Posted on 08/04/2007 8:01:27 PM PDT by nuconvert
Quebec-based troops in Afghanistan can't fathom antiwar sentiment back home
MARTIN OUELLET
August 3rd, 2007
SHAWALI KOT, Afghanistan (CP) - Pte. Francis Archambault says he couldn't believe what he was hearing during a conversation he had before he left Quebec for Afghanistan.
"Somebody who's educated, who has diplomas galore, told me there would be no war in the world if people like me didn't exist," Archambault, 23, said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
"It really shocked me to hear that from someone who should know better."
Archambault and other Quebec-based soldiers in Afghanistan expressed frustration and exasperation with the widespread opposition in their home province to Canada's military mission in the country.
One poll suggested 70 per cent of Quebecers were opposed to the continued presence of Canadian soldiers in the war-torn land, while some members of the national assembly refused to stand up when several soldiers visited the legislature earlier this year.
Archambault said people who are against the mission are misguided when they accuse Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives of wanting to endorse U.S. foreign policy just to stay in the good books of the Bush administration.
"That has nothing to do with it," he said. "Canada is not getting a lot out of its presence here. It costs lives and it costs money but we're trying to give a chance to people who need help.
"It's probably the biggest thing I'll do in my life."
Canada has about 2,500 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO force supporting the Afghan government. In the new rotation, most of them will be from CFB Valcartier, near Quebec City.
Canada is slated to leave Afghanistan in February 2009 and Harper has said extending the mission would require the consensus of Parliament.
Master Cpl. David Martel, one of the Van Doos charged with patrolling the Shawali Kot district in southeastern Afghanistan, said the attitude of some people is disheartening.
"You come here because you believe in what you do," Martel said.
"You want to provide security and help people improve their lot, while back home people aren't very receptive to that. They say you're just off to kill people."
Sgt. Steve Dufour said people are entitled to their opinion but believes the Canadian mission is not understood and is often misinterpreted.
"I spoke to one student who was against the mission," he said. "I told her 'In Canada, does anyone prevent you from going to school and getting an education?' Well, that's what it's like here (in Afghanistan)."
On Friday, some of the Van Doos went out on foot patrol with a contingent of Afghan police officers.
At one point, one of the policemen fired his weapon by mistake, leading the Canadians to believe they were being attacked. No other shots were fired and nobody was injured.
Capt. Stephane Girard said later he was angry that the Afghan police had told villagers not to venture outside during the visit by the Canadian soldiers.
"We wanted to meet the locals and speak to them," Girard said.
"But they (the Afghan police force) got there before us and scared them."
At the beginning of World War 2 (Sept 1939), A majority of Quebeckers were opposed to any involvement in the war.
Quebecers are all French, are they not? Need we say more?
This garbage has gone on too long for the comfort of the folks in the rest of the continent. Even Mexicans are at great risk of terrorists who get the idea that Americans are easy pickings.
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MEL’s -PASSION- sparked by -WE WERE SOLDIERS-
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They’ve got the same problems we do...good soldiers, with some rotten civilians.
In my 60 years on this earth, I’ve met two frenchmen who were men. One of them was a french Canadian who enlisted with me into the U.S.Marines to hurry up the immigration process (he was buried under an AMERICAN flag), as he was kia serving with 1/9,RLT 26 in Viet Nam.
The other was a french of Jewish descent who was a veteran of the Israeli Army and the invasion of Lebanon to kick yasser out of that country.
Haven’t met any others male or female I’d waste spit on if they were on fire.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
How can we communicate to Mr. Archambault that some men - like himself - are warriors, and some are pissants?
As were a majority of Americans.
As you'd know if you'd care to research the matter.
you beat me to it. I was going to say the ssme thing. An ignorant response should be challenged at all times.
That "educated someone" would be bowing to Mecca 5 times a day if men and women like this soldier didn't exist.
God Bless the men and women who are the warriors protecting us from the evil ones!
btt
Sticking Canucks in a hellhole like Darfur with no support and no real mission apart from some vague mandate to do good-good.
Sticking Canucks in a well-supported, clearly defined mission which is showing real progress-bad.
Is there something wrong with this picture?
The Canadian troops from Quebec, as they return from Afghanistan, should seize the provincial government by force (and maybe the national government if they get in the way) and begin a major purge of their enemies.
Just doing it in Quebec would probably scare the Dem’s pants off sufficient for them to run back to their little friends in Cuba and Venezuela.
The Quebecois largely stayed out of World War I—they didn’t give a damn for France and saw it as Britain’s war. The mere hint of conscription was enough to spark riots.
The Quebecois opposed conscription in World War II while the rest of the country supported it, even though in both wars, there was little actual conscription carried out.
One of the dirty little secrets of Canadian history is just how much pro-Axis and pro-Vichy sentiment there was in Quebec, especially in the early years of World War II. Not majority support, but not insignificant either.
In 1939 a majority of Americans were, too.
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