Captain Craig McBurney quietly leaves the room, his mobile phone pressed to his ear.
A mother is on the line, understandably distraught having just learned that her son has been shot. Keeping busy: Kim Harrison and daughter Brooke, four
The young man will pull through and has been well enough to call her from his hospital bed in Afghanistan.
But she is in shock. 'The poor woman was on the floor in pieces,' says Capt McBurney when he returns.
He introduces me to a group of Army wives who can now dare to contemplate that longed-for moment - next month's reunion with their husbands.
Are they ticking off the days? Some shake their heads.
'Tempting fate,' says one. Deborah Fleming, on the other hand, tells me she is counting down to the two big stars on her calendar. One marks Rifleman John Fleming's return home. The other, days later, is the due date for their baby.
Capt McBurney has to slide out of the room again. It turns out that a recuperating double amputee needs help with a hospital appointment. His phone rings once more.
The parents of a dead Rifleman are desperate to retrieve their son's camera and its precious images from Afghanistan.
In fact, Capt McBurney's phone hardly stops. It might be a soldier's wife having a late-night panic attack. It might be a dawn alert from a Casualty Notifying Officer at the door of a family whose life is about to fall apart....
My regular readers already know what respect I have for our military families, from all our coalition countries.
This column is about families from the UK, but the experiences of the home front heroes cross all geographical boundaries. Go read the rest of this one here.
Oh, and every chance you get, THANK the family. I do!
Among the British Service personnel to be honoured for their gallantry and meritorious service in last week's Operational Awards List are six members of the Royal Air Force.
Flight Lieutenant Marc Heal has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions whilst on operations in Afghanistan [Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
The RAF personnel, who come from various stations across the UK, have been honoured for their bravery and service in Afghanistan, Iraq, and in Search and Rescue missions around the UK.
The highest honour for the RAF went to Flight Lieutenant Marc Heal, aged 29, currently stationed at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, who was awarded the prestigious Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions whilst on operations in Afghanistan in July 2009.
Flt Lt Heal was the Captain of the Chinook helicopter Immediate Response Team (IRT) during Operation PANTHER'S CLAW.
Based at Camp Bastion, he commanded eight IRT missions and was regularly tasked into areas with a very significant enemy threat. His citation states that:
"He consistently demonstrated exceptional levels of professional ability, combined with unflinching courage throughout, successfully extracting 29 casualties from the battlefield and delivering them into medical care.
"Throughout this most intense operational period, his superior flying skills, inspirational command of his crew and calmness under fire set an outstanding example of gallantry, professionalism and courage that undoubtedly saved lives."..
To read about the other heroes who were justly recognised, go here.
From left to right: Mohamedou Ould Slahi, Osama bin Laden, Ramzi Binalshibh, and Mohammed Atta.
A US federal judge has ordered the release of a top al Qaeda recruiter for the 9/11 attacks from custody at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.
Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was identified by the 9/11 Commission as a key recruiter of al Qaeda’s Hamburg cell, was ordered to be released from the prison by US District Judge James Robertson, according to The Wall Street Journal. Slahi was also allegedly an important facilitator of the failed millennium bomb plot at Los Angeles International Airport in 1999. Robertson’s ruling on Slahi’s detention has not been disclosed, and is currently classified.
Slahi is known to have recruited several al Qaeda operatives before his detention in Mauritania in November 2001. His most high-profile recruits were the top members al Qaeda’s cell in Hamburg, Germany -- the key planners and operatives of the 9/11 attack. He was “a significant al Qaeda operative,” who was “well known to U.S. and German intelligence,” according to the 9/11 Commission’s final report.
While in Hamburg in 1999, Slahi arranged for Ramzi Binalshibh, one of the key facilitators of the 9/11 operation, and three of his cohorts to travel from Germany to Afghanistan so that they could train in al Qaeda's camps and swear allegiance to Osama bin Laden. Binalshibh's three friends were: Mohammed Atta, Marwan al Shehhi, and Ziad Jarrah--the suicide pilots of American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, and United Airlines Flight 93, respectively.
Binalshibh, Shehhi, and Jarrah met with Slahi in late 1999. Slahi convinced the three terrorists to travel to Afghanistan for training instead of rushing off to Chechnya to fight the Russians. Slahi told the operatives to obtain a Pakistani visa and then provided instructions on “on how to travel to Karachi and then Quetta, where they were to contact someone named Umar al Masri at the Taliban office,” according to the 9/11 Commission....
I suppose this is one way of BHO keeping his campaign promise to close GITMO. I know I am not the only one who sees this as no way to ensure our safety from future terrorist attacks. The insanity continues.
Spring has sprung on Mars, bringing with it the disappearance of carbon dioxide ice (dry ice) that covers the north polar sand dunes. In spring, the sublimation of the ice (going directly from ice to gas) causes a host of uniquely Martian phenomena.
In this image streaks of dark basaltic sand have been carried from below the ice layer to form fan-shaped deposits on top of the seasonal ice. The similarity in the directions of the fans suggests that they formed at the same time, when the wind direction and speed was the same. They often form along the boundary between the dune and the surface below.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona (source)
This Weeks Post Was Suggested & Written By Debbie In Honor Of Her Great Uncle.
Sgt. William Robert Cain August 1, 1922 - July 4, 1944
William Robert Cain (August 1, 1922 - July 4, 1944) was a husband to Genevieve (Anderson) and the only son of Cleveland and Margaret Cain. He was the baby brother to three sisters, Lena Mae, Anna Phyllis (who died in 1932) and Lora Genevieve.
He was born in the town named after his ancestors called Cainsville, Missouri. He grew up, went to school and played baseball there until he decided to join the U.S. Army. He made the decision to join the Army after graduating high school earlier in the year of 1940 but he would not be turning eighteen until August so he waited and enlisted right after his 18th birthday.
The letter his parents received was dated August 27, 1940 asking them to fill out before a Notary Public, Postmaster or Justice of Peace an Age Verification and Consent Papers and sign BOTH PAPERS in PEN or INK. They were asked to kindly give this their immediate attention as this young man cannot be enlisted till the papers were returned.
Sgt. Robert Cain, (lovingly called Billy Bob by his family and Doc by the Army men), enlisted in August, 1940 and ranked as Sergeant in the medical corps. in charge of hospital on shipboard. His last duty was at Letterman Hospital, Presidio, California. In all he had been assigned to four different ships and made 34 trips over the ocean, the last one a supply ship called SS Jean Nicolet. Sgt. Cain was serving aboard the SS Jean Nicolet when it was attacked by the Japanese on July 2, 1944. The Jean Nicolet was sunk and Sgt. Cain was one of many men taken hostage. He was also one of many men who were tortured for two days before he was killed or died in the Indian Ocean.
From Debbie: I have heard family stories about him, one of which of course is how he died in WWII and that he received the Purple Heart of which I am very proud of. More stories where about how he loved his family. I personally, as his Great Niece, have the love of medicine and caring for others as he did. I am a nurse. This is why it means so much to me that he is remembered as well as the others who were on the Liberty Ship Jean Nicolet that fatal day!
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
HELP: GEORGIA LEGISLATION (NOT US Congress) DISTRIBUTE AT WILL: NEED LOT OF CALLS, EMAILS TO REP. TOM RICE - BE NICE THOUGH!!!
In 2006 I asked the Georgia Legislature to enact a Gold Star Family Tag to honor the fallen and allow the families to show their pride and love for their fallen. But someone gutted part of it. The spouse, mother and father were allowed one tag and one only, no matter how many cars they owned. The children, siblings and parents by marriage (I hate the word step-parents) were not even allowed to buy a tag. But it is known as Honoring the Family of the Fallen Tag officially and generically known as the Gold Star Family License Plate. This year I asked my friend and State Rep to help get this bill amended to allow the entire family access to the tag and to allow them to have one for each car they may own. This is not going to cost Georgia one penny, and in fact would actually bring them some money in a badly depleted treasury.
Not sure what has happened, but what seemed a no brainer seems to have hit a snag. Georgia House Rep. Tom Rice, Chairman of the Motor Vehicle Committee allowed other tag legislation to pass on through his committee today, but did not allow HB 1012 to be considered and it has sat there idle and will remain idle until he allows it on the calendar for his committee to vote on. We need to get it on with do pass so the Rules Committee can put it on the House Floor Calendar for a full vote. It has to get from there to the Senate side of the Georgia Legislature before "cross-over day" in another week or else it is automatically dead on arrival. I need your help to encourage honoring the fallen from Georgia, especially our Georgia National Guardsmen and their families, by contacting Rep. Rice :
Cpl Arnal's mother Wendy and brother Andrew besides James' plaque.
Canada has been in Afghanistan for eight years, and in that time 140 of our men and women have given their lives in extraordinary acts of courage and bravery for their country. Cpl James Arnal was the 88th soldier to sacrifice all. His mother Wendy, and brother Andrew, went to Kandahar last September. What follows is Wendy's account of their journey, in her own words:
I WAS IN ... THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
(c) Wendy Hayward
I was fortunate to travel to Kandahar Air Force Base with our military and experience something awesome, and I mean that in every sense of the word.This phrase covers the whole spectrum of impressions, and that is why I feel compelled to share my experiences and the validation it gives to our cause and the global crises of not only 50 million landmines in over 70 countries, but also the need for the help necessary in a country that has been riddled with wars for over 30 years.The more I research this crisis, the more daunting the task seems to become.I was told by someone recently that it would take 500 years to rid the world of all the landmines!There are reported to be over 650,000 landmines in Afghanistan ... the middle of nowhere.
To me Afghanistan, and more specifically Kandahar Air Force Base, is an area that prior to being there was more surreal than it is to me today.Upon my arrival, “the middle of nowhere” became real in many ways – physically, mentally and emotionally.This was no longer a place described to me by my son, but rather a reality that he lived and that I needed to experience for myself.“The middle of nowhere” wasn’t just the geographical location of Afghanistan to me, but rather the place my son died; and I knew I needed to experience it as part of my journey to not heal – because I don’t think I ever will – but cope with this loss. This trip made the middle of nowhere real.
I was taken as far and as close as I could go safely to where my son died.This story does not depict the level of risk, physical endurance, and courage it takes to go outside the wire.I was left feeling that heaven and hell is just outside that wire. My son is out there ... in the middle of nowhere.
My trek to Afghanistan provided me with even more validation and motivation to continue our work to help demine countries of this weapon of terror, destruction and devastation.I met a young boy about 7 years old in the Kandahar Hospital that had stepped on a landmine last May and lost his right leg.I have to tell you that I was horrified and cried as I immediately felt that we were too late.And what struck me so oddly was the sense that this is an event that is maybe not every day, but a fact of life in Afghanistan.I immediately thought that something this horrific would not be tolerated back home.Why is it here?Over the course of the next couple of days the answer resonated with me.I remembered my son being quoted in an article on Remembrance Day November 2006, “We’re here so that these people can have the same opportunities we have back home ... and not have dictatorships such as the Taliban telling them what to do.I hope they’ll be remembered as brave people who stood up for things that other people can’t or are too afraid to defend.”There’s the answer ... Afghans are not equipped to defend themselves and they live in fear.After over 30 years of war it has become a way of life.
Later that same day the military showed us actual landmines that they have found over the years and explained how the designs and the construction of them change over the course of time as the military become wise to the Taliban’s strategies of the construction and planting of IEDs.I had always wondered why they just don’t explode them from a safe distance rather than risk the lives of soldiers and dogs and I had the opportunity to ask and get yet another answer, it is critical that the knowledge of what and how they use these weapons is shared so that soldiers, local farmers and children can be on the lookout for them.The defusing of them provides the intelligence to combat the random detonations that do not recognize whether it is a soldier’s foot or that of a child’s.The soldiers giving us the briefing on IEDs shared many successful stories.One young girl recognized a wire sticking out of a pile of garbage.She reported it and ultimately lives were saved!
More and more landmines are becoming undetectable as the Taliban now use as much plastic as possible, still even the copper wire used as the contact to detonate is detectable by detectors sometimes and remote controlled surveillance machines.I was also amazed that the military have “contraptions” that counteract radio transmitted controlled devices and are used to protect human lives.These “contraptions” appear to be something out of a Star Wars movie and emit a signal that disrupts other signals.And of course the use of a robot equipped with cameras is utilized as much as possible when approaching suspicious objects thought to be a landmine.
My first day in Kandahar ended off by accidentally running into Werner, a reservist and mine detection dog handler from South Africa.His dog Ricky and he were sniffing out landmines along a fence line around the outer edges of the base.What an incredible dog!We all thanked him and Ricky, and were only too happy and proud to have our picture taken with them!Werner and his best friend were dusty with the fine desert sand but full of heart.
Our troops, among so many other countries and quite a large number of civilians from around the world were hard at work and busy in Kandahar in a number of different projects.A number of NATO forces working in concert toward a common goal and currently being commanded by a NATO General from Norway. We had the opportunity to meet him and after only talking with him for 15 minutes he shared his passion and belief they do make a difference.I learned about a school, Sayad Pascha, just outside the wire that was built by the military and supported to house classes for the local children.I was told by our military escorts that they would appreciate our support for that school and ultimately the next one.It is currently being supported by “Skills Generation” and you can learn more by visiting their website, www.skillsgeneration.org.I was shown the school’s progress and what it takes to be productive and meaningful and I find it amazing how a substantial project could evolve out of a mission that at first glance appears to be chaos.But being there and seeing everything, it is anything but chaotic.
The small “city”, in this huge sandbox, runs methodically, organized and focused on tasks going on all around you.A number of barb wired fences surround compounds and the outer edge of the camp.Proud soldiers and armies everywhere you look, carry rifles.Friendly locals providing meals, cleaning, construction, etc, always grant you a friendly smile and nod.Machinery and vehicles are covered in fine desert sand, which covers and sticks to absolutely everything.Cubed housing and facilities make up small city blocks surrounded by tall cement rocket barriers, some proudly displaying graffiti from those before us.A few roads are paved, though most are gravel.Every cubical houses many air conditioning units providing relief from the heat.Now and then you’ll walk past a “Canada Post” mail box and you are reminded of home. A “poop pond” fills the air with a stench which is grotesque at first and unbearable.If you stay there long enough you have no choice but to become accustomed to it.
The infamous boardwalk is the only sign of our western world boasting Tim Horton’s, Burger King and a number of other brand name restaurants, and both local and brand name shops.It’s a dry camp, meaning no alcohol, and one corner of the large boardwalk houses a karaoke corner where those that need not the induced courage to sing, belt out their favourite tunes!The center of the boardwalk provides beach volleyball, floor hockey and other sports for the troop’s rest and relaxation.The mess halls seem to feed an endless line of people and even provide sinks prior to entering for washing up before dinner.I was surprised to find out that there are over 260,000 cases of malaria in Afghanistan.Every effort is taken to lessen the challenges this country presents and everywhere I went there was the most valuable commodity ... water. The heat is so intense, you don’t go anywhere without your bottle of H2O.
For security reasons, few lights remain on at night and everyone then dons their yellow florescent belt, a signal to the many vehicles always on the move.The airport is a business in itself, airplanes, Chinooks and Apache helicopters and jets constantly landing and taking off.No pictures were allowed in certain areas, for security reasons.The airport was one of them.The airport terminal is called the TLS.The Taliban’s Last Stand.The building that armies forced them in too, marked with gun shots and a hole in the roof where a bomb hit.The hospital is near the airstrip and helicopter pads for emergencies.I was surprised but pleased to see only four patients, two soldiers with minor wounds and two children.It is more than a MASH unit and quite impressive, even equipped with dentists and a CT scanner.And again, every precaution is taken for a healthy and safe environment.There is construction everywhere.The most prominent is the new hospital being built of brick and two stories high.Around the edges of the camp were fields that had been demined and filled with scrap metal as a result of those efforts.We also saw fields currently being demined as the “city” continues to grow in size.
The cenotaph is the only place on base that a salute was required.This rule was changed recently but soldiers still salute as they go by paying tribute to all fallen.The flag was at half mast that Sunday, having been lowered for a British soldier killed in the line of duty. I was also impressed to see a number of times the fund raising efforts being done in Kandahar for Soldier On, the School, etc.A female soldier actually offered her long locks to be shaved upon reaching a goal of $15,000 and we witnessed the shaving!She was only too pleased to do it, not only for Soldier On but also to give her hair to another organization that makes wigs for cancer patients!I was amazed at their focus, aren’t they doing enough by just being here?
In what was such a busy place where everyone had a point B to get to at all times, what I did not see was vehicles speeding, blatant disrespect for those whose turn it was at a four way stop, who was next in line at Tim Horton’s or the mess hall, idleness, or even just one cranky person.Everyone wore a smile.
When the sirens went off because of a rocket attack, we were quickly ushered into a bomb shelter, however not once did I feel at risk.Although being debriefed, I instinctively did not know what to do.But my military escort, Chris, knew exactly what to do as did all the personnel.At one minute we were eating and enjoying each other’s company and the next they were moved to action to protect us.I do not intend to minimize the risk of an attack but there was no whistle in the air and the ground did not shake beneath my feet.But the threat was real.Reports after confirmed a rocket found about four kilometres outside the wire was aimed at the camp but detected before it could be fired.According to our military escorts there has not been one in 4 to 5 weeks and they hardly ever come near the base if they are fired. But again, every precaution is taken to protect lives.I recalled my son writing in his journal when he came close to a bullet, “Good thing these bastards can’t shoot!”But what if they got lucky?They did hit a mess hall once and destroyed it, and it is now a parking lot to the new one that replaced it.
Our group was also granted a debriefing on the Canadian Contingent’s Mission and was very impressed with the progress made in an area that is now to be considered completely free of the Taliban and landmines.The way I understood it was there is almost a police station presence in the village that provides protection and assistance to establishing irrigation, building schools, creating roads, electricity, jobs, etc.All the things we consider as basic necessities.With this strategy it enables us to build trust and hope in the local people where they can see the fruits of their labours and build an infrastructure that works for them that will not crumble upon our departure.The influx of American troops allows us to focus more on this strategy.Our government and military have been lobbying for more support of troops from other countries for some time now.In a way we are somewhat peacekeeping in this location.It’s what we are experienced at and do well.The military proudly boasts the success of this in at least this one town and district, and are already moving on to another location to do the same.
The Canadian mission in Afghanistan is and always has been to my knowledge, “To Protect and Enable”.Not peacemaking or peacekeeping.To me this appears to be a humanitarian mission.How could it be anything but protecting and enabling when you don’t know who you are fighting and horrible things are happening to innocent people.Even the Afghan people, that can, don’t know who to fight as their land is occupied by a power that brings their own rules of engagement and survival.Unfortunately at the cost of good men and women, we have been forced to engage the cowards of this desert in order to meet the goals to protect and enable.Call it what you want, engaging in combat has happened in other tours, and in the last 50 years Canada has lost over 100 other soldiers in 70 other tours that we called peacekeeping.Afghan people that want protection and assistance to be enabled are getting it.
Being part of a group of fallen families visiting such a desolate place, it is a paradise for all those living and working there for the good of others.We visited a compound that housed the unit where Cpl Nathan Hornburg worked in and they presented his mom and dad with a little air conditioned retreat for the troops named after him ... Hornburg’s Corner.I couldn’t help but think that the littlest corner in the world housed the biggest of hearts.The troops provided us all comfort for the “Mending Hearts Club”, families of our Fallen Hero’s.Outstanding and impressive heroes ... in the middle of nowhere.
I returned home with more love and pride for our troops, the civilians and other countries all doing their part and a better appreciation of what they go through to make a difference ... an inspiration to support our mission, our troops, and the Afghan people.Whatever our mission evolves to in Afghanistan I believe the people in the know that are and have been there and experience this place, truly care and know what they are doing.And those involved choose to be there.One of the Officers I had the pleasure and privilege to meet told me that you can always fit a square peg into a round hole if you hit it long enough, and hard enough.These civilians and NATO forces in Kandahar work long and hard and that square peg is fitting in ways we don’t always hear about.Thank you to you all and Godspeed your safe return.My heart is with them ... in the middle of nowhere.
Wendy Hayward
Mother of Cpl James Hayward Arnal: KIA – July 18, 2008
Keeping busy: Kim Harrison and daughter Brooke, four
