Axe attack fells soldier

Canadian Press - Toronto Sun ^ | Sun. Mar.05/2006 | By LES PERREAUX, THE CANADIAN PRESS

[pyx]

Axe attack fells soldier

Canucks sitting down with Afghan villagers for discussion when assailant hits lieutenant on the head

by LES PERREAUX, THE CANADIAN PRESS

KANDAHAR -- The attack on Lieut. Trevor Greene was more like the work of a madman, an axe-wielding attempt at murder rather than an act of war.

Greene was chatting with dozens of elders near Gumbad yesterday when an Afghan villager pulled an axe with a 60-cm handle from inside his clothing.

The villager, in his 20s, held the axe high over the Canadian soldier's head and yelled "Allah Akbar" -- God is Great -- the signature call of an Islamist suicide attacker.

The man fulfilled his destiny. He delivered his nearly lethal blow and then died where he stood, his body riddled with bullets from Capt. Kevin Schamuhn and two of his fellow soldiers.

Schamuhn was sure Greene, of Vancouver, was dead -- "because of the force with which the axe hit his head. "Fortunately, that was not the case."
The notion the act was of a lone maniac quickly disappeared.

While villagers scattered in all directions, enemy small-arms fire broke out from across the river. Canadians and their Afghan allies returned fire. Then, another man moved toward coalition forces and tossed a hand grenade.

The Afghans and Canadians returned fire again as the grenade exploded harmlessly. Schamuhn believes the man was hit but the grenade attacker scurried away in the mayhem.

SERIOUS CONDITION

As things calmed down, a U.S. Blackhawk helicopter whisked Greene away to a Canadian hospital at Kandahar Airfield. He remains there in serious condition, awaiting a plane ride to the U.S. combat hospital at Landsruehl, Germany, and home.

The platoon from Company A of the Princess Patricia's Light Infantry brigade was making one of a series of stops in small villages from their forward operating base 70 km north of Kandahar.

Villagers had welcomed them with blankets and bread and meat. The meeting with local leaders -- the key to getting anything done in rural areas -- was off to a good start when the attacker struck, Schamuhn said.

The first hint of trouble could only be seen in the light of hindsight, he said.

"About two or three minutes prior to the incident, all the children that were present were escorted away, about 20 to 30 metres away," Schamuhn recalled.

"But none of us picked up on this, there was no weird feeling, no gut feeling that something was about to go down."

Schamuhn has grown to trust villagers through dozens of encounters. He and Greene had removed their helmets and set down their arms in a sign of respect and trust.

"I'm sure I've shaken hands with some people who have plotted against us," he said. "You can't tell."

Schamuhn said he had started to believe the oft-repeated Afghan contention that foreigners are causing all the trouble. He doesn't believe it now. ....[End of Exerpt]

[pyx]

Schamuhn has grown to trust villagers through dozens of encounters. He and Greene had removed their helmets and set down their arms in a sign of respect and trust.

You can't make this stuff up. It appears after reading the story that Capt. Schamuhn STILL doesn't get it.

Its VERY sad that this soldier has given valuable his life to uphold PC causes. Disarming yourself while incountry is I suppose, one way to ensure you'll go home soon.

[thoughtomator]

What other religion has a "signature call" for its suicide attackers?

[ClearCase_guy]

I think you are too harsh.

We need to trust. We need to take chances. He who dares, wins.

[cardinal4]

What other religion has a "signature call" for its suicide attackers?

Good point..

[steveo]

Level the village.

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

flatten it.....they all knew, they pulled their kids back!

[FreedomCalls]

Its VERY sad that this soldier has given valuable his life to uphold PC causes.

He's still alive.

[CyberAnt]

I'm sorry .. a soldier NEVER takes off his helmet on the battlefield .. NEVER.

I've noticed our guys stay in full armour - all the time.

[fanfan]

Canada Ping!

Please FReepmail me to get on or off this Canada ping list.

[Tree of Liberty]

Level the village.

That'd be a start.

[MizSterious]

So very sad that they didn't see this one coming. Some here are insisting we must "trust." I think we must only "trust" that we shouldn't turn our backs on people we don't know. First, get a reason to trust, let them earn it.

[Admin Moderator]

Please use original titles.

[Daralundy]

A similar (but not identical) thread here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1590018/posts

[Wormwood]

You break it, you bought it.

[SuzyQue]

Did Lt. Greene die? He was in critical condition last I heard.

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

So this is where the phrase "he got the axe" comes from...

[loboinok]

"We need to trust. We need to take chances. He who dares, wins."


I trust in God... everyone else can keep their hands where I can see them.

[Cicero]

Villagers had welcomed them with blankets and bread and meat.

This was a severe violation of trust and hospitality. It is an almost universal custom among tribal peoples that hospitality is one of the highest virtues and that guests are sacred. Better to kill one of your own family than a guest under your roof who has broken bread with you.

In the Bible story, this is why Lot offers to give his own daughters to the mob of Sodomites rather than send out the angels disguised as young men, because terrible as it would be to prostitute a daughter, it was better than betraying invited guests.

This has always been the case with Arabs and other tribal Muslims. This is really unbelievable. And, as the story suggests, the tribal elders apparently agreed to do this.

When you read about breach of hospitality that Cesare Borgia committed at Sinagaglia, even Machiavelli finds it an evil act. And when Machiavelli thinks of evil tyrants, again it is famous breaches of hospitality that he thinks of first.

Yes, hospitality is sometimes breached in traditional societies, but it is so evil that it is remembered for hundreds of years. This whole tribe has disgraced itself by doing this. I agree that the Canadians did right to trust their hosts. They could not do otherwise.

[Battle Axe]

Sort of the same thing happened in 1973 in the Modoc Indian War. Captain Jack, head of the Modoc tribe, was sitting in a meeting of General Canby, U. S. Calvary in the Lava Beds, now a National Monument.

Capt. Jack had been goaded into attacking Gen. Canby by several of the lesser chiefs, calling Capt. Jack a woman. Capt. Jack was age 33. Capt. Jack pulled out a gun and shot Gen. Canby dead, when other Indians attacked others of the party. One man was scalped and survived. Capt. Jack escaped in the mayhem.

Washington sent more troops into the Modoc/Siskiyou county area of California....Northeast corner...and soon there were 4000 U.S. troops against 73 Indians.

The whole thing had started when two other bands of Indians, the Klamaths and the Pit River Indians began robbing wagon trains dressed up like Modocs. Apparently, the Modocs did not commit the crimes, but had violated a treaty by moving back into their own territory instead of living with the Klamaths on the Chiloquin reservation.

Eventually, Capt. Jack was captured and hanged at Ft. Klamath, Oregon.

Only a few, maybe 4 Modocs are left and I think one that is part Modoc is a newscaster.

This post sounds soft on the Indians and I've always had a soft spot in my heart for them. My family moved into the region 75 years after the remaining Modocs were removed to Oklahoma. My grandmother was petrified of Indians and forced me to practice hiding under the bed for when and if they came back.

[pyx]

I think you are too harsh.

You're right. But then, I'm a survivor.

[SIDENET]

Level the village.

The village didn't do this. One jihadi asshat with an axe, plus an ambush provided by his buddies did. Notice that the attackers threw grenades and the villagers had to scatter for safety. I'd be willing to bet that most of them had no clue that this was going to happen.

[MikeWUSAF]

I've noticed our guys stay in full armour - all the time.

When I was deployed to the Gulf we were not permitted to take our armour off unless we were taking a shower and then it had to be quick. Did both #1 and #2 with my helmet on.

[MikefromOhio]

this wasn't a battlefield.

The village had offered them food. They were being peaceful to our (both US and Canadian) soldiers. Then this happened.

The LT is alive and we shouldn't allow this kind of incident from harming our progress in Afghanistan. The suicide axer died, the attack didn't harm dozens of people, the grenade didn't hurt anyone.

Let's move on and any reprisals shouldn't be against the village, but against the Taliban and AQ types that would LOVE for us to do something stupid like level the village.

[PastorBooks]

Prayer List ping

[thoughtomator]

Once you throw Islam into the mix, even the most basic custom between people cannot be relied upon. Allah is more akbar than hospitality or basic human decency.

[thoughtomator]

Enough of them knew to:

A) move the kids,
B) ambush the Allied forces from across the river.
C) toss a grenade and provide enough mayhem and confusion for the thrower to get away

It's more likely that they ALL knew what was going to happen and acted together to make it as effective an ambush as possible. If that grenade wasn't a dud this would be a totally different story.

[centurion316]

I'm sorry .. a soldier NEVER takes off his helmet on the battlefield .. NEVER.

Oh yeah. I spent 365 days in a combat zone and I never removed my helmet. No siree, Bob. Never did. Yep, kept that sucker on the whole year.

[thoughtomator]

Mike, these are the Taliban and AQ types, and their behavior has proven it.

[CyberAnt]

Well .. being invited INTO A PRIVATE home where they have established a relationship with the family over several months .. is relatively safe in my opinion. However, I got the impression this was the first attempt by the Canadian group to try to make some connection with these people. I think the two events are apples and oranges and not a real comparison.

[trimom]

I trust in God... everyone else can keep their hands where I can see them.

That's a perfect response! Gotta remember that one going forward.

[MikefromOhio]

no they aren't.

If they were, we would have more soldiers there. We would have more of a fight on our hands.

I have Friends in Afghanistan right now. It isn't nearly like it was in 2003.

This was and will be an isolated incident.

[Right Wing Assault]

Ah, yes, the old "sign of respect and trust" trick. To show that we trust each other, get rid of all your weapons. I will hold them for you.

[MikefromOhio]

Level the village

And give AQ a bunch of new recruits. NO thanks and I am VERY glad you aren't in charge.

[MikefromOhio]

Did you not read the story?

The guy with the axe was shot by the other 3 other soldiers......they didn't give their weapons up.

[Bigg Red]

...happened in 1973 in the Modoc Indian War...

&&&

1973??

[Landry Fan]

He remains there in serious condition, awaiting a plane ride to the U.S. combat hospital at Landsruehl, Germany, and home.

prayers for our Canadian friend.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

My two favorite passages:

Schamuhn was sure Greene, of Vancouver, was dead -.... .
"Fortunately, that was not the case."

The man fulfilled his destiny. ....and then died where he stood,
his body riddled with bullets from Capt. Kevin Schamuhn and two of his fellow soldiers.

[vwunpimsmyride]

Worked in Dresden in WWII.

[MikefromOhio]

Worked in Dresden in WWII.

Because we killed every citizen in Dresden in WWII. Because we are facing an enemy like Germany in Afghanistan now. Err wait no we aren't. We are facing a defeated enemy who is losing the battle in every conceivable way, but to do something drastic like you would wish to happen would only give them momentum and new recruits.

[CaptainCanada]

Worked in Dresden in WWII.

I think that's a bad analogy.
The fire bombing of Dresden did nothing to end or win the war.
The fire bombing of Dresden took place in mid-February
1945, when the outcome of the war with Germany was certain.
Whether it was for revenge, or terror, or whatever, it was a
wholesale slaughter of innocent German civilians, and almost everyone
now agrees it was wrong.

[Right Wing Assault]

Did you not read the story?

I read the story. I was just talking about various folks around the world who want us to "trust" them and extending the situation to "prove it by disarming". I didn't mean this story and should have made it clearer.

[combat_boots]

"I think you are too harsh.

We need to trust."

No way can platitudes take the place of keeping yourself armed among the enemy when you don't speak the language.

[MikefromOhio]

ah ok...

now your comment makes a ton of sense :)

And I agree, you make peace, not keep it....as the leftists would LOVE us to believe......

[bboop]

"Most of them had no clue" -- except for the ones who took the kids out of there. Someone knew, and I think many people knew. Bastards.

[yarddog]

I'm sorry .. a soldier NEVER takes off his helmet on the battlefield .. NEVER

That caught my attention too because my Father once told me the only time he ever got a dressing down was when his CO caught him without his helmet.

[leadpenny]

My son, an Infantry LT. with the 25th ID, was involved in the same type of Civil Affairs operations in the same area about a year ago. His platoon and the entire Bn. in that AO also gathered intell during these encounters that was used in other types of operations. The village elders are key.