Afghanistan 2009

Time to catch up.

Shot over!

Van Doos commander has a message for Canadians: the threat is real

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The commander of the Royal 22e Regiment in Afghanistan says Canadians need to be reminded of why their soldiers are fighting in the war-torn country.

"People shouldn't think that what's happening in Afghanistan can't affect them in some way," Lt.-Col. Jocelyn Paul recently told The Canadian Press.

A Canadian Press-Harris Decima poll in early April suggested that only 40 per cent of Canadians supported the presence of Canadian troops in Afghanistan. Of the 1,000 people polled, 55 per cent opposed the mission. In Quebec, home to the Royal 22e Regiment, 71 per cent opposed the mission.

"It's a bit naive to think that we're safe," Paul said. "Thinking that North America is some kind of an island on the other side of the ocean and that whatever goes on in the rest of the world won't come to us is an excessively naive vision of the world.

"Somehow, I have the impression that we have very quickly forgotten that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks happened in New York state, which is a neighbour (of Quebec)," said Paul, who will lead the troops of the 2nd Battalion tactical group for the next six months.

"We've forgotten that Canadians lost their lives in these attacks. Canadians were among the victims in Mumbai (India) in December."

When asked how to better communicate the value of the Canadian mission, he referred to globalization, which he says affects not only goods and services but ideas as well.

He retraced the roots of the current fight against terrorism, depicting people who, influenced by particular ideas, "decided that societies should live under Shariah law" and who have "a very archaic vision of their religion.

"These people need to be stopped. They need to let people live in peace. We need to ensure that the people can choose to live how they want and the way that's done is through elections," like the ones that will be held in Afghanistan in August.

The soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal 22e Regiment have been deployed at an important time in the international military operation in Afghanistan. U.S. President Barack Obama has promised 17, 000 American soldiers as reinforcements. Canadian troops will help the Afghan forces to ensure the presidential elections are carried out smoothly.

Lastly, NATO's high command in the southern region - which heads all of the national detachments, including Canada's - recently announced an increase in the intensity of fighting. Strengthened by the arrival of American reinforcements, Maj.-Gen. Mart De Kruif called for the systematic tracking of the insurgents. He said the mission is at a "turning point" and that confrontations in the south will determine the future of the country and the outcome of the war.

II

Returning soldiers deserve our thanks

April 27, 2009
THE RECORD

So what should the people of Waterloo Region say to 18 members of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada who have either just returned from the war in Afghanistan or will soon be home?

What should we tell 18 soldiers who volunteered to put themselves in mortal danger in a strange, far-off land because they believed it would make Canada safer, Afghanistan better and that all this risk and sacrifice was nothing more than their duty as warriors and citizens of a democracy?

And what words should we speak, knowing that they have, unlike so many other of their brothers and sisters-in arms, survived and come back safe and sound to their families and loved ones in southern Ontario in springtime?

How about, "Thank you.''

And how about, "You have made us extremely proud.''

It's neither a long nor terribly complicated message. But those 18 soldiers deserve to hear it. And because of 1,000 people who went to a formal banquet at Bingemans in Kitchener on Friday, the soldiers most certainly will.

Everyone involved in this event deserves congratulations. From one perspective, it was a big deal, a ceremony coloured by splendid uniforms and dignified by royalty. Yet it was, despite all the pomp and ceremony and even the presence of Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, the least this community could do for these soldiers.

Like all of the Canadian troops in Afghanistan, they had chosen to be part of the mission. They had gone willingly, giving up the comforts and securities of life in Canada while accepting the dangers and hardships of a war zone.

They went knowing the abundant risks, the ever-present possibility of being wounded -- or worse. They knew about snipers, roadside explosives and suicide bombers. They knew the Taliban is often a merciless foe. But still they went.

And having served and having seen firsthand what is happening in Afghanistan, they want Canadians to know they believe in their hearts that the mission is vital.

"We're making a difference,'' Cpl. Chris Drouin of Kitchener, who returned a few weeks ago, told a Record reporter, citing how the Armed Forces are building roads and schools in Afghanistan.

Warrant Officer Mark Adam of Kitchener helped support the municipal government in Kandahar where the mayor survived a car bombing. Every one of the returning soldiers could tell a similar story. It is a perspective worth considering.

Since 2001, Canadian soldiers have been fighting in Afghanistan. And since 2002, they have been dying there. For the better part of a decade, Canadians have become painfully accustomed to watching the flag-draped coffins of their fallen warriors -- 117 in all -- reverently borne onto military transport planes for the final journey home.

Yet over all those years, thousands of other men and women in uniform -- including this region's Highland Fusiliers -- have come back from Afghanistan safe, sound and glad to have served Canada. No matter what you think of the war in Afghanistan, it is important and appropriate to mark their return for the proud and happy occasion it is. It is also crucial to hear what they say