Well, I received an LFCA Area Commander's Coin for the work I have done with our Toys for Tots campaign down this way.  I made sure that the other guys and girls involved got one (there were 7 of us, in total).  We ran a Toys for Tots campaign down here, which we have run for 7 years, and this past year we made sure that 1,265 kids had a good Christmas with some toys under the tree.  I have been involved since the start with a Corporal from my unit, but in the past couple of years we have involved the other two units in London as well.  Good thing too, or we would never have been able to pull off this size of an operation without their help.  Keep an eye out for us, as we are planning on getting the program running across Canada, as a Canada wide reserve initiative.  Anyway, it was nice to be recognized for it.

 

I think it is important to recognize someone else.  I hope by now that all Canadians are aware of the fact that there was a Canadian diplomat killed and three soldiers injured last week in a suicide attack on a Canadian patrol in Khandahar.  My condolences go out to the family of Glyn Berry.  Also to the families of the three soldiers who were injured.  The CBC has been running stories about the soldiers recently and I was able to glean the msn.spaces site for one of our injured soldiers from the article.  Please go to his space and leave a message, as I know that when I was feeling badly over in Afghanistan (which, of course, is in no way meant to compare my minor illness with the catastrophic injuries this brave young guy has suffered) I was cheered by all the messages that appeared on my space, as if by magic.  Please, if you read this, go and leave a messagefor Pte Salikin.  If I find blogs for the others I will post it here as well.  You guys were great to me, please pass along your good will to him.  Here is the address:

 

http://spaces.msn.com/members/ghostofjack/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c=

 

I know that it will mean a great deal to him when he is able to read your messages.

 

The work we are doing in Afghanistan is vital.  We must not lose sight of this.  It is essential for us to help rid that country of the elements that would attempt to destabilize it in this hour of its rebirth as a democratic nation.  The average Afghan that I met was glad to have us there...it is the rabble rousers that would see us gone, so they can go back to a rule of law by bullying and of forbidding women their rights and forbidding girls the right to attend school.  That is why we are there.  I wish Pte Salikin, Cpl Bailey and MCpl Franklin a very speedy recovery so that they may return to their families and continue on with their lives, the heroes that they are. 

 

Pro Patria.

 

Martin Anderson

Well, it's a New Year and I'm still here.  I drop in from time to time to see if anyone is still looking in to this space.   Apparently there is.  Thanks for that.  I feel like a bad friend who doesn't call.  I guess after spending 6 months in Afghanistan, nothing really seemed important after that.  I want to go back.  I had the opportunity to put my name in for the tour leaving in 3 weeks, but I discussed it with my wife Kim and this would not be a good time to go (as in I've only been back for 5 months!).  I will wait until my full year is up and then put in for another tour then.  Hopefully in early 2007.  I like the Feb to Aug tours as you don't miss Christmas, and you get to lose lots of weight in the heat and from carrying around the extra 75 pounds of kit.

 

I wish everyone a Happy New Year.

 

Pro Patria

Well, I'm back.  Back to the blog, that is, I've been back in Canada for some time now!  Two entries for September!  Holy apathy, Batman!

 

I can tell you that returning from overseas deployment is an experience.  It is now 5 and a half weeks after returning and I am finally starting to feel like my old self again!  I was exhausted the first couple of weeks and then I just felt like doing nothing at all (which means I was still exhausted, I guess).  I went fishing with some friends on our annual fishing trip last weekend and now I feel like everything is back where it should be.  The circle is now complete.  I had gone fishing on the annual trip on the last weekend before pre-deployment training started last year, and now, a year later, I was able to go again.

 

For anyone interested, the "Break Fast for Afghan Orphans" at which I am speaking is being held Sunday, October 16th at Carmen's Banquet Hall, 1520 Stonechurch Road East, Hamilton, ON from 3:30 to 8:00 p.m.  Remember that is "break fast," meaning to eat after a period of not eating, as opposed to "breakfast," a morning meal.  As October is the month of Ramadan, Muslims will be fasting from dawn until dusk, and the dinner is to "Break Fast."  Tickets are $50 each (hey, it's a fund raiser!) and are available through the web site here:  http://www.canadianrelief.ca/

 

I have also been asked to become more involved with the Canadian Relief Foundation, to help the organization with their operations in Afghanistan.  This is an exciting development, as I still maintain contact with many people back there.  Hopefully, I can continue to be part of that country's redevelopment.

 

All for now.

 

Pro Patria.

Well, I have been back a month now, and I have not really kept up with this.  My bad.  I have had little interest in much, since I just wanted to sort of kick back and relax for a while.

 

I see that I have attracted some attention from my past.  Don Janzen from my FCG days.  Good to hear from you.  I dropped you an e-mail, so keep in touch.  WO Pankatz, thanks for dropping by.  I hope all is going well with you in Bosnia.  In all the stuff going on in Afghanistan, we seem to forget that we have guys in Bosnia as well.

 

As you have picked up from the blog comments, I was featured in a comprehensive article in the National Post, thanks to Post writer Siri Agrell.  I am going to speak at a fund raiser in Brampton for Afghan Orphans for the Canadian Relief Foundation.  I am very excited to do this.  Anything to help the young children there to live a better life.

 

I will make an attempt to update this a little more frequently.

 

Pro Patria.

Well, we got back last Sunday, 14 Aug 05, after a very long flight from Theatre.  We stopped one extra time then I thought, but all in all, it was an okay trip.  Except the part where we left at 11:00 in the morning, went back 8 time zones, and arrived at 10 at night.  Then there was the hour and a half in Customs (yep, we have to go through them as well...) and then the 3 hour bus ride to Petawawa.  We arrived at just after 3 in the morning.  By that time, the other reserve guy I was travelling with decided to stay up until 7:00 am to get our vehicles out of storage.  We got a room on camp and had a shower and then watched a movie on my laptop.  We both got our vehicles and went on our way.  I went to my parents, where my wife had come up to meet me.  It was a very great reunion with all.  Six months is a long time.  Remember that whenever you have to be away for a week or two.  Having said that, you should realize that a relationship will adapt to whatever the seperation time is...as long as it is finite.  Knowing when you will return is vital.

 

I completed my 3 - half days of work (as required by the DCDS).  I am now officially on holidays.  I will be off until 5 Oct 05.  How cool is that?

 

Thanks again for your support.  Turn now to my fellow soldiers still deployed, Canadian and American.  If you are half as generous with your praise with them as you were with me, it will help them through their time away from their families and friends an unbelievable amount.  You have no idea what it means.  More later.

 

Pro Patria.

 

Martin Anderson

Captain

Second in Command

Task Force Kabul - Civil Military Cooperation Detachment

Op ATHENA

Kabul, Afghanistan

We flew out of Kabul this afternoon to our "super secret, not to be mentioned, does not exist, never has" staging base in a third location in South West Asia.  When we arrived we realized just how hot it is here.  This is no dry heat, like Kabul!  We were told it was 40 degrees when we arrived, but with the humidex it was more like 55 or 60 degrees (that's celcius, for my American friends).  It is really hot.  Molten metal would actually get more liquid if left outside for any length of time!  Every time you step out of the air conditioning, it feels like you're stepping into a sauna!

 

A couple of days of R&R here and then off home!

 

Pro Patria.

Well it looks like we will only be delayed one day.  This is quite a relief, as there was talk of more than that at one point.  This means I will arrive on the ground in Canada next Saturday evening.  Only a day's difference.  Not too bad.

 

We went out for lunch today with the Mayor and Wakils of one of the local areas.  The Wakil who was hosting had put on a very sizable spread.  We got the new guy by telling him he had to keep eating the food, as to stop would offend the host.  Our host got into it as well, looking crestfallen when our guy finally had to stop eating.  The hospitality of the people here has been nothing short of amazing.  Everywhere you go, someone is asking you to come in and have tea with them.  Before lunch, we had gone to a small village just south of the camp where we had paid for a well to be drilled.  The Wakil of the area was very emotional about this well, as the area is on bedrock, and many people (meaning earlier rotations of Canadian troops) had come to look at the area, but could not afford to build the well.  Thanks to our Humanitarian Assistance Club as well as the civilian employees here (who had done some other fundraising), we were able to afford it.  This well required some specialty equipment, and we had to go to our well specialist.  It is finished and the people there are beside themselves.  It is truly a marvel to see.  The local guy asked us in for tea, even though we were due at the Wakil's house in 20 minutes.  We felt bad, as we knew we did not have the time, but we also knew that he wanted to show us in some small way, what the well meant to him.  What a way to end it; nothing like going out on a high note.  

 

That was the last time we will be off camp.  Tomorrow we start our outclearance administration.  Six months has come to an end.  Our replacements finally showed up today (3 days late), and tomorrow we clear them in and hand over what's left.  The school is not quite completed, with a couple of cosmetic touch ups to happen yet, but it is as close to completed as you can get without actually being done.  I am happy I was here to see it through, although I am a bit sad that I won't get to see any children in it.  Such is life.

 

I will likely spend some time tomorrow on photos and will upload the best of the past few weeks to finish this all off.  To answer a lingering question, I will likely keep working on this space but should start a new one, as I imagine I should change the name.  A hearty thanks to everyone who has stopped in over the past months.  I'd like to thank evvery single person who has taken the time to come in and read what we have been up to, however, there just isn't enough time in a day to list you all!  Thank you.  People have said "thank you" to me for what we have done here.  I can tell you that it has been my honour and privilege to have come here and been part of an organization which has had a small part to play in helping the Afghan people to rebuild their country.  They deserve and need our help.

One of our replacements arrived a couple of days ago, so the last two days have been driving him around and getting him acquainted with the area and the people.  We had a hundred new desks delivered to the school we built, so the students wouldn't have to sit on the floor.  I met today with the contractor who built the desks for us and he is going to make 6 teacher's desks and 6 blackboards for us.  The price seems to be right, and he showed me pictures of the desks and blackboards.  They look fine, so I ordered them on the spot.

 

Well, it looks as if our departure from here is going to be delayed.  I suppose everyone heard about the Air France plane crash in Toronto (which actually has nothing to do with our predicament, it just sets me up for my next joke, to follow)?  Well let's just say that that day was not a good day to be a plane.  Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt in the Toronot accident, and thankfully, no one was hurt in the two that have affected our flight patterns.  I guess that is about the only good thing about them.  Currently we are backed up by four days on departing theatre, but we are hopeful that the backlog will begin moving again soon.  Perhaps a big bowl of fibre might help!   If it doesn't move soon, then my flight will get delayed. 

 

Nothing is confirmed yet, so right now, I am still working with the original date, but I am not very hopeful that this will get resolved before that very much anticipated date.  There really is no one to blame for this, so there's nothing to get angry about, it's just a bit of a drag.

 

All for now.

 

Pro Patria.

What we accomplished here:

 

We made it!

Quality of life distribution in Musayi.  (clothes and toys)

Quality of life distribution in PD 4.  (clothing mostly)

Quality of life distribution in PD 7.  (clothing mostly)

Quality of life distribution in PD 4.  (clothing mostly)

Quality of life distribution at Allahuddin Orphanage.  (clothes and toys)

School supply and desk distribution.

School supply and desk distribution.

School supply and desk distribution.

Repair of Sarasiab Girl's School yard.  (our Engineers did that one)

Repair of ditch along Dah Murad Khan Road.  (Engineers again)

Repair of 5 wells in PD 7.

Protection wall around a well in PD 7.

Repair of Doughabad Road (250 meters).

Repair of gate and overhang at Qal ey ye Mosem School.

10 tents to Ali Mustaghni School.

Repair of well at Nowniaz village.

Supplied a small girl's orphanage with a month's worth of food (My mother paid for that one, thanks Mum!)

Repaired 34 desks for Asief Miel School.  (Humanitarian Club did this on their spare time)

New well in Qal ey Sukh.

School supplies to Amini School.

Playground at Rish Kvor kindergarten.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Assistance Club)

5 tents t Gorzagha School.

Tables and chairs for police HQ in PD 6.

3 km of Waysalabad Road repaired.

Repair of road from Karti Seh Girl's School to Dah Murad Khan Road.

Repair of culverts in 2nd part Musayi.

Repair of generators for the small girl's orphanage.  (A Humanitarian Club member did this on his own time)

Purchase and distribution of 250 school desks.

Delivery of hospital equipment.

Road repair in Aqa Ali Shams.

Removed oil tank from irrigation ditch.  (Engineers again)

School supplies to the Chehelsotun Girl's School.

School supplies to Sarasiab Girl's School.

Delivery of hospital equipment.

2 tents to Rockshana Girl's School.

Rebuild of a footbridge in PD 6.

Repair a road bridge in PD 6 (not what you think, more of a glorified culvert, really).

5 km of road repair in PD 6.

Repair road bridge in PD 6.

Repair road bridge in PD 6.

Repair road bridge in PD 6.

School supplies and desks to Rockshana Girl's School.

School supplies to Gorzagha School.

School supplies to Allahuddin Orphanage.

Culvert repair in Sarasiab.

Rebuild footbridge in PD 6.

Five new wells in PD 6.

Five new wells in PD 6.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

Road repair near Karti Seh Girl's School.

School desks to Asief Miel School.

Five new wells in PD 6.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

Quality of life distribution to KCP (Kabul City Police).

Medical suplies to local hospitals.

Quality of life distribution to small girl's orphnage.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

School supplies to Omarakhan School.

Desks to Rockshana Girl's School.

Medical supplies to local hospitals.

New well at the Blind Shool.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

New well in Chehelsotun.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

Repair of well in Nowniaz village.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

Medical supplies to Tagi Seyyedan Clinic.

Qulaity of life distribution to small girl's orphanage.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

Three new wells in PD 6.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

100 new desks for Chehelsotun Girl's School.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

New well in Bagh rais.

Well repair in Bagh Rais.

5 tents for Omarakhan School.

8 tents to Rockshana Girl's School.

and

Construction of a 6 room school building addition to the Chehelsotun Girl's School.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

 

In total we spent $80,000 USD from the Canada Fund, and approximately $60,000 USD from the Humanitarian Club (all money raised by troops and families back home).

 

I'm done, for now.  Now it's your turn.  Ask yourself what can be done for the disadvantaged in your community and go and do it.  There is no feeling like seeing the appreciative smile of a child or an adult who really needed the help.  These people here have sure appreciated what we have done.

 

Just under a week to go.

 

Pro Patria.

I just spent half an hour typing in my lists, and when I checked after publishing, gone, all gone.

 

Here goes again:

 

Things I have missed from home:

 

My wife.

My family.

Our friends.

My dog and cat.

Working around the house.

Mowing the grass.

Grass.

Rooms with walls, not plastic dividers.

Rooms with more than 32 sq feet of room.

Our house.

Our garden.

Our pond.

Beer (well more than 2 at a sitting, anyway).

Good red wine (well any red wine for that matter).

Going to our favourite restaurant for supper.

There's more I am sure, that I wil remember once I get back and realized that I didn't have them for 6 months!

 

Things I will miss about Afghanistan:

 

The people.

The children.

Doing anything to help the first two.

Our interpreters.

The Mayor of ** *.

The Head Wakil of ** *.

The Head Wakil of ** *.

The Wakil of ** * who was shot 9 times during the Russian occupation and has a wooden leg, but still managed to outclimb us up the mountain on Easter Sunday.

Afghan lunches.

Kabob (see Afghan lunches).

Bulani (see Afghan lunches).

The mountains.

The King's and Queen's palaces.

 

Things I will not miss about Afghanistan:

 

The bi-weekly intestinal distress (is there any really nice way to say that?!).

The dust.

The heat.

The wind.

The dust.

The heat.

The wind.

The meat in the market covered in flies and hanging in 40 celcius (100 odd farenheit) temperature (and then realizing that we are on our way to an Afghan lunch to eat that very meat!)

The stench of the open sewers.

The division between men and women.

Burqas.

The "no-rules-driving-because-Allah-will-decide-who-lives-and-dies-(Inshallah)-on-the-road-today."

 

 Pro Patria.