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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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 Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2006 4:19 pm Post subject: Afghan mission: challenge to Canadian identity? |
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Fewer Canadians 'strongly approve' of Afghan mission: survey
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| Overall, 50 per cent of Canadians asked in November expressed some degree of approval, that is, they either "somewhat approve" or "strongly approve" of Canada's participation in Afghanistan. While that total was up slightly from the October survey, it is a six percentage point drop from June of this year. |
If you ask Canadians what are some of the things that define Canada, things we are proud of and if you remove all the "we're not like America X way", one of the few remaining items on the table is peacekeeping. A Canadian won a nobel prize for inventing the concept. Canadians are proud of their peacekeeping role in the world.
Certainly more Canadians have died in this new role than any previous peacekeeping mission. It's a real fight this time around. But is our pride hollow? Isn't this the real fight on terrorism, not that crazy assed Iraq adventure?
Of course, I'm not there, I'm not fighting, I'm not being shot at, I don't have family being shot at, I've never served in the military (although I did try to join once). Am I being an arm chair general? Never been a boot on the ground but happy to move army men around the board? Probably.
Anyway, it saddens me in a way that Canadians, vocally proud of our peacekeeping role, seem to get weak in the legs when we're being asked to pay a price. |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2006 8:49 pm Post subject: |
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Actually, more people have been signing up, and many more will soon, thanks to this...
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061026/soldiers_fitness_061026/20061026?hub=TopStories
Yup, 19 pushups and 19 situps (down from 33 when I served, if I remember correctly (not that they actually tested us on it)) was deemed too strict a requirement.
Actually, recruits haven't been in tip top physical conditions in years. Based on my experiences and observations, I'd say the requirements were unofficially removed more than 10 years ago (you should have seen the sorry bunch of couch potatoes I did my basic with).
CBC even did a story on the poor physical condition of new recruits about 10 years ago. One fit looking soldier was shown saying, " I wouldn't trust them with my life" as he was looking at recruits barely able to walk with their 60 pound backpacks (some were even crying!). I was surprised to see trainers trying to get recruits to do pushups (I guess that was for the benefit of the cameras), because we weren't tested once. The one time we were made to do pushups, they stopped at 5 because half of the kids were crying. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2006 4:14 am Post subject: |
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| Hollywoodaction wrote: |
| Actually, more people have been signing up, and many more will soon, thanks to this... |
I've always been under the impression there isn't much turn over in the armed forces and it's hard to get in. Like there was a waiting list.
I remember I used to work at a Second Cup near Windsor's armory, the Essex Kent Scottish. They were famous for really taking it in the pants at Dieppe. (Oh and happy Remembrance Day 11/11 y'all.) They were an armored regiment but they had no armor. They had a couple Cougar training vehicles which they got to drive around once every couple months. I think these tank training vehicles were pressed into service in Afghanistan and Bosnia. Stuff never meant to go to war, just to be used as trainers, we send our boys in. Most of their tank training was on the parade ground moving boxes around or something learning tactics.
This was something else that made me sad. We were so gung ho for peacekeeping but no one ever seemed to want to pay to buy things like real AFVs, body armor, radios that worked, modern helicopters, etc. My theory was we should have a nickle a bottle tax on beer. Every nickle goes straight to the armed forces to procure new equipment.
Anyway, this weird guy would come into the Second Cup a lot and read Guns 'n' Ammo magazine. Whenever one of the Essex Kent guys came in, he start sniffin' around them. I over heard him once say something like "I tried to get into the militia but I failed the IQ test." What kind of IQ score do you need to join the militia? The Canadian militia? Jay-sus. |
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