The pipes have led men into battle for centuries. The pipes have roused soldiers. The pipes have been enjoyed at ceilidhs around the world. The pipes also lead the procession of our soldiers who have paid the ultimate price. Carrying on the tradition in the nether regions of the Sudan. Captain Terry Hunter of Charlottetown, travels with his pipes.Working as a UN Observatiuon officer in this stricken land, Terry has passed out gifts of Canada to villagers, children and many other Sudanese. He has travelled with two flags one Canadian and one provincial. These had been signed by students of Stone Park Intermediate school. Captain Hunter is a canadian Soldier serving Canada and the world in a hot, poor region of the globe. The following pictures show captain Hunter and the Flags with Sudanese children.
PEI far away
Canada a world away.
Sudanese Children
As Captain Hunter serves in the Sudan our men and women in Afghanistan are going to be getting yet another tool to fight the insurgents. The use of pack animals goes back in time for centuries . From Hannibal marching across the Alps with his elephants to the Donkeys and mules used by Canada in the Sicily campaign in WW2.
MY Corps The Royal Canadian Army Service Corps was derived from the British Corps of Waggoners, They handled the horses,mules and donkey brigades.To supply the front lines with everything from ammo to food supplies.
Canadian Forces in Afghanistan will have another item added to their arsenal next summer donkeys.
Soldiers plan on using a team of up to 30 specially trained donkeys to deliver critical supplies like water and ammunition.
Maj. Charles Janzen, the Canadian soldier spearheading the donkey brigade idea, says the animals can survive with very little water and can carry a significant amount of weight nearly 160 kilograms.
Afghanistan's terrain is one of the major challenges facing Canadian and coalition troops. There are mountains, irrigation canals, grape fields, mud walls around compounds and wadis a dry riverbed that contains water only after heavy rains.
Donkeys will also cut down on the use of tanks to breach walls to reach soldiers needing resupply, which has been a source of anger for many Afghan farmers.
A unit of Afghan soldiers, along with Canadian mentors, will be in charge of deploying the donkeys next year.
Last summer we were up to 55 degrees Celsius, said Janzen, the self-proclaimed ass-master spearheading the donkey brigade idea.
And when you think of the average soldier whether he's Afghan or Canadian Forces when you start putting on all your battle armour and you've got bullets and grenades plus small packs, you're carrying anywhere from 100 to 200 additional pounds of gear.Canadian troops have used donkeys before, but not since northern Sicily in the Second World War. With apologies to Pte Zubrick of 56 Tpt Coy RCASC Gaza Egypt.
Last but not least for this blog. We wish the new Governor of Kandahar Tooryalai Wesa all the best in a difficult post.
The Afghan-Canadian academic named as Kandahar's next governor says he plans to be the bridge between his two home countries.
Tooryalai Wesa, 58, accepted Afghan President Hamid Karzai's offer Thursday for the top political posting in the troubled province where Canada's troops are deployed. He'll be sworn in on Saturday.
I will try to get to the people and try to explain what the Canadian Forces want in Afghanistan, especially in Kandahar ... to restore peace, to restore security and implement the development projects the Canadian government has in the pipeline, he said.
The governor of Kandahar is generally considered Canada's biggest ally in the volatile southern province where the bulk of the roughly 2,700 Canadian troops are stationed.
An agricultural expert at the University of British Columbia, Wesa grew up near Kandahar City. He served as Kandahar University's first president until he left the country in 1991 with his wife, who also works at UBC. The couple have three children and have lived in Coquitlam, B.C., for 13 years.
Congratulations to both The RCR and The RCD's on their 125th annivesary. 2 Fine Regiments serving Canada and Canadians.
Only 3 days till Christmas please think of our troops, their families and loved ones where ever they may be.
Nil Sine Labore
Robby
