General (Canadian) Tries to Lead by Example in Afghanistan

In a part of the world where brave gestures earn respect, tribal elders took notice when the commander of the multi-national forces in southern Afghanistan went on patrol in Kandahar, less than week after a series of attacks on his troops.

It's dangerous beyond the borders of Kandahar Airfield, the base where soldiers rest, train and plan for their forays into the often hostile countryside that surrounds the base.

Just last Saturday, a vicious axe attack during a meeting with tribal elders left Capt. Trevor Greene in critical condition.

Before that, a suicide bombing injured three and a vehicle accident injured two others and claimed the life of a third.

But Brig.-Gen. David Fraser in Afghanistan sent a message to the Taliban Wednesday that Canadians will not be scared away from their mission of helping rebuild the communities of the war-torn nation.

In soldier's slang, the 48-year-old Fraser ventured "outside the wire," and left the protective safety of the base, joining his troops for the first time to patrol the dangerous roads of Kandahar province.

He did a turn in the gun turret of the LAV III armoured vehicle transporting him.

Fraser even held another shura, the tribal meetings designed to broker peace and goodwill with Afghans.

Despite the axe attack on one of his troops in the same setting, Fraser removed his helmet and laid down his rifle in a gesture of goodwill.

"I can't do my job sitting down .... I can't sit in an office. I've got to get out here and do this stuff," Fraser, a former infantryman who heads the Multi National Brigade for Regional Command South (MNB RC (South)), told CTV's Steve Chao in Afghanistan.

The purpose of the Canadian mission simply can't be fulfilled without taking risks and getting in harm's way, Fraser said.

"We came over here as an international community to help these people. ... You've got to put yourself at some sort of risk to go and help them."

The top general's visit got the attention of tribal elders. During the shura, they explained that they want to set up a checkpoint to increase security on the notoriously dangerous stretch of highway where Canadian soldiers have been attacked.

Fraser's courage has also earned the respect of the men who serve alongside him.

"He's a leader and he's a soldier, so actually I think it builds confidence in the other soldiers that see that," said Master Warrant Officer Shawn Walsh, who is part of the security detail that guards the commander.

On another hazardous stretch of road, Fraser and his troops made an impromptu visit with a shepherd.

His security detail scrambled to maintain his safety, but the gesture, like the others, spoke volumes both to his own troops and to the Afghans about his commitment to the region.

Not sure how I feel about this. He's an important guy to be out there taking chances.>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Generals of Scottish Regiments have a tradition of leading their troops from the front. This goes back a thousand years or more to the auld days when the clan Chieftain would lead his men into battle. Naturally modern warfare requires the command to be centralized, in a command and control center, but you can be sure General Fraser tolerates that rather than liking it much.

Fraser wants to grab a rifle and go over the hill with his men, and what he did here is "only" the next best thing.

Few people may believe what I say here, but it is true. I post a painting of what this looked like hundreds of years ago.

And Scots soldiers have always loved one another as brothers, especially in battle, and in dying , break each others hearts. This makes them different than almost any other soldiers in the world, because they know this ahead of the battle, before the loss, while the culture of most other military organizations suggest that soldiers hide it until after someone is lost. This is one of many reasons the Scottish regiments and their Canadian counterparts are such tough soldiers, in the press and in the chase.It has been this way for a very, very long time. No liberal socialist wing nuts can change that:

This is why the attack on Captain Kevin Greene of the Seaforth's Highland Regiment is personal. It has the Princess Patricia Rifles itching to get there hands on that lot. I hope they tell us when they do, and what happens then.

Payback is nae shame in the Highland Regiments, and it is a positive motivator.

Take them lads, and nae be shy about it.

So you are saying that Canada was in Afganistan in full combat role from day 1 sharing the heavy responsibilities with the USA hand in hand? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Politically Correct attitude encouraged and propagated by Canadian weak kneed liberals has been to abandon the military of Canada. Now that is changing. The liberal party is responsible for that past and a failure of popular culture in Canada to support the military. Canada was with the USA on its Afghanistan operation, and hundreds of Canadian soldiers went to Afghanistan attached to US Army units.

However Canada balked at Iraq, because the USA was portrayed by Canadian UN Mavin Liberals and NDP Socialists as being the unecessary Agressor. The public in Canada is more maleable than that of the USA and went along with the then wing nut liberal government. Look what Brigadier General Hillier says:

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"The Canadian Forces have actually been in a survival mode for the last decade and our ability since the Somalia affair — and that crystallized a whole bunch of other things — when our population, in the view of many soldiers and sailors and airmen and airwomen, disowned us, divorced themselves from us, led us into a situation where our survival was the only priority which we had.

So now we're out of that. And one of the aims is to make sure that never occurs again.

But I also throw the ball back in the other court. Canadians disowned their Canadian Forces in one respect back in the early to mid 1990s. And have never been engaged in the way they needed to shape it going forward. So it's a responsibility I throw back into normal Canadians' laps and say: 'It's your armed forces, you get engaged.'

We do live in a very nice, luxurious, safe, stable, fat and easy country, right? It's easy to get myopic and navel-gazing and think the rest of the world is like us. We're part of 1 per cent of the world that's like this.

( My Comment: The General just about said " Liberal socialist here ...navel gazing...you gotta love it!) Canadians need to wake up to the fact that we are viewed by the rest of the world as luxurious, decadently so perhaps."

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You can here the General saying the above, among others, on video cameos here:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/special/audio/hillier.html

*********************************************** We in America have to be patient as this tide turns and not be too hard on our Canadian brothers, they need time to work through the 35 years of damage caused by the asshole libs, starting with Trudeau. Canada is breathing a sigh of relief, to be out from under the liberal wing nut boot. So Canadian Conservatives tend to be frisky, and they should be, as they throw off the morass of 35 years of feeling bad.

So calm down lads, kiss and make up.

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