Update on Canadian Casualities in Afghanistan

The deadliest foe facing NATO soldiers travelling the roads of this war-torn nation claimed two more Canadian lives. A powerful roadside bomb blast hit an armoured vehicle that was part of a Canadian convoy on a road southwest of Kandahar, bringing to 129 the total number of Canadian soldiers who have died as part of the Afghan mission since it began in 2002

128. September 6, 2009: Major Yannick Pepin - age 36, 5 Combat Engineer Regiment, engaged, two children, killed by a roadside bomb blast hit his armoured vehicle.

129. September 6, 2009 - Corporal Jean-Francois Drouin, age 21, 5 Combat Engineer Regiment, killed by a roadside bomb blast hit his armoured vehicle.

Afghanistan Casuality Update

Unfortunately it is time to update everyone with the recent list of Canadian soldiers killed while serving in Afghanistan.

121. July 3, 2009: Corporal Nicolas Bulger - age 30, married, two children, 3rd Princess Patricia's Combat Light Infantry, killed when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb.

122. July 4, 2009:Master Corporal Charles-Philippe Michaud - age 28, married, no children, 3 Royal Canadian Regiment, died from injuries sustained by a land mine 11 days earlier.

123. July 7, 2009: Master Corporal Pat Audet -age 38, married, no children, 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, killed in a helicopter crash.

124. July 7, 2009: Corporal Martin Joannette - age 25, married, no children, 3 Royal Canadian Regiment, killed in a helicopter crash.

125. July 16, 2009: Private Sebastien Courcy - age 26, 2 Royal Canadian Regiment, thrown off a cliff by insurgents after stepping on an IED.

126. August 1, 2009: Sapper Mathieu Allard - age 21, 5th Combat Engineers Regiment attached to the 2nd Battalion Royal 22nd Regiment, killed by Improvised Explosive Device.

127. August 1, 2009: Corporal Christian Bobbitt - age 23, married, no children, 5th Combat Engineers Regiment attached to the 2nd Battalion Royal 22nd Regiment, killed by Improvised Explosive Device.

One of Those Things That make You say "WTF..."

Have you heard about the guy in Quebec who video taped his 7 year old son drive the family SUV down a country back road? He then when a step further and posted it on YouTube for all the world to see! But wait, that's not all. The man also had his wife and other two children in the vehicle. IN the video, none of the passengers are seen wearing seat belts, and the young girl is sitting on her mother's lap. All while dad does a play-by-play commentary on his son's driving - in the rain no less. He even goes so far as to boast that the son is moving along at 70 km/h! The father says he taught his son how to drive and felt safe. He also noted that there were no other cars on the dirt road. Yeah, like that matters! How many single car accidents do you hear about every year?

The father says he posted the video on YouTube because he was proud that his 7 year old son could drive a car. Well now the video has caught the attention of Quebec police. They are currently investigating the man, and charges are possible.

Like many of you, I learned the basics of driving a car before I was legally able to. The difference was that I did not do it on public roads where other drivers may be. I learned on private property, driving at a reasonable speed, and never with other kids in the car. This man put the lives of his family, and those of anyone who they encountered on the road.

I have included a link here to the YouTube video so you can view it for yourselves.

Canada Day

Well, here it is, Canada Day! The day that we celebrate the birth of our great country. A country that has never lost a war that it was in, never had a bloody civil war. A country that honours the rights, believes, and freedoms of it’s people.

Unfortunately, it is with a heavy heart that today’s post is an update on the latest Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

On June 8, 2009, Private Alexandre Péloquin was killed by an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol in the Panjwaii district of Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province. In a twist worthy of only the best Hollywood writers, Pte. Péloquin was involved in a mission to find and neutralize IEDs. The group had recovered material for over one hundred IEDs, and 15 other weapons of terror. In giving his life for his country, Pte. Péloquin saved the lives of many more soldiers and civilians. Please take a moment and pay honour to Private Alexandre Péloquin, and all of the others who have fallen before him.

Corporal Martin Dubé was attempting to defuse two IEDs when one went off, killing him. Cpl. Dubé, and the other 119 soldiers, died protecting the rights of the Afghan people that many of us take for granted. This brings the total of Canadian Soldiers killed while serving in Afghanistan to 120.

As you read through the updates to my post, please take a moment and think what these men and women gave up to serve in our name, and for the honour of being Canadian. These men and women truly are the embodiment of what it means to be Canadian. And this week, when you are celebrating the birthday of our fine country, remember what it means to be Canadian.

120. June 14, 2009: Corporal Martin Dubé – age 35, single, no children, 5 Combat Engineer Regiment was killed while he was trying to defuse a roadside bomb.

119. June 8, 2009: Pte Alexandre Péloquin - age 20, single, no children, 3rd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment (Dragoons) was killed while on patrol by a roadside bomb.

Also killed while in the line of duty since my last post are;

117. April 13, 2009: Trooper Karine Blais – age 21, single, no children, 12th Armoured Regiment of Canada, was killed by a roadside bomb.

118. April 24, 2009: Major Michelle Mendes – age 30, married, no children, Defense Intelligence Officer was killed possible self-inflicted gunshot wound.

My apologies for not posting these in a timely manner.

Click here to see a map showing the home towns of our brave soldiers who died while serving their country (map courtesy of TheStar.com).

Explaining My Absence

It has been a long time since I have posted anything on my blog. Well, my one loyal reader has been bugging me about not updating my blog in a while. As you will see, I have not added anything since April 5. There has been a reason I have not posted anything for so long - I have been training since February to participate in a 10km run. Most of my free time has been dedicated for training purposes. Between running 3 days a week and weight training the other three days, there wasn’t a lot of time left for other things.

Well I am please to announce that on May 27, 2009, I competed in my first 10km race. After completing my second 5Km race last year, and missing my goal of finishing in under 30 minutes (I came in at 31:06), I was going to run the 5km event again in hopes of breaking my goal. A co-worker and fellow runner convinced me to compete in the 10km, as I had already achieved this distance in my training runs. I had set a goal of just completing this race without having to walk any of it. The course that we were to run was a 5km loop and required you to run past the timing clock before the turn around. On my way back out for the second lap, I checked the clock and discovered that I had completed the first 5km in under 29 minutes. I maintained my pace and set out to finish the final lap. As I headed towards the turn around, I hazard a glance at the clock and was surprised by my time. I had a few hundred meters to go before the finish line so I kept my pace constant. As I entered the finish lane I could see the clock and picked up the pace. A friend of mine who had already finished was there cheering me on. I picked up the pace even more. Although I had just run the longest distance of my life, I found new energy and ran faster still – hoping to achieve my time goal. I felt like I was flying, I could not even feel my feet hitting the ground. As I crossed the finish line, I took one more look at the clock, and smiled with joy. Waiting on the other side was my wife – she had gone out after dropping me off and I did not think she would be there when I finished.

My friend from work snapped a picture as I crossed the finish showing me and the time clock in the background. I had completed my first 10km in 58:31! Not only had I reached my first goal of finishing, but I reached my second goal – to finish in under 60 minutes! I was thrilled to have completed all of my running goals and enjoyed the evening, basking in my accomplishments. Now I can quit, I thought to myself. I even kidded my wife that I was finally done. I could not wait to take it easy and let my body heal. I have suffered through sore ankles, shin splints, two pulled hamstrings, sore knees, two pulled groins, and other minor injuries. In fact, I finished the last 5km with a sore groin that I had injured during training a few weeks ago. I thought “No more treadmills, or running in cold or wet weather”. Little did I know about the emptiness and loss of purpose that would follow.

The next day, after telling everyone at work about my great run, I began to realize that I no longer had a reason to run. I began to think what I was going to fill the time with. When I got home, my wife started talking about starting running again (it was her that got me started). She was thinking of entering the Scotia Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon. We looked into the details of the run and I could feel the excitement building in me. I never considered running a half marathon (21km, or 13.2 miles) before, but the idea intrigued me. It was also allow me to achieve one other running goal that I had set for myself when I started two years ago – to earn a finisher’s medal. These are medals that every participant gets for completing the run, usually long ones like a half or full marathon. They are sometimes given out for completing 10km events, and even less for 5k events.

That night we looked into what the training schedule was for a half marathon. It is a sixteen week program that gradually increases the long distance run once every week. It culminates with a 20k run just before race day. We decided that whether we entered or not, we would start training immediately so we could stay on schedule for the September 20 race date. When the registration date approaches, we will then decide if we are going to enter.

Update: Canadian Soldiers Serving in Afghanistan

Unfortunately it is another sad day - it is time to update the list of Canadian soldiers killed while serving in Afghanistan. During the moth of March, eight more of our fine soldiers lost their lives, this now brings the total to116. Please, lets all take some time to acknowledge what these young have done on behave of our country.


109. March 4, 2009: Warrant Officer Dennis Raymond Brown - age 38, married, 4 children, Lincoln and Weeland Regiment was killed by a roadside bomb

110. March 4, 2009: Corporal Dany Oliver Fortin - age 29 single, no children, 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron 3 Wing was killed by a roadside bomb

111. March 4, 2009: Corporal Kenneth O'Quinn - age 25, engaged, no children, 2 CMBG Headquatters & Signal Squadron was killed by a roadside bomb

112. March 8, 2009: Trooper Narc Diab - age 22, single, no children, Royal Canadian Dragoons was killed by a roadside bomb

113. March 20, 2009: Master Corporal Scott Vernelli - age 28, married, 1 child, 3 Royal Canadian Regiment was killed by a roadside bomb

114. March 20, 2009: Corporal Tyler Crooks - age 24, engaged, no children, 3 Royal Canadian Regiment was killed by a roadside bomb

115. March 20, 2009: Trooper Jack Bouthillier - age 20, single, no children, Royal Canadian Draggons was killed by a roadside bomb

116. March 20, 2009: Trooper Corey Joseph Hayes - age 22, single, no children, Royal Canadian Dragoons was killed by a roadside bomb

Latest Canadian Casualty

Another Canadian Soldier was killed in Afghanistan. The irony of this is he was a member of an operation to go after Taliban weapons and bomb-making caches. This brings the total number of the Canadian Military members killed while serving in Afghanistan to 108. If you look over the circumstances of the 108 deaths, you will quickly discover that the roadside bombs are by far the number cause. Despite the determination of the Taliban, it seems to me that a country such as Canada should be better able to equip our troops and provide protection from such a primitive and indiscriminate attack. It is time that we spent the money to provide our soldiers with the equipment the will help ensure their safe return to the country that they so faithfully serve. Please take the time to honour our latest fallen comrade.

108. January 31, 2009: Sapper Sean David Greenfield - age 25, single, no children, 24th Field Engineer Squadron, 2 Combat Regiment was killed by a roadside bomb.

Now, on to my ‘life changes’. As I said earlier, I have put a lot of thought into this. Not because it is a new year, but because lately I have discovered some things about myself that I am not happy with. I believe there comes a time when you need to sit down and address the things that are not working in your life and correct them. This also allows you the chance to fix the things that adversely affect those you are close to.

Some of these changes are easy to spot – you notice that your favorite jeans no longer fit. Others require you to look at or listen to those things in your life that mean the most to you. Still others require you to look inside yourself, to the deepest, darkest regions that only you know exist.

On the obvious side, I would like to increase my physical fitness level, and eat healthier. Now, I am not totally out of shape, but there is always room for improvement. Last year I ran in three 5K races, and finished with respectable times, the best being 31:15. Plans for this year include running in a 10K race, with my sole purpose of finishing. I recently started a work out program that I do 2-3 times a week. Once nicer weather returns to our frozen landscape, I will be back out there running. In the meantime, I have started running 3 days a week on the treadmill.

I have also started improving what I eat. I am not really an unhealthy eater, but there are always ways to improve. A reduction in carb intake, combined with the increase in physical activity will go along way to meeting my goals.

As for changing the things that are ‘not working’ for me, I plan to start by acknowledging past mistakes and taking responsibility for them. This will allow me to move towards my goals without carrying excess baggage or any regret. I hope to avoid getting involved in things that have no substance, and are irrelevant. I plan on not becoming part of something that is not who I really am.

On to ‘looking at and listening to’ things that matter. I think it is important to realize that, even though we have reached adulthood, we do not know everything, or have all the answers. If we did, what fun would life be? We (especially me) need to understand someone else may know what is the best course of action, or know the answer to that all important question. Maybe they have been through the same situation.

I remember while I was growing up, my parents often said to me things like ‘you’ll get over that girl, it just takes time’, and thinking that they had no clue. Well guess what? They were right. As a teenager we did not think that our parents understood us, let alone were fit enough to give advice.

Over the past six months or so, I have become aware of some things that someone tried pointing out to me. I now understand that I did not grasp what I was being told. Either that or I was too stubborn to acknowledge the information. It was only over time that I became aware of these things, or more likely, I became receptive to them. I can now truly say “I get it!”, and believe me it is nice to be able to say that. I just wish that I could be quicker at getting some of these things – it would make life easier and more enjoyable. The strange part is these things where there the whole time, I just need to ‘look’ and ‘listen’ to find them.

When it comes to facing the things that we keep in the deepest, darkest part of us, people are a little more hesitant to discuss them, cautious even. It’s like in the early 1850’s when Dr. Livingston was exploring the Congo. That region of the world had been seen by very few people of the ‘modern world’. No one new what creatures they would face, or what perils awaited them. After all, it was called the ‘Dark Continent’ for a reason. Facing the things that hide deep inside of us is kind of the same thing – you do not know what to expect. You wonder how family and friends will react to the thoughts, feelings, and ideas that only live inside you. You feel that you need to lock these away. Releasing them by bringing them into the light and discussing them sounds like a scene out of a horror movie.

What people need to understand is that these things need to come into the light. This is the only way end the destructive and debilitating effect they have. If these things are affecting your relationships, or your personal enjoyment of life, then you need to slay them, only then can you continue to grow and improve. The first step is to talk about them, keeping them hidden gives them control over you. Just like the vampire who flourishes at night, but wilts and dies in the sun.

I have come to understand this, and will make a point of openly discussing them. With perseverance, and the changes I am working on, I hope that I can make my life, an the lives of those around me, much better.

Well another year has ended, and a new one begun. 2008 was not a bad year for my family and friends, but I hope for better in 2009. To help that happen, I plan on making a few changes. I wouldn’t call them New Year’s Resolutions (from here on known as NYR) as I see resolutions as something people make on New Year’s Eve after a couple of drinks, or the next morning (I’m never going to drink again!). Most people make NYR without any real commitment, they know that they will break them in a month or so. For those of you who stick to your NYR, I applaud you, stand up and take a bow – you deserve it.

What I am planning is more of a life change – things that I have put a lot of thought into. Some of you may say that this is what NYR are, but I see it differently. And this is my blog, so that is all that matters, LOL. Before I get started, I need to take care of a few things.

Since December 9, 2008, seven more Canadian soldiers have been killed while serving in Afghanistan. I would like to take a moment and acknowledge them. May they rest in peace.

101. December 13, 2008: Corporal Thomas James Hamilton - age 26, married, one child, 2nd Royal Canadian Regiment was killed by a roadside bomb.

102.December 13, 2008: Pte Justin Peter Jones – age 21, G Company, 2nd Royal Canadian Regiment, was killed by a roadside bomb.

103.December 13, 2008: Pte John Michael Roy Curwin – age 26, married, three children, 2nd Royal Canadian Regiment was killed by a roadside bomb.

104. December 26, 2008: Pte Michael Bruce Freeman – age 28, engaged, N Company, Royal Canadian Regiment, was killed by a roadside bomb.

105. December 27, 2008: WO Gaetan Joseph Roberge – age 45, married, four children, Unit, was killed by a roadside bomb.

106. December 28, 2008: Sgt Gregory John Kruse – age 40, married, three children, 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, was killed by a roadside bomb.

107. January 7, 2009: Trooper Brian Richard Good – age 42, married, two children, 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment, the Royal Dragoons, was killed by a roadside bomb.

Also over the holidays, my closest friend had a scare. On New Year’s Eve day, he called us at 8:00 in the morning to tell us that he just received news that his 21 year old nephew was missing in British Columbia. Jamie had gone snowboarding on Sunday December 28 at Mt Seymour and got lost. He was not reported as missing until Tuesday December 30 when his vehicle was flagged as being there for two days. Due to the inclement weather, a search was not launched until Wednesday December 31.The day passed with no word from the rescuers, then at 5:45, Steve phoned to say they had found Jamie. He was alive, but no other details were available. It was not until New Year’s Day that we learned Jamie was OK, only suffering from some frostbite. When the rescuers found Jamie, they told him just how lucky he was – when they started out that morning, they all thought they were on a recovery mission, not a rescue mission. From possible tragedy to one of pure relief and gratefulness, all in the matter on 24 hours. How quickly things can change. I would like to take this opportunity to thanks all those involved in turning a possible tragic situation into a joyous celebration. Thank you.

I am short on time, so I will write another post shortly about changes I want to make in the new year.