New York Trip

Good evening all!

Alas...I must report that my trip home has come and gone in a blink of an eye. I simply can't believe how fast the time went by and more importantly, how much our family crammed into a couple of weeks.

As you can no doubt tell from the pictures I have included, we took a trip down to New York City while I was home. Debra and I have been to NYC several times, however the girls have not and we decided to take advantage of my time home to do a "family trip". Given there is a wedding in the near future (not to mention grandchildren at some point) we thought it would be fun for the four of us to do a road trip. It has been quite some time since the four of us travelled together and we had a blast.

We drove down to Syracuse NY where we spent one night and then jumped onto a train the next morning to NYC where we spent three nights at the Roosevelt Hotel right in Manhattan. The hotel was within walking distance to all the major tourist attractions and we were able to take in as many as possible. We took the girls to see sights such as Central Park, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Centre, Times Square, Statue of Liberty, Chinatown, and of course take in a Broadway Show (Chicago).

After New York we headed back to Ottawa and spent the next two days wedding dress shopping. I can't even begin to put into words what I felt when I saw Jennifer standing before me in a wedding dress...needless to say, it brought a tear to my eye. Unfortunately Jennifer's time was short and she had to fly back to Calgary to return to work, however a dress has been selected and an order been placed.

The remainder of my time in Ottawa was spent working on the house and enjoying Debra's superb home cooked meals....I should mention that during my time in Afghanistan I have lost some weight. I didn't realize how much until Debra hugged me at the airport and then had me weigh myself. Turns out that I had lost 16 pounds.....which as most of you know is not something I can afford to loose at the best of times. I did manage to put 9 pounds back on during the short time due completely to my wonderful wife.

Before I sign off for the evening, I must share that my return to Afghanistan was a much different arrival than my initial one. Being familiar with the country, environment, the job and of course the people, makes all the difference in the world. It felt "good" to return to Kabul and get back to work. That being said, I cannot overstate the immediate and complete sadness I felt when I said goodbye to Debra, Jennifer and Sarah.

I know this is very difficult for them and I have been truly blessed with such a loving and supportive family....

First Trip Home

I will be heading out very shortly for my first trip home. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it...something about heading home, always makes a person feel great. I am really looking forward to taking our dog for a walk....taking my gun off....and hugging my wife.

I will be "out of theatre" for about three weeks and will continue to publish posts while I am away. I want the blog to capture the entire year of the Mission and I think the trips home and holidays are all part of the experience. I wouldn't be doing one without the other. During this trip home, Debra and I are taking the girls to New York City for a couple of days where we will take in all the sights, go to a Broadway show, etc. Debra and I have been to NYC a couple of times previously but the girls have not. There is just something about the vibrance NYC has and I have no doubt in my mind there may be some window shopping for a wedding dress.

The picture above was taken during a dinner to say farewell to S/Sgt. Dennis O'Byrne. Dennis (in the red shirt) has finished his year in Mission and is on his way back to BC. Dennis was our Advisory NCO and without a doubt, is the most efficient and organized person I have ever met. We are really, really going to miss him....just a super guy.

Cpl. Brian Pinksen

I just attended my fourth "ramp ceremony" since my arrival here in Afghanistan. Cpl. Pinksen is the 152nd Canadian to loose his life trying to make Afghanistan, Canada and the world a safer place.

At the ceremony tonight, the General spoke about how Brian wanted to be here and how much it meant to him to be part of the Infantry. Brian had said many times how the infantry was the backbone of the army. The worse the conditions, the more Brian liked it and the more he felt the need to participate.

He was severely injured while patrolling a small village as he walked down a narrow alley. They had to be out on foot, as the alley was too narrow for the armoured vehicles. The villagers needed protection and Brian was part of the team answering the call for help. An IED exploded causing injuries which ended his life several days later and stole him from his family and friends back home. He was only 21 years old...who knows what else he may have accomplished had his life not been cut so short.

My heart goes out to his parents in Newfoundland. I simply cannot imagine the grief they must feeling right now.

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....