Battle of the Medak Pocket

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

CANADIANS -->

Battle of the Medak Pocket...

Neat special I just discovered on History Television. So far it's well done! Details later but catch it if you can...

[Jon Skagfeld]

Yep...this date, 1993, Op Palladium.

First (official) fire fight Canadian troops experienced since Korea.

Bitter after thoughts...just who the hell were feeding the Muslims with arms and just who the hell were feeding the Croats with arms?

People on the ground know damn well who was arming which side. Colossal hypocrisy at the UN/NATO level. Platitudes...ethnic cleansing...genocide...to what end?

There's still turmoil in the area, just as there still is in Somalia, Congo, Zambia, Sudan etc, after Canadian troops participated in either Chapter 6 or Chapter 7 interventions.

So what good does it do to introduce Western troops into developing nations to try and assuage their tribal wars?

Sidebar...do you have any idea how much the Afghanistan deployments are costing the Canadian taxpayer?

Here's your (partial) answer...for example...every deployed soldier gets a tax-free bonus of $25,000.00 at completion of tour.

Do your math: $25K x 2500 troops per 6 month deployment x 5 years we've been there plus 2 more years we're committed to

Factor in regular pay, Herc flights, Commercial flights to
Dubai, food, fuel, ammo, etc, etc, etc plus ongoing VAC care for wounded returnees, casket and burial costs...and on and on...

Hey, guys, I'm a very staunch supporter of the troops but I do think that we're way over our heads in this caper in A'Stan.

Sorry for the thread hijack, ...

Rant ends..

[John McGillivray]

Here is an online reference for the Medak Pocket.

http://www.cda-cdai.ca/library/medakpocket.htm

http://www.cda-cdai.ca/library/medakpocket2.htm

There is also Carol Off’s book ‘The Ghosts of Medak Pocket”

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/...arch+Books%3a+'Medak+Pocket'

[RHClarke]

Originally posted by Jon Skagfeld



Sidebar...do you have any idea how much the Afghanistan deployments are costing the Canadian taxpayer?

Jon, I understand your frustrations, however;

No one is shooting at me.
No one in my family has had his/her head cut off.
I can go where I please, when I please (within reason).
My kid lives in a safe community.
I can choose which God to believe or not to believe in.
The females in my family can go to school and are treated as equals (or better).
The cost of the Afghan deployment: Billions!
The ability to rest easy at home because tough, well-trained men are sorting out the fanatics on their territory: Priceless.

[Jon Skagfeld]

Bon repartee!!!