Petawawa soldiers off to Kabul

From Ottawa Citizen:

Back to Afghanistan for Petawawa soldiers

110 troops will support efforts to train, mentor Afghan soldiers in Kabul area

By Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen February 10, 2012

Cpl. Harry O'Connell gets a goodbye cuddle from his young son, Hunter, 3, at a departure ceremony for 110 soldiers from CFB Petawawa Thursday.

Photograph by: Julie Oliver, The Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Citizen

For the first time since Canada's combat mission ended, a contingent of troops from CFB Petawawa is preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, this time to assist Canada's training mission there.

About 110 soldiers from the upper Ottawa Valley base will support members of the Royal Canadian Regiment's second battalion, out of CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick, when they take over Operation Attention - the mission to mentor and train Afghan troops in and around Kabul - beginning in March.

CFB Gagetown will supply most of the mission's 950 soldiers, but troops from Petawawa and elsewhere are assisting because the specialized services required aren't all centralized in a single location...

Read much more here, about the latest of Canada's Soldiers off to serve a cause greater than themselves.

My heart goes with them all.


(H/T Heather)