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Today at work I received a 68mb Word document that opens to 23 pages of really good writing on one day in one company in 1st Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment in the Canadian battlegroup. It is based on 23 (?) Oct 06 on the troops defending one strong point along a critical road construction corridor in the Zhari / Panjwaye area West of Kandahar City. It is too big to post here, but if you send message to my open email, I'll forward it. [email protected]

Col Bernd Horn is a serving infantry officer, and published author. One of his latest books was a history of the Canadian Airborne Regiment. Under most circumstances anyone writing about the Airborne gets pushed to the end of the gangplank with the "smudgy" end of the stick that last stirred the "honey bucket". But he did a good job on that book, and likewise with this piece. You almost never get stories this fresh and in this detail.

The latest edition of Maple Laff - er, Maple Leaf, has long story on another action in the same region. Good writing (for once) by a Public Affairs Officer.
((http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/community/mapleleaf/vol_9/vol9_41/941_full.pdf ))

In my opinion the PAFFO branch should have been disbanded over the Somalia Affair, not the Airborne, but that is another argument.

I just reread the story. The importance of mechanized troops being able to fight on the ground is quite evident. The LAVs were closely integrated as anchors for the fighting positions. The troops have their holes, but must rely on their LAV IIIs for radios, firepower, resupply, cas evac, and recovery. The Taliban know this. The initial barrage of RPGs were airbursts, and one hit a vertical mast on a LAV. Two soldiers were killed and two more were wounded on, in and around the open "family hatch" (Sgt Telford and Cpl Williamson).

Just as the attack started, the Bn CO was visiting that platoon. In the battle, he was plugged into the defensive line. The Lt had the LCol under his command - well sort of. When the platoon leader did his drills and called for arty support, he was too late. The CO had his arty battery commander with him, and the guns' boss had started to call his own fire mission.

The second element that strikes me is how versatile all troops need to be. The platoon had a medic, but the Lt kept her back and had his combat first-aid trained soldiers do the initial stabilizing for her to monitor as a group. A wounded soldier took over as crew commander to get one LAV back to a nearby patrol base. Two engineer LAVs were tasked to go recover a damaged BISON ambulance, and an engineer bulldozer operator dragged a damaged 10-ton wrecker back to safety.

As a post-script, the 1st Bn's RSM Chief Warrant Officer Girouard and his driver Cpl Albert Storm were killed in an IED strike last week. ((http://www.icasualties.org/oef/ByNationality.aspx ))