Families of 5 Fallen Make Trip to Kandahar

[from darkness lite]

See link for details.  Timely for Remembrance Day.

http://start.shaw.ca/start/enCA/News/WorldNewsArticle.htm?src=w111046A.xml

FDL 

 

[MG34]

Although I can see where this guesture comes from,the idea of bringing civilians into a war zone doesn't sit well,with me.

 

[from darkness lite]

Not to pick fly s**t out of pepper, however civilians in a war zone is a common occurance.  Almost all the non-military positions on KAF are filled by civilians, the entertainers that are flown over are civilian, the press are civilians....  As long as they know what the risks are (and they are well briefed) its their call.  I'm not even certain we could stop them if we wanted to.... civilian airlines still fly into Afghanistan and buses come from Pakistan. I still remember seeing a couple of very stupid college age backpacker/tourists in Kandahar City in 2005... that caused a few double-takes with the patrol.....

Better under our protection than on their own....

FDL 

 

[MG34]

The civilians who are there now are for the most part DND contracted employees the CANCON show is  also handled by the military on a contract basis. So yes you are picking flyshit out of pepper.
Why a family member would want to go over there in the first place is beyond me,or worse yet they be allowed to on the tax payers tab.  It's a mistake plain and simple, a PR stunt that has potential to harm the mission more than it helps.Morale and public support are fragile things, having weeping widows and family members parading around on the evening news is never a good way to win public support or boost the morale of the soldier.
  The cold hard fact is that more soldiers are going to die on this mission,there are times when it is better to mourn in private with close family members,this is one of them. At least that's the way I see it .

 

[tomahawk6]

I think the families should have gone to the base/unit that their loved one had last served with. That said a visit to Kandahar is pretty safe and I would be surprised if they spend the night. None of the politicians that have gone came back unharmed. From a morale standpoint it would do some good and maybe help the families as well.

 

[Hunteroffortune]

I hope that I could visit the base in Afghanistan if my son had been killed there. It would give me closure, and a better understanding of where he was and the conditions he had to put up with. I can understand why some of the families would want to visit the base.

Doesn't the Tim Horton's in Afghanistan employ civilians? Are they at any more risk then those families?

 

[MG34]

Since when is the closure of an individual accomplished at a publicly funded media circus. What's next battlefield tours? Or shall we send the family members of all other soldiers killed in Afghanistan, Bosnia,Croatia,Korea, France,Belgium,Germany,Italy,etc. or the bottom of the North Atlantic so they can have closure as well?

 

[GAP]

Whoa.....all I have heard is negatives as to why the government shouldn't try to do something nice once in awhile....If my son was KIA over there and I was offered the chance to visit the country, I would jump at it if only for understanding.....This is Not your playground and it's not your ball, so quit bitching.

 

[woodys girl]

Since when is the closure of an individual accomplished at a publicly funded media circus. What's next battlefield tours? Or shall we send the family members of all other soldiers killed in Afghanistan, Bosnia,Croatia,Korea, France,Belgium,Germany,Italy,etc. or the bottom of the North Atlantic so they can have closure as well?

I partially agree with you.....but in some cases this is how the families can find closure or understanding....not my personal choice mind you.
I have been a member of the CAV (Canadian Army Veterans) for over a year and have been at many repats in Trenton, paying tribute to our fallen soldiers, as the families pass us by (about 200 people on the roadside) the families thank us for supporting them and their loved one....with tears flowing.

So if it means that a trip to where they have lost their loved one....who are we to judge.

Woody's Girl
(nickname in honour of my father who served 25 years)

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

We just went through a huge cycle of political angst regarding the dispatch of politicians of various ilk to theatre, with security concerns being cited as reasons for keeping people home.  Moreover, operational visits have been curtailed because of a plethora of non-operational visits and photo-ops to KAF.  Yet...

Draw your own conclusions as to where I'm going with this... ^-^

 

[missing1]

Whoa.....all I have heard is negatives as to why the government shouldn't try to do something nice once in awhile....If my son was KIA over there and I was offered the chance to visit the country, I would jump at it if only for understanding.....This is Not your playground and it's not your ball, so quit bitching.

I happen to be one of whom you are talking about here and I can say that "yes, I would go if I had the chance". A young and vibrant man leaves for duty from a part of the country you can't get to to say goodbye and the next item you see is a closed casket with him in it. You know he is gone, but.....
So don't be to hard on us folk that are having one helluva hard time especially today , when we say if I had the time and money I would like to go.
I hope you or your family never has to go through this.

Dave Payne

 

[Timmy!]

I can understand visiting after the conflict. But during? I don't agree with. It's like visiting old battlefields across the world.

 

[teddybear]

I'm with Mr. Payne. Given the chance, I would go in a heartbeat. Just like those family members visit car crash sites to be at the place where their loved one died, the same for us. It would bring closure. Most people are with their loved ones when they die. We just receive their body. Maybe a piece of their spirit is left in that country. I don't know. But to take a walk where my husband took some of his last footsteps would be a gift I could never repay.

 

[MG34]

Whoa.....all I have heard is negatives as to why the government shouldn't try to do something nice once in awhile....If my son was KIA over there and I was offered the chance to visit the country, I would jump at it if only for understanding.....This is Not your playground and it's not your ball, so quit bitching.

I see you're opinion is obviously much more valuable than mine : 

 

[tomahawk6]

I happen to be one of whom you are talking about here and I can say that "yes, I would go if I had the chance". A young and vibrant man leaves for duty from a part of the country you can't get to to say goodbye and the next item you see is a closed casket with him in it. You know he is gone, but.....
So don't be to hard on us folk that are having one helluva hard time especially today , when we say if I had the time and money I would like to go.
I hope you or your family never has to go through this.

Dave Payne

I am sorry for your loss Mr Payne.

 

[Flip]

I saw the CBC story on this last night.

It looked like a good thing to me. The man who lost his son and
had an opportunity to speak ( for the mission ) was articulate
and seemed to benefit from the journey.

As long as people aren't allowed to wonder into harm's way......
Seems like what Rememberance day is all about.

Leaves me with one observation though, where are Dion
and Taliban Jack?  Will they ever visit KAF?

Regards All

 

[geo]

From what I understand, the 5 families were to pert much "spend the day" with the troops, inside the wire at KAF.
They were not going out for a touristy visit of the Afghan countryside.

Spending time with some of the troops who are doing what their loved ones did, I can appreciate that desire... get a bit of closure...

I'd give a lot more of my time to these fine people - before I would give some of my time for a visit by Mr Coderre & the other MPs looking for photo ops.

 

[X-mo-1979]

I can think about a million worst ways for us to "waste" our money.Kudo's to the canadian government for bringing somekind of closure to these families.

I'm after staying in some fancy hotels where a motel would have sufficed on government dollar.THAT was a waste of money.

 

[toughenough]

...or worse yet they be allowed to on the tax payers tab.

These people went on a Herc, probably a regularly scheduled flight. How much does it really cost to stick a few extra people in there? You make it sound like we chartered a private jet to fly them in and a pair of Hornets to escort them. If we're already driving somewhere, we might as well take as much as we can.

Further more, the population of this site openly bashed Mr NDP about refusing to go over, yet I never hear this argument applied to that situation ("Taliban Jack wastes taxpayers money on photo op in KAF" would be the thread title).

I don't believe that I am alone when I say that when it comes to the mothers/wives of our fallen brothers, you can never repay enough, so to squable over food and quarters, and a flight to Trenton, really seems petty to me.

 

[geo]

Tough....
Breathe-2-3, Breathe-2-3
You aren't alone in your thoughts & no need to split a gut