# Major Paeta Hess-Von Kruedener



## RL206

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-mideast-fighting-un-observers,1,4383332.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true
Israel Hits U.N. Post; Casualties Reported

By Associated Press
Published July 25, 2006, 4:10 PM CDT


BEIRUT, Lebanon -- A U.N. observer post was hit by an Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon Tuesday and there were casualties, a U.N. spokesman said. He could not specify how many or their condition. 

A bomb directly impacted the building and shelter of an Indian patrol base from the observer force in the town of Khiyam near the eastern end of the border with Israel, said Milos Struger, spokesman for the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL. 

"There are casualties among the observers. UNIFIL immediately dispatched a rescue and medical team and they're currently on the location but unable to clear the rubble," Struger told The Associated Press late Tuesday. 

He also said there were 14 other incidents of firing close to this position from the Israeli side Tuesday afternoon. "The firing continued even during the rescue operation," he said. 

Since Israel launched a massive military offensive against Lebanon and Hezbollah guerrillas July 12, an international civilian employee working with UNIFIL and his wife have been killed in the crossfire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerrillas in the southern port city of Tyre. 

Five UNIFIL soldiers and one military observer have also been wounded, Struger said. 


The CBC is reporting 4 possibly killed including one Canadian.


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## RL206

Israel bomb kills 4 UN observers in Lebanon

BEIRUT (Reuters) - An Israeli air strike on Tuesday hit a U.N. base in southern Lebanon, killing four United Nations observers, Lebanese security sources said.

The UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon confirmed that there were U.N. casualties but declined to say if any observers had been killed at the base, which appears to have collapsed while the U.N. observers were in the shelter.

"One aerial bomb directly impacted the building and shelter in the base of the United Nations Observer Group in Lebanon in the area of Khiam," said Milos Strugar, a UNIFIL spokesman.

"There are casualties among the observers. A UNIFIL dispatched rescue team which is on the spot is still unable to clear the rubble," he said.

"There were 14 other incidents of firing close to this position in the afternoon from the Israeli side and the firing continued during the rescue operation," he said.

In Jerusalem, an Israeli army spokeswoman said the military was investigating the report.

In Rome, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan declined immediate comment on the bombing. "We are trying to get more details".

An Israeli tank shell hit a UNIFIL position in southern Lebanon on Monday, wounding four Ghanaian soldiers. Shrapnel from tank shells fired from the Israeli side seriously wounded an Indian soldier last week and Hizbollah fire wounded an Italian observer on the border on Sunday.

In 1996, during Israel's Grapes of Wrath campaign in Lebanon, an Israeli jet bombed a UNIFIL compound in the southern village of Qana, killing 106 civilians sheltering inside.

UNIFIL was created in 1978 after Israel's first major invasion of southern Lebanon and has been there ever since. The United Nations has called for a bigger, better armed, more robust international force in the area.


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## Sub_Guy

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/CAC26504-558A-4814-81A3-720B1030B04F.htm

Israeli bombs kill five Indian soldiers
Wednesday 26 July 2006, 0:16 Makka Time, 21:16 GMT  
Israeli bombing hit a UN observation post in S Lebanon
Five Indian soldiers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in south Lebanon were killed in Israeli shelling on Tuesday evening, Aljazeera correspondent reported.
An AFP report meanwhile said, quoting Lebanese police, that Israeli warplanes hit a  UN observation post during a raid in south Lebanon on Tuesday.
The post was hit in the hilltop town of Khiam, which sheltered an infamous prison during Israel's 22-year occupation of south Lebanon, but is now a Hezbollah stronghold, the police said.
There was no immediate word on the condition of the UN peacekeepers inside the post.
UNIFIL sources were not immediately reachable for comment.
An AFP correspondent across the border in the town of Metulla in the far north of Israel saw heavy bombardment under way in the Khiam area.


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## jollyjacktar

I have a childhood friend who is in the area as a UNMO.  I hope it is not him.


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## captjtq

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060718/mideast_lebanon_UN_060716/20060718/

Major Hess-von Kruedener of the PPCLI is over there - the above article/report is great. I'm hoping the 'unconfirmed' reports of a Canadian death are untrue.


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## captjtq

I'm watching CTV Newsnet right now - they're reporting that Lebanese authorities said that the observer casualties were Finnish, Australian, Chinese and a Canadian. Still no 'official' confirmation from the UN or DND. Newsnet also says that there is only one Canadian in Lebanon with the mission as a UNMO... 

(ed for spelling/clarification)


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## RL206

One Canadian has been reported killed.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/07/25/1702125-ap.html

"One Canadian UN staffer was believed to be in the area struck by the bomb - a soldier with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry who has reportedly been in the region for nine months."


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## KAJ

> Canadian among UN observers feared dead in southern Lebanon
> Last Updated Tue, 25 Jul 2006 20:29:12 EDT
> CBC News
> UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has called upon the Israeli government to launch an investigation into an air strike that killed as many as four UN peacekeepers — including a Canadian — in southern Lebanon on Tuesday.
> 
> "I am shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defence Forces of a UN observer post in southern Lebanon that has killed two UN military observers, with two more feared dead," Annan said from Rome.
> 
> The bomb made a direct hit on the building and shelter of the observer post in the town Khiyam near the eastern end of the border with Israel, said Milos Struger, spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL. Canada is not a member of UNIFIL.
> 
> Trapped in the rubble
> 
> The other victims are from Austria, China and Finland. A UN official in New York City, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said four people were confirmed killed, while Lebanese security officials said two bodies remained trapped in the rubble.
> 
> Canada had eight personnel in the area as part of the UN Truce Supervision Organization.
> 
> One Canadian UN staffer — a soldier with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry who has reportedly been in the region for nine months —  was believed to be in the area struck by the bomb.
> 
> No one connected with Canada's UNTSO mission, known as Operation Jade, was available for comment on Tuesday night.
> 
> 'Personal assurances'
> 
> Annan said the attack took place "despite personal assurances given to me by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that UN positions would be spared Israeli fire."
> 
> Daniel Ayalon, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., called Annan's reaction "deplorable." He said the observers were caught in crossfire between Hezbollah and Israel.
> 
> Struger said there had been 14 other incidents of firing close to this position from the Israeli side Tuesday afternoon.
> 
> "The firing continued even during the rescue operation," he said.
> 
> The UN base has been in operation since 1972 and co-ordinates the organization's activities in southern Lebanon.
> 
> With files from the Associated Press and the Canadian Press


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## Haggis

RL206 said:
			
		

> It's confirmed, one Canadian has been killed.
> 
> http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/07/25/1702125-ap.html
> 
> "One Canadian UN staffer was believed to be in the area struck by the bomb - a soldier with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry who has reportedly been in the region for nine months."



Aww Crap!


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## Scoobie Newbie

May his death be held in as high regard as those in Afghanistan.  (not directed to anyone here really).


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## Gunner

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060718/mideast_lebanon_UN_060716/20060718/

I know we have seen this link before. I don't know the deployment schedule nor how many PPCLI UNMOs are in Lebanon but it seems too much of a coincidence.  I didn't know him well but I ran into him a couple of times out west and he was an instructor at PSTC during my UNMO course.  I suspect his family would still be in Kingston.  If it is true, it is another very sad day in the army.



> My name is Major Paeta Hess-von Kruedener, and I am an Infantry Officer with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, of the Canadian Forces. I was sent to this Mission (United Nations Truce and Supervision Organization -UNTSO) last October 05, and am currently serving as an unarmed Military Observer. I have now been stationed here in south Lebanon for Approximately nine months.


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## garb811

Unconfirmed at this time but reported on the CTV website.  Salient portion of the report shared under the Fair Dealings provisions...

Canadian reported killed as UN post hit by bomb
Updated Tue. Jul. 25 2006 10:44 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff


Four UN observers were killed Tuesday when an Israeli aerial bomb struck their base in southern Lebanon.  There are unconfirmed reports a Canadian is among the dead.

A bomb directly hit the building of the observer force in the town of Khiyam near the eastern end of the border with Israel, said Milos Struger, spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL.

Struger said UNIFIL had dispatched a rescue team which was trying to clear the rubble when it came under more fire from Israeli forces.

A senior Lebanese military official said the dead included observers from Canada, Austria, China and Finland.  

However, the Department of National Defence has not confirmed the report. The federal government would only say there's been a significant incident involving a Canadian UN observer.

One Canadian soldier, with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry,  is currently serving with the UN at the base in Khiyam as part of  a mission called Operation Jade.


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## pbi

Hopefully, this is not Maj Paeta Hess von Kruedner ( occasionally known as 'HvK'), but I fear it is. Here is a wish that we don't have another name for the PPCLI Roll of Honour. Standing by.


Cheers


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## jtonline

Maj.  Hess-von Kruedener is at that base... He just sent CTV a status report on July 18.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060718/mideast_lebanon_UN_060716/20060718/

He has been stationed there for nine months - the same as is reported for the casualty:

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1153864209424&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home

I asked CTV to email him back to find out if he's safe.  Is there anyway of finding out sooner whether he's ok?   

Eitherway, my heart and prayers to the fallen soldier and his loved ones.


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## JasonH

I'm deeply unnerved that this has occured.  After hearing about his article in the Vancouver Province last week and finding out now he had been killed sent a chill down my back.  I really hope something comes of this, because this is just sickening that this has been allowed to occur despite repeated bombings and no follow-ups that resulted in these men being given better refuge from these deliberate bombing.


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## Sub_Guy

BS I am so pissed off/saddened by this news it is driving me crazy, I don't see how this could have been an accident. (from what I have read)

I keep hoping and praying that the media reports are incorrect.   But I know better, and it hurts..

Hopefully the unnecessary murder of the UN OBSERVERS will put an end to this bloodshed that is going on over there.  

My condolences to all the families of the victims.


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## jtonline

Having read his email on July 19,  it felt like you met his aquaintence and got taken for a tour of his base.   Now these eerie unconfirmed reports...  

It gets spookier when you read him describing a shell landing a few feet from the base a couple of days ago:

"The closest artillery has landed within 2 meters of our position and the closest 1000 lb aerial bomb has landed 100 meters from our patrol base. This has not been deliberate targeting, but has rather been due to tactical necessity."  

His last sentence sounds terribly ironic.  I don't understand.

ADDED:   Wait a second.  Didn't he just tell us the answer?    Does he mean the Israelis are purposely targetting not the base, but the immediate close proximity?? (Evidently communicated to the base)   If so - this is NOT "absolutely an accident"  as per the Israeli statement.


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## big bad john

This article is an example of why you shouldn't post speculation or rumours.  Don't we protect the families of our own fiercely.

http://www.thewhig.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=122136&catname=Local+News&classif=

'We're not giving up hope 
Kingston soldier's family uneasy after Israeli bombs destroy UN base 

Ian Elliot 
Local News - Wednesday, July 26, 2006 @ 07:00 

A Kingston woman spent yesterday praying that the Canadian soldier killed at a United Nations observation post in Lebanon was not her husband. 

"I'm sure he's OK," Cynthia Hess-von Kruedener said, clutching a telephone. "He knows what he's doing, and what he should be doing in that situation. There's a bunker there that he could have gotten into. We're not giving up hope." 

Her husband, Paeta, is posted in Lebanon as part of a United Nations mission. He's stationed at the UN Patrol Base in Khiam, which is about 10 kilometers from where the Israeli, Lebanese and Syrian borders intersect. 

That post was destroyed by Israeli bombs yesterday. Reports last night indicated two of the unarmed observers were killed, and two were missing after the attack. 

A Canadian was said to be among them along with a Finn, a Chinese national and an Austrian. 
The United Nations would not state the nationalities or identities of the personnel killed until their families had been notified. 

That call had not been made to Kingston late last night, bolstering Hess-von Kruedener's hopes. She had spoken to her husband at 8 a.m. and was agonizingly hoping that he was all right. 

Hess-von Kruedener is a major with Princess Patricia's Light Infantry and was with a parachute squadron in Trenton. He's nine months into a one-year tour of duty with the United Nations' observer force that has been monitoring the ceasefire there. 

His base in Khiam had been fired upon by Israeli tanks earlier in the week, and Hess-von Kruedener said in an interview that personnel posted at the base had come under fire four times since he arrived. 

"We have on a daily basis had numerous occasions where our position has come under direct or indirect fire from both artillery and aerial bombing," he told CTV in an interview last Wednesday. "The closest artillery has landed within two meters of our position and the closest 1000-pound aerial bomb has landed 100 metres from our patrol base. This has not been deliberate targeting, but has rather been due to tactical necessity." 

In the same interview, he was referred to as the only Canadian manning the station. 

"I am serving with an Australian, Chinese, Finnish, Austrian, and Irish officers," he told CTV. "They come from various different backgrounds, levels of experience and services from within their militaries." 

Yesterday's bombardment drew immediate worldwide condemnation. UN chief Kofi Annan said Israel appeared to have struck the site, which was prominently marked and known to Israeli forces operating in the area, deliberately. 

The bomb made a direct hit on the building and shelter of the observer post in the town of Khiam, which is near the eastern end of the border with Israel, said Milos Struger, spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL. 

Canada is not a member of UNIFIL but had Hess-von Kruedener and other officers posted there as part of the mission. 

The Department of National Defence in Ottawa had no comment last night except to say that it was following developments. 

Hess-von Kruedener was able to smile last night, saying she was sure her husband would be coming home and as the time dragged on had already made a promise on his behalf. 

"He is never, ever going anywhere again," she said with as best a smile as she could manage under the circumstances. 

ielliot@thewhig.com


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## TMM

Deepest condolences. Unfortunately it has been confirmed.

http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/TopStories/ContentPosting.aspx?newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20060725%2fisrael_fighting_060726&feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V2&showbyline=True


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## NavComm

My sincere condolences to the family and friends. RIP


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## Jake

Condolences to Mrs. Hess-Von Kruedener, R.I.P to the fallen soldier.


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## Sig_Des

Condolences to Mrs. Hess-Von Kruedener, RIP Major


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## HItorMiss

Deepest thoughts and prayers to Mrs Hess-Von Kruedener 

Sleep well Major you watch is done.


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## ArmyRick

I have known HVK for more than 10 years, he is a real character. RIP, sir.


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## Rice0031

RIP  
My thoughts and prayers to the family.


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## Roy Harding

Rest In Peace Major.

You and I crossed paths a few years ago, and I still smile when I recall our interactions.

My thoughts and prayers are with Maj HvK's family.

Roy Harding


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## career_radio-checker

My Condolences to Mrs. Hess-Von Kruedener and her family. Rest in Peace Sir


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## gaspasser

RIP Major.  Another sad day for the PPCLI, Canadians and our UN forces.
My deepest condolances to Mrs. HVK. and family.


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## tomahawk6

Perhaps we should wait until the Major's status has changed from MIA ?


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## PPCLI Guy

Wolf and I did Phase training together, commanded our first Rifle Platoons in the same company in 2 PPCLI, did RSS in Ontario at the same time, and served together in 3 PPCLI.  He was a great soldier, a dedicated leader, tough as nails, extremely fit, uncompromising, and a good friend.  He will be missed.

VP


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## devil39

PPCLI Guy said:
			
		

> He was a great soldier, a dedicated leader, tough as nails, extremely fit, uncompromising, and a good friend.  He will be missed.
> 
> VP



I served in Recce Pl 3 VP with Wolf and we were Coy 2ICs together on tour in Bosnia (great leave in Split).  Wolf was pure soldier, through and through.  Fit, hard, honest and one of the best men you could have on your flank.  A "go to war with" guy.

VP


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## Mike Bobbitt

Michael Dorosh said:
			
		

> I agree - the story says "presumed dead" - I think it is irresponsible to say much - even to grieve - until his status is confirmed.



Given the preponderance of evidence, it may be more cruel to offer the family false hope at this time.

RIP


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## Haggis

PPCLI Guy said:
			
		

> Wolf and I did Phase training together, commanded our first Rifle Platoons in the same company in 2 PPCLI, did RSS in Ontario at the same time, and served together in 3 PPCLI.  He was a great soldier, a dedicated leader, tough as nails, extremely fit, uncompromising, and a good friend.  He will be missed.



The circle of people who knew him is wider than many know.  He started soldiering as an Essex & Kent Scot many, many snows ago.  I, too, had the pleasure of working with him.  A fine soldier indeed.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.


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## big bad john

The condolances of my family to the family, loved ones and comerades of Major Hess-von Kruedener.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.


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## Gunner

Ladies and Gentleman, 

This thread's purpose is to remember a Canadian soldier who died as a result of an attack on a UN OP in Lebanon.  As the PMO has stated, Maj Hess-von Kruedner is presumed dead as the UN has not been able locate him or his remains.  Please leave other discussion to other threads discussing the current situation in the middle east.  Canada has lost soldier who served his country proudly and the army.ca community sends their thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and all menbers of the army community.


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## Gunner

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/07/26/kruedener.html



> Canadian soldier killed in Lebanon remembered
> 
> Prime Minister Stephen Harper released an official statement regarding the death of Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener on Wednesday, while former colleagues paid tribute to the soldier killed in an Israeli air strike.
> 
> "I am deeply saddened by reports that Major Hess-von Kruedener serving with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) mission in south Lebanon is missing and presumed dead as a result of an incident yesterday," said Harper.
> 
> "This regrettable event underscores the dangers that our Canadian Forces members face, in all the roles they undertake, to serve our country with distinction and honour and provide assistance to citizens in countries far from our shores," he added.
> 
> The Israeli air strike hit a UN observer post in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. The bodies of three other unarmed observers from Austria, China and Finland have been recovered.
> 
> Hess-von Kruedener, believed to be in his mid-40s, leaves behind his wife Cynthia and two grown children, a daughter and stepson, said a National Defence spokesman.
> 
> His wife held out hope Tuesday despite the first reports of the strike on the UN post.
> 
> "I'm sure he's OK," she told the Kingston Whig-Standard. "He knows what he's doing, and what he should be doing in that situation. There's a bunker there that he could have gotten into. We're not giving up hope."
> 
> Hess-von Kruedener had been an infantry officer with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry for 20 years and had three months remaining on the one-year mission.
> 
> His job, along with other international members of Observer Group Lebanon's Team Sierra, was to report any violations of the now-abandoned ceasefire along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
> 
> Regimental Warrant Officer Pete Palmer, based with the Princess Pats in Edmonton, recalled Hess-von Kruedener as "one of the most fit, gung-ho types of soldiers."
> 
> "He was demanding of both professionalism and knowing your job, and also being able to lead by example. He was in excellent physical condition."
> 
> Palmer and Hess-von Kruedener went on gruelling training exercises together when they were stationed in Winnipeg in 1991, he said.
> 
> In Beirut, Lt.-Col. Shane Brennan, the army head of the Canadian evacuation mission, recalled Hess-von Kruedener's airborne exploits.
> 
> "He was a jumper. He worked in the parachute training centre for a while. It was the last place he worked before this mission."
> 
> "He was always very fit. He had a positive attitude, but he was not afraid to speak his mind. He was a bit of a character who was always pushing the limits of what he was doing."
> 
> "Like many soldiers, he was very proud to serve his country and to do a good job."
> 
> Hess-von Kruedener also served in Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), and twice in Bosnia.



Picture - Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener is shown in south Lebanon in March, meeting with one of the Mouktars of a Druze village called Bourhoz. (CTV News/Canadian Press)


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## big bad john

Major Hess-von Kruedener


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## BernDawg

God speed sir.  Stand easy.


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## COBRA-6

RIP sir


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## HollywoodHitman

It's amazing how many faces and people you get to meet throughout your career. 

My condolences to the family, his Regiment and his colleagues.


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## ark

R.I.P. Major


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## greydak

RIP


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## RL206

Good Job Sir, Rest In Peace


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## manhole

our condolences to his family and friends - and to the Regiment - on their loss.   RIP, Major.   We thank you for your service to this great country.  
Ubique


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## tomahawk6

My condolences to the family and friends of Major Paeta Hess-Von Kruedener.


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## GAP

My Condolances


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## muffin

He was one of our students ... and a familiar face around the base. 

RIP Sir.

Maggie


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## armyvern

My sincerest condolances to the family of Major HVK,

We will not forget.

Light winds and soft landings Sir.

Veronica


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## camochick

My thoughts are with the family and friends. RIP


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## CdnArtyWife

My sincerest condolences to the family, friends and regiment for this loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you.


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## 3rd Horseman

My condolances, to the family and the regimental family.


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## Springroll

My sincerest and heartfelt condolences to his family and to all who knew him.

RIP  Major


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## Bobbyoreo

Sad to hear about this, my condolences to his family. Rest now soldier


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## tamouh

My deepest condolences to his family and wife. I'm thankful for his service and his courage.


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## MGS

My sincerest respect to the Maj and heartfelt condolences to his family.

RIP Sir


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## Sindy

I worked with him for a few years in Trenton.  My deepest condolences to his wife and family.  RIP Maj HvK


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## NavComm

Cynthia Hess-von Kruedener is asking people to remember her husband is missing and asks us to pray for a miracle. She was just on CTV news. She appears to be holding up with dignity although the strain is apparent. She believes there is a chance that the Major is still alive. I will respect her wishes at this very difficult time, and pray for the Major and the other UN observers.


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## Jake

> Cynthia Hess-von Kruedener is asking people to remember her husband is missing and asks us to pray for a miracle. She was just on CTV news. She appears to be holding up with dignity although the strain is apparent. She believes there is a chance that the Major is still alive. I will respect her wishes at this very difficult time, and pray for the Major and the other UN observers.


As will I, let's hope for some good news in the coming days.


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## LCIS-Tech

I remember Wolf from years ago on our BOTC in Chilliwack in 87! The man had the hairiest back in NATO! We were in the Gym working out, and he had a tank top on. I looked over at him and said: "Hey Wolf...looks like it's gonna be a cold winter, eh?" He's a tough ol' coot, and stuborn taboot. If there's ANY way, he'll find it and get his butt back here.

My thoughts are with his wife and family..

(edited for spelling)


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## Good2Golf

RIP Wolf.   

Like Devil 39 said, a "go to war with" guy.

Thoughts and prayers to Mrs. HvK, family and friends.

Sadly, Pats have lost another good man... 

Duey


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## mcqueen

I remember him teaching on one of the courses in Kingston.  Great soldier.  RIP


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## axeman

R.I.P. HvK.


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## rz350

RIP Major, you died doing somthing that (should) make every Canadian proud


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## xo31@711ret

RIP Sir,

Pro Patria

     &

Militi Succurrimus


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## pbi

Hvk: join the Roll of Honour. Here's wishing for strength for your family to get through this. VP.

Cheers


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## Colin Parkinson

LCIS-Tech said:
			
		

> I remember Wolf from years ago on our BOTC in Chilliwack in 87! The man had the hairiest back in NATO! We were in the Gym working out, and he had a tank top on. I looked over at him and said: "Hey Wolf...looks like it's gonna be a cold winter, eh?" He's a tough ol' coot, and stuborn taboot. If there's ANY way, he'll find it and get his butt back here.
> 
> My thoughts are with his wife and family..
> 
> (edited for spelling)



If he was there then, I might have met him, It would be nice if he turned up live, but I am afraid that is unlikely, RIP


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## 17thRecceSgt

RIP Sir   



My condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones.

http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/TopStories/ContentPosting.aspx?newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20060729%2fUN_observer_060730&feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V2&showbyline=True

UN observer confirmed dead in last week's strike 
31/07/2006 2:05:51 PM  

The body of missing Canadian UN observer Major Paeta Hess-von Kruedener has been found -- almost a week after his observation base in southern Lebanon was hit during an Israeli air strike.

CTV.ca News Staff 

This photo released by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, shows a UN observation post that was damaged after it was hit by the Israeli air strike.  
Maj. Hess-von Kruedener, 43, was killed along with three other UN observers after Israeli jets bombarded the town of Khiam, near the eastern end of Lebanon's border, on July 25. 

The bodies of three soldiers from Austrian, China and Finland were found shortly after the attack, but Hess-von Kruedener, a father of two grown children, remained missing until a body was positively identified as his on Monday.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he was "deeply saddened" to learn of Hess-von Kruedener's death.

"On behalf of the Government of Canada, I extend my profound sympathy to the family, friends and loved ones of this brave soldier, who served our country with distinction and honour," Harper said in a statement released Monday.

Last week, Hess-von Kruedener's family were hopeful he had survived the attack. 

"I kind of equate it to an earthquake in India," his sister Tonya Hess told CTV Newsnet on Saturday. 

"They pull people out after seven days. I think it's possible, and not only that, I believe that it is going to happen. I have full faith that he's going to be returned." 

Bombing was "intentional"

Israel insisted the bombing was an accident, despite UN observers repeatedly warning the Israeli military about their location. 

However, Hess-von Kruedener's wife, Cynthia, accused the Israeli military of deliberately attacking her husband's observer post.

"So why were the Israelis firing on that base? ... In my opinion, those were precision-guided missiles, so the attack was intentional," she told reporters outside her Kingston, Ont. home Thursday. 

She also said that Israel had attacked the area several times before, "for weeks upon weeks," according to her husband. Her comments add fuel to the controversy over the bombing, which has included allegations from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan that the observers were deliberately targeted by Israel.

It's an allegation that has been vigorously denied by Israeli officials who insist on calling the incident "a tragic mistake." 

At the heart of it lies information that has come out over the past few days that UN observers in Lebanon phoned the Israelis at least 10 times over a six-hour period pleading for the shelling of the position to stop. 

When it became evident the shelling wasn't going to stop, the base commander called top UN officials in New York. 

Ireland has filed an official protest over the incident as six of those specific phone warnings came from Lt.-Col. John Molloy, a senior Irish UN peacekeeper whose job was to liaise with the Israel Defence Forces.

On Saturday, two peacekeepers were wounded when an Israeli strike hit their UN station. UN observers had recently been relocated to peacekeepers' posts for their own safety.

Hess-von Kruedener had completed nine months of his one-year tour of duty with the UN in Lebanon. 

He was an infantry officer with 20 years service and had done four earlier operational tours in Cyprus, twice in Bosnia, and Congo.


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## NavComm

R.I.P., Sir. My heartfelt condolences to the family and friends. I have seen both his wife and sister make appeals on the news over the last few days and it breaks to my heart that their prayers will not be answered. Hopefully they will find solace in the fact that he died with honour and his bravery will live on in soldiers he has trained and trained with. God speed soldier.


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## Jake

It's been confirmed  
http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/TopStories/ContentPosting.aspx?feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V2&newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20060729%2fUN_observer_060730&showbyline=True



> The bodies of three soldiers from Austrian, China and Finland were found shortly after the attack, but Hess-von Kruedener, a father of two grown children, remained missing until a body was positively identified as his on Monday.


RIP Major Paeta Hess-von Kruedener


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## gaspasser

Another Peacekeeper to guard the gates of heaven.


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## Freddy Chef

Eleven years ago, FT-Ex of my section commanders' course, setting up a convoy ambush. I was bagged out, and was about to take a wrong turn at a glow-stick marker when the platoon commander, (then Captain) Hess-Von Kruedener grabbed me by the arm and said, *“Get your head out of your a**!”*

Yes, sir.

Thank you for pointing me in the right direction, sir.

Rest in peace, sir.

Condolences to your family, sir.


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## 2 Cdo

Never worked for the man but knew some who did and they had nothing but the highest regards for him. Used to see him at the gym here in Kingston every now and then and seemed to be an extremely professional soldier. My condolences to his family and friends.


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## The Bread Guy




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## big bad john

http://www.thewhig.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=139930&catname=Local+News&classif=


'Paeta was totally fearless' 

Brock Harrison 
Local News - Thursday, August 03, 2006 @ 07:00 

Shirlee and Gerry Hess had no idea how much of a thrill-seeker their teenage son had become until the day the morning paper landed on the porch of their Sudbury home. 

"On the front page of the Sudbury Star, we saw a picture of our son doing a handstand on his skateboard, going down the steepest slope at the university without a helmet or any pads on," says Shirlee Hess, gently laughing as she recalls the memory. 

"We knew of his total enthusiasm about it. We didn't know how far it had taken him." 

Shirlee Hess now equates that image of Paeta Hess-von Kruedener with how he approached his entire 43 years on Earth: full-tilt and adventure-hungry. 

"Paeta was totally fearless," she told The Whig-Standard this week. "From the time he was a child, he didn't know fear." 

Hess von-Kruedener - "Wolf," to his buddies - a 43-year-old brother, son, husband and father, was killed last week when an Israeli bomb hit the United Nations' outpost at which he was stationed near the Israel-Lebanon border. The Kingston officer was one of four unarmed international observers of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Maj. Hess von-Kruedener's remains will be brought back to Canada tomorrow. 

His mother heard from him regularly until the end. 

"He always kept in touch. He called his daughter [Kirsten], he called [wife] Cynthia and he called me," Shirlee Hess said. "Or he'd e-mail us. He always let us know he was doing well." 

Born in London, Ont., Paeta Hess-von Kruedener was an energetic child. His curly red locks and freckle-dotted face illuminate a family photo album Shirlee Hess shared with The Whig-Standard. 

In the pages of the album, father Gerry's camera shutter captures, with remarkable poignancy, the exuberance of Paeta's childhood. Whether wrestling his dog Bozo, jump-kicking the air in his white karate uniform, or just posing for the camera, Paeta's face shows nothing but joy. 

"He was very adventuresome and always a gregarious person," Shirlee said. "He was involved in life. He did everything he could." 

As a child, Paeta and his sister, Tonya, put on theatrical performances for anyone who would watch - usually mom and dad - wrapped up in authentic stage costumes obtained by Gerry, who did work for a theatre company in Sudbury. 


Paeta was hyperactive. But Shirlee circumvented her son's inborn restlessness by reading him novels by American writer Jack London. London was one of the most romantic figures of his time whose own adventures mirrored how little Paeta would go on to lead his own life. London was a swimmer and sailor and did two tours of duty in South Pacific war zones. His prose often held the curious Paeta spellbound, Shirlee recalls. 

He loved animals, but what Shirlee remembers most is how much animals loved him. On family vacations, even during walks home from school, stray and wandering dogs would follow Paeta. 

The family photo album is littered with animal snapshots as Paeta cared for dogs and cats right up to his death. Two black-and-white border collies will forever wait their owner's return. 

Shirlee says her son even adopted two mongrel dogs at his outpost in Lebanon. 

"They were stray and malnourished and Paeta cared for them," she said. "I believe they were inside when that bomb hit. Paeta wouldn't have let them be out there." 

By 13, Paeta had achieved a brown belt in karate, one level below black, the highest. His instructors cautioned against continuing his martial arts ascension too rapidly at such a young age. 

He was resourceful. In their Sudbury neighbourhood, Paeta mowed lawns, shovelled snow and delivered newspapers to scrape together enough spending money to feed his growing interest in all things adventurous. 

He put that money to use on projects such as building what his mother says was Sudbury's very first skateboard park. 

The young man also skied, swam and sailed. A gifted athlete and natural leader, Paeta played hockey, basketball and baseball. 

When he was a minor hockey player, the Ontario Hockey League's Sudbury Wolves courted and coveted strapping young Paeta. Shirlee and Gerry put their feet down, however. 

"It was so violent, so his father and I decided against it," Shirlee said. "Needless to say, that wasn't a happy scene." 

At 18, after nine months enrolled with Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau's new Katimavik community-building program, Paeta left the lakes, forests and piles of friends he had come to love in Sudbury and headed west. Destination: The Alberta tar sands, where jobs and money flowed as freely as the black gold being pumped out. 

He went to "make his fortune," Shirlee recalls, but was turned away at every oil company door. Paeta was too young. 

Rejected, but thirsting for adventure, Paeta moved to Winnipeg, where he worked at odd jobs. There, an older male friend got him interested in the military. 

Around this time, Paeta Hess's snappy three-syllable name also took on a strong hint of German-Russian nobility. 

Paeta's grandmother - his "Omi," as he called her - was the matriarch of the von Kruedeners, whose bloodline can be traced back to the fighting forces of Catherine The Great. None of her five sons, including Paeta's father, Gerry, had wanted to assume her clunky maiden name, opting instead for the crisp and clean "Hess." 

But at the request of his Omi, Paeta obliged, happily hyphenating his surname. The gruff-sounding moniker may have led to Paeta being dubbed "Wolf" by his friends. Shirlee still isn't quite sure why. 

"We're still hashing that one out," she said. 

After joining the military, Paeta accepted postings in Edmonton, Winnipeg and Quebec, where his only child, daughter Kirsten, was born to Paeta and his first wife. Kirsten now lives in Burlington. 

He met his second wife, Cynthia, through a support group for single parents. Cynthia had a son, Jonah Rosson, from a previous marriage. 

Shirlee said Paeta cared for Rosson as if he were his own blood and taught him valuable life skills he never had before they met. 

"Paeta was his father in every way except biological," Shirlee said. Paeta and Cynthia married in 1997 and spent time posted at CFB Edmonton, where he was a member of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, before he was posted to Kingston in 2001. 

He became an instructor at the base's Peace Support Training Centre. Eventually, he was its top instructor, said a former colleague. 

"I've been getting e-mails over my Blackberry from soldiers who remember him as their instructor," said Maj. Lindsay Reinelt, who lived with Paeta in a two-bedroom apartment in the city of Kinshasa in the Congo when the two of them served there. 

"His influence and his impact was so significant that he is the only one they remembered from their training." 

Adds Reinelt: "You'd think that it would be impossible to give everything you've got to everything you did. But Wolf did." 

As a Canadian peacekeeper, Paeta toured Bosnia, Zaire and Congo, never failing to keep his family updated. While in Lebanon, he sent Cynthia e-mails describing the intensity of Israel's air strikes in the days leading up to his death. 

"He always told us he loved us," Shirlee said. 

The last fond memory Shirlee will keep of her son happened May 25. 

It was her husband's birthday and Paeta couldn't call home because he was in Lebanon. Or so Gerry thought. 

In fact, Paeta had taken a break from the mission to come back to Canada and visit family for what would prove the last time. 

"Gerry said that was the most joyful present he could have been given," Shirlee said. "To hear that Paeta was in Canada and could call and wish him a happy birthday." 

Over the past few days, Shirlee has read scores of accolades for her son from his military colleagues. 

She believes them all. Paeta was a soldier held in the highest esteem by everyone with whom he worked. 

But it's the boy who did backflips into swimming pools, the teenager who built his own skateboards and the man who loved his daughter and family above all else whom Shirlee will remember most. 

She says Paeta was never afraid to speak to his family even about the unspeakable. Now that the unspeakable has happened, it is Shirlee Hess who is speaking out. 

"There's just so much to say about Paeta." 

bharrison@thewhig.com 

City to honour peacekeepers 

The city has declared next Wednesday Peacekeepers Day in Kingston, coinciding with the greatest single loss of Canadian lives on a peacekeeping mission. 

On Aug. 9, 1974, nine Canadians died when their transport plane was shot down by Syria. The contingent carried supplies as part of the United Nations Emergency Force in Egypt and Israel.


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## a78jumper

How could one forget someone with a last name like that. I remember him as a very keen caspara jumper who used to come to Edmonton from 2 PPCLI to support TALS drops when I was with CABC. RIP bud. The Patricias lost a good one.


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## big bad john

http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroom/view_news_e.asp?id=2020

Media Advisory
Military Memorial Service for Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener
LFCA MA / SCFT AM 06-11 - August 9, 2006

OTTAWA, Ont. — A Military Memorial Service for Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener, an Infantry Officer with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry who lost his life while serving with the UN Truce Supervision Organisation in the Khiyam area of South Lebanon, will take place at the Princess of Wales’ Own Regiment Armoury, 100 Montreal St., Kingston, Ont. on Thursday, August 10, 2006 at 10 a.m. 

As per the request of the family, the news media are invited to attend, though no interviews will be given.

Many dignitaries will be present to pay their respect.

An interment ceremony will take place at the Woodland Cemetery, Spring Garden Road, between Botanical Drive and Valley Inn Road, Burlington, Ont. on Friday August 11, 2006 at 2 p.m.


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## dradel

did someone has the address of Major Hess-von Kruedener I would like to participe oh his funeral..please advice..


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## Scoobie Newbie

dradel I suggest a new thread or the one that has his condolences.


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## paracowboy

Quagmire said:
			
		

> dradel I suggest a new thread or the one that has his condolences.


I moved it.

dradel, attention to detail next time. All info you seek is available in the post above the one of yours.


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## big bad john

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060810/memorial_peacekeeper_060810/20060810?hub=Canada

Fallen UN observer honoured in sombre memorial
Updated Thu. Aug. 10 2006 9:01 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

The Canadian UN observer killed in Lebanon last month was remembered as a larger-than-life hero who was fiercely loyal to his principles during a sombre military memorial service on Thursday. 


Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener was killed along with three other observers after Israeli jets bombarded the town of Khiam, near the eastern end of Lebanon's border, on July 25. 


"There is so much that I love about Paeta. And I use the present tense because his spirit and his soul is so fierce and so strong that even if he is longer in his body we know that his spirit is still with us," his grief-stricken sister Tonya Hess said at the Princess of Wales' Own Regiment Armoury in Kingston, Ont. on Thursday. 


Hess described her brother as a larger-than-life hero who she believed was invincible. 


"Even though I knew the job that he was doing I never would have imagined that he could have died," she said in her tearful eulogy. 


She thanked the military "family'' for doing what she referred to as "putting their lives on the line all the time.'' 


Hess-von Kruedener's daughter Kirsten remembered her father as a gentle soul and a protective parent in a poem that she wrote called "The Tiger." 


"I feel that my dad's intensity and spirit has always been embodied by the tiger," she said. 


Maj.-Gen. Stuart Beare, the commander of training staff across the country, said the loss of "Wolf'' -- as he was known by his friends -- is a blow to the military family. 


"We lost one of our own. We lost a brother,'' Beare said. "Ultimately in our business, his loss affects those of us who continue to serve ... but at the same time, the example he's left us inspires us to carry on.'' 


Hess-von Kruedener's casket was carried into the armoury by eight uniformed pallbearers, as about 500 people looked on, including his parents Shirlee and Gerry Hess. 


At the end of the ceremony, the pallbearers folded the flag that had draped over the fallen UN observer's casket, while a trumpeter played Taps. Once the casket was carried into a waiting limousine, the Hess-von Kruedener received a 21-gun salute. 


A member of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry for 20 years, Hess-von Kruedener was the only Canadian serving as a United Nations Military Observer in Lebanon. 


The 43-year-old, who had three months remaining on his one-year mission, was stationed at a UN outpost in southern Lebanon, about 10 kilometres from where the Syrian, Lebanese and Israeli borders meet. 


The attack sparked accusations Israel had deliberately launched a precision-guided missile at the UN observer post. 


Israel has since apologized for the attack and said it was accidental. 


The bodies of three soldiers from Austria, China and Finland were found shortly after the blast, but Hess-von Kruedener, a father of two grown children, remained missing until a body was positively identified days later. 


In an e-mail written to CTV.ca one week before the bomb hit the UN outpost, Hess-von Kruedener described the battle between Hezbollah and Israeli troops as very high and continuous," with short breaks in between. 


"What I can tell you is this: we have on a daily basis had numerous occasions where our position has come under direct or indirect fire from both artillery and aerial bombing," he wrote. 


"The closest artillery has landed within 2 metres of our position and the closest 1000 lb aerial bomb has landed 100 metres from our patrol base. This has not been deliberate targeting, but has rather been due to tactical necessity." 


On Thursday, his friends remembered him as a good-humoured soldier, and shared jokes and stories about the man they called Wolf. 


Capt. Gerhart Hildebrandt, who served with Hess-von Kruedener in Cyprus, was quoted by The Canadian Press as saying his friend always wanted to look cool. 


He said one of Hess von-Kruedener's mottoes was to always look good, never get lost and "if you get lost, always look good," he said to laughter. 


An interment ceremony will take place at the Woodland Cemetery in Burlington, Ont. on August 11, 2006 at 2 p.m.


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## 17thRecceSgt

RIP Sir   

A hard month for the PPCLI family.


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## retread

I can't believe I had not heard this news before I read it here.  I did my JLC with HVK back in '85.  My condolences to his family.


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## The Bread Guy

Monument to remember....


> During the summer of 2006, when Israel engaged the Hezbollah faction in Lebanon in a 34-day conflict, the United Nations Patrol Base (PB) in the Lebanese village of El Khiam was struck by a 1,000-pound bomb that killed its occupants. PB KHIAM was the temporary home of a military observer team, called Team Sierra, from the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) who were assisting the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon.
> 
> As is normal in UNTSO, Team Sierra was a group of four experienced army officers from four different countries: Major Hans-Peter Lang from Styria, Austria, as team leader; Lieutenant Senior Grade Jarno Mäkinen from Kaarina, Finland, as deputy leader; Major Du Zhaoyu from Jinan in the People’s Republic of China; and Major Paeta Derek Hess-von Kruedener — known as Wolf — of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton, Alberta.
> 
> Over 63 years of operations in the most volatile areas in the Middle East, UNTSO has suffered 50 fatal casualties, including 18 U.N. Military Observers (UNMOs).
> 
> On 25 July 2011, the fifth anniversary of the attack on Patrol Base KHIAM, the fourth annual memorial service was held in El Khiam, led this year by New Zealand Army Lieutenant-Colonel Helen Cooper, the current chief of Observer Group Lebanon (OGL) ....


CEFCOM Info-Machine, 29 Sept 11

Her Excellency Ms. Hilary Childs-Adams, the Canadian Ambassador to Lebanon pauses in remembrance after laying a wreath at the PB KHIAM site memorial on behalf of Canadians.


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## beirnini

Details of Major Hess-Von Kruedener's last moments


> The first barrage of artillery shells and guided bombs started at 12:11 and right away they all knew something wasn’t right. In the past, incidents of firing close had always been bombs or shells or missiles intended for nearby Hezbollah positions that missed their target. But now, there were no Hezbollah targets within hundreds of metres.
> 
> The four peacekeepers sheltered in the underground bunker began furiously radioing for help.
> 
> In the early afternoon—from 14:18 to 14:49—there was a second barrage.
> [...]
> At 18:29 the third wave of the attack hit the patrol base. Twelve 155-mm artillery rounds landed within metres of the base and four landed directly inside the compound, destroying most of the buildings above ground and blowing the door off the underground bunker. At this point General Alain Pellegrini, the man in charge of UN operations in Lebanon, called the Israeli liaison officer and shouted at him, no holds barred, “You are killing my people.”
> [...]
> [A]t just before 19:30, an Israeli F-16 pilot managed to do what so many other pilots and gunners failed to do that day—he dropped his 1,000-pound GPS-guided JDAM inside the compound, inside the blown-off door of the stout little underground bunker.



Canada's PM and Conservative Party leader at the time, Stephen Harper, responded


> "We want to find out why this United Nations post was attacked and also why it remained manned during what is now, more or less, a war during obvious danger to these individuals,"



The DND's inquiry can be found here. Oddly it "was published [but] was subsequently removed from government websites for “security reasons.”" (Obtaining an official copy as of Jan 2013 requires a freedom of information request, which might be responded with a letter claiming it can't "be released within the legally-allotted time".)



> The board report does seize upon the one huge question that remains—the attack on Patrol Base Khiam lasted nearly seven hours and during that time the Israelis received a blizzard of calls and protests all up and down the liaison network
> [...]
> “While the IDF has acknowledged the receipt of the protests from the UN, it has failed to explain why the attack was not halted,” the board writes. “Considering that on previous occasions the IDF had halted fires when protests were received, no indication has been offered as to why protests of this nature and severity did not result in the halting of fires. The ability of the IDF to halt fires on previous occasions, combined with the functioning on the UN side of the liaison network, and the ability of the IDF side of the liaison network to contact the implicated headquarters indicates there was sufficient time for appropriate information to have been transmitted to the appropriate IDF decision maker in order to halt fires on PB Khiam."


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