CBC Photo

I found this photo on CBC.CA while reading the following article: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/10/09/afghanistan-soldiers-canadian.html I realised that I was in this photo (3rd from the left with the radio antenna). This was a patrol we were doing in the Dand District in the month of June.

So close yet so far....

How time flies.....I just realised that its been about 2 weeks since my last post. I guess posting on this thing has been less of a priority lately, we have been pretty busy and I am very thankful for that. It seems like yesterday we were all looking forward to the first of October.

Here's what's new:

- The temperature has dropped significantly at nights and actually makes early morning runs pleasant

-We are starting to see a lot of new faces around here and hearing a lot less French, this is a very good sign of what's to come.

-Trying to catch hockey games in this time zone means waking up at 03h30..and makes for a long day especially when the Leafs lose.

Enjoy the photos 9er Tac Roto 7 Team Photo 9er Tac again....Me & the Canadian Expeditionary Forces Commander

Sgt Jesse Kantor enjoys his coffe with Joe in Panjwayi

Me & Joe in Belanday

MCpl Joe (Panjwayi) For the Sgt and his followers...

A few words of thanks....

A few quick words to all my readers out there. I apologize for the lack of material, time and energy I have recently put into this blog. I have no valid excuse! But at any rate I would like to take a second and send my thanks to all those who sent packages, weather they were large or little, a letter or a quick note...the gesture was much appreciated. We are extremely lucky in this day and age to have access to some of the stuff we have here. We have internet and phones and pretty much all the comforts one can ask for in a war zone. But irregardless it is still a great feeling receiving something in the mail. It is unfathomable to think what the veterans of WWI & WWII had to endure to fight for the freedoms we daily take for granted. For them a letter was a luxury and news from home almost non existent. So before I digress, I just want to thank all those again who took the time to send a few words!

Thank You!

Medal Ceremony

Being awarded the General Campaign Star for the ISAF lead operations in Afghanistan.

8 Years Later...

8 years ago today...September 11th, I still remember sitting in high school when it happened. Nobody quite new what would be the result of those 2 planes crashing into the towers but I definitely did not picture myself being part of the answer. The longer I stay in Afghanistan the longer I see how complex the situation is here. NATOs presence here is absolutely necessary and although it may not look like progress from the your side of the pond, we see progress perhaps slowly, but surely, everyday. To all those who died 8 years ago today and everyone who has paid the ultimate sacrifice in this noble cause you will never be forgotten.

Je me souviens...

On a lighter note, I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine. His name is Joe. Joe is technically 43 but really hasn't aged in years. Joe has become a tradition in the Royal Montreal Regiment Mens' Mess for sometime now. When members of the mess deploy overseas it is someone's reponsibility to bring Joe over with them. Joe was in desperate need of a new uniform, he was still wearing the old ones from the 60s so on OP Archer Roto 7, Joe was finally dressed in some modern clothes. Joe on CNS Joe - I think I saw the Glory Hound do this in Florida a few years back. Joe in the Mortar Pitt - PSS Belandey Ready to go....Belandey Strong Point Walakan last but not least...our home away from home...Dand District

More to follow...

Here are some misc photos from the tour so far....a meaty entry coming soon. Dawn Patrol in the mountains between K.C. and the ArgandabTaking a break at an ANP OP As much as walking in the mountains can sometime be punishment, the view always makes up for it!Foot patrol in the Dand DistrictWheat harvest at sunset These buggers are all smiles..
An ANA soldier sees the result of his picture with a young boy

A classic photograph

No Indian Summer here....

For those of you keeping up with the current events in Afghanistan you will all know that the elections have come and gone. The widespread chaos and violence the Taliban promised was apparently all smoke and mirrors because from our end it was relatively quiet. This, irregardless of the outcome of the elections can be viewed as a success seeing 100% of the security for the elections was provided by Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). We on the other hand were merely on stand by incase things got out of hand. So when you prepare yourself for the apocalypse and things go smoothly I guess you could say the elections were anti-climatic. This is very positive because we got some down time and the ANSF showed to Afghans they were capable of handling the situation.

The same day as the elections took place the random quote of the day on my blog was this : The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow. H.G. Wells (1866-1946)

I got a laugh out of this because it seemed so fitting. The build up and media hype of everything election related really made it out to be the apocalypse. Now in hindsight it appears our crisis was nothing more the just a good laugh over a couple near beers half a world away from home!

A sad day...

Today I was told by someone outside my chain of command that I needed to get my haircut. This is very sad seeing my outrageous hair is awesome...Im not sure how I'm going to dodge this shit missile....

Present look....

This is what I may have to settle for....

What do you think??

When in doubt post photos!

Well it has come to my attention that my readership has started to dwindle. This comes as no surprise to me as I haven't had much interesting to say of late and we are pretty tight lipped about what we have been doing. They month of August is flying by at a speed that has even surprised me. That is good news on all fronts! I really do apologize for not posting as much as I would like however I will try and keep you distracted with some photos for the time being. Stayed tuned and I promise things will get more interesting. Prep To Move ( Leaving PBW) Patroling in the Dand District Do these things ever leave MSG? A U.S. Blackhawk touches down on the HLS

On the mend...

An Afghani Jingle truck. All Afghani Vehicles and possessions (even their weapons) are "jingled" up. I guess it's their version of pimp my ride.

Today I have a second day off in a row. This precious downtime has not been because of a light schedule, it was imposed by the doctor here at the PRT. Let me explain before some of you start to panic!

Over the past week I developed a cold and generaly felt like crap. Just as I thought I was getting better I came down yesterday with a realy bad case of the flu. I woke up in the morning and felt like I had been hit by an jingle truck (see photo). So the boys headed out on patrol and I got left behined to nurse my wounds. I finally decided to go to the medics after spending the majority of an hour on the floor in the bathroom and beleive me it wasnt pretty. I honestly haven't been sick like that in a really long time. So the doc checked me out, put me in isolation (to prevent the spreading ), gave me a shot of something to knock me out and then forced me to rehydrate or else he would have had to hook me up to an IV. Long story short after about 24 hours the worst of it has passed and I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It is still insanely hot here but beleive it or not at nights we are starting to feel a drop in temperature. Thank God.

Besides that not much else is new here. Same thing different day. Hopefully I will have no interesting news for you all soon.

Sue & Ken: Thank You very much for the cooler, now the guys in our other truck have the same luxsury as we do! Its amazing how such small little things can make such a big impact on moral. They too now have cold water at their finger tips.

Kass & Olie: Thanks for the books and everything, it is much appreciated!

Better Late then Never..

Relaxing the Panwayi District Centre on a stockpile of wheat. This photo would definetly make the cover of Counter Terrorism Quarterly if such a magazine exsisted.

Well it's been a while since my last rant so I guess I'm due for an update. We have been quite busy since my previous Michael Jackson rant, luckily we did a fair bit of travelling around the Province of Kandahar. I enjoy keeping busy as it makes time go by quickly, settling into a routine is often impossible but then again it keep us on our toes. When doing a lot of moving around I get the chance to bump into some of my best friends and just being able to shoot the shit with them for 5 minutes or 2 hours is always fun. Seeing them and hearing that they are okay takes a load off and makes whatever worries I may have had fade away.

For those not exactly current on your current affairs you may not know Afghanistan is having its Presidential Elections on the 21st of August. The bad guys have been doing there best to disrupt the prep for these elections and will no doubt have some kind of idea on how to try and ruin the vote. We on the other hand are completely prepared and ready for anything that they decided to bring our way.

Personally I've been motivated a lot of late to get into shape. I've been running intensely around 7 to 12 km daily and doing a couple crossfits a week. It's a great way to blow off steam and a good way to forget about the job. Unfortunately yesterday I came down with a cold. Its hard to belive that with temperatures constantly in the 50s and 60s that I could get a cold but apparently its just a run down imunne system. Either way its not fun and hopefully it won't last too long.

I have been spending my free time trying to get organized with Concordia University, I've been trying to get back into my program upon my return to Canada. If you thought dealing with a University was tough try doing it from half a world away with an 8.5 hour time difference. Its not pleasant to say the least. At most it's keeping me busy and I keep crossing off the days on the calendar.

I hope all of you are doing well and are profiting from whatever good weather mother nature out of pitty has decided to send your way.

Other News:
Aunt Adele I got your package, thank you very much for everything it is much appreciated, thanks for the cooler always having 12 bottles of cold water handy is priceless!

ThanksCongratulations Greg & Melissa! Brendan Biezing was born at 06:16 July 31st 2009, All the best!

Terrible News....

For those of you standing, I suggest you take a seat as you read this terrible news. I know this may be shocking to people but....Michael Jackson is dead. I know I know I was crushed too. The king of pop is dead. Is it murder? Overdose? I do believe a more appropriate question would be: does anybody really freakin' care?

We pampered soldiers over here in Afghanistan have the luxury of 2 pre-programmed TV stations for us to watch in the dinning halls. I have been livid that despite the copious amounts of news worthy international news at our fingertips, North American media choses to plaster us with about a months worth of B.S. on Michael Jackson. Which brings to my point. When is it bed time at Neverland Ranch? Well its when the big hand touches the little hand.....No wait that wasn't my point. My point was this; doesn't the media in this communication era have a responsibility to perhaps air pertinent news with global implications. So how does this really tie into my situation here in Afghanistan besides irritating me during meals. Well the kids I say!

Kids are always the best to talk to, they are young and therefore have very limited life experience which generally means that they have not yet been indoctrinated and or infused with the grudges and tribal riffs that create so many problems in Afghanistan. They really represent a pure form of humanity with almost zero influence from outside their small world. No foreign TV, No foreign movies....just Afghanistan, their families and Allah. So while having a conversation with one of these kids through an interpreter I asked him what he thought of Michael Jackson death. He looked at me as if I was stupid (which I do not blame him for asking such a stupid question), and then said who was Michael Jackson? Finally, this child hit the nail on the head. Who the heck is this guy and why did we give a crap. Then we ate watermelon....

A little humour....

They say there is a little truth in every rumour...Although this may not be true Im sure it has some truth to it.

Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.
- "You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically. Mr.Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.
"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."
The Canadian said,
- 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."
- "Impossible. Canadians always have to show your passports on arrival in France !"
The Canadian senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained,
-''Well, when I came ashore at Juno Beach on D- Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to."

"The safest place in Afghanistan"

Today we went to the "Safest place in Afghanistan" It was actually quite fun because for about 5 hours we sat and chatted with some Afghans, one of these Afghans in his mid-thirties even claimed to have killed Russians with the Moujahidine, and then recently he killed 9 Taliban in Panjawi before moving to the "Safest place in Afghanistan". Despite his crazy stories he was a joker and he seemed like a pretty cool guy. Long minutes passed of both parties being completely lost in translation until we eventually understood each other by using the universeral language of hand signalss and pointing. When this didn't work some of the kids who had very very basic English skills would do there best to translate for the us.

We chatted with kids alot and even profitted by taking some photos, the kids loved the camera, it blew their minds when we showed them the results on the LCD screen. For them that was a rare treat. Canadian Birds... What was that coordinate again?? Kids....This one was camera shy at first.... Relaxing, this is the first time I met these guys but apparently we are best buds. (Yes it was Thursday but I made it very clear to them that I was "off the market") More kids coming to see what all the fuss is about.

Doing the "Pedler" ...some of my best work.

Freedom Calculator.....Moral in .XLS format

Note: The attached photo does not in anyway shape or form reflect the The Canadian Forces or any of its personnel. Also the dates have been changed for Operational Security, the dates in the photo represent my birthday and Christmas and in no way are actual deployment or departure dates. Lastly for those who may find this offensive...too bad!

Well now that you all have read the disclaimer, let me explain. You may be wondering how we keep track of how long we have left in this country seeing everyday is groundhog day, well I introduce you to..... The Freedom Calculator!

This brilliant Microsoft Excel document allows you to keep track of how much time you have left in theatre. This user friendly spreadsheet even comes with visual aides to help promote the well being of the troops. For those who have ridiculously boring jobs and don't get out of the office much (Alan Vincent et al [BURN]) it even calculates down to the minute!

Yup that's right, those old fashion times of crossing the days off the calander are long gone. Simply type in your arrival and departure dates and it will update your "Sentence Served" automaticaly. Isn't technology wonderful?

Radio Interview..

Today I did an interview with CBC Montreal Daybreak, it was a follow up to our interview we did before deploying. If you listen carefully you will hear that I deflected all of his questions and didnt even really answer them...excellent.

http://www.cbc.ca/montreal/media/audio/daybreak/20090720DBK_RESERVIST_IN_AFGHAN.ram

long overdue...

Its been a while since I have actually been able to sit down and actually write an entry in this thing. My apologies to my avid readers (there must be at least one person out there) for not really putting any "meat" into my posts. I've been trying to keep you all happy with a few photos here and there and a couple quick notes. So here I am with an afternoon of free time so I guess I'll get to it.

Things around here have gotten interesting. Our tasks and missions have been changing which allows us to get into different corners of the country and see some new things. The other day we went to a small village south west of Kanadahar City and did some foot patrols in and around village. Its always interesting going to new places, and seeing new things.

Besides that everything is going well. We are trying our best to stay out of trouble and make it to the end of the tour with nothing but good experiences and some cash in our pockets. (For me this does not apply, seeing all my money will definetly be going to clearing all my University debt). Which brings me to my next point. I have been doing alot of thinking over the past couple of days and I have decided to finish my University degree upon my return to Canada. I am too close to finishing to toss it all away. Hopefully I will be able to continue working fulltime and finish up my remaining 30 credits over the course of 3 semesters part time.....well that is the plan anyway.

So I guess that is all from me for the time being. For all family friends who ahve been a little stressed lately because of the rise in violence, you need not worry I am well and trying to stay in the shade....

Cheers!

We Will Remember....

A wise man once said:

''Officers will tell you about hearts and minds and seeing the big picture beyond the rifleman view, but I am gun fighter privy to the view from the top .......guys like me are the real voice of reason in this war'' - G.H.

R.I.P. Pte. Sébastien Courcy

Je me souviens...

Reaching New Heights...

Today was a great day, we climbed up a couple of mountains and with a panoramic view of our surroundings we just kinda took it in....it was well worth the climb. An incredible view to enjoy after a quick climb. (Approx. 1,683 MAS) The hike back... An ANP soldier looks out from his Opsrvation Point. This is the description of the hand carved stairs that lead to a cave with Pashtu writing carefully carved into the side. This cave is located at the summit of one of the mountains on the outskirts of Kandahar City.The stairs and the cave at the summit. An example of some of the carved writing.. Me and a team member in the cave..

Me outside the cave at the summit overlooking the outskirts of Kandahar City (Approx. 1,700 MAS).

Another Day in Afganiland...

A few photos for your viewing pleasure.....

A quick smoke before the patrol begins...(Yes I know its a filthy habbit but there's not much to do here and it makes me look cooler { that's a joke, no comments please} )

The casualties of a Soviet Era....

Another day at the office...

Afghani workers trying to find the water ...

A view from a tower....