6 Canadian soldiers killed in roadside bombing in Afghanistan

[L Gilbert]

Found this in my email today:

Canada . . . this is a good read. It is funny how it took someone in England to put it into words.

Sunday Telegraph Article: "Salute to a brave and modest nation" - Kevin Myers, The Sunday Telegraph, LONDON - UK
Until the deaths of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops are deployed in the region. And as always, Canada will bury its dead, just as the rest of the world, as always will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does.

It seems that Canada's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid both of its friends and of complete strangers, and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored.

Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance. A fire breaks out, she risks life and limb to rescue her fellow dance-goers, and suffers serious injuries. But when the hall is repaired and the dancing resumes, there is Canada, the wallflower still, while those she once helped glamorously cavort across the floor, blithely neglecting her yet again.

That is the price Canada pays for sharing the North American continent with the United States, and for being a selfless friend of Britain in two global conflicts. For much of the 20th century, Canada was torn in two different directions:
It seemed to be a part of the old world, yet had an address in the new one, and that divided identity ensured that it never fully got the gratitude it deserved. Yet its purely voluntary contribution to the cause of freedom in two world wars was perhaps the greatest of any democracy.

Almost 10% of Canada's entire population of seven million people served in the armed forces during the First World War, and nearly 60,000 died. The great Allied victories of 1918 were spearheaded by Canadian troops, perhaps the most capable soldiers in the entire British order of battle.

Canada was repaid for its enormous sacrifice by downright neglect, it's unique contribution to victory being absorbed into the popular Memory as somehow or other the work of the "British".

The Second World War provided a re-run. The Canadian navy began the war with a half dozen vessels, and ended up policing nearly half of the Atlantic against U-boat attack. More than 120 Canadian warships participated in the Normandy landings, during which 15,000 Canadian soldiers went ashore on D-Day alone. Canada finished the war with the third-largest navy and
the fourth-largest air force in the world.

The world thanked Canada with the same sublime indifference as it had the previous time. Canadian participation in the war was acknowledged in film only if it was necessary to give an American actor a part in a campaign in which the United States had clearly not participated - a touching scrupulousness which, of course, Hollywood has since abandoned, as it has any notion of a separate Canadian identity.

So it is a general rule that actors and filmmakers arriving in Hollywood keep their nationality - unless, that is, they are Canadian. Thus Mary Pickford, Walter Huston, Donald Sutherland, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg, Alex Trebek, Art Linkletter and Dan Aykroyd have in the popular perception become American, and Christopher Plummer, British.

It is as if, in the very act of becoming famous, a Canadian ceases to be Canadian, unless she is Margaret Atwood, who is as unshakably Canadian as a moose, or Celine Dion, for whom Canada has proved quite unable to find any takers.

Moreover, Canada is every bit as querulously alert to the achievements of its sons and daughters as the rest of the world is completely unaware of them. The Canadians proudly say of themselves - and are unheard by anyone else - that 1% of the world's population has provided 10% of the world's peacekeeping forces. Canadian soldiers in the past half century have been the greatest peacekeepers on Earth - in 39 missions on UN mandates, and six on non-UN peacekeeping duties, from Vietnam to East Timor, from Sinai to Bosnia.

Yet the only foreign engagement that has entered the popular on-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia, in which out-of-control paratroopers murdered two Somali infiltrators. Their regiment was then disbanded in disgrace - a uniquely Canadian act of self-abasement for which, naturally, the Canadians received no international credit.

So who today in the United States knows about the stoic and selfless friendship its northern neighbour has given it in Afghanistan? Rather like Cyrano de Bergerac, Canada repeatedly does honourable things for honourable motives, but instead of being thanked for it, it remains something of a figure of fun.

It is the Canadian way, for which Canadians should be proud, yet such honour comes at a high cost. This past year more grieving Canadian families knew that cost all too tragically well.

 

[Tonington]

I just found out yesterday, one of the survivors is a fella I went to high school with. He was in my Law Enforcement class and also cadets. If you heard the stories about the survivor who was directing the help where to place pressure and what not, that was him. He's on his way back now, broken leg and broken ankle.

 

[Curiosity]

LGilbert

Thanks for posting that for us to read - it was beautifully written and in so many ways what I find so endearing and wonderful about Canada and Canadians - their pacific acceptance of duty, work to be
done, help to be given, and no nonsense approach to the problems of the world around us.

Canada will never be a 'figure of fun' to me - but a nation from whom many other nations can learn.

 

[Curiosity]

Tonington

I hope your friend receives good treatment and is brought back to heal soon....

It is strange when out of the blue we find we know someone who has been in the midst of the carnage - and it punches us in the gut when we hear of injury or worse, death.

It brings a reality to our observation of war and we are no longer removed from it - ever.
It has become personal.

If you have an opportunity to be in contact with him - extend gratitude for his participation please?

 

[darkbeaver]

These men were killed conducting a war of occupation for the elite capitalists. They died helping to steal the wealth of others. The filthy media continues it's jingoistic beating of the drums of war. We will bury more and more young Canadians at the same time as we kill more and more Afghans.

 

[Tonington]

Curio

I have sent my regards. He knows how lucky he is to have survived the blast. He was always the type of guy who would do anything to help out anyone who asked. I'm not at all surprised he ended up over in Afghanistan. This is a story they ran in the Chronicle Herald about the incident.

Injured corporal coming home
QEII waiting to operate on Cpl. Fevens
By SUSAN BRADLEY and BRIAN MEDEL Staff Reporters

A Halifax soldier who survived Sunday’s bomb blast in Afghanistan that killed six of his comrades riding in a light armoured vehicle could be back home by the weekend, his mother and girlfriend said Tuesday.
Mauritta Fevens of Yarmouth said she had planned to go to Germany with some family members to be with her son, Cpl. Shaun Fevens, but that likely won’t be necessary as plans to return him to Halifax are moving ahead rapidly.
"Shaun said, ‘Mom, there’s really no reason for you to come,’ " Ms. Fevens said.
"He’ll be at the (Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre). They’re already waiting there for him. He will have to have surgery in Halifax."
Cpl. Fevens’s girlfriend also hoped he’d be home within days.
"I just heard from him this (Tuesday) morning. He said probably by the weekend (he’d be back)," said Lana Dormiedy, a Mount Saint Vincent University student who lives in Bedford.
"He’s in good spirits."
The driver of the ill-fated LAV III was Brennan Leslie, 20, of Cole Harbour, a source said Tuesday.
He, along with the gunner and crew commander, escaped with minor or no injuries.
His mother Petrea Leslie said Tuesday she spoke with her son following the blast. He was deployed to Afghanistan from CFB Gagetown in February. No one from the Defence Department could confirm his rank.
Cpl. Fevens, 24, suffered a broken tibia in one leg and a broken ankle in the other as well as burns when a bomb exploded under the LAV. The blast occurred about 75 kilometres from Kandahar.
General Rick Hillier, chief of Canada’s defence staff, visited Cpl. Fevens on Tuesday at the U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.
"He spent 45 minutes with Shaun," said Ms. Fevens, adding she asked her son more about his injuries but he was reluctant to talk about them.
"He said, ‘Mom don’t even go there. It’s OK.’ He didn’t really want to tell me. He was more concerned about his (friends) than he was about himself."
She said her son was propped up in bed Tuesday reading a copy of the Auto Trader and that he asked her to check the price of a Shelburne County vehicle for him.
Lt.-Col. Rob Walker, who commands the Canadian battle group in Afghanistan, said earlier that Cpl. Fevens helped save his own life by telling one of his comrades how to stop the bleeding from his wounds. The young man was the only person riding in the back of the LAV to survive the blast.
"He was in the back of the LAV on the left side, in the hatch," Ms. Dormiedy said, adding she also didn’t know a lot about Cpl. Fevens’s medical treatment, except that he had surgery.

 

[mabudon]

Glad to know he's going to be okay, physically, it sounds like. Really does sound like a fine dude, doing his best to keep his loved ones from freakin out- no joke, that is a class act

 

[snfu73]

Then maybe the solution is to bring more attention to the deaths of afghan civilians rather than begrudge the dead soldiers and their families any honours, sympathy or well wishes they may receive.

Frankly though, I do think their deaths are more tragic. They willingly went there to try to help a people they didn't even know and paid for it with their lives. They knew this could happen and did it anyways. That's more tragic to me than being killed there because you just weren't able to get anywhere else.

But...you don't know why these people were there. You don't know what they did while they were there. There are many that would argue that the afghanistan mission is immoral and wrong...that it is a horrible thing that canada is doing.

I still feel for the average citizen of afghanistan who never wanted war but ended up with one on their doorsteps yet again. And, I gotta say, if people came in and brought war to my country, I would not be too thrilled with them. The way I see it, the average afghan is stuck in the middle between two idealogies, and are getting killed because both sides just can't seem to get along, get a good dialogue going and straighten out some of this crap so NOONE has to be killed. If you wish to engage in war and become part of the war machine that causes death and destruction, you are putting your life on the line...that is your decision. You play with fire, you get burned...simple as that. But, I'm not going to martyr these people. I feel for the families, you bet...but I'm not turning them into martyrs.

 

[L Gilbert]

Funny: most of what I read that's going on over there is Afghan people (mostly women and kids) stepping forward expressing how much they appreciate not being oppressed for a change and that they think things are improving. Reminds me of something Aeschylus said, "For it would be better to die once and for all than to suffer pain for all one's life" and some unknown critter paraphrased as, "Better to die on your feet than live on your knees".

 

[Curiosity]

Thanks Tonington

I wish godspeed and rapid recovery to your wounded warrior buddy.

Wish these guys had blogs going so we could keep up with them and give them encouraging feedback from home.

 

[Curiosity]

SNAFU

Canada is part of the NATO military force.

If you disagree with their responsibility to that organization - Canada and Canadians (as you write) should request a pullout of their membership in that group so there is no future commitment necessary in its work.

I wonder if Canadians would go along with you (perhaps they would).

When you participate in worldwide nation building and helping, you are also in it for the ugly stuff like war. Commitment wears all kinds of outfits - even military uniforms.

 

[Curiosity]

EarthAsOne

I missed an opportunity to say how much I enjoyed reading Flanders Fields yet again...this site when down and this is the first chance I have had to thank you for reminding us...

This particular piece I think is the hallmark of reflection on war... I wonder if it was written with the belief there would be no other wars to follow?

We dreamers are always disappointed... especially when we are touched with personal knowledge of someone taking part in these kinds of events. Good thoughts for your friend.

 

[tracy]

But...you don't know why these people were there. You don't know what they did while they were there. There are many that would argue that the afghanistan mission is immoral and wrong...that it is a horrible thing that canada is doing.

I still feel for the average citizen of afghanistan who never wanted war but ended up with one on their doorsteps yet again. And, I gotta say, if people came in and brought war to my country, I would not be too thrilled with them. The way I see it, the average afghan is stuck in the middle between two idealogies, and are getting killed because both sides just can't seem to get along, get a good dialogue going and straighten out some of this crap so NOONE has to be killed. If you wish to engage in war and become part of the war machine that causes death and destruction, you are putting your life on the line...that is your decision. You play with fire, you get burned...simple as that. But, I'm not going to martyr these people. I feel for the families, you bet...but I'm not turning them into martyrs.

No, I don't know their personal reasons for going. Do you? Why should I assume the worst about them? Why not give the armed forces from our country the benefit of the doubt? Do you really think a lot of them join up just cause they want to kill a bunch of people and destroy a bunch of stuff? If they wanted that, the Canadian military would seem to be a dumb choice since we hardly ever go to war nowadays.

I would probably hate people who brought war to my country, but in Afghanistan the people who brought war to the country are Afghanis. It wasn't exactly peaceful before the US led invasion. Some might argue that simply being there is immoral. Those people are just wrong.

 

[tracy]

I wonder if Canadians would go along with you (perhaps they would).

When you participate in worldwide nation building and helping, you are also in it for the ugly stuff like war. Commitment wears all kinds of outfits - even military uniforms.

I'm one of the Canadians that wouldn't.

I think you're last paragraph bears repeating. You can't give out aide to a country without providing some security.

 

[snfu73]

No, I don't know their personal reasons for going. Do you? Why should I assume the worst about them? Why not give the armed forces from our country the benefit of the doubt? Do you really think a lot of them join up just cause they want to kill a bunch of people and destroy a bunch of stuff? If they wanted that, the Canadian military would seem to be a dumb choice since we hardly ever go to war nowadays.

I would probably hate people who brought war to my country, but in Afghanistan the people who brought war to the country are Afghanis. It wasn't exactly peaceful before the US led invasion. Some might argue that simply being there is immoral. Those people are just wrong.

Why are people who think the war is immoral are wrong?

The afghanis did not bring on war themselves. Russian continual occupation by outside forces like russia helped to create a situation in which extreme factions began to flourish. Look into the history of afghanistan a little. The average afghani has not asked for war or created war...they are stuck in the middle, between extreme forces in their own country and invaders from outside countries trying to impose their ways and their government and moral systems on them...and Canadian soldiers are part of that.

And to curiosity...sure Canada is part of NATO. Many nations are...but not all those nations are in afghanistan. I would like to see Canadians take part much more in the rebuilding and far less in the war and killing part of things. And, yes, what I am expressing is my opinion. It is not based on what other Canadians think...it is based on what I think. That is the point of a discussion forum. Do you honestly think that we are changing the world here? I am expressing my opinions. It does not reflect what may or may not happen in the world outside of these forums.

The thing is...what kind of a nation is Canada taking part in building? Is it the nation the people of afghanistan want...or is the kind of nation that canada and it's partners there want it to be? And in this process of nation building, how much nation destruction is taking place? And what part are soldiers taking in all of this? How many families and lives have they destroyed in this process in afghanistan to attempt to create the country THEY believe in...not necessarily the country the people living in it believe in?

 

[darkbeaver]

Canadians are not in Afghanistan building a brighter future for Afghans, we're there extending the same corrupt system we of the west are aflicted with. The mission is to prevent any indeginous developments that would impead the Empire. We are involved in government/corporate murder of legal resistance to unlawfull occupation.

 

[tracy]

Why are people who think the war is immoral are wrong?

The afghanis did not bring on war themselves. Russian continual occupation by outside forces like russia helped to create a situation in which extreme factions began to flourish. Look into the history of afghanistan a little. The average afghani has not asked for war or created war...they are stuck in the middle, between extreme forces in their own country and invaders from outside countries trying to impose their ways and their government and moral systems on them...and Canadian soldiers are part of that.

They are wrong because it was right to go there in the first place. The Taliban, a group of fanatics who took control of the country by force and brutally oppressed their own people, were protecting a terrorist responsible for the deaths of thousands. Should we have just ignored that?

I've read all about Afghanistan's history. Yes, the Russians invaded. Bad Russians. Bad. Yes, that helped to create a situation in which extreme factions flourished. Bad Russians. Yes, Americans helped that. Bad Americans. Bad. But, how long do the Afghans get to avoid taking responsibility for their country and its state? The Russians left. What happened after that is ultimately Afghanistan's responsibility. It was Afghanis oppressing and fighting other Afghanis for years. Do you think they'd be at peace if we hadn't invaded? What would that peace look like? Would it be better than what they have today? Would it have resulted in a better future than what we've done will result in?

As an aside, people always talk about the average Afghani. I don't know who this person is. Is it the Taliban soldier? Is it the one fighting for the northern alliance? Is it the poppy seed farmer? The shop owner? The member of RAWA? The woman who is beaten for showing an ankle in public? The people who allow it to happen? The average Afghani is as varied as the average Canadian.

 

[Tonington]

Last night there was a repeat on CBC about the whole Canadian involvement in Afghanistan. I think it merits some attention. When we arrived in Afghanistan originally there was very little cohesion between the NATO nations. We were in Kabul, primarilly working near the airport to help the new government. Canada was one of the main lobbyists for the Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and allthough we had little experience in that kind of work, it was still recognized that the rest of the country would need to be stabilized. We ended up in one of the strongholds of the Taliban, and the death toll since then shows it. It's not an easy thing to provide security to a group of people when there is another group of people with a vested interest in seeing those notions fail.

Think of it this way, the Taliban was a regime which won it's control through brutal hegemonic tactics. They kept the Afghani people from prospering. Now we along with other nations have booted them out. I'll be the first to agree that forcing democracy is a touchy endevour. But there is a new government there now, they can't survive without foreign aid to help build them up, they can't survive without security to ensure that aid can work. There are some Canadians who feel this is a worthy cause. There are those who don't. I wonder what the kids who can go to school now, and the women who have been liberated would say to those who think we should be out of there...

 

[Curiosity]

Snafu - you write:

And to curiosity...sure Canada is part of NATO. Many nations are...but not all those nations are in afghanistan. I would like to see Canadians take part much more in the rebuilding and far less in the war and killing part of things. And, yes, what I am expressing is my opinion. It is not based on what other Canadians think...it is based on what I think. That is the point of a discussion forum. Do you honestly think that we are changing the world here? I am expressing my opinions. It does not reflect what may or may not happen in the world outside of these forums.

No I do not believe war changes anything. War is not the answer to the world's problems, but it would seem our leaders
have no other responses except to invade and kill even when
it is called 'peacekeeping'.

Why we condone murder of strangers when we would not put up with that in our own nation by civilians and society is beyond me.

I don't know how it could ever be changed unless people simply would not pick up arms and wear uniforms except in defense of
their own lands.

Also the only time a large contingent of help would arrive at a foreign nation would be under the protection of that nation's military and they would leave if any violence takes place while they are doing the peacekeeping and rebuilding assistance requested. But no more military intervention.

Each nation is responsible for its own safekeeping.

 

[snfu73]

What I am reading here from some folks is that there is an assumption that noone inside afghanistan was doing anything to change the way things were in that country. Well...that is false. There were organizations fighting for womens rights, education, against poverty and against extremism within afghanistan long before the west decided to heroically save the poor afghanis. It has not been all that long since russia pulled out of afghanistan leaving a power vaccum that led to the taliban taking power....these things take time. The idea that overnight the country would become this wonderful bastion of democracy and glad tidings is irrational and ludicrious. It takes time...and like I said, there were many inside afghanistan who were trying to make a difference...and were making a difference...and the future would bring an evolution of politics and social conditions. But, no, the west had to come in on it's bloody white horse and save the day. Oh goody.