Nice Piece From A Canadian Soldier

Nice Piece From A Canadian Soldier

It's from CBC News, February 17, 2009, and has some very nice things to say about his experiences fighting alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan:

Being military, I have often had the occasion to work closely with my American counterparts over the course of my career as well as with those from the UK, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Russia, Ghana, Turkey, Bangladesh, India and a number of smaller nations.

...

Because of their sheer numbers, I have had the opportunity to work closely with U.S. forces on each of my deployments to Afghanistan. I know there are some Canadians who view the U.S. military and foreign policy with suspicion. But from my own experiences, I am wholeheartedly thankful to call them allies and brothers-in-arms.

He also mentions something that, while it isn't cheap, I'm sure makes life for our soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq just a bit more tolerable:

When I first had the experience to travel to Bahgram in northern Afghanistan, the site of a large U.S. base, I was astonished to find a Burger King along with a U.S. PX that had a full supply of North American products.
It may not seem overly important, but when you have been away from home for four months or more, a burger from Burger King and a case of "real" Coca-Cola can do wonders for morale!
I didn't think much could top that experience until the NATO lieutenant invited me to Camp Phoenix for their weekly steak and lobster barbecue.
As the Americans saw it, if their country was sending them in harms way, they might as well be able to enjoy some common amenities with the folks back home.

Absolutely. Our soldiers are at risk of death, disability, and temporary injuries. When they get home, some significant fraction are going to suffer emotional and psychological consequences associated with their service. We might as well pay to make the situation while they are there as pleasant as possible for them.

I must confess, when I look at the psychological consequences that our armed forces suffer upon return, it is easy to fantasize about solving the problems of the Middle Eastern terrorism in a way that doesn't put our men and women at direct risk. But that would be a horrendous violation of human rights. Besides, the Europeans and Japanese would certainly object; they use Middle Eastern oil more than we do, and it won't do them much good if it's covered by sheets of radioactive glass.