Returning troops remember fallen comrades
Updated Sun. Aug. 19 2007 1:40 AM ET
Canadian Press
OROMOCTO, N.B. -- It was a bittersweet welcome home for the latest troops to return from Afghanistan as many of the soldiers and their loved ones remembered the soldiers who were killed in the war-torn country.
Lt.-Col. Robert Walker, commander of the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, said early Sunday the only low points of the six-month tour of duty were the deaths of 18 soldiers under his command, seven of them from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown.
All of the deaths were caused by roadside bombs.
"It was very, very hard but we're professional soldiers,'' Walker told reporters as he arrived back at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown with 90 members of his Afghanistan battle group.
"We understand the risks and they are shared risks. I was humbled and impressed that the soldiers carried on their mission day in and day out, driving those roads and understanding the risks they were taking.''
Walker said Canadian troops take comfort in the firm belief that their comrades did not die in vain.
"They have faith in the mission,'' he said. "They understand it's a noble cause.''
He said their tour of duty was a success because the security situation in the Kandahar area has improved and that has allowed for more road construction, better vaccination programs and a growing sense of optimism among the people of Afghanistan.
Walker said the Canadian mission is also giving the Afghanistan government the time and the help it needs to build its own military and police forces.
He said Canadians opposed to involvement in Afghanistan need to educate themselves about Canada's role and its successes. He urged Canadians to give the mission time to prove its worth.
"Day by day, we're making tangible differences,'' he said. "But it takes time.''
Several hundred people waitied impatiently at CFB Gagetown for their loved ones to return after a long flight from Cyprus.
The flight was delayed an it was late Saturday night and into Sunday morning before all of the troops and their families cleared the base.
"I'll be glad to see him come through those doors,'' said John McCourt of Summerside, P.E.I., as he waited for his son, Sgt. Randy McCourt.
"It has been a long six months. Whenever you hear of accidents over there, you're always scared it's going to be your son. It's still somebody's kid. It's not fun.''
Troops from Afghanistan will be returning to Gagetown over the next two weeks.
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Harper trumpets Afghan mission at Que. concert
Updated Sun. Aug. 19 2007 12:19 AM ET
Canadian Press
LEVIS, Que. -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper continued his campaign to drum up support for Canada's mission in Afghanistan at a concert on Saturday night near Quebec City.
"The situation of Canadians in Afghanistan is difficult and dangerous, but Quebecers can be proud of their soldiers,'' Harper said.
He made his comments at an annual concert of music and fireworks at the Levis Forts National Historic Site of Canada.
Harper lauded the Canadian military's humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan, highlighting the construction of bridges, roads, schools and medical centres in the country.
The work of Canadians in Afghanistan has started to produce benefits, he said.
He said "Quebecers, in particular, can be very proud of the women and men of the Royal 22nd who are writing another glorious page in the history of this regiment.''
Six million Afghan children now have access to school and seven million were vaccinated for polio, he said.
Harper also said the country is more and more responsible for its own security.
"These advances have been realized because of the efforts of the men and women in uniform on the front lines,'' he said.
Harper paid homage to parents and spouses of troops stationed in Afghanistan. He gave paintings depicting the Canadian war memorial in Vimy, France to the parents of nine soldiers from Levis currently serving in Afghanistan.
The visit comes at time when the Conservative government has been heavily criticized in Quebec over Canada's role in Afghanistan. Recent polls suggested around 70 per cent of Quebecers oppose the mission.
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