A Lasting Tribute

The Embassy recently held a tribute for one of our Gurkhan guards. It was a moving tribute not only in the sense the Ambassador planted a tree in the guard's honour, but also in the tragic way the guard's life ended.

The guard we held a tribute for, had taken his own life. He was experiencing financial problems back home and felt he simply could not return home and face his family. What a tragedy for someone to be so despondent that choosing to end their life, is the only solution they feel they have left.

It is amazing to me how many layers of complexity there are to life in Afghanistan. The Gurkhan guards the Embassy uses to provide security for our staff, come from Nepal or India. Most have a background in the army or policing and come to Afghanistan for the steady employment and good pay. They are extremely proud and take their responsibility of protecting the Embassy staff very seriously. I spoke to one recently and he has been in Afghanistan for almost five years. He works for 11 months straight and goes home for one month. When I asked him why he would be away from his family for such long periods of time, his responded simply "to send money home and give my family a better life".

In a country so filled with violence, misery and despair, this one incident will pass by barely noticed, except perhaps for the lasting tribute of an apple tree which hopefully will stand for generations to come and maybe one day can be admired by people strolling down a street without barricades, blast walls and barbwire.

The Queen's Palace

Unfortunately for the Queen's Palace, the pictures are limited to one. We could not get very close to the Queen's Palace because of security concerns, however you can still get a sense of how "Regal" the building was. As with the King's Palace, it has also been extensively damaged by war and neglect and is nothing but a shell.

I have also included several additional photo's to provide you with a sense of the size of Kabul, as well as pictures of a camp of nomadic people called the Kuchi's.

I took the first group of pictures from a large hill located inside the city. The hill is actually quite steep and provides a great view of Kabul and how it spreads out in all directions. The view you see in the picture is only one side of Kabul, the city is just as large and spread out on the other side of the hill as well.

I took the second series of photo's near the Palace's and they are of a Kuchi camp. The Kuchi's are a nomadic tribe that has traditional routes throughout Afghanistan. Every year there is ethnic violence as the Kuchi's believe they have a right to set up camp wherever there is water or vegetation, food, etc. The locals do not approve of this practise and they will attack and kill the Kuchi's. This year was no different and at times we were confined to the Embassy grounds because large crowds were fighting in the city. To make matters worse, when the police arrive on scene, they discharge their weapons trying to disperse the crowds, however this usually starts a gun battle and people from all sides get killed.

The Kuchi's of course do not possess much and live in tents made from a canvas sheet. The girl in the previous post was probably a Kuchi and you can see how I tried to get a picture of a couple other young girls, but they ran away as soon as we stopped the vehicle. From looking at their camp and simple possessions, you really get a sense their way of life has not changed for generations.

The King's Palace

We went for a drive today through part of the city so we could check out the "King's Palace" which is located on the outskirts of Kabul. The building is quite large and unfortunately has been extensively damaged over the years of war. You can actually see the bullet holes in the walls from when the Russians stormed the building.

It is abandoned now and has been stripped completely bare. You could hear kids inside playing around but we couldn't go too close because we couldn't leave our vehicle. We did mange to get a couple of good pictures when we stopped and jumped out for a moment. The fellow in the one picture with me in front of the fountain is Phil. He just retired from the OPP and we have hired him on as a member of the RCMP and he is just a tremendous guy.

The young girl appeared out of nowhere when we stopped our vehicle to take a picture of the palace. The poor thing ran up to the truck and we thought she was looking for money, so we gave her some Afghans. She shook her head and kept asking for something else. So we gave her candy and she once again shook her head. It finally dawned on us that she was looking for water. We gave her a bottle of water and she immediately sat down and started to drink. In the picture she looks like she is crying, but she is actually smiling. Can you imagine, a young child and she didn't care about the money or candy, all she wanted was a drink of water.

It really breaks your heart when you see these poor kids trying to make their way through each day. We watched a group of young boys as they dug through a pile of garbage. What they were doing was trying to find pieces of plastic that they could build a kite out of. They would take old plastic bags, sticks and find some string and build a kite. You would see groups of kids flying kites with material they found in a ditch...somehow they seem to find a way.

Jennifer's Getting Married!

Well tonight I have the most exciting news a parent can have.....our beautiful daughter is getting married!

I received an email from Jennifer's boyfriend (sorry, I guess it is now fiance') asking me if I could give him a call. I dialed up Brandon with slight trepidation as Debra and I were both hoping he was going to ask for permission to marry Jennifer but as all parents know, when kids ask for you to give them a call, you are never really sure what to expect.

After Brandon told me how special Jennifer is, how much he loves her and that he would like my permission to marry her, I tried to talk but got all choked up. I think there must be something in the Kabul water and I am turning into an emotional wreck.

I will leave it to Jennifer and Brandon to share with everyone what their plans are for thier special day, but for now all I can say is how proud Debra and I are of our little girl and the picture above is how Jennifer will always look to us in our eyes....

Barbur Gardens - Part 2

I wanted to post some additional photo's from Barbur Gardens as I found the place so intriguing. I have seen a place with so many stark contrasts. The grit and grime of the city, right outside the peace and serenity of the gardens.

The one picture is not a real skeleton, but one made of wire. It was part of the art display and I believe the artist was trying to portray the effects of the war on Afghan women.

The other piece that really made me think, is what Afghanistan would have looked like today if there had not have decades of war and conflict. The beauty of the architecture and gardens really makes you realize what possibilities exist, if peace could be found.

Medals Presentation

Good evening all. I have just returned from KAF where I bid farewell to a group of our CivPol officers who were returning home. The group included 21 police officers from departments such as the RCMP, Toronto Police Service, Durham Regional, Montreal Police Service, the OPP and the Regina Police Service. All of them had spent a minimum of 9 months in Afghanistan doing various assignments throughout the country and needless to say, they were quite excited about heading home.

I flew down to KAF to in order to present medals along with General Vance, the Commander of Task Force Kandahar. Depending on the job and position each officer was placed in, they either received the General Service Medal (GSM) from the CF, or the EUPOL medal. General Vance handed out the GSM medal, as it is presented to folks who have supported the CF in Afghanistan, and I handed out the EUPOL medal as there was no EUPOL representative in KAF.

Although the ceremony was low key and simple in nature, I cannot emphasize how much the medals mean to each CivPol member. The medals are a formal recognition of all the hard work and personal sacrifices they have endured during their time in Afghanistan. Some of these folks lived in some pretty "rustic" conditions, with searing heat, dust which absolutely coats everything, and of course the constant threat of enemy action.

For the group's last night in KAF, we had arranged for a "beer call". This is where each person is allowed to have 2 beers, or a half bottle of wine. It is very strictly controlled as KAF is alcohol free and there is a procedure where each person has to sign for their beer. It was a very nice evening sitting in the dorm with the group and listening to them as they told stories about each other and relived various adventures from their tour. Of course the stories got better as the beers were drank and at times I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes.

The two ladies in the one photo are MJ and Annie. They are a couple of outstanding women who did great work with the ANP on training and gender issues. As you can tell from the picture, they are so positive and upbeat...we will really miss them.

Dand District

Here are some additional pictures from my recent trip down south. We were "out and about" stopping at various locations to see our members, do some assessments, drop off supplies, etc. One of the places was the Dand District Centre. As with most locations in Afghanistan, it is fully enclosed by a compound with various layers of barricades and defences. The protection unfortunately makes it very tough for the local population to connect with their government and vice versa.

On this particular day you can tell by the group photo, that it was quite warm. You will also notice that I hardly broke a sweat, while all the other guys are drenched...must be the result of my "18 year old body"!

This was a very long one and the sun was just starting to set as we arrived at Dand. After we finished up at Dand, we had to travel back through Kandahar City to Camp Nathan Smith. The traffic was horrendous and we got stuck in several traffic jams. It was like a Friday night downtown Ottawa in the market, cars everywhere and no one moving. Everyone gets a little "edgy" when we get stopped, but there was nowhere to go and we had to crawl along making our way slowly back to the base.

One of the funny episodes of the day was when a little puppy kept following one of our guys around. Pierre is from the Montreal Police Service and for some reason the little dog just kept nipping at his heels...I thought it was a cute picture. I started teasing Pierre because he is going soft on me...first he is wearing a locally made bracelet, then he starts hanging around with puppies...

Barbur Gardens - Part 1

The Government of Canada recently sponsored a group of young Afghans to complete a photography course in Kabul. Canada paid for the course, living expenses and also purchased the camera equipment which the students used during the course. At the end of the course, the students submitted various photo's they had taken with the best being selected not only for a public display, but also compiled into a book which is for sale to the public. I will be posting some of the photo's in upcoming blogs, but I also wanted to share some pictures I took of the park where the public display of the student's work took place.

The exhibition took place at a public park in Kabul called Barbur Gardens. This is the burial place of the emperor Barbur who is quite famous in Afghan history. In essence I believe he was the last Afghan emporer who truly ruled the region and brought all of his people together in a single dynasty. The park was constructed as a public gathering place for Afghans to pay respect to Barbur as well as spend time together as a family.

You can see these are quite beautiful grounds which are maintained by local Afghans and supported by international donations. I took a lot of pictures as I found the park to be in "competition" wth the surrounding area. The garden itself is in the middle of Kabul and enclosed by a solid wall. You can see how the houses on the hill come right up to the walls and you can actually hear people on the outside going about their daily routine. Keep in mind these houses have no water, sewer, electricity, garbage collection, etc. Everything is carried up by hand and of course flows downhill.

The park was virtually destroyed during the wars and has taken awhile to build back up. There is an admission to enter the park and you have to check your guns in at the door. It was quite odd for me to hand in my gun and receive a tag much like you would with a coat check back home. We also had to go through security at the gate where everyone is searched to ensure no weapons or bombs are being brought in. It really tears at your heart to see little kids, 8 and 10 year olds being searched...and they think nothing of it.

There were quite a few local families enjoying the sunshine and having a picnic lunch. As soon as they see the camera, the woman and girls all turn away so out of respect I try to avoid them all together. It was interesting to see the families relaxed and enjoying the peace and quite the park offered. Kids were playing, running around chasing each other, while their parents watched over them and prepared the picnic lunch.