As the families of 9 soldiers killed in Afghanistan, attended memorial services for their men. The interview with with some members with regard to the pullout, has got me thinking.
One father feels that to pull out completely in 2011 will mean that his son died in vain. I say this to you sir, your loss, can never be rectified, sadly your soldier died paying the ultimate price for his country. I am in two minds about this war in Afghanistan, as a former soldier yes I agree that a Total Victory would be the finest ending to a dragged out counter insurgency. However on the other hand as father and grandfather I would not like to see further young men killed in this mission.
Your comments and indeed comments from the pullout side, will certainly leave the Prime Minister between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
The decision to pull out completely was passed by parliament. Do we now recant that and continue pushing in Afghanistan? Fortunately I do not have to make that decision.I doubt that even Solomon with all his wisdom could make a full decision that would be satisfactory to everyone.
So sir, I say to you again your son and the others from this mission will not have died in Vain no matter what happens in 2011. They were soldiers, proud and strong who were taken at the prime of their lives. For that we are sad.
Families of fallen mourn at Kandahar Some urge Canada not to pull out entirely T Comments225Recommend42 The Canadian Press
The families of nine Canadian soldiers killed in combat over the past four years made a solemn Easter weekend pilgrimage to Kandahar, and many of them say Ottawa should not pull out of Afghanistan entirely next year. Deborah Warren (left) gets some help with her helmet from Gerald Warren, as the families of some of the Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan landed at Kandhar Air Field Saturday to take part in Easter weekend remembrance ceremonies. (Bill Graveland/Canadian Press)
Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and uncles took part in a special ceremony Saturday behind the task force headquarters at Kandahar Airfield, where the faces, names and dates of the 141 dead soldiers are etched into a granite memorial.
Myles Kennedy, who lost his son to a roadside bombing on Easter Sunday 2007, said he was amazed at the scale of NATO's buildup for this spring's planned offensive in Kandahar.
For the first time since his son's death, Kennedy said he's optimistic that the war in Afghanistan can be turned around, and it's happening as Canada is preparing to withdraw all its combat troops next year.
He appealed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper to conduct a phased withdrawal by perhaps signing on to a proposed training mission in Kabul.
A total pullout of troops would send the wrong message to the world and to the soldiers, such as his son, who made enormous sacrifices.
I don't want him to die in vain, Kennedy said. It could be a year. It could be two years of turning this country around. Let's give it time. Let's not walk away from the table when you're holding a winning hand.
We came in to do a job. And our job will not be complete, if he pulls out the whole group. Development needs security: soldier's father
Kennedy qualified his statements by saying he understood the army is worn out by four years of warfare and rotations. But, he said, if Canada is going to continue with a development mission, as Harper promised, then it cannot rely on other countries for security.
His son, Pte. Kevin Kennedy of the 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment, was among six soldiers who perished on April 8, 2007. The mother and sister of Cpl. Aaron Williams, who died in the same blast, were also on hand for moving family tributes.
Patty Braun, whose son Cpl. David Braun was died in August 2006, said she believes Canadian troops should stay in Afghanistan in some capacity until the tide has completely turned.
The trip to Kandahar was an important personal journey, she said.
I had to come to the place where my son was last alive. And I needed to smell it. I needed to see. I needed to taste it. And I needed to hear it, said Braun, who wore the shemagh desert scarf that belonged to him and was returned with his personal effects.
Just to be where he was. We see pictures on TV, but nothing, nothing can show what it's actually like here. It's so much more.
The father and brother of Master Cpl. Scott Vernelli, of the 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment who died just over a year ago, also made the journey.
Other soldiers honoured Saturday included Sgt. Vaughan Ingram, Cpl. Stephen Bouzane, Cpl. Andrew Grenon, Cpl. Mark McLaren and Sgt. Gregory Kruse.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/04/03/afghanistan-canadian-easter-visit.html#ixzz0kAgIJhRJ
Tour's End - Beautiful Poem Someone sent me Unfortunately the writer is Anonymous Tours End We wait at the airfield today, this is our tours end, We get to go back home, to our families and friends. Our plane will land in Trenton, our families will meet us there, To take us back to our hometown, in this nation somewhere. Regina, Lethbridge, Nanaimo, Valcartier, St.Johns, or Waterloo, We are soldiers who went to fight for you. No-matter what our hometown we were glad to keep you free, Fighting terror overseas, so homeward it wont follow me. The plane arrives, some friends of our far-away home, Line up together to wish us well, we are not alone. They thank us for our service, as we board the plane, Then they get back to the duties of fighting everyday. We may be engineers or gunners, police or medics too, Doesnt matter where were sent, we do what were trained to do. Bringing peace to our nation, comes sometimes at a cost, For there is a ramp ceremony each time a soldiers lost. Were now home in Canada, My friends and I As we get off the plane, our families begin to cry. They couldnt wait to see us, then in a car we go, Escorted down a road, that all of us soldiers know. You see, we gave our life for you, this was our tours end, Now you line the highway, so we know you dont forget. You cry, cheer and salute us, as past you we go, Heros in your mind, because we died fighting the foe. We waited at the airfield, in foreign lands so far away, Were from Anytown, Canada and we gave our life today. So those who wait for us to return, our nation, family and friends, Please understand its ok, this is our Tours End.
PLEASE SHOW SUPPORT FOR OUR TROOPS
Nil Sine Labore
Robby
