I fired off an email to Mr Turner tonight:
Mr Turner,
I read recently that during a meeting that you bemoaned the fact that
$150,000 couldn't be found for a youth centre, but the Army could
destroy and Afghan village with a piece of ordnance.
Allow me to enlighten you to some facts.
1. The 155mm Excalibur round is a precision guided artillery round
intended to minimize collateral damage in order to destroy a military
target. Rather than hammering away at it with indiscriminately causing
needless damage.
It is used ONLY when a specific target is identified that directly
threatens Canadian and Coalition troops.
2. To imply that Canadian troops are randomly levelling Afghan villages
willy nilly is the most ridiculous and ill-informed statement uttered by
an elected official.
You obviously have no idea about what Canadian soldiers are doing in
Afghanistan, nor do you want to.
As a serving member of the Army I am very offended by your statement,
and will not accept elected officials using the military as a carpet to
wipe their feet on when it is politically expedient to do so.
Many of us have seen the devastation in those villages brought by the
Taliban for merely speaking with ISAF soldiers.
Too many of our brothers and sisters have paid the price for doing what
our country have asked us to do, but we are resilient Mr Turner we will
continue to serve with distinction. Going where others fear to tread in
order to make life a little better for those who not only need us, but
want us.
I am proud of my service to my country, and to that end am about to
embark on my fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan in August. Not because I
have to, but because I want to.
So Mr Turner you can sit on the side lines and bad mouth those who give
you that right to do so, or you can take a trip and visit us in Kandahar
nad really make up your own mind. Either way members of the Canadian
Forces are voters too.
Master Corporal Paul O'Brien
3rd Battallion, The Royal Canadian Regiment
His reply:
The words you refer to were taken out of context from a newspaper report and interpreted and embellished by a political opponent of mine who was not at the meeting in which they were spokem.
As such, this is a great example of the political smear. Of course I am aware of the shells, their origin, purpose and usage. I also voted to extend the Afghan mission - twice. I believe our troops are fighting for the principles of freedom and democracy, as much as some people here try to defeat it with deliberate falsehoods.
Thank you for your service to Canada.
Hon. Garth Turner PC, MP
