A Reflection of Canada - Canadian Soldiers in Afghanistan

In an age of almost infinite information at our fingertips, you would think ignorance would be virtually eliminated. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Perhaps an over-saturation is the problem. Print publications, 24-hour news and the internet allow almost everyone a soap box to promote their message and a forum for people of all political stripes. With all this muddying of the waters, it is not surprising that the truth is often lost in the shuffle.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the discussion of the Canadian Armed Forces’ involvement in Afghanistan.

First the basics.

Canadian troops are not in Iraq!

To some this might seem self-evident but, unfortunately, experience has shown otherwise. For instance, during a recent radio discussion on what would attract young Muslims to extremist ideology, two different people stated Canadian involvement in Iraq. More worrying is these people were both students at the University of Toronto. (For another view on universities read “University - A Breeding Ground for Ignorance”) This has also been echoed in numerous blogs.

Another point that should be self-evident, but does not appear to be, is we are Canadian not American!

So much of the online debate centres on viewing our troops as if they were from the US. The very people who fume about Canada being Americanized, and take offence at being compared to an American, do exactly that to the Canadian Armed Forces.

Is it ignorance of our Armed Forces? The effects of watching too many “war” movies? Or is it that in the rush to condemn anything Bush, they push aside everything in the quest for their ideology?

It may be a combination of them all or none.

The Canadian Armed Forces are a reflection of Canada as a whole. The men and women of the Armed Forces are your neighbours, schoolmates and relatives. They were not born in a vacuum or created by some lab bent on creating the ultimate soldier. They are not Rambo, John Wayne or Clint Eastwood.

Our soldiers are Canadians who have grown up with the same experiences as you and me. They come from all walks of life and every region in the country, from Toktoyaktuk to Windsor, St. John’s to Victoria.

Our soldiers are highly educated. Every officer has a university degree and not necessarily a military-oriented one. It could be a degree in History, Psychology or Arts. Captain Nicola Goddard, who died in a Taliban ambush on 17 May 06, had a degree in English and was a member of an artillery unit.

Contrary to what you see in movies, our troops are not brainwashed or sheep. The men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces are allowed to voice their opinion, debate politics and the validity of a mission. Over a beer in the mess, or having coffee in the canteen, discussions can be heard on many subjects. Their brains are not removed at the recruiter’s nor are their ethics. They are expected to react instantaneously in combat and follow the orders they are given but are also expected to uphold the principles and honour of Canada. They are the ambassadors of Canada and are expected to represent the fabric of Canada even when dealing with people who are trying to kill them.

They are Canadians with the same hopes and dreams as any other Canadian. These do not change just because they put on a uniform.

The biggest difference is the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces are willing to make sacrifices in pursuit of those hopes and dreams.

Our troops give up much to defend and protect, not just Canadians but others who are incapable of defending themselves. They live a life that most could not tolerate let alone do so willingly.

The movie image of the soldier waving gleefully while marching off to glory is just that - a movie image. It bears as much reality as that of King Kong climbing the Empire State Building.

There is no glory in deployed operations and no glee in leaving on them. Soldiers, more often than not, miss their child’s first steps, first words, first day at school and graduations. They live for months on end in dirt, dust, heat or cold. A shower once a week is a luxury and even a hot cup of coffee is not guaranteed. Hard physical labour is the order of the day, as are long hours and little sleep. They shave and bathe with cold water, both summer and winter. If it is quiet, they may get the opportunity to actually heat up their rations and a fresh egg is like filet mignon.

The majority of their time is spent fighting boredom. Standing guard duty for hours at a time in the middle of the night is not exactly exciting. Neither is the constant drudge of endless patrols in the middle of nowhere carrying 50 lbs of equipment. The typical day of a soldier is one of wearying routine coupled with sore muscles and bumps and bruises from being bounced around in an armoured vehicle. Through all this, their mind must remain sharp for that instance when danger does rear its head.

But they “soldier” on.

Why? Not because they are dupes, sheep or warmongers. They know that they are not in Afghanistan to fight a war for oil (see "No War for Oil!” published in the liberal paper “The American Prospect”) or as part of any American war of aggression.

The Canadian Armed Forces are in Afghanistan to try to bring stability and peace to the world and help a people in need.

From the moment the Taliban refused to hand over Osama Bin Laden after the American embassy bombings in 1998, it was realized something needed to be done. As supporters of terrorism, the Taliban was rapidly becoming a threat to world peace as well as a brutal, repressive government. Afghanistan was the training ground for the insurgents that were raising tensions between Pakistan and India, two countries with nuclear weapons. Al-Qaeda, and numerous other terrorist groups, freely operated in Afghanistan. Plans for going after Bin Laden were already in the works when the attacks of September 11th, 2001 occurred. After the Taliban refused a final demand from the United Nations to hand over Bin Laden, it was realized the world could no longer afford to sit idly by.

This time was different though, this time the world finally got it - you cannot negotiate peace with people who don’t want peace. Fanatics, such as Bin Laden, want only to impose their form of order on the world. Like Adolph Hitler, nothing would appease, and they would not stop until democracy was destroyed. They wanted nothing short of Taliban-style rule worldwide.

And our soldiers are pragmatists. They realize that in order to allow peace to thrive, those bent on destruction must be subdued. They realize people who believe it is appropriate to fire rockets at children or bomb schoolrooms cannot be rationalized with. They know hospitals, schools and wells cannot be built while there is a constant threat of attack. And, most of all, they realize it will be dangerous.

So, day after day, they go out into the dust and heat, rain and cold, day and night, to seek out a threat to a suffering people. They don’t do it for fun but in the belief that they can help to bring a better life to the average Afghani.

As the grandfather of the little Afghani boy with cancer, who the Canadians attempted to help, stated “Canada is the first country to come to Afghanistan with pure intentions.”