Our Neighbors to the North
Monday, January 23, 2006
Austin Bay has a really great piece up today about the Canadian military and Canadian politics. It's worth your time to read.
There's quite a few Canadian readers here. And, Joe Katzman, one of my favorite bloggers is a *gasp!!!* Canadian (they're everywhere! they're everywhere!). Just got this email from a man in Ontario who sends a message to us:
Dear Blackfive;
As a long time reader of this blog, I wonder if I would be permitted to ask you the favour of passing on to your U.S. readers the deep appreciation that I’m sure all Canadians have for the assistance your forces provided to our troops in southern Afghanistan last week. A Canadian armoured convoy was returning to our base in Kandahar when it was hit by a suicide car bomber. A senior Canadian diplomat was killed and three of our troops were critically wounded. U.S. forces in the area responded without hesitation, airlifted our wounded out and quickly transferred them to Landstuhl, Germany, where they are being treated by U.S. surgeons in your military hospital there. The feelings of the Canadians involved are best summed up in a quote from one who was present at the site of the attack. He said, “What’s really struck me through all of this has been the great co-operation, patience, understanding and unparalleled team effort that we have had from the Americans… in getting our guys to the safety that they need. Right now they are in the absolute best place in the world, and there’s no doubt in our minds that they are getting tremendous care.’.
Currently we have 2,000 more troops deploying into this area, a well know Taliban stronghold, and I know that the vast majority of my fellow countrymen are glad that they will have good friends in the neighbourhood to count on when things go bad – as we expect them to. Although our elected officials are occasionally at odds over international policy, our two countries have fought shoulder to shoulder in many wars. At the end of the day, the reality is that we will always be united by our shared core values, culture and common roots.
Thank you for the support you gave us when it really counted.
Mark
Thank you, Mark.