| 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. |
 Author
|
Topic: Afghanistan - 3rd Battalion, The Royal 22nd Regiment. 07-08 (Read 5523 times)
|
Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
 Offline
Gender: 
Posts: 3209
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
|
Now the task falls to the Royal 22nd Regiment and the nations francophone contingent.
As you know, there have been a couple attacks this past week with several soldiers wounded, but not killed.
Until today.
May God bless them all during their tour of duty.
Roadside blast kills Canadian soldier; first Van Doo to die in mission
Andrew Mayeda
CanWest News Service
Sunday, August 19, 2007
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- A Canadian soldier was killed early Sunday by a roadside bomb, becoming the first member of Quebec's storied Van Doos regiment to die while serving in Afghanistan.
The soldier, whose identity is being temporarily withheld at the request of the family, was traveling in a LAV-III armoured vehicle as part of a supply convoy when it struck an improvised explosive device at 1:41 a.m. local time.
"There is no way to comfort those who are grieving today, except to say this soldier was an exceptional Canadian who deserved the gratitude and respect of his nation," said Col. Christian Juneau, Canada's deputy commander in Afghanistan.
Canadian Forces exchanged fire with Taliban insurgents after the blast -- 20 kilometres west of Kandahar City -- but no other Canadian soldiers were injured and no Taliban casualties could be confirmed.
The soldier was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital at Kandahar Airfield, but pronounced dead upon arrival.
Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment, known in English Canada as the Van Doos, took command of Canadian military operations here on Aug. 1.
Political observers will watch to see how the news reverberates in Quebec, where support for the war is the lowest of any province.
Juneau said the death will hit the Van Doos hard.
"It's like losing almost a brother. We're like a big family here," he said.
"We will mourn, we will pay our respects to the family and our fallen comrade, and we will carry on with the mission." It is the second time in a week that Canadian soldiers have been wounded or killed along Foster Road, a well-travelled supply route to forward operating base Masum Ghar.
Five soldiers were lightly injured last Sunday by an IED along the same road. After that attack, the military dispatched engineers to survey the route for IEDs.
The engineers checked for bombs in drainage culverts where insurgents are believed to have planted the bomb used in last Sunday's attack.
At one point, engineers discovered a Chinese-made mortar in one of the culverts. They detonated the bomb safely, setting off a thud that echoed through the nearby mountains.
Juneau said Canadian troops will step up surveillance of the route.
"However, with the size of our operation, it's quite difficult to have eyes everywhere. You travel on the road, (and) the next night they can insert themselves and install an IED."
The death of the first Van Doo caps a bloody week in Kandahar province.
Two soldiers incurred minor injuries Friday after their armoured vehicle rolled over an IED while traveling in a supply convoy about 30 kilometres west of Kandahar City.
This week, a suicide bomber killed the chief of Zhari district and three of his children. On Saturday, a car bomb blew apart a mini-bus and other vehicles, killing at least 15 civilians and injuring dozens of others on the edge of Kandahar City.
Some observers believe the insurgents could step up their attacks when the Muslim holy period Ramadan begins in a few weeks.
On Saturday, the Taliban released a statement from their reclusive leader, Mullah Omar. It called on Afghans to wage a jihad against foreign "invaders." The statement coincided with Afghanistan's Independence Day, which takes place Sunday. It is a national holiday that celebrates the country's declaration of independence from British forces in 1919.
"Our country is once again occupied by the same forces," Omar said in a statement which is yet to be verified authentic.
Violence in Kandahar province has raged in recent months, with the rate of roadside bombings and other terrorist attacks reaching its worst level since the war began in 2001.
Sixty-seven Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have now died in Afghanistan since 2002.
There are roughly 2,500 Canadian troops stationed in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led coalition that is attempting to secure and rebuild the country.
Canada's military commitment ends in February 2009. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he will seek consensus from Parliament before extending the mission.
The presence of the Van Doos has heightened the mission's political risk for the Conservative government, who would likely increased Quebec support to grasp a majority in the next federal election.
Juneau said the debate about whether to extend the mission should be left to politicians and the Canadian public.
"The important thing for us, the soldiers, the whole team that is deployed here, is the fact that we know the Canadian public is behind the soldiers, the people wearing the uniform," he said.
|
1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 3209
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
|
Let us add Private Longtin to the role of honour....
Death toll in Afghanistan
CanWest News Service
Sixty Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed since the Canadian military deployed to Afghanistan in early 2002.
April 17, 2002: Sgt. Marc D. Leger, Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Pte. Richard A. Green and Pte. Nathan Smith were killed by friendly fire when an American fighter jet dropped a laser-guided 225-kilogram bomb on the soldiers during a training exercise near Kandahar. All served with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group.
Oct. 2, 2003: Sgt. Robert Alan Short and Cpl. Robbie Christopher Beerenfenger were killed and three others injured when their Iltis jeep struck a roadside bomb outside Camp Julien near Kabul. They were from the Third Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment.
Jan. 27, 2004: Cpl. Jamie Murphy died and three soldiers were injured by a suicide bomber while patrolling near Camp Julien in an Iltis jeep. All were members of the Royal Canadian Regiment.
Nov. 24, 2005: Pte. Braun Scott Woodfield, Royal Canadian Regiment, was killed in a traffic accident involving his light-armoured vehicle (LAV III) northeast of Kandahar. Three others soldiers suffered serious injuries.
Jan. 15, 2006: Diplomat Glyn Berry was killed and three soldiers injured by a suicide bomber in Kandahar. They were patrolling in a G Wagon.
March 2, 2006: Cpl. Paul Davis died and six others were injured when their LAV III collided with a civilian taxi just west of Kandahar during a routine patrol. The soldiers were with the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
March 5, 2006: Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson of Grande Prairie, Alta., succumbed to injuries suffered in the LAV III crash on March 2 in Afghanistan. Wilson died in hospital in Germany.
March 28-29, 2006: Pte. Robert Costall was killed in a firefight with Taliban insurgents in the desert north of Kandahar. A U.S. soldier and a number of Afghan troops also died and three Canadians were wounded. Costall was a member of 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton.
April 22, 2006: Four soldiers were killed when their armoured vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb near Gombad, north of Kandahar. They were Cpl. Matthew Dinning, stationed at Petawawa, Ont.; Bombardier Myles Mansell, based in Victoria; Lieut. William Turner, stationed in Edmonton, and Cpl. Randy Payne of CFB Wainwright, Alta.
May 17, 2006: Capt. Nichola Goddard, a combat engineer with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery and Canada's first female combat death, killed during battle against Taliban forces in the Panjwai region, 24 kilometres west of Kandahar.
July 9, 2006: Cpl. Anthony Joseph Boneca, a reservist, with the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment based in Thunder Bay, Ont., was killed as Canadian military and Afghan security forces were pushing through an area west of Kandahar City that had been a hotbed of Taliban activity.
July 22, 2006: A suicide bomber blows himself up in Kandahar, killing two Canadian soldiers and wounded eight more. Cpl. Francisco Gomez, an anti-armour specialist from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton, was driving the Bison armoured vehicle targeted by the bomber's vehicle. Cpl. Jason Patrick Warren of the Black Watch in Montreal was riding in the vehicle.
Aug. 3, 2006: Cpl. Christopher Jonathan Reid, with the 1st Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, died overnight when a Canadian Light Armoured Vehicle, or LAV-3, was struck by a roadside bomb. Later the same say, three more Canadian soldiers were killed during a separate attack with rocket propelled grenades near Kandahar city. According to a DND website late Thursday, Sgt. Vaughn Ingram of the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, and Cpl. Bryce Jeffrey Keller of the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry were also killed. The fourth dead soldier was not identified. Several other Canadian soldiers were injured in the attack.
Aug. 5, 2006: Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt, of the Edmonton-based Loyal Edmonton Regiment, was killed Aug. 5 when a G-Wagon making a supply run collided with a civilian truck.
Aug. 9, 2006: Master Cpl. Jeffrey Scott Walsh, based out of Shilo, Man. with the second batallion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, was conducting routine operations along Highway One near the Zhari district centre, about 20 kilometres west of Kandahar city was he was shot in a "weapons related accident" unrelated to enemy fire about noon Wednesday, just days after arriving in Kandahar to begin his tour of duty.
August 11, 2006: Cpl. Andrew James Eykelenboom with the 1st Field Ambulance based in Edmonton, was killed when his vehicle was hit by a suicide bomber.
August 22, 2006: Canadian Corp. David Braun, a recently arrived soldier with the second battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, was killed by a suicide bomber outside the gates of Camp Nathan Smith in Kandahar City. The soldier, in his 20s, was a native of Raymore, Sask. Three other Canadian soldiers were injured in the afternoon attack.
September 3, 2006: Warrant Officer Richard Francis Nolan, Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish, Sergeant Shane Stachnik, and Pte. William Jonathan James Cushley, all based at CFB Petawawa, west of Ottawa, were among four soldiers killed in fierce fighting in southern Afghanistan. Several more soldiers were wounded.
September 4, 2006: Pte. Mark Anthony Graham, a member of 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, based at CFB Petawawa, Ont., killed and dozens of others wounded in a friendly fire incident involving an American A-10 Warthog aircraft.
September 18, 2006: Four soldiers were killed when a suicide bomber riding a bicycle detonated explosives in the Panjwai area. Cpl Shane Keating, Cpl Keith Morley and Pte. David Byers, 22, all members of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry from Shilo, Man and Cpl. Glen Arnold, a member of the 2 Field Ambulance, from Petawawa, Ont. were killed in the attack that wounded several others.
September 29, 2006: Pte. Josh Klukie was killed by an improvised explosive device, while he was conducting a foot patrol in the Panjwaii district in Kandahar province.
October 3, 2006: Sgt. Craig Gillam and Cpl. Robert Mitchell of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont., killed in series of mortar, rocket attacks just west of Kandahar city
October 7, 2006: Mark Andrew Wilson of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont., was killed when his armoured vehicle was hit by a roadside explosion in the Panjwaii district.
October 14, 2006: A storm of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades killed Sgt. Darcy Tedford of Charles Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, based in Petawawa, Ont. and Pte. Blake Williamson, also based in Petawawa, in southern Afghanistan. Three others are expected to recover from their wounds.
November 27, 2006:Two Canadian soldiers, Chief Warrant Officer Albert Storm and Sgt. Maj. Bob Girouard, were killed on the outskirts of Kandahar on Monday when a suicide car bomber attacked a convoy of military vehicles. The soldiers were members of the Royal Canadian Regiment based in Petawawa, Ont. They were in an armoured personnel carrier that had just left the Kandahar Airfield base when a vehicle drove up to it and detonated explosives.
March 6, 2007: Cpl. Kevin Megeney, 25, a reservist from Stellarton, N.S., and a member of 1st Battalion Nova Scotia Highlanders is the 45th Canadian military death in Afghanistan since 2002. Megeney was shot through the chest and left lung in what's believed to be a "friendly fire" incident.
April 8, 2007 : Six Canadian soldiers died in southern Afghanistan as a result of injuries sustained when the vehicle they were travelling in hit an explosive device. The men were identified as Sgt. Donald Lucas, 31, of Burton, N.B., Pte. Kevin Kennedy, 20, of St. Lawrence, Nfld., Cpl. Aaron E. Williams, 23, of Lincoln, N.B., and Pte. David R. Greenslade, 20, of Saint John, N.B., Cpl. Christopher P. Stannix, 24, of Dartmouth, N.S., and Cpl. Brent Poland, 37, of Sarnia, Ont.
April 11, 2007 : Master Cpl. Allan Stewart, 30, and Trooper Patrick James Pentland, 23 - both of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont. - died after their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in an area about 38 km west of Kandahar City.
April 18, 2007: Master Cpl. Anthony Klumpenhouwer. A special operations soldier died in an accident when he fell while climbing a communications tower.
May 25, 2007: Corp. Matthew McCully. An infantryman killed when a road-side bomb exploded near him during Operation Hoover, a major operation to clear out Taliban.
May 30, 2007 : Master Cpl. Darrell Jason Priede was the 56th Canadian service member killed since 2002 in Afghanistan, his death coming less than a week after another corporal lost his life to a roadside bomb.
June 11, 2007 : Trooper Darryl Caswell, 25, was killed when the armoured vehicle he was driving was ripped apart by an improvised explosive device en route to a remote NATO base in Afghanistan since 2002.
June 20, 2007: Sgt. Christos Karigiannis, Cpl. Stephen Frederick Bouzane and Pte. Joel Vincent Wiebe, all of 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb near a forward-operating base at Sperwan Ghar, west of Kandahar.
July 4, 2007: Six Canadian soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle. Capt. Matthew Johnathan Dawe, Cpl. Cole Bartsch ,Cpl. Jordan Anderson , Capt. Jefferson Francis and Pte. Lane Watkins, all of 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, and Master-Cpl. Colin Bason, a reservist from The Royal Westminster Regiment. The identity of the other casualty has not been released.
August 19, 2007: Pte Simon Longtin was killed early Sunday by a roadside bomb, becoming the first member of Quebec's storied Van Doos regiment to die while serving in Afghanistan.
|
1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
|
|
|
Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 3209
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
|
Van Doos, Canada grieve for soldier
Canadian Pte. Simon Longtin, 23, of Longueuil, Que., on Montreal's south shore, was killed early Sunday when his light armoured vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
A deadly blast on a dusty road in Afghanistan is echoing across Quebec and the rest of Canada today.
Pte. Simon Longtin, 23, killed yesterday in a roadside bombing, is the first member of the famed Royal 22nd Regiment known as the Van Doos to die in Afghanistan, marking a sad milestone in the politically charged deployment of Quebec-based troops to Kandahar.
The young soldier from the Montreal suburb of Longueuil died when his light-armoured vehicle was hit just west of Kandahar.
Col. Christian Juneau, deputy commander of the Canadian joint task force, told reporters in Kandahar the death would hit the troops hard.
"It's almost like losing a brother," Juneau said.
"We're a big family here, brothers in arms, and it's not just a statement that we take lightly in the military. So it really touches every one of us pretty deeply. But we'll mourn, we will pay respects to the family and our fallen comrade and we'll carry on with the mission."
The death hit hard at home, too, especially in Quebec where support for the Afghan mission is the lowest among Canadians.
Bouquets of flowers began to pile up at the entrance to Valcartier military base near Quebec City, home to the Royal 22nd Regiment.
The 1,000 members of the Van Doos began their six-month tour in Afghanistan at the end of July. Longtin had been stationed in Kandahar since July 30.
"It means that French-Canadians will see that their soldiers die in the defence of Canadian interests the same as English soldiers do," said military historian Jack Granatstein. "It's not really all that different."
Sixty-seven Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed since the military mission in Afghanistan began in 2002.
Longtin was on escort duty for a resupply convoy to a forward operating base and was returning to the main Canadian base at the Kandahar airfield when the convoy ran into an ambush 5 km east of the village of Masum Ghar.
Longtin was in a LAV III armoured vehicle that was hit by a roadside bomb. A firefight between troops and insurgents ensued after the explosion, but no other Canadians were injured, military officials said.
Longtin, who had spent only two years in the Canadian Forces, was evacuated by helicopter but was dead on arrival at the military hospital in Kandahar.
Yesterday, Harper expressed his "deep sorrow" to Longtin's family and friends.
"Pte. Longtin displayed resolve and courage in serving his country, his family and friends can be proud of him because he was playing a very important role in a very challenging environment," Harper said in a statement.
Longtin's death received blanket coverage in the Quebec media, given he is the first member of the Van Doos to fall in combat in Afghanistan.
At the base yesterday, flags flew at half-staff, well-wishers left flowers and letters of condolence, and military commanders honoured his sacrifice.
"Pte. Longtin was very proud of what he was doing in Afghanistan, he spoke and communicated often with his parents, and talked about how he loved being among his fellow soldiers ... he died doing what he loved," said Maj. Casey MacLean, who earlier in the day spoke with Longtin's family. Casey said Longtin's parents and relatives wanted to grieve in private and that the military had offered counselling and other resources.
The Canadian Forces also took the unusual step of introducing Longtin's former military superior at the news conference.
In a poignant, tearful statement, Sgt. Stéphane Perras urged the slain soldier's family to contact him so he could talk about Longtin's contribution to his unit.
"I spent a lot of time with him, I appreciated all the time I spent with him," he said, voice choking with emotion. "Today, when I learned this morning ... it was very hard for me." Perras said Longtin was a driver in the Royal 22nd.
Acutely sensitive to the way the Afghan mission is viewed in Quebec, military spokespeople highlighted the outpouring of public grief and expressions of support.
"People are looking for ways to express their condolences ... we know that people are behind the troops," MacLean said.
But NDP Leader Jack Layton, in Quebec yesterday, said Longtin's death would likely increase the deep unease he said Quebecers are voicing about the mission.
"I think Quebecers knew that this was going to happen ... and they're certainly despondent now that it's happening," said Layton, who has called for Canadian soldiers to be brought home now.
The NDP leader even predicted that divided public support for the mission could have a "very significant influence" on the three federal byelections in the province on Sept. 17, including the riding of Saint-Hyacinthe-Bagot, east of Montreal, where Layton was yesterday.
"I would hope that every time there is a loss of life, that Canadians would first think of the families and the comrades and immediately ask themselves, `Are we going to continue on this course?' " Layton said in telephone interview.
|
1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
|
|
|
Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 3209
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
|
A couple of articles.....
Soldier in touch with parents hours before death
TU THANH HA
Globe and Mail Update
August 20, 2007 at 12:12 AM EDT
MONTREAL — Shortly before he left the base in Kandahar on a resupply convoy, Private Simon Longtin spoke to his parents, expressing his enthusiasm at being part of the Canadian military mission in Afghanistan.
A few hours later, his family learned that Pte. Longtin had been killed by a makeshift explosive device that blew up under the LAV III armoured vehicle he was driving.
Pte. Longtin had been in Afghanistan for just 20 days.
He was described Sunday as a quiet, reliable young man.
Only 23 years old, he had enrolled in the military less than two years ago and was on his first overseas deployment.
A member of the 3rd battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment, Pte. Longtin had made it clear when he joined the infantry in 2005 that he wanted to be posted in Afghanistan, said Lieutenant Bruno Tremblay, a spokesman for Canadian Forces Base Valcartier.
Pte. Longtin was part of a contingent that flew out of Quebec City on July 27, arriving in Kandahar July 30.
He had a girlfriend but no children. His parents and his brother were huddled together in the family home, south of Montreal Sunday.
Pte. Longtin died around 1:40 a.m. Sunday so that, because of the time difference, the news came to his family in Quebec on Saturday evening.
Earlier that day, his parents had been in touch with him.
“They just spoke to Simon earlier Saturday and Simon told them how much he enjoyed being in Afghanistan,” Lt. Tremblay said.
“It affected them a lot. They loved their son,” said Major Casey McLean, the acting commander of the 3rd battalion, who met the family.
“They were very proud of what he was doing.”
One of Pte. Longtin's infantry instructors, Sergeant Stéphane Perras, was supposed to talk to the media about his former pupil.
But a tearful Sgt. Perras was overcome by emotion.
“When I heard about it this morning, it was rather hard for me,” Sgt. Perras said, his voice breaking, before he excused himself and left.
At CFB Valcartier Sunday, the flags flew at half mast and well-wishers with flowers were asked to deposit them outside the gatehouse.
Many people also sent messages of sympathy to Pte. Longtin's family.
As a result, while they asked for privacy in their mourning, the young man's relatives are expected to release a statement shortly.
and.....
More deaths to follow, Quebeckers predict
TU THANH HA
From Monday's Globe and Mail
August 20, 2007 at 12:14 AM EDT
MONTREAL — At a picnic for military spouses in Quebec City, there were expressions of worry and concern.
In the commentary threads on the Internet, the sympathetic messages were outnumbered by skepticism for the Canadian military presence in southern Afghanistan.
The first death Sunday of a member of the Royal 22nd Regiment came after weeks of debate over whether the deployment of soldiers from Valcartier would push the already low support for the mission in Quebec further down.
Private Simon Longtin, of the Royal 22nd's 3rd Battalion, wasn't strictly speaking the first soldier from a Quebec unit to die in Afghanistan.
A year ago, a suicide-bomb attack killed Corporal Jason Warren of Montreal's Black Watch.
However, Cpl. Warren, a reservist, had volunteered during a deployment that featured mostly Edmonton-based soldiers.
Sunday, a common reaction to Pte. Longtin's death was the recognition that he was the first of more casualties to come among soldiers from Quebec.
And more media scrutiny is expected with the presence now of high-profile Quebec television reporters among the embedded journalists in Afghanistan.
Sunday, Pte. Longtin's death led the evening television news bulletins. An article about him was the most read item on the website of the Montreal daily La Presse.
“I feel mostly sadness of the loss of life of a young man who could have another future but to waste his life for an Islamic state whose values will never match ours,” one reader commented on the website.
Others expressed the view that Prime Minister Stephen Harper is too close to U.S. President George W. Bush.
“My condolences anyway to the family who will get back the body of someone who died for Bush and Harper,” wrote another reader.
Few opinion-makers expressed themselves but for a handful of bloggers who spoke in respectful tones.
In his statement of condolences, Mr. Harper linked Pte. Longtin to the Canadian soldiers who landed on Aug. 19, 1942, at Dieppe.
“In marking the 65th anniversary of the Dieppe raid, we pay tribute to the soldiers of our past. The sacrifices of soldiers like Private Longtin carry on this legacy today, helping to bring stability and peace to parts of the world plagued by turmoil and upheaval,” the Prime Minister said.
But Dieppe, with its heavy casualties, illustrates the ambivalence in Quebec about being part of the Canadian military.
The heroism of the Dieppe soldiers is celebrated, but the raid is also mentioned as an example of the futility of dying for the Canadian army.
Meanwhile, in Quebec City, near Valcartier Garrison, the home base of the Royal 22nd, known as the Vandoos, the TVA television network caught up with a group of military spouses picnicking with their children.
One woman, whose husband was in the same unit as Pte. Longtin, was in tears.
“My throat choked up. I felt goosebumps. It's horrible,” another soldier's wife, Caroline Lajoie, told TVA.
“It's sad to say, but there'll be others,” predicted Mélanie Cyr.
At the base, another military spouse, Lya Yeb, was placing flowers at the gate as a tribute to Pte. Longtin. “There will certainly be others,” she told reporters.
Pte. Longtin's death came as, Sunday evening, another 64 members of the Vandoos took off from Quebec City's Jean Lesage International Airport on their way to Afghanistan.
They were part of the last 215 of the 2,500 troops, mostly from Quebec, who are making up the current Canadian deployment in Kandahar.
|
1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
|
|
|
|
|
ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
Ultimate 2000+ Member
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 2126
|
Great stuff Tim, nice to haer, and it was not the Vandoos that caused the Airborne disbandnment, it was bureaucrats looking for a way to get more money to fund the ,then expanding JTF2....a terrible Canadian tragedy as far as i am concerned...surely there coukld have and should have bee a proper way to get money for JTF2....i still feel that then PM Jean Chretien knows now that he was duped, tho now , and after it was started it could not be stopped... as i said , another Cdn Tragedy...but the old Airborne guys have not lost faith in themselves, and that will survive forever....that to me is the important thing now... ranrad
|
RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
|
|
|
Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 3209
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
|
That was one ugly period of Canada's military history, lads, that is for certain. Hopefully, the lessons about lack of leadership (on several levels) and bogus rights and privileges for so called elite soldiers will not have been forgotten by the military leadership of today and such a pathetic display of how NOT to be soldier never comes to pass again.
Canada's reconstruction base in Kandahar now target of insurgent attacks
August 21, 2007 - 18:02
By: MARTIN OUELLET
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Taliban insurgents attacked a camp housing Canada's reconstruction team twice last week and both attacks were followed by exchanges of gunfire, the Canadian military said Tuesday.
Lt.-Col. Bob Chamberlain said no Canadians were injured in the two attacks, which happened on Aug. 13 and 18. It's the first time that Camp Nathan Smith, the base for much of Canada's reconstruction and humanitarian work in Kandahar, has been attacked with rocket-propelled grenades, he said.
There were also exchanges of fire during the attacks.
Chamberlain said the attacks and other recent roadside attacks that have injured seven Canadian troops and killed Pte. Simon Longtin don't indicate a new offensive by the Taliban.
"To me, it's not an indication of any change in our status," said Chamberlain, commander of Camp Nathan Smith for the last eight months.
"It is part of the cost of doing business here. This is a high-threat environment."
It shows that "we are a constant target as are all the forward operating bases," he said.
Meanwhile, Longtin's body will arrive at CFB Trenton on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old, of Longueuil, Que., died when his light armoured vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb on Sunday.
His death was the first in Afghanistan for the Royal 22nd Regiment based in Quebec, where support is low for the Canadian mission.
Chamberlain said no one has been arrested for the attacks.
"I wouldn't give it greater credibility other than the fact there were a couple of people with RPG (rocket-propelled grenades)," he said.
"We're seeing a trend that things are getting better over time and there's going to be a step back, but I'm seeing a gradual improvement of the security situation."
The camp is the base for Canada's Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kandahar and is considered one of the more secure Canadian bases in southern Afghanistan.
It is defended by about 200 soldiers from 3rd battalion of the Royal 22nd, known as the Van Doos.
Chamberlain said that Afghans are starting to turn against the Taliban.
"I believe that people have had enough of fighting."
Canada has about 2,300 troops in the war-torn country as part of the NATO force supporting the Afghan government. About 1,100 of the Canadians are from the Royal 22nd.
Sixty-seven Canadian soldiers and a diplomat have died in Afghanistan since 2002. The fatalities include a couple of other soldiers from Quebec, but Longtin is the first from the Royal 22nd.
Nationa
|
1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
|
|
|
ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
Ultimate 2000+ Member
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 2126
|
I fully agree with your statement Mike... i followed all of the aftermath on Tv , and have read the book on Kyle Brown, and i hate to pass judgement as i was not there, but it is so obvious that there was a complete breakdown in discipline, leadership and the chain of command... no one can go back , and i am sure many wish they could.. hopefully as you said , the lessons will have been learned if nothing else...ranrad
|
RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
|
|
|
Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 3209
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
|
A couple of reports
Pretty sad this afternoon...
Dignitaries And Civilians Attend Fallen Soldiers' Repatriation
Wednesday August 22, 2007
CityNews.ca Staff
Benoit Longtin recently completed basic training for the Canadian Armed Forces, just in time to serve as a pallbearer when the body of his fallen brother returned home.
Slain Quebec soldier Pte. Simon Longtin arrived from Afghanistan on Wednesday, and his brother was one of eight uniformed men who carefully hoisted his flag-draped casket and took it to a hearse waiting on the tarmac at CFB Trenton.
A thick crowd visited Wednesday's emotional repatriation, and some of Canada's top civilian and military leaders joined Longtin's family and loved ones to receive the remains of the young soldier.
Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, newly minted Defence Minister Peter MacKay, Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier and former chief of defence staff, retired general Maurice Baril, were among the many dignitaries who stood alongside Longtin's family as the body of the 23-year-old member of the Royal 22nd Regiment -- known as the Van Doos -- arrived at the eastern Ontario base.
Meanwhile dozens more onlookers, including a number of bikers, gathered outside the razor-wire fence, carrying flags and standing in solemn tribute to the fallen soldier.
The pallbearers stepped slowly to the somber rendition of "Amazing Grace" and family members carried red or white roses, which they laid gently on top of the casket.
Longtin, from Longueil, Que., died Sunday after his light-armoured vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.
Canada has about 2,300 troops in the war-torn country as part of the NATO force supporting the Afghan government, of which about 1,100 are from Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment.
Sixty-seven Canadian soldiers and a diplomat have died in Afghanistan since 2002.
II
Quebec media lash out at soldier's death
space
space
By TU THANH HA
Wednesday, August 22, 2007 – Page A7
MONTREAL -- Critical media reactions are starting to be heard in Quebec in the wake of Sunday's death of Private Simon Longtin, a member of the Royal 22nd Regiment in Afghanistan.
Initial reactions to his death had been non-polemical or supportive of the mission.
But two columnists in yesterday's edition of the daily La Presse raised questions about Canada's role in Afghanistan.
In one, veteran journalist Michèle Ouimet recalled being on assignment at the Afghan-Pakistani border, watching the unchecked traffic.
Without being able to stop the Taliban from seeking sanctuary in Pakistan, North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops are powerless in trying to prop up a weak, corrupt Afghan government, she said.
"I think the death Sunday of the young Quebec soldier Simon Longtin, 23, is absurd," she wrote. "I don't dare say pointless."
Another columnist, Pierre Foglia, said what was at stake was the future of the Muslim world. He asked why other Muslim countries aren't fighting fundamentalism in Afghanistan.
"Why Simon Longtin?" he wrote. "What could it matter to Simon Longtin whether the Muslim world accedes to modernity or not?"
Pte. Longtin wasn't the first Quebecker killed in combat in Afghanistan. But he is likely the first of what could be more casualties from his province, now that the current troop rotation in Kandahar is made up mainly of soldiers from Quebec-based units.
While opinions are roughly split evenly in the rest of Canada, nearly three-quarters of the population in Quebec is against the mission.
In Le Devoir, an editorial yesterday leaned that way too, faulting the mission for its unclear aims.
"The loss of a soldier from the Royal 22nd Regiment is yet another harsh reminder of the brutal results of a half-humanitarian, half-fighting mission, whose scope is ill-defined."
Although an editorial in La Presse took francophone Quebeckers to task for their long-held distrust of the military, postings on the Internet and letters to the editors reflected that sentiment.
"We're in this mission to do the dirty job for George W. Bush. We bent our spine before the U.S. who had their arms full in Iraq," reader Roger Kemp wrote in Trois-Rivières' Le Nouvelliste.
Whereas military personnel and their families were heavily featured on the news, sharing their grief and putting up a brave face, government representatives kept a low profile.
In Quebec City, Heritage Minister Josée Verner attended the departure of Kandahar-bound soldiers on Sunday. Local journalists reported that she stuck to short, prepared remarks and took no questions.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay attended another departure Monday night and read tentatively from a French text.
|
1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
|
|
|
Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 3209
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
|
Damn...
Two Canadian soldiers dead in Afghanistan
Globe and Mail Update and Canadian Press
August 22, 2007 at 6:35 PM EDT
Two Canadian soldiers and an Afghan interpreter were killed Wednesday in Afghanistan while Radio-Canada cameraman Charles Dubois suffered a serious leg injury, Radio-Canada has reported.
Radio-Canada also said reporter Partice Roy is doing fine after the incident.
NATO has reported that two of its soldiers and one interpreter were killed, but did not release nationalities.
Lt. Col. Bridget Rose, a spokeswoman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, ISAF said in a news release the incident “puts into context the very real dangers, difficulties and life threatening situations our ISAF troops, media and the interpreters who accompany them, encounter on a daily basis.”
“Our thoughts are with the friends and families of those who have died or been injured in this incident.”
The news release said that in accordance with policy, ISAF does not release the nationality of the casualties prior to the relevant national authority doing so.
The news comes as the body of Pte. Simon Longtin, who was killed earlier this week in Afghanistan, was returned to Canada.
Some of Canada's top civilian and military leaders joined Pte. Longtin's family and loved ones to receive the remains of the young soldier, whose death was the first in Afghanistan for his Quebec-based regiment — a province where support is low the Canadian mission.
Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, newly minted Defence Minister Peter MacKay, Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier and former chief of defence staff, retired general Maurice Baril, were among the many dignitaries who stood alongside Longtin's family as the body of the 23-year-old member of the Royal 22nd Regiment — known as the Van Doos — arrived at this eastern Ontario military base.
At one point during the repatriation ceremony, Ms. Jean put her arm around one of the mourners, offering some comfort as the woman, clad in black, wiped away tears.
Pte. Longtin, from Longueil, Que., died Sunday after his light-armoured vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. More than 1,000 soldiers from 37 countries paid tribute to Pte. Longtin at a ramp ceremony in Kandahar Airfield on Monday.
On Wednesday, dozens of Canadian soldiers, who military officials said were bound for CFB Gagetown and travelled on the same military aircraft that carried Pte. Longtin's remains, poured out of the plane and stood in formation as the casket was lowered to the ground.
Some of Pte. Longtin's fellow soldiers in the Van Doos 3rd Battalion have appealed to Quebeckers to be “better informed” about the objectives of the mission before passing judgment, adding that they believe in it and want to carry on the work.
Canada has about 2,300 troops in the war-torn country as part of the NATO force supporting the Afghan government, of which about 1,100 are from Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment.
Sixty-seven Canadian soldiers and a diplomat have died in Afghanistan since 2002, including some from Quebec.
|
1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
|
|
|
Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 3209
| | | |
Logged
.
