QotD: Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan

[Interviewer]: What is being done to ensure your safety?

[Captain Dave]: Before I answer that question, I must make it clear that what we will be doing there is not what you expect. This is not a peacekeeping tour. We have a very clear mission in Afghanistan, and it will almost certainly involve combat — not occasional, desultory, 'odd angry shot' kind of fighting, but the real thing. It is very likely that many Canadian soldiers will be injured or killed. Although the organization of which I am a part — a small part of the complete Canadian force — has a peaceful-sounding title, you must remember that the enemy does not recognize such distinctions, or rather recognizes them enough to pick the easy target. A big part of my job will be to coordinate security. You may rest assured that if I see the enemy, then I or my soldiers will capture him, or we will kill him. We are not playing games.

My comrades and I are well trained; we are equipped, at the soldier level, as well as money can buy and certainly better than any other modern military; we have been given the legal authority to use the tools at our disposal; and we are, for the moment at least, backed by a population that supports us.

My only fear is that once we start to suffer casualties — and, again, we will suffer casualties — that support will begin to erode, and well-meaning but nevertheless terribly misguided Canadians will start to demand our return home. I am making no comment whatsoever on governmental decisions that may or may not be made in the future — but make no mistake, a public that does not support the fight does not support the troops. Period. And this war will have to be prosecuted over a generation for our sacrifices to mean anything at all.

Captain "Virtual Dave", Provincial Reconstruction Team, "More on the PRT", Farfromcanadahar, 2006-01-20