that lost all of that over three decades of war.”

The Canadian military may not be able to stretch their limited fighting force past the 2011 pull-out date, but it is in favor of changing its role in Afghanistan to help expanding United States troops secure the country from persistent Taliban insurgencies by concentrating on Afghanistan’s redevelopment and independent training of security and police forces. If the Afghans are not prepared to give up, neither should we. We’ve sacrificed too many to make such a mockery of their achievements.

Sleep last night?

Here's what our Canadian and American forces did yesterday:

This photo was forwarded from one of the last U.S. Marine companies stationed in Iraq: Baker Company.

CANADA'S PRIORITIES IN AFGHANISTAN

Anna Mehler Paperny of the Globe & Mail charts what Canada set out to do in Afghanistan at the outset of its military mission in 2002 and what it has actually accomplished.

Training/mentoring Afghan National Security Forces
Goal: Increased capacity of both Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police in Kandahar by 2011 Progress: Both army and police are taking on greater roles, with Canada providing some of their training. But critics have voiced concerns about continuing allegations of torture or abuse of power.

Basic services
Goal: Ability of Kandahar's administration to provide basic services to "key districts" of the province by 2011.
Progress: Five of the 50 schools in Canada's "signature" school-building project are complete, and 28 are under construction. Surveys this spring indicated residents are less satisfied with the education available. Rehabilitation of the Dahla Dam, another signature Canadian project, continues.

Humanitarian assistance
Goal: Make humanitarian assistance available for Afghan refugees, returnees and for internally displaced persons by 2011.
Progress: Canada has continued its signature polio vaccination project, but new cases continue to be reported - eight during the second quarter of this year. The report states the insurgency as well as an increasing number of cases in Pakistan, are impeding the eradication program. Canada is also clearing land mines and contributing to food and refugee aid through the UN and the World Food Program.

Border security and dialogue
Goal: A stronger capacity on the part of Afghan and Pakistani institutions to manage their border and foster economic development in the border area.
Progress: A trilateral Washington summit was held this spring between Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States. Canada is assisting in plans for a new border facility in Spin Boldak.

Democratic development and national institutions
Goal: Increased capacity on the part of national, provincial and local institutions, particularly in Kandahar province, to govern democratically, deliver public programs and carry out democratic elections.
Progress: The report released yesterday calls Afghanistan's government capacity "chronically weak and undermined by widespread corruption." There was widespread intimidation and threats of violence leading up to the national election last month, whose results have been called into question based on allegations of pervasive fraud.

Political reconciliation
Goal: Encouragement of political reconciliation on the part of provincial and national Afghan government initiatives, supported by Canada.
Progress: "The onset of the summer fighting season and the concentration of politicians and activists on the August elections discouraged expectations of noteworthy initiatives in reconciliation," the report notes.

Lest we forget their sacrifice

Today, the Globe & Mail newspaper reprinted a press release by the Canadian Press' Bill Graveland in Kandahar, Afghanistan.  I repeat it here:
Last updated on Monday, Sep. 14, 2009 10:11AM EDT

The “bright, clear eyes” of another young Canadian soldier were closed forever Sunday as an improvised explosive device raised Canada's death toll in this bleak and unforgiving land to 130.

Private Patrick Lormand, 21 of the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment was killed and four others were injured in a roadside IED blast approximately 13 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city.

“He did not come here as a potential victim, he came here to help and help he did. He does not need to be told his efforts are futile for he could see positive results in the communities he was protecting,” said an emotional Brigadier-General Jonathan Vance, the commander of Task Force Kandahar.

“You need only look into those young, clear eyes to know that he was a good soul, who tried every day to do the right thing and saw in the results of his efforts a chance to succeed on a wider scale on behalf of Canadians and Afghans alike.”

An opinion column that ran in several Canadian newspapers from Colin Kenny, the chair of the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence, criticized the Afghan mission as being ‘futile' and said, “It's time to retreat from Canada's Vietnam.”

“He took a fatal strike where an Afghan family might have. He lived in the community so they knew the families he was protecting and they saw him as just that – a protector,” said Brig.-Gen. Vance.

“Neither he nor his family benefit from uninformed opinions about what his goals were and the techniques he used to achieve them,” he added. “The thousands of young, clear, determined eyes that remain wide open here in Kandahar are working hard, every day to protect and stabilize the population – not an impossible mission as some might suggest.”

Pte. Lormand was on a patrol in the volatile Panjwaii district, where Canadian soldiers have been battling the Taliban for the past few years. The injured soldiers were treated at Kandahar Airfield for minor injuries and released.

The incident happened at 1 p.m. Kandahar time on Sunday. Journalists at Kandahar Airfield were informed almost immediately, but it was nearly a full 24 hours before the Canadian forces lifted the embargo.

Pte. Lormand, or “Lorm” as he was known to his friends, was well-liked and his good humour and happiness was credited with raising the morale of his section and his platoon. He had pride in his mission, said Brig.-Gen. Vance, and was dedicated to his peers and to his career as an infantryman. He is survived by his parents Jacques and Sylvie Lormand.

“His was a world where success is something won under the hardest of circumstances, where ideas are turned into action and where the Canadian forces seek to protect and stabilize,” said Brig.-Gen. Vance.

“Rest in peace brother Patrick.”

The latest incident happened one week after another powerful blast hit an armoured vehicle in the same area, killing 36-year-old Major Yannick Pepin and Corporal Jean-François Drouin, 31.

Both men were members of the 5 Combat Engineer Regiment and were stationed in Valcartier, Que.

Pte. Lormand is the 12th soldier killed during the current rotation.

A few days ago, the Chief of Canada's Defence Staff, General Walter Natynczyk had been urging soldiers here to be careful and not to let down their guard as their tour came to an end.

The IED has become the weapon of choice for the Taliban for more than two years. Seventy-one of the 130 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan have died from IED strikes. Since April of 2007 – 62 of the 85 Canadian deaths were the result of improvised explosive devices, which are cheap and easy to make.

Additional American troops help Canadians win Afghans' trust

Canada's Chief of Defence Staff General Walt Natynczyk welcomes the addition of American reinforcements in Southern Afghanistan. For three years, one battalion of Canadian troops has been holding back Taliban militants while trying to win the Afghans' trust. Spread so thin, securing the area has taken precedence over helping the Afghans work their land to support themselves. With the addition of seven American battalions to the area in 2009 plus a brigade of the Afghan army and growing ranks of Afghan police, NATO troops can allocate more help to local communities in rebuilding their roads, schools and economy. Despite severe losses, Canadian troops still believe in their mission. They can see their efforts have brought improvements despite the Taliban insurgency, which continues to threaten their day-to-day security. To quit Afghanistan before it has sufficient government forces and police to sustain itself would be to mock all those comrades who have sacrificed their lives over the past seven years. Canadian troops are determined those they have lost will not have died in vain.

Canada to stage MOCK Afghan attack in Washington

UPDATE:
Sept. 14, 2009 -- Defence Minister orders Canadian embassy in Washington to cut blasts from Afghan war showcase.




The Canadian embassy in Washington plans to build a faux Afghan village in the embassy courtyard, populated by Afghan actors, and set of fake IEDs, in an effort to show American opinion makers how Canadian Forces are doing all they can to win the war in Afghanistan. Scheduled IED attacks set for at noon and 2 p.m. on Sept. 23, 2009.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/canada-to-stage-mock-afghan-attack-in-washington/article1275341/
       On Sunday, September 6, 2009, two more Canadian soldiers have been killed in action on a road southwest of Kandahar by a roadside bomb blast: 36-year-old Maj. Yannick Pepin and Cpl. Jean-Francois Drouin, 21. To see the HONOR ROLL of FALLEN CANADIAN TROOPS in Afghanistan to date, please scroll down the right-hand sidebar.

Roadside bombs kill two Canadian combat engineers

Two young Canadian combat engineers lost their lives to IEDs while checking out another explosion Sunday, August 2, 2009. Cpl. Sapper Matthieu Allard and Cpl. Christian Bobbitt (in photo) of the 5th Combat Engineers Regiment, 2e Batallion of the Royal 22e Regiment, based in Valcartier, Que., were clearing roads of deadly improvised explosive devices to open the way for Afghans to travel to work more freely.

The two lads, the youngest casualties to date, were caught in a lethal refinement of the Taliban's hallmark IED attacks, where two bombs are detonated in succession – one to stop the convoy, the second designed to kill the troops after they emerge from their armored vehicle. A third soldier was also seriously injured but is now in stable condition and expected to survive.

Bobbit was known for his sense of humor. Major Yannick Pepin, commanding officer of 51 Field Engineer Squadron said, “He made disagreeable situations agreeable.”

In response to a remark made by Bobbit's aunt to the press that the young corporal had grown disillusioned with the mission, another soldier with two tours behind him commented in the Globe & Mail: "The majority of people in Afghanistan voted for its current democratic government. That government has requested NATO's help in trying to maintain a secure and stable environment so the government can continue to operate. Nothing is perfect, but I assure you, if NATO left, there would be no freedom or democracy in Afghanistan. As a side note, not once was I ever lied to as to what we were doing in Afghanistan. As an infantry soldier with 2 tours, I was fully informed as to what we were there to accomplish and how difficult it would be."

A Bloody July for NATO in Afghanistan

Another Canadian soldier has died in Afghanistan. He tripped on a land mine and the blast catapulted him down a mountain cliff where he fell to his death. Private Sébastien Courcy, 26, died around 6 a.m. Kandahar time, while taking part in military operations in the Panjwai district, about 17 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city. Pte. Courcy was a member of the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment - known as the Vandoos - based in Valcartier, Que., and had arrived in Afghanistan in April. He was serving in the battalion's battle group. Born in St-Hyacinthe, just east of Montreal,. Pte. Courcy enlisted with the Canadian Forces in 2006. He was completing his first tour of duty in Afghanistan. He leaves his mother, Ginette Courcy, and sister, Julie.

July has been a deadly month for NATO troops in general, with at least 47 soldiers killed so far, including 24 Americans and 15 Britons. The spike is due, in part, to a massive U.S.-led operation in Helmand province, Kandahar's neighbour to the west and the opium poppy-producing capital of the world. Some 20,000 U.S. Marines are in, or on their way to, Afghanistan as part of U.S. President Barack Obama's strategy shift in Washington's anti-terrorism campaign.

...Report from the THE GLOBE AND MAIL

FROM CANADIAN PRESS

Cpl. Martin Joannette, one of two Canadian soldiers who died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan 12 days ago, was remembered today at a ceremony at CFB Valcartier, where he served with 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Regiment. Joanette was a native of St-Calixte, a town some 70 kilometres northwest of Montreal.

Joannette died alongside Master Cpl. Pat Audet, 38, when their helicopter crashed on takeoff in the Zabul province of Afghanistan.

Audet's funeral took place on Thursday, also in Valcartier. Joanette and Audet were the 123rd and 124th Canadian soldiers to die in Afghanistan.
A British soldier was also killed in the crash, and three other Canadian Forces members were injured in the accident, one of them seriously.

Canadian soldier wounded June 23 dies

Master-Corporal Charles-Philippe Michaud, 28, has died in a military hospital in Germany. He never regained consciousness after stepping on a mine in the Panjwaii district in Afghanistan June 23, 2009.

Col. Jean Marc Lanthier, commander of the 5th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, says Michaud served as a mentor to his fellow troops and was a model soldier. Michaud is survived by his wife, his parents and a brother.

Roadside bomb kills Canadian soldier CBC interviewed on Canada Day

Another IED has killed a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan and wounded five in his armoured vehicle. Cpl. Nick Bulger, 3rd Battalion in the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based in Edmonton, was part of a "close-protection force" guarding the Canadian senior commander of NATO coalition forces in Kandahar province, Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance. Vance, in the vehicle ahead, was returning from visiting American troops under his command in an intensely occupied insurgency district 60 kilometers west of Kandahar city and narrowly missed being hit in the same blast.

Cpl. Bulger, a 30-year-old father of two daughters, came from Peterborough, Ontario. On July 1st, Canada Day, he appeared in a CBC interview and said that once you look in the eyes of the local children, you know you are fighting for the right reasons.

On Friday, one American soldier was also killed in a major offensive by more than 5,000 American troops invading the Taliban-infested area further south of the NATO zone. Carrying full pack and gear, they are fighting in deadly heat of more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Seen here is 2nd U.S. Marine Expeditionary Brigade Commanding Officer and Brigadier General Larry Nicholson shaking hands with an Afghan child during patrols in Afghanistan's Helmand province.

Canadian combat engineer dies defusing roadside bomb

Corporal Martin Dubé, 35, died as he dismantled one of two improvised explosive devices he was trying to defuse exploded in a high traffic area in the Panjwayii district southwest of Kandahar City. Cpl. Dubé is the second Canadian Forces soldier killed within a week by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during missions intended to neutralize them. The blast also killed an Afghan police officer and wounded a Pashto interpreter, who was rushed by helicopter to hospital.

In losing his life, Cpl. Dubé saved many civilians.

Back to the Highway to Heroes for another fallen soldier

Pte. Alexandre Péloquin, 20, died in a blast in the Panjwaii district of Afghanistan on Monday, April 8, 2009. The Toronto Star newspaper reports he called his mother in Quebec a few days before to tell her this incredible observation. "I have never seen anything so beautiful as Afghanistan."

Pélo, as he was nicknamed, is another example of a young man who always wanted to join the military and in his teen years was a cadet while in high school in Lachute, Quebec.

Andrew Chung reports "Péloquin was involved in a six-day operation to find and neutralize improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance, senior Commander of the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan explained that, in the village of Nakhoney--about 15 kilometers southwest of Kandahar City where insurgents have increased their attacks on Canadian Forces since 2006--Pélo's group removed material for hundreds of these IEDs and succeeded in removing 15 before he was killed. None of the others suffered injuries.

Pte. Péloquin was a member of the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment, based at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier near Quebec City.

RECENT AMERICAN DEATHS
A week ago Monday, THE TORONTO STAR's South Asia Bureau Chief Rick Westhead reports four American soldiers were also killed by roadside bombs outside Kabul. The bomb blew their armored Humvees into the air. A few days later, three more patrols were bombed but no one was killed. The Americans are finding new efforts to win hearts in local villages are greeting resistance, partly because the locals see American commanders are not treating their Afghan soldiers with the same respect as their own troops. For instance, while U.S. troops live in wooden cabins (with two to three per room) on base, "Afghan troops live together in a single canvas tent, exposed to bone-rattling winds whipping off the nearby mountains." Though this treatment is a result of finding some Afghan soldiers had been stealing from American troops, U.S. Sgt.-Maj. Dewayne Backmon notes: "This war isn't going to be won on technology. We need to be doing a better job relationship building."

Lest We Forget
"... They went with songs to the battle, they were young, Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them."
(Laurence Binyon's "For The Fallen" was published 21 September 1914)
Submitted by MacGregrrrr at 6:49 AM to THE TORONTO STAR Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Mysterious Death of Canadian Officer 118th in Afghanistan

Major Michelle Mendes, an Intelligence officer with the Canadian Forces, has died under mysterious circumstances in her room at Kandahar Air Field. This was her second deployment. She was assigned to Task Force Kandahar, Canada's headquarters operation. In 2001, she graduated from the Royal Military College in Kingston and was married to Victor Mendes, the soccer coach at RMC. In her first deployment in 2006, she was wounded and returned home with a number of soldiers caught in a friendly fire incident when a U.S. aircraft mistook them for Taliban forces and strafed them.

According to the Globe & Mail newspaper, "Maj. Mendes' death comes less than two months after Defence Minister Peter McKay announced a $21-million plan to deliver better care to Canadian soldiers who are suffering from physical or mental wounds, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

"The plan was a response to a damning report released last December by the military's ombudsman who slammed the government for being slow to implement better care for soldiers suffering operational stress injuries — a need flagged in 2002. The military is still struggling with the stigma their culture attaches to mental health problems."

Canadian Soldier Growing Grass in Afghanistan

AWESOME -- God Bless Him !!!

Here is a picture of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan with his tiny "plot" of grass in front of his tent. It's heartwarming! He asked his wife to send him dirt (Canadian soil), fertilizer, and some grass seed so he could smell the sweet aroma of grass and feel it grow beneath his feet.

When the men of his squadron have a mission they are going on, they take turns walking through the grass and the Canadian soil -- to bring them good luck. If you notice, he is even cutting the grass with a pair of a scissors.

Sometimes we are in such a hurry that we don't stop and think about the little things that we take for granted. Upon receiving this, please say a prayer for our Canadian soldiers that give and give and, yes, sacrifice their lives so unselfishly for us.

Calling ALL Canadians--RED SHIRT DAY

This post was contributed by a friend who is circulating the invitation to join in recognition of our Canadian troops. It has passed through so many hands that I don't know if anyone knows who the originator of the idea was. BT

Red Fridays.

"Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Canadians who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority.' We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing.

"Many Canadians, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of Canadians supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every red-blooded Canadian who supports our men and women afar, will wear something red.

"By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make Canada on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming Hockey game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family, it will not be long before Canada is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever.

"The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is 'We need your support and your prayers.' Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something red every Friday."

You can buy red T-shirts at your local legion hall. BT