Posted on 02/09/2008 5:57:56 AM PST by canuck_conservative
They had big black beards, big warm smiles. They had a dozen young Afghan army trainees in tow, each with a grin to match. They didn't even have flak jackets, let alone a speck of armour on the two brown pickup trucks that kept their show on the road.
They were French special forces, in an especially dodgy part of Afghanistan, where the French supposedly don't go. And they'd been there a while.
It was late February 2006 – nearly two years ago now – but this close encounter came vividly to mind yesterday when talk of a possible French deployment alongside Canadian soldiers in southern Afghanistan was the dominant headline from a two-day NATO gathering in the Lithuanian capital.
At the time – and under the rules of military embedding – nothing was said of the French presence in the hills around Gumbad, 75 kilometres north of Kandahar. It was another time, a different president in Paris, under whose watch a large troop deployment was simply unthinkable.
How times have changed. The special forces' activity in the south is no longer a secret in France. Nor does it arouse particular concern.
"It was hard to write about it because they work undercover, but eventually it became a well-known fact," said Luc de Barochez, foreign editor of Le Figaro newspaper.
"We know our special forces were there; we know we have planes in Kandahar. And I think that is why French people will accept sending some kind of reinforcements to southern Afghanistan. Because it is not really new."
The leader of the team the Toronto Star encountered never did say his name, but I remember him as O Positive in reference to his blood type, which was written in large lettering on his fatigues to improve his chances of survival.
Over the course of 10 days, OP became a pivotal figure in the group. Among key moments, he led his Afghan team in support of the Canadians the day Capt. Trevor Greene was struck in the head with an axe as he sat down to talk to villagers.
The impact of the attack transcended nationality. Afghan, French and Canadian alike retreated that night to the mud-brick barracks feeling the same.
There were two French Canadian army mechanics attached to Greene's platoon, and it was with them that the francophone bond was especially evident. OP at one point orchestrated a ration swap – not uncommon as every army prefers another army's food, if only to break the monotony.
The French Canadians were absolutely beside themselves as they unpacked the famed French RCIR (Ration de Combat Individuelle Rechauffable, or Combat Ration Individual Reheatable). Weighing in at a whopping 3,200 calories, the supersized French rations come as breakfast, lunch and dinner in a single box – with a menu range that includes paella, duck paté, sautéed rabbit, seafood risotto and beef bourguignon.
Until a few years ago, each came also with a bottle of wine. Now the wine is rationed separately. If OP had any in his kit, the French-Canadians didn't say. They, like the rest of the Canadians, were serving a "dry" deployment.
Ultimately, OP's job was twofold mentoring-on-the-fly. And if the energy level of his troops was any indication, he was very good.
Three years ago, I saw Iraqi army recruits under the tutelage of RCMP trainers in the western desert of Jordan. Instructing those particular Iraqis was like trying to talk cats into swimming. They were there for the payday – and the trainers had little doubt some would be selling their guns and uniforms the first day back in Baghdad.
The Afghans under OP's guidance didn't just walk into the unknown, they ran. This wasn't about money. They want to be an army. They want to be a country. Which matters because sooner or later, with French help or without, there is no way for Canada to leave Kandahar with its head held high without Afghans ready to take their place.
With the upcoming Afghanistan vote, thought this would be timely.
Maybe we should try this instead of MREs.
I believe when the story can be told, we will learn that these “green beret” types of several nationalities, mostly American, have done an amazing job in turning the allegiance of Afghans and Iraqis away from radical Islam and toward their own country governments and the Western world.
No doubt.
That was my first thought, then I remembered that it all comes from the lowest bidder! The fancy names come with no extra cost!
My USMC son attended a survival school taught by the French in the Horn of Africa,I'll have to ask him how the chow was?
-
Capt. Greene survived, although he continues his recovery from the very serious head wound.
http://hazel8500.wordpress.com/2006/10/21/captain-trevor-green-canadian-hero-takes-on-new-mission/
French rations are simply the best
C-rations were better than MREs
MREs are not bad
British rations need some improvement
And for the love of God, dont force me to eat the German rations.
There has been participation by special forces from dozens of countries around there world. Even countries that don’t want to be seen as supporting the US with a deployment of regular troops are keen to get their snake eaters some hands-on training at the sharp end of the spear. And you KNOW the snake eaters themselves were as eager as puppies to come play cowboys & hajis with us.
I was a Navy guy, so I got to eat on the mess deck every night. Not to mention sleeping in my rack every night, which was so much preferable to the ground. I didn’t get acquainted with MREs until I worked as a contractor in Afghanistan during this decade.
The French boxed rations were excellent ( paella, duck paté, sautéed rabbit, seafood risotto and beef bourguignon)
and they used to include a full pack of Gitane cigarettes and a small bottle of Cognac.
And all this time I thought the chicken stew LRRP was the best box lunch.
On occasion we did get one can of warm beer and two cans of warm soda!
Does make you wonder how many ‘wonderkinder’ are out in the weeds look to whack the hadjis - and much the press never gets a wiff about.......
I personally hope a lot.
Cowboys and hadjis, that is a fun joke....
“And all this time I thought the chicken stew LRRP was the best box lunch.”
I have some of the old dehydrated LRRP ration pouches and C-rations.
I was thinking of the joke that goes something like this:
A cowboy, and Indian, and a Muslim are talking. The Indian says, "Once we were many, and now we are few." The Muslim says, "Once we were few, and now we are many." But the cowboy squints at him from under the brim of his ten-gallon hat, and says, "Waaaal now, we ain't played cowboys and Muslims yet."
-ccm
Sounds like it would beat M***f's and beans any day of the week.
L
Nooooooooooo it don’t !!
Worked with legionnaires in Dubai, Yemen and Oman and they were willing (trying) to fess up 1:20 ratio trade for our MRE’s for that french ration.
Bad stuff but if you can stomach the content it is nutritionally superior too anything on the GI list !
BAD BAD BAD YUCK !!!........:o)
L
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