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Chris Robinson's Afghanistan Journal
January 11, 2007
It all began at Selwyn House. In Grade 11 we were required to write letters of application as part of the testing for our French mark. Mme. Werbiski contacted some real employers to come talk to us so that we would actually have some real job positions to apply for. One of the people who came in to talk to us was Sgt. Pierre from 712 Communications Squadron in Westmount, because his commanding officer was Mme. Werbiski’s sister-in-law. I found the job he described quite interesting, so once I had written the letter I decided to actually submit it. I was contacted by Sgt. Pierre and did the paperwork and testing to join the Canadian Forces.
I went on my basic recruit course in July of 2001, did my first trade-level course the next summer, and my final trade course in 2003. In 2004 I took a break and worked for defence research. In 2005 I did my Primary Leadership Qualification and taught a basic course as second-in-command of a section. In the summer of 2006 I applied to positions on a tour in Bosnia. The positions were filled by units from Western Canada, so I shifted my application to the tour in Afghanistan, and was accepted.
On February 12, 2007 I will be shipping out as part of Task Force Afghanistan 1-07. I am being deployed under Operation Archer, which means I will be based in the south, near Khandahar, though I may be moving around a lot due to the job I am doing. I am part of the Operation Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) as a signal operator. The OMLT teams, comprised of 5-6 people, are embedded with the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP). We are there in a mentoring role, which is very important to the Canadian Army’s mission objectives. The teams help the ANA and ANP become more self-sufficient, with the eventual goal of reducing the Canadian role to one of reconstruction and peacekeeping.
Most likely I will be mentoring someone in charge of communications at a company level (which should be four platoons, one of which is normally a support platoon) comprising around 150 people, assuming the ANA is modeled on something like the Canadian Army. I expect I will be teaching ANA instructors, as well as mentoring on some leadership aspects of running communications and how to deploy detachments and troops.
I am a company signaler, which is basically the person standing next to the Officer Commanding and radioing back to the rear. For those of you familiar with the concept of guerrilla warfare, that makes me, unfortunately, a pretty good target. On the bright side, we will be surrounded by a company of ANA. We still don’t know how well these troops are trained, but we’ll find out when we get there. Luckily, to help protect us, the Canadian Forces are giving us some very “Gucci kit.” Our vehicles are the Nyala RG-31, which is an African vehicle that we recently bought. It is very hard to blow up because it is built to deflect blasts away from the vehicle to protect those inside. The other vehicle is the Mercedes G-Wagon, which has been redesigned so that the floor of the vehicle does not detach and thus will absorb a bomb blast rather than allowing it to be projected into the cab.
Unfortunately, we might not always be mounted, so when we do dismount we also have some good kit. We’re getting trained on a few new radio systems. Two of those are triple-system radios (VHF, UHF and Satcom).
We have holographic sights on our rifles, which refract the light as you move the sight so that the point of light is always on the spot that you will hit when you fire. It works by projecting light into your eye rather than onto the target, so it does not put a visible dot on the target. Also we have a Pek 2 or 4, which will project a laser dot onto a target, and will also project an infrared dot onto a target for use at night. We also each have a night-vision goggle (well, monocle, actually) for use in night ops.
Our protective vest with its plates in is also very good. A German soldier with the same protection system was back on duty the day after receiving a 7.62-mm round from an AK-47 to the chest. The vest will absorb a 5.56-mm armour-piercing round at point blank range and a 7.62-mm at 250m. We have a Canadian solder whose plates absorbed a few rounds from our GPMG/C6 general-purpose machine gun when it accidentally fired into his chest. Those rounds did not penetrate. This shows that our protective equipment (including our ballistic glasses which stop shotgun fragments at point blank) is very good.
We have all sorts of other cool training we have been going through, from close-quarter combat drills to ambush drills. We have also done quite a bit of live-fire training, which is very interesting. Still on the schedule is my Nyala course, including a remote weapon system course, and then the break for Christmas. When I get back in January I’ll have a few weeks of training in my group to nail down those ambush drills, and then it’s off to sunny Afghanistan.
I should be returning to Canada around the 31st of August, 2007, depending on “operation tempo”. There is a good chance that follow-up missions might have longer tour dates for our same job, depending on our after-action review. Our tour of duty is being kept at six months due to the fact that this is first time Canada will be doing this job for a full mission. If we think a longer time would be more useful (because it takes a while to earn the locals' trust and respect) the length of later tours may be extended.
January 21, 2007
After spending the Christmas holidays visiting and sightseeing in England and Florida, I have now been back into the training for about a week. We have an insane training schedule where we work from bright and early in the morning to about midnight, six days a week.
On our first day back we were briefed on the current situation overseas and how the mission is currently going. We were also given a rough outline of the next few weeks of training. I will be leaving from CFB Trenton on February 16.
Monday evening we were told we would spend the rest of the week in the field (on exercises sleeping in tents outside with no returns to the base for showers or hot meals). We were, however, given hayboxes (fresh food cooked on base then brought out to us) with hard rations interspersed (Hard rations is food that is not fresh but that can be taken with us if we are on patrol or if we are working in the field. It can be eaten cold or heated up, and generally by the time the package gets to you the food inside is at least a year old, but still good to eat due to the chemicals added to it. It gives us a balanced meal, and if you eat the full ration it will give between 1,500-2,500 calories, depending on whether it is a breakfast, lunch or supper ration. They actually are, for the most part, quite edible. So I packed my kit for the -30 degree temperatures predicted by the weather channel and Tuesday morning it was off into the field.
The training at the beginning of the week was for getting us used to firing movement in pairs. Firing movement in pairs is when two people are assaulting a defensive position (usually a trench). In order to prevent the enemy from raising his head to get a good shot at you, the moving pair should keep firing into or over the target.
Usually this is done through a type of movement known as pepper-potting. Basically, while one person is moving forward (always from one point of cover to another and always very short distances to minimize yourself as a target) the other person is firing into or over the objective. When one soldier’s movement is complete, he will start firing so that his partner can then move up. This method is usually used during day operations.
There is another version, more often used in night ops, in which both persons steadily advance at the same time while firing into or over the target. However if there are other defensive positions not being attacked this gives the enemy a great target. I did both the day and night version of this drill. The day one went really well. My partner and I cleared four trenches within four minutes. The night version did not go so well. In this one I was paired with our C9 gunner (the C9 is our light submachine gun that fires 5.56-mm rounds like our C8 service rifle). When we came under attack his weapon jammed, so we were stuck in place for about 20 seconds while he remedied it. Then as we moved forward, because I was closer I took the trench (which basically means that I am then one who will make the final assault on the trench to make sure it is clear of enemy). It was really cool because I was forward of the C9 and I could feel the concussion from every round he fired, and I could see the tracers flashing across in front of me, steadily creeping left as I approached the trench from the right. To clear the four trenches took us about six minutes, even though I also had a weapon jam on the third trench.
It is very important to always know exactly where your partner is and how he is moving so that there are no friendly-fire incidents (when an ally accidentally fires on another ally). It takes a lot of concentration. Also, because it was very cold, even during such short engagements your fingers freeze and then start to thaw as you return to the start line for your debriefing. The reason your fingers freeze is the lack of thick gloves, because if you had thick gloves on they would restrict your ability to manipulate your weapon for things like fixing jams or reloading.
We moved on from pairs movement and attacks to section movement and attacks (a section being from 6-10 people). In this case you are still in small pairs but as opposed to one person moving at a time a pair will move while the others cover them and then as you get closer to the objective you will transition to individual movement. My section was tasked to set up and run the range and as we wanted to simulate artillery fire we had to prepare some explosives. The engineers in charge of the explosives showed us how to wrap the explosives and prepare them for use in our simulation. C4 is quite an interesting material. It is so stable that you can burn it without setting it off. To set it off you need a strong concussion. When we actually went through the simulations (once during the day and once at night) it was quite interesting. These were longer engagements and you have to be even more careful as there are more people to keep track of. When you are attacked as a section, the distance to the target will decide your response. If the target is within 50 metres, you advance while firing, making sure to reach the target before expending your 30 rounds. If the target is farther away you will either pepper-pot or withdraw.
At the end of the week we moved on to tactical combat casualty care. This is basically first-aid on steroids. The instructors emphasize the importance of treating the injured once the firefight is won, and if the unit gets attacked again to stop treating the injured and return to defending ourselves. The reason for this is that a person treating someone else is not defending himself, and is thus a very good target. Also, the more people firing back at the enemy, the better the chance of winning the engagement and saving the injured. And we got to see how to use a needle to decompress someone’s chest if they have a punctured lung, as well as how to intubate so that he can breathe.
It is very intensive as a job for the signalman, because I need to keep my headquarters updated as to our situation, and also coordinate with them for the arrival of any backup medical aid they might send, as well as artillery fire or plane and helicopter fire support. This is always done on the command of my officer but I am the one setting up the links and transmitting all the information both to my officer and to my headquarters. It gets quite hectic. Also, just because I am transmitting does not mean I don’t fight with my section, so I am still doing that as well, including movement like pepperpotting, if necessary.
February 24, 2007
I have now been, as they say, “outside the wire,” and the thing that struck me first is the beauty of the countryside. The Khandahar area, where the Canadian troops are based, is full of mountains and gullies. When the sun is just coming up in the morning the mountains are shrouded in an air of mystery as they hug close their clouds, but as the day breaks forth and the hotter time sets in, it dispels the clouds and you get very beautiful vistas.
Another thing that has struck me is the amount of work that the ISAF (NATO’s International Security Assistance Forces), NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and the ANSF (Afghan National Security Force) have put into the development of the country. Khandahar city now has electricity, and the schools are starting to have the equipment and supplies needed to teach the kids the basics that we take for granted. Some of the roads have been paved, allowing for easier movement between the cities in Afghanistan and making it easier for the people to go about their business. Big improvements have been made to the medical infrastructure. It is an amazing country in the way that it is able to get back on its feet and put itself back together after such a long period of war and oppression.
The thing that has struck me the most is how genuine and welcoming the people are. Whenever we interact with some of the kids of a local village, they smile and are very friendly. Even the people walking by would sometimes stop to wave and smile before continuing on with their business. It is a very heartwarming thing to see that they appreciate the work that we are doing.
As you know, I am part of the OMLT (Observational Mentoring Liaison Team), and as such have a lot of chances to interact with the ANSF—more specifically the ANA—and I find them to be very friendly. They have learnt some English, so they can say “Hello” or “How are you?” and they always smile when we are with them. They invite us to not only eat with them but to share_ tea (chai) with them, a custom that seems to be very widespread in Afghanistan. As I passed one of their barrack rooms, I was beckoned in and invited to sit and talk and drink, and they honestly appreciate any efforts we make to learn their customs and ways. With the help of our interpreters, we are even able to carry on some small discussions, tell a few jokes and talk about some of our interests, hopes and dreams. They are very akin to us. However, unlike us, they are more hospitable, to the point that a person in Afghanistan would offer up their last morsel of food to feed an invited guest. It is amazing how friendly and kind they are. They hope to be able to free their country and make it safe for their kids and all future generations. It is an amazing experience to work with them!
My first patrol was very interesting. We visited a few villages in the area, talking with the locals, sharing chai with them as we talked. We saw the effects we Canadians have made as an area that, even months ago, had been deserted, is slowly being repopulated after years of war.
It was quite warm that day and I perspired so much that by the time I got back that I had to ring my combats out to get rid of the excess sweat before hanging them to dry. Also, carrying the radio did not seem like a big thing at the beginning but as the patrol continued it started to get heavier and heavier. By the time I was able to take it off I was a very happy person. It is amazing to watch the ANA at work because they, like most people in Afghanistan, are able to walk forever even with heavy loads on their backs, a far cry from us.
April 23, 2007
Death is a fact of life no, matter what part of the world you are in. Some lines of work deal with death more often then others, but this does not lessen its impact. As part of the OMLT, our team deals not only with the shock of Canadian casualties but also with those of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), especially when the strike is close to home. My team experienced the Afghan response to the death of a soldier when one who had been injured passed away on March 17. He was a good man and well regarded by his peers. A saddened company commander informed us that the funeral would take place on March 18.
The Afghan commander in charge of the company we are assigned to invited us not only to prepare the refreshments for after the funeral, but also to attend the funeral itself, because we were comrades of his fallen soldier. We prepared Chai tea from a mix of British and Canadian teas, Black Forest cake, licorice, mints and cookies, and brought them to the mosque. We were then asked to sit alongside our Afghan allies as the funeral began.
To call it a funeral imparts, perhaps, too much sadness to the occasion. I would liken it more to a celebration of the man’s life. At the beginning the Afghan commander spoke a few words and then they passed around prayer books from which many voices prayed aloud at the same time. It sounded almost like a Psalm. The commander, with tears in his eyes, talked of the brave soldier, his friend. A few others talked and then refreshments were passed out, with each person getting a plate that would make a diabetic go into insulin shock. During the refreshments, the Afghans talked and laughed, remembering happier times together.
The refreshments completed, our team leader got up to make a presentation on behalf of our team and Canada. He presented two Afghan flags to the commander, who was very touched and vowed to pass it on to the family. The second flag we gave to our Afghan comrades as their company flag, to hoist high and show the people in the area that this was an area controlled by Afghanistan for Afghanistan.
This experience was a very interesting one. It gave us not only a glimpse into the Afghan culture and lifestyle but it showed that we have quite a lot in common. We were not only invited into a mosque but asked to actively participate, which shows the level of trust and friendship that we have with our Afghan brethren. It also shows that any comrade in arms becomes someone close within a very short period of time. We were shaken by this death and we were able to share our grief through this cultural sharing. Finally, it showed that we are in the military for the same reasons: to uphold our country’s interests at home and abroad. As Canadian soldiers, we have a lot of pride in our work and our country. We saw the Afghan pride shine through immediately when, only five minutes after the presentation, the flag was already flying in the wind, declaring to all that the Afghan soldiers were protecting and aiding this area for Afghanistan.
April 23
On a recent patrol I had an interesting view into what the villagers from outside of our area think of us. It is important to remember the history of Afghanistan to understand why we are viewed as we are. The last time an organized army was in Afghanistan, it was the Soviets, who would rape and steal from the villagers as they moved through the countryside. This, along with some of their other less friendly acts, made them both feared and hated. This way of ruling through fear can be traced throughout the Soviet regime.
Fast-forward to the present and you can imagine the feelings stirred up by seeing Canadian and Afghan soldiers moving through the villages. However, not all is bad, for, unlike the Soviets, we act in much more friendly and helpful ways. While our subgroup had stopped so that our leader could speak with one of the village elders, the rest of us took up a position of circular defence, watching 360 degrees around us. In the direction I was facing there was a woman with her four children peeking around a corner about 30 metres away. Suddenly her youngest child started toddling towards me, stopping every few feet to look around. The horror and panic on the mother’s face was obvious even from that distance. She started shrieking at the child to come back, terrified that one of the soldiers—I—would do something malicious to her child. The child was oblivious to her pleas.
I put my rifle down and held out both my hands so she could see my palms and see that I presented no threat. I smiled at her and then at the toddler, and the immediate change in her manner was amazing. She went from a mother scared that her child was in danger to a mother confident that her child was safe and that the soldiers would not harm him. The child came closer to me, looked me up and down, and then continued on his merry way.
This shows that it is not impossible to change the viewpoint of the Afghan people, only that it will be accomplished in small groups. As long as we keep doing what Canadians are renowned for, being friendly, helpful and courteous, we will eventually have all of Afghanistan accepting and even supporting our efforts to help them rebuild.
The following is an account of an earlier operation by Chris’ unit. It took a long time and a few re-writes before Chris’ story was approved by his commanders.
One evening, as we were sitting down to eat, some of our Afghan National Army allies ran into our compound, talking urgently. Our translators quickly made it clear that an ANA supply convoy had been hit. We quickly donned our personal equipment and loaded into our vehicle, making sure to bring all the extra equipment we might need. As we did this, the ANA rushed off with their Quick Reaction Force (QRF). As we hurried to the scene, a few kilometers from camp, I was still fiddling to get my radio system up and running. About a kilometre away, I did my radio check and we were in business.
The attack had occurred on the bank of the Arghandab River. We parked on an easily defensible island in the middle, across a channel from the ANA vehicles that were first on the scene. On dismount we cleared an area around our vehicle and waded across the water to help our friends and allies. As we sloshed through the knee-deep water, I wondered what lay in store.
As I looked into the bed of an ANA Ford Ranger, I saw one of the worst scenes of my life. The patient being tended too had been seriously injured. There were other injured as well, all as shocking as the first one I had seen. I sloshed back across the river as I called in my medical evacuation request. We queried the ANA as to what had happened and found out that there had been either a mine or an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) strike followed by small-arms fire. The injured were all evacuated, some being sent by helicopter to the nearest NATO hospital for surgical care. All casualties survived, though they will remember that night forever.
These Afghan soldiers all had the same dream: a dream of freedom from oppression, a dream where all could live free, have education and not need to fear that someone would take it away. They dreamed of a free Afghanistan. This conflict is not fought between two population groups of Afghani citizens; this conflict is being fought by the people of Afghanistan against an outside terrorist organization. This organization recruits people from all over the globe, including mercenaries. There is a good chance that the attackers were not even from Afghanistan. They just happened to spy a patrol going down that route a couple of days earlier and then planted a bomb and waited for someone to go back down that road.
We are in Afghanistan to help them get rid of the people who are killing—killing not for an ideal like they would like us to believe, but to instill fear and for personal gain. This is not a conflict of religion or of land disputes between countries; this is a conflict waged by terrorists for supremacy through terror and fear. If we decide to leave, then we are abandoning brave Afghan people to be killed and injured when all they want to do is make their country free of oppression and safe for their children. Is that such a horrible dream, such a horrible ideal to fight for? If we leave them alone in their time of need, then we leave a space for this enemy to get stronger, and maybe one day we will be living the same lives back home as the people of Afghanistan do today. One day we may be fighting the same enemy, but fighting for the freedom of Canada.
