CAN Embed Learns About Blending In More

[The Bread Guy]

"One of these things is not like the other," from the Calgary Herald....

As we approached a mountain range during a military patrol in some godforsaken corner of Hell in western Kandahar province two years ago, soldiers suddenly started distancing themselves from me.

This couldn’t be a deodorant failure. We all stank equally after 11 dusty-convoy days without running water.

I drifted alongside the sergeant for an explanation at my sudden personal unpopularity. “There could be snipers up there,” he said, glancing nervously up the mountainside. “Look at yourself. Blue bulletproof vest, non-military helmet, beard. You look like a ‘terp’.”

A ‘terp’ is an interpreter who, along with ‘fixers’, are a prized target for the Taliban, insurgents who allegedly claim a hefty cash prize for every successful kill ....

More on link

- Edited to add link to fix dopey mistake -

 

[R. Jorgensen]

Link broken, interesting story.

 

[Journeyman]

I can't believe they told "Call-sign Bait" of his role  :

 

[Harris]

Suddenly he realizes things that stand out get shot?

 

[PMedMoe]

That high risk is why they’re paid per day what the average Afghan earns in a month.

Bad reporting (not surprised).  I'm sure there's loads of people who make more in a day than the average Afghani makes in a month.  :

 

[40below]

Bad reporting (not surprised).  I'm sure there's loads of people who make more in a day than the average Afghani makes in a month.  :

Yeah, including every Canadian soldier, civilian government employee and private contractor in the country, just to name a few.

That said, the reporter would have had to buy his own PPE, as per DND's embed agreement. I don't understand why he'd purchase non-standard kit - you're gonna drop about $4,000 for the vest alone.

 

[The Bread Guy]

That said, the reporter would have had to buy his own PPE, as per DND's embed agreement. I don't understand why he'd purchase non-standard kit - you're gonna drop about $4,000 for the vest alone.

Methinks the company would be paying for it if he's not a freelancer (not to mention paying what I understand is a hefty bill for insurance coverage for said individual).

Any reporters online - is the looking different part of the "we can't be associated with/linked to the military" ethos shared by many aid workers?  How do you balance that with the need to protect yourself?  Thanks in advance for enlightening the readers here.

 

[40below]

Methinks the company would be paying for it if he's not a freelancer (not to mention paying what I understand is a hefty bill for insurance coverage for said individual).

Depends on the insurance. When I was in Kandahar, my insurance policy covered me anywhere in the world by any manner of death, even war, as I was an existing customer. The rate quoted to me for supplemental insurance by the only company willing to underwrite it was astonishing - $500 a WEEK for $250,000 worth of coverage.

 

[GGboy]

You can't always blame the reporter. Mostly, but not always ...
When I was embedded with TF Orion I wore CF body armour and helmet, but when I asked specifically for an arid pattern cover for both (so I wouldn't stand out quite so much) I was told I couldn't have them, so had to wear the same OD kit as the terps. The fear on the part of NCE was that I might be mistaken for a soldier, an idea the soldiers found hilarious (and rightly so).
Having said that, a lot of the blue body armour and helmet (with nice big PRESS stickers on them as aiming points) is issued by the big news outlets particularly CBC and they insist their crews wear them. Apparently for the same reasons that the NCE didn't want me in cadpat, although some reporters insist on wearing them as some sort of sign of their independence. Most, in my experience, would rather be less conspicuous ...