From a member of the Canadian Forces (slightly edited);
It has been an eventful month so far and I have been doing pretty much the same thing as last month with one major difference. It’s even hotter now, we hit +39 C yesterday and it certainly takes your breath away. The low temperature at night is now around 24-25 Celsius and they have finally gotten air conditioning units into our work areas and tents so it’s a little easier. It’s only when I’m on the road where it becames brutally hot and I find that I’m drinking 6-7 litres of water per day now. Luckily they give us free gatorade crystals so there’s lots of electrolytes being pushed.
I must admit that time has been literally flying by for the last month and I haven’t noticed much of a change in the countryside other than where it is now green in this area. Kandahar province has (had) extensive irrigation projects throughout the region and it is actually a significant producer of fresh fruit and in a country where the average income is pretty pitiful they had a profit of more than $27 million on fruit exports last year so something is working in this country. Unfortunately a large amount of the irrigation systems were destroyed during all of the time in conflict and they are slowly recovering. It is absolutely amazing to see green things growing in the middle of a barren brown field where temps push +100 Fahrenheit.
One of the more rewarding things that I got to do a few days ago was to participate in a humanitarian aid convoy. This is where we load up blankets, packaged food, bulk bags of rice, clothes, some kids toys and go out to a local village. The one I visited was Morgan Kacheh and is around 20 km away from here. The trip was with the Romanian White Sharks so let me tell you that it is very weird travelling around Afghanistan following the old “Evil Empire’s” worn out armoured personnel carriers. The trip was quite exciting and was really the first chance I had to meet the locals in their own environment and the kids were a lot of fun. The village elder is invited out to look at the truck and decide whether or not he would like to receive the goods (bit of a no-brainer really as the village was very hard done by) and then it is all put onto the ground. The actual distribution of all of the goods is conducted after we leave and the village elder is the man in charge.
The kids were very curious about us and were all wanting to get pencils and gum and everything like that. And if you know any uppity kids back home the treatment of the ones who act up a bit is a little different than Canada. A kid who was around 12 years old looked like he was back-talking one of the elders and before you could say anything the old guy had grabbed the kid and gave him a couple of smacks to the head. It looked like the kid was pretty used to it and broke away running and the old guy just grabbed a couple of rocks and chucked them at him as he was running away. Certainly a different culture that’s for sure. On the whole though they were very appreciative of all of the supplies and it looked like it would go a long way. The village was also quite different as all of the huts had actual mud roofs on them and were quite well designed as I only saw two or three of them that had collapsed. All in all a very rewarding expedition though.
I’m getting very close to vacation now and can definitely need the break as it looks like I won’t be out of here till early September now.
These guys are working their asses off in difficult conditions, and as we were today reminded – at significant risk. Take a minute sometime this weekend, click on the “Write A Soldier” icon on the sidebar, and let them know we appreciate what they’re doing.
(There are more photos accompanying this report, along with earlier ones I’ve been sent from friends serving in Afghanistan in this directory.)
Excuse me everyone.
Please review the topic of this post. At the moment I’m reviewing whether or not to delete everything that’s off topic just to drive the point home.
Kate, please do, I was getting confused over who’s doing the fighting, the guys/gals in uniform over in Aftgan, or a couple of bloggers here….
As a token American on the site, I just have to laugh at how dismissive BCL is of the United States. The U.S. has been the leader of the broad march of freedom that has freed 25% of the human beings on the planet over the past 60 years. After breaking the Soviet Union, and it’s imperialist ambitions, and then denying the Chinese it’s tyrannistic hegemony in Asia (limiting China primarily to slaughtering 75 million of it’s own citizens) we are now the only nation willing to stand up to IslamoFascism. Alas, we will prevail again without the likes of BCL. I only wish he would appreciate for one moment the blanket of security he sleeps under each day that was purchased for him by U.S. lives and treasure. But we don’t fight for freedom to have BCL’s support – we fight because freedom and democracy are humankinds only and best hope.
Sleep well, BCL.
Glenn
Hey, Glenn! (April 24, 2006 01:20 PM):
Not all Canadians are knee-jerk anti-American. I’m not. I deeply appreciate our up-to-now undefended border over the past century and our very close ties and friendships with the U.S. of A. (heck, my great-grandmother was American!)
Sadly, too many Canadians have been brainwashed by our very left-leaning MSM, who are totally knee-jerk anti-America. Many Canadians have no idea what’s really going on in the world, because our media outlets are dissing the war and especially George W. Bush who, according to them is Satan-incarnate. Too many Canadians haven’t a clue what the terrible cost of doing nothing about the terrorist insurgents will be. Too much welfare-and-nanny state have left their brains soft and their hearts bleeding.
So please accept my thanks for what your country is doing in taking the lead against a ferocious and ruthless enemy.
And, may God bless America!
Here is a poem I read years ago called the Final Inspection. It’s a bit Sappy and some of you have probably read it so excuse me for that.
The soldier stood and faced his God,
Which must always come to pass,
He hoped his boots were shining bright,
Just as brightly as his brass.
Step forward now, soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you turned the other cheek?
To my church have you been true?
The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
No ,lord, I guess I ain’t;
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can’t always be a Saint.
I’ve had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was rough;
I’ve had to break your rules my Lord,
Because the world is awfully tough.
But,I never took a thing
that wasn’t mine to keep;
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just to steep.
And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear;
And sometimes…God forgive me,
I’ve wept unmanly tears.
I know I don’t deserve a place
Among the people here;
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.
If you’ve a place for me here, Lord,
It needn’t be so grand;
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don’t, I’ll understand.
There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints often trod;
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
Step forward now, soldier,
You’ve borne your burdens well;
Come walk peacefully on Heaven’s streets,
You’ve done your time in HELL!
Why don’t some of you patriotic bloggers go volunteer for the army/ No takers just what I thought. We should get out of Afghanistan before we lose too many young people. They are just kids exposed to death and killing. It’s an American war let them be there. They don’t mind if their young people die……..I do.
No god started wars just power hungry politicians.
thanks guys, your all heroes. Your in my thoughts and in my prayers.Heroes deserve to be treated with respect. Stay safe. Benny from N.S.