In the early days of Canada’s war in Afghanistan, just as we were transitioning from Kabul to the badlands around Kandahar City, then-Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier made a point of rather prominently spelling out for Canadians that the new mission was, in his famous phrase, against “detestable murderers and scumbags”—and that we would be taking casualties.
“This is a dangerous mission. There is an enemy. We have had casualties,” Hillier told The Washington Post in early 2006, as the Kandahar mission was ramping up. “But what we want to achieve there is worthwhile. Things that are worth doing are sometimes dangerous.”
Canadian Army soldiers from the 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery prepare to secure a simulated building while participating in combat first aid training at CFB Shilo, Man. On March 18, 2016. [Combat Camera]
As for whether we’re winning the war, it’s pretty clear we’re not. As Vance says, the end is not currently visible. “I don’t think it’s in sight. I think we are thinking through the problem, we understand more and more. When you say ISIS, or ISIL or Daesh, it comes in many forms,” Vance said. “There’s the core ISIL that lives in and works in Iraq and Syria and that absolutely needs to be defeated. And I’m confident that all the steps are being taken right now, including with the Canadian mission, to see to the military defeat of ISIL in Iraq.”
Meanwhile, consider yourself warned: “Canadians can reasonably expect that fighting will occur in defence of our own people and the Kurds.”
Sounds familiar.
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When I was a soldier we all were prepared to go into action fully knowing we could be wounded or killed. Not one of us questioned that, in fact we all said we “signed on the dotted line”. Our soldiers, sailors and airmen of today are no different and do as ordered, as we did, without reservation and without hesitation.
On the same landing page for this story I noted it talks about 1,000 homeless veterans. I will say again, it is fine that when we are involved in a conflict that all Canadian’s “Support the Troops”, but where are those same Canadians after the shooting is over, or after a mission is complete. Those Canadians who never had a son or daughter in action and were quite happy to let someone else do the fighting. Where are they?
The government of Canada is suppose to work on our behalf and we need to tell them that the defence of Canada is important and we should be spending 2% of GDP on defence. Also that we find it unacceptable that Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen, get bounced out the forces, and if they are veterans of battle, if they have broken bodies and broken minds, why does the government of Canada makes them fight another war? This one to get the help they need to fully “come back home”.
We Canadian’s must be willing to not only “support our troops” but keep supporting them! We shouldn’t be hedging at providing them the very best equipment and support. We should also keep supporting our veterans who went into harms way on our behalf. Let’s keep the faith with those who fight on our behalf. Thank you!