Winging their way home

Maple Leaf (a Canadian Forces magazine) ^ | 2007-12-19 | Maj Jonathan Chouinard

[Clive]

After a nine-month deployment in the province of Uruzgan, the 600 soldiers of Kandak 1 were finally going home. These combat soldiers, under Dutch mentorship, are part of 1st Brigade, 205 Corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA). To bring things full circle, they had to be brought back to the province of Kandahar. My team was given the job of getting these soldiers back to their training base at Camp Hero in Sherzaï. The operation, which proved to be a great success, was carried out in two stages: the soldiers were flown home by plane and their equipment and vehicles followed by road.

Tirelessly, Captain Marie-Josée Desroches, 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment, (1 R22eR) and Lieutenant Sylvain Marcotte, 5 Service Battalion, knocked on every door in Uruzgan to find ways to get the soldiers out by air. They didn’t give up until they had the Dutch, American, Australian and Canadian forces on side. For them, the means of transportation mattered little, as long as they had a plane, helicopter, jet or even a pigeon strong enough to transport the Afghan soldiers home.

In front of stunned flight crew members, Chief Warrant Officer Guy Suttenwood-Johnson, of Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment), had to remind Kandak 1 members that ammunition had to be removed from rocket launchers before boarding an aircraft and that no exotic animals could be carried in their luggage. Once all the batteries, machetes, grenades, cats and other objects had been removed from their possession, the soldiers were finally allowed to board. “It’s amazing what they carry around in their pockets. They could survive for weeks on the food they have on them,” explained Capt John Summerfield, 3 R22eR, and Sergeant Gregory Branch, 1 R22eR.

Once the Kandak 1 personnel were safely home, all the equipment and vehicles (if you can call them that given the condition of those old Ford Rangers after nine months of combat) had to be transported back to Kandahar as well.

“The soldiers in charge of protecting the convoy had never seen the like,” said Major Pierre Huet, 12e Régiment blinde du Canada, commanding officer of the battle group reconnaissance squadron. “The vehicles were overflowing with personal effects, ammunition, and both light and heavy weapons. Everything that hadn’t been loaded onboard the aircraft, including a washing machine, a refrigerator and a pigeon in a state of shock, was stuffed into the vehicles. Perched on top of one of the piles, an Afghan machine gunner who kept watch. It was quite a scene! As for the poor bird, I fear that the experience was highly traumatizing,” he added.

Like the heroes of antiquity, the Afghan soldiers were greeted by crowds of well-wishers on their arrival home in Kandahar. The vehicle convoy that transported the equipment of these courageous men is a good example of the excellent co-operation that exists between the ANA and the CF. Believe me, we can adapt to any situation and get the job done.

After their successful repatriation, the Kandak 1 soldiers enjoyed one month of well-deserved leave, before getting back to work. As for Canadian soldiers, we only have a few more months in-theatre, then we too, will be winging our way home.

[Clive]

A CF convoy moves Kandak 1 equipment back to Kandahar province.

[Clive]

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[alfa6]

Thanks Clive

And a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours

Best Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[fanfan]

[Clive]

Thank you.

And a Merry Christmas and Happy Hogmanay to you and yours.

Regards.