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Editorial from Edmonton Sun:
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Comment/Commentary/2006/01/26/pf-1412055.html
It was a heroes welcome on Tuesday night for the soldiers injured by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan last week that also killed Canadian diplomat Glyn Berry. Cpl. Paul Franklin was the only one of the three conscious for the trip, and he declared himself happy to be home. We're glad to have him home.
The more seriously wounded soldiers, Pte. William Salikin and Cpl. Jeffrey Bailey, were heavily sedated for the nine-hour flight from Germany, where all three were sent to start the long road to recovery from their injuries.
And a long road it will be. Franklin will likely have the easiest time getting back to a normal life - though that is quite the understatement. He had his left leg amputated and his right leg was shattered. Bailey and Salikin, on the other hand, suffered major head trauma, and for a while, it was touch-and-go on whether Bailey would be stable enough to make the trip back to Edmonton.
So our thoughts and prayers remain with all three families as they adjust to the harsh new realities they must face.
But we feel it is only right and fair to express our appreciation to an organization that went above and beyond the call of duty to help our wounded soldiers: the American military.
It's a damn shame that the United States has been so vilified by many politicians and citizens in this country, because it was the Americans who helped save the lives of our three soldiers, and we don't think that our American friends have gotten the credit they so rightly deserve. In fact, it's almost as if the national news media in this country has gone to great lengths to downplay the important role the U.S. military played in this story.
According to the Canadian Defence Department, after the suicide bomb went off, all the casualties were first transported out by a military ambulance. Soon after, they were picked up by a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter, which flew the wounded soldiers to the American military field hospital in Kandahar for immediate medical attention.
After that, our soldiers were taken to an American military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, a top-notch medical facility that is the largest American hospital not located in the United States. Our soldiers received excellent care there until returning to their home here in Edmonton this week.
In short, then, one of the primary reasons our soldiers are in as good of shape as they are is because the American military went to the aid of an allied country fighting for freedom in Afghanistan.
Our Liberal politicians won't say it. Many Canadians won't say it.
But we'll say it: Thanks to the American soldiers, pilots, and medical personnel who helped save our soldiers' lives. They are all heroes, too.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Comment/Commentary/2006/01/26/pf-1412055.html
It was a heroes welcome on Tuesday night for the soldiers injured by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan last week that also killed Canadian diplomat Glyn Berry. Cpl. Paul Franklin was the only one of the three conscious for the trip, and he declared himself happy to be home. We're glad to have him home.
The more seriously wounded soldiers, Pte. William Salikin and Cpl. Jeffrey Bailey, were heavily sedated for the nine-hour flight from Germany, where all three were sent to start the long road to recovery from their injuries.
And a long road it will be. Franklin will likely have the easiest time getting back to a normal life - though that is quite the understatement. He had his left leg amputated and his right leg was shattered. Bailey and Salikin, on the other hand, suffered major head trauma, and for a while, it was touch-and-go on whether Bailey would be stable enough to make the trip back to Edmonton.
So our thoughts and prayers remain with all three families as they adjust to the harsh new realities they must face.
But we feel it is only right and fair to express our appreciation to an organization that went above and beyond the call of duty to help our wounded soldiers: the American military.
It's a damn shame that the United States has been so vilified by many politicians and citizens in this country, because it was the Americans who helped save the lives of our three soldiers, and we don't think that our American friends have gotten the credit they so rightly deserve. In fact, it's almost as if the national news media in this country has gone to great lengths to downplay the important role the U.S. military played in this story.
According to the Canadian Defence Department, after the suicide bomb went off, all the casualties were first transported out by a military ambulance. Soon after, they were picked up by a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter, which flew the wounded soldiers to the American military field hospital in Kandahar for immediate medical attention.
After that, our soldiers were taken to an American military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, a top-notch medical facility that is the largest American hospital not located in the United States. Our soldiers received excellent care there until returning to their home here in Edmonton this week.
In short, then, one of the primary reasons our soldiers are in as good of shape as they are is because the American military went to the aid of an allied country fighting for freedom in Afghanistan.
Our Liberal politicians won't say it. Many Canadians won't say it.
But we'll say it: Thanks to the American soldiers, pilots, and medical personnel who helped save our soldiers' lives. They are all heroes, too.
