Soldiers ready to reenlist for Afghanistan

[navymich]

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=3bb52ef9-008c-4ec4-96e1-e5e0c98c7a08&k=89864

HOWZ-E MADAD, Afghanistan -- Sweltering heat in the summer, frigid cold in the winter, sleeping in the desert and the ever-present threat of Taliban attacks doesn't seem to be a downside for some Canadian soldiers serving here.

As a matter of fact, with the end of this rotation coming up in February, a number are already talking about coming back for another tour of duty.

Forty-four Canadian soldiers have died in this war-torn country since 2002 and 2006 has been the bloodiest year for our troops since the Korean War.

But individuals like Cpl. Mark Ejdrygiewicz, 22, of Lethbridge, Alta., believe a six-month tour isn't long enough to get the job done.

"On this six month tour we did a lot. There was a lot of progress made: Op Medusa and down in Panjwaii and the districts there opening up the schools and building highways," said Ejdrygiewicz, known as "Edge" to his patrol mates, as he rode in the back of a light armoured vehicle near Howz-e Madad.

"We're doing what we can but we know the Taliban are going to come back. Winter's here and they've gone back to Pakistan," he said, taking a drag from his cigarette. "We've got a foothold on the ground in the area but in the back of your mind you know they will be coming back and it will be another threat."

And Ejdrygiewicz takes his job very seriously. Written in felt pen on the cover of his helmet in Pashtu is "Taliban Relocation Service," a tribute to fallen comrade Master Cpl. Jeffrey Walsh, who was killed by an accidental rifle discharge last summer.

"One of our good friends who passed away back in August, Jeff Walsh, on his first roto, he had the acronym TRS and his idea was to make T-shirts for this platoon," smiled Ejdrygiewicz.

"When he passed away it's something we all kind of held onto and put that tag onto everything. Some interpreters helped me translate it into Pashtu and I thought it would be a nice thing to put on the helmet," he added.

"The reason it is in Pashtu is so we can have a laugh and the locals can have a laugh as well and it's caught on pretty well so far."

As far as Ejdrygiewicz is concerned, any soldier that doesn't want to come back for another tour here, shouldn't have come in the first place.

"Being gung ho, being enthusiastic about doing his job? Hey that's a good thing," he said. "If you've got soldiers out here wanting to go home, miserable and complaining, they're a risk to you, they're a risk to themselves and they don't need to be here."

It will be time to go home only when the Afghan people are able to take care of themselves said Ejdrygiewicz.

With his leave just a day or two away, the last thing Cpl. Dave Taylor of Owen Sound, Ont., should be thinking about is coming back.

Taylor, 35, will be heading home to see his new daughter, Xandra, who was born a couple of days before Christmas.

But he is already talking about next time.

"I love doing this and I personally can't think of anything I would rather do. When I get back, we'll start our training cycle again. The break will be nice but I'll be chomping at the bit to get back to work," Taylor chuckled.

"The wife won't like it," he shrugged. "I gotta find a happy compromise or some medium ground. Not going with the battalion on Roto 108 over here would be tough, but I would be home for Christmas this time."

The commanding officer of A Company 2nd PPCLI, Maj. Mike Wright, isn't surprised at the commitment of his men to the mission. He watched them grow over the past 41/2 months.

"Less than a week after they arrived here they were in their first ambush and everyone stepped up together," said Wright.

"It's part of being a soldier to complain and to bitch but when it counts these guys know when to turn it on."

 

[retiredgrunt45]

History has shown that Canadian soldiers don't take a backseat to anyone. Since the Boer wars, Canada has proven time and again that it has some of best combat troops on the planet. If only i was 20 yrs younger...

 

[lyned]

retiredgrunt45 is absolutely right. Our son volunteered to go back in '08 due to the shortage of experienced guys. Starts training again this month.

 

[Deleted member 9665]

For myself...Im not transfered yet...will be soon...in reserve. If Im offered to go on tour...pack me up and ship me in...Ill go even if I know what my wife thinks about it.

 

[x-grunt]

History has shown that Canadian soldiers don't take a backseat to anyone. Since the Boer wars, Canada has proven time and again that it has some of best combat troops on the planet.

+1

If only i was 20 yrs younger...

+2!

 

[MarkOttawa]

Then there's this from a certain journalist:

Recruits don't want combat jobs
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=c7947060-f751-4c0b-8c83-5b5ab87cef3c

But the story is not about actual recruits:

The report, which was produced in September, presented the results of a public opinion survey of almost 2,000 people conducted to determine the level of interest in joining the Canadian Forces...

No "recruits" there. Just a poll. An accurate headline would have been "80% surveyed not interested in joining military".

One in five surveyed said they are at least somewhat interested in joining the Canadian Forces, down slightly from 2000, the report pointed out. About 13 per cent said they may visit a recruiting centre in the next year.

What else would one expect? "Half those surveyed want to join the CF"? And at any time, in any place, how many people want to join the poor bloody infantry? But the media must needs spin. In spite of this at the tail end of the story:

For the last four years the Canadian Forces has met or surpassed its recruitment goals, according to the Defence Department...

And then there's this (from the Toronto Star):
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2006/12/army-basic-training-today.html

More than 5,800 recruits joined the regular force between April 2005 and March 2006, exceeding the target by 6 per cent [emphasis added]. Heading into 2007, the target is higher as the government tries to expand its 62,000-member regular force by 13,000, and the reserves by 10,000. Recruiting is ahead of where it was this time last year, says Capt. Holly-Anne Brown, spokesperson for the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group, headquartered at Borden...

Mark
Ottawa