Our Prayers go out on this sad day to all the parents, wives, partners, children and family members of the latest six soldiers killed in Afghanistan in the name of reconstruction. My thanks to Super Frog Benny for the photo of fallen from his archives. The following are excerpts of comments from former soldiers either sent personally to me or to our Corps web site. We shall remember the fallen.
During our drive back home last night we heard the very disturbing news that 6 more of our young men are no longer with us. I can only wonder if the cost is really worth what is being achieved. I know that contributors to your BLOG claim that this is what our young men and women in uniform are being paid for but I have to question that logic. DOING WHAT THEY ARE BEING PAID FOR? If that is the case then they are selling their lives at bargain basement prices. We both joined the army back in 1960 with high ideals and whether our decision to enlist was spurred on by patriotism, economics, education or whatever, we were prepared to do our bit for our country. As the years passed I found that my opinion changed, mostly due to my tour in Ottawa where I discovered what really goes on behind the scenes. Our men and women in uniform are merely pawns in a big game of political one-up-man-ship, just numbers on a piece of paper, and for the most part the hierarchy has little interest in the cost as long as the efforts of the troops make them look good on the world stage. In August 1974 nine of our men were murdered, yes murdered, by the Syrian military when they shot down a slow moving cargo aircraft which was painted white and had huge UN markings on the fuselage. The Syrian explanation was that they mistook if for an Israeli jet fighter. Our government never demanded nor received so much as an apology and back here in Canada the incident went mostly unnoticed by everyone except those whose lives were touched by the deaths of their loved ones. I was there and remember the anguish that our troops endured and the question on most of our minds was does anybody care about us or even know that we are here?. The only difference between 1974 and 2007 is that the media is now getting involved but if you were to take a survey in downtown Toronto I am willing to bet that our losses would be met with indifference. The very poor attendance at the recent rally in P.E.I. goes a long way towards supporting this supposition. While on the subject, we both know that Afghanistan, like most other Middle Eastern cultures are based on thousands of years of beliefs and traditions. The NATO troops are attempting to make a difference and have, to some degree, been successful. However, unless the coalition forces are prepared to remain in-country until the end of time it is doubtful that the changes will survive after the westerners have all gone home and the old regimes are free to reassert their control over the masses. I support our troops but I will be one of the happiest people in this country when every mothers' son and daughter is safely repatriated from that mission which has deprived us of too many of our finest. Anyway, please forgive me for my ranting....... it's just that I feel so helpless. next one
Today six more families get to grieve at the loss of their children and loved ones. God bless them! Once again, I can't help but wonder where the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan are getting all the tons of explosives and sophisticated equipment such as detonators. The people who are responsible for detonating this bomb and probably many others do so with impunity. I don't believe they are all in possession of little chemistry sets and making this stuff at home. Where the hell are they getting it? Shouldn't we be whacking their sources big time? (Screw politics!). Whoever is supplying these people is our arch-enemy and should be taken out. That's who we should really be after. Who's running this railroad anyway
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My wife and I send our thoughts and prayers to the families, friends,and fellow soldiers of six Canadians killed today.Our hearts greive for all of them and ask God's grace over them.The tragedy in Afganistan today has made it worse in the eyes of VETERNS with the Ont. Court of Appeal overturning a $4.6 billion award to them by,I think, the Ont. Supreme Court. Good old justice system at it's finest again???? Pray for our troops. Take care and God Bless. Rex
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Confirmed 6 more BRAVE Canadians gave their life today in Afganistan ,again a coward road side bomb attack .... May their sacrifices be not in vain...WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.Keep On Truckin Benny
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Our thoughts and prayer go out to the families of the six heroes we lost yesterday. Unfortunately chances or rather bad luck are they will not be the last. This is not a peacekeeping mission. If you need to vent out about the situation you can always call the Mission Information Line(MIL)at 1-800-866-4546 and press 0 to speak to a professional or press 15 on your phone to listen the the Newsflash or Press release. The MIL is for families and friends of deployed soldiers on all missions. Confirmation of the six Canadians KIA was recorded on line shortly after one PM approximately the same time as it came out in the media. I am taking a break at home today but will be back at the office tomorrow. I don't always have time to write something up on this forum but I make it a point to read the entries on a regular basis. Thanks to all for the great memories and for keeping us entertained.
There are a great many more letters on this subject on many blogs around the net.
Today I did a 3 hour unofficial survey in Charlottetown and in 4 main shoppes I saw a grand total of one person wearing a Red Support our troops T Shirt. I spoke to the woman and thanked her on behalf of the troops and their families for visibly showing her support. She told me she a nephew and the boy friend of her daughter currently serving in Afghanistan. God bless this lady and all the supportive Canadians nationwide. The Taliban will continue to be a major threat to all good citizens of the free democratic world, they must be STOPPED How ?? I do not have the answer but our troops are doing their best in an exceedingly vicious area to attain some Democratic substance to the lives of the Afghans.
God Bless and support them. When the Ramp ceremonies begin and you watch on TV news say a little prayer where ever you may be. Thankyou.
Nil Sine Labore
Robby
