Archive for the ‘The Fallen and the Injured’ Category
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – May 23, 2013
- “Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Wednesday) announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Peru, which will create new opportunities for Canadian businesses in the defence and security sector …. The MoU between the CCC and the Peruvian Ministry of Defense aims to deepen defence and security relations between the two countries, and to facilitate and improve cooperation for the purchase of services or military and defence equipment by Canadian companies to the Peruvian Ministry of Defense. The agreement, which takes effect immediately, will remain valid for the next three years ….” – more on the MOU here
- “Military police at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown are investigating an act of vandalism after the tank at its main entrance was covered with profanity and swastikas over the long weekend. The Sherman tank is now covered with a blue tarp as the investigation into who covered the monument with graffiti is continuing. Vandals spray-painted the monument with the offensive symbols, profanity and the term “Pongo,” a slang term for infantry soldiers ….”
- “The tempo on board Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Ottawa remains high as Exercise TRIDENT FURY 13 rolls into week two. The Operations Room Officer and Information Management Director students have been tested through numerous live fire exercises as well as complex air, surface, and subsurface operations involving HMCS Victoria and United States Navy surface units. Despite the significant accomplishments already completed by the Task Group, the final phase of TRIDENT FURY 13 will bring many unscheduled warfare engagements. This year, a portion of the exercise, is incorporated into a larger, joint, national-level exercise called JOINTEX 13, taking place from May 1 to June 8 ….”
- Happy 50th, Sea King! “There have been few aircraft in Canada’s aviation history that have provided such enduring and noteworthy service as the CH-124 Sea King maritime helicopter. In 2013, it is planned to celebrate the Sea King’s Golden Jubilee to commemorate its 50 years of service to Canada and Canadians at home and around the world ….”
- Editorial: “The French government’s proposal to build wind farms off the coast of Normandy, including Juno Beach, where so many allied soldiers died freeing that country from Nazi tyranny, is an affront to all Canadians ….”
- “…. at the fifth annual Warrior Games, the True Patriot Love Foundation launched their new Arctic expedition presented by Scotiabank in support of Canadian soldiers who have been injured on duty. The True Patriot Love Expedition: Arctic Circle will take place in spring 2014. This two-week initiative to the Magnetic North Pole will showcase Canada’s best resources: the military, the leadership of the nation’s corporations, and the rare natural landscape of the Canadian Arctic ….”
- “PGA Tour Canada has shown some true patriot love, partnering with the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services to create the Military Outreach Program. The program will give members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) who are currently serving, or veterans of the CAF, complimentary access to all PGA Tour Canada events. “The PGA Tour has always been appreciative of the troops, and this is an extension of that relationship to Canadians who have dedicated themselves to serving their country,” said PGA Tour Canada president Jeff Monday. Throughout the season events will also have Military Appreciation Day celebrations that will include deserving service members placing and removing the flagstick at designated holes. PGA Tour Canada players will also be conducting golf clinics for all active military personnel ….”
- “Serving military personnel do a wonderful job in protecting their country, but at a price, as they not only put their lives at risk when they are on tour, but also have to stay away from their loved ones for many months at a time. When they are back home it’s a special moment for them, their family and friends. MSC Cruises understands this and want to make it all the more special, which is why they currently have their MSC Cruises Military Rate promotion for those serving in the military in the USA and Canada. As a thank you to those brave men and women they will be given up to 10 percent discount on all cruises ….” - more here
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – May 18, 2013
- Afghanistan It appears Canada’s CDS did attend the big meeting in Belgium “The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Tom Lawson, joined his North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) counterparts this past week for the 169th meeting of the NATO Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting provided the Chiefs of Defence of NATO and its Partners with an opportunity to review and discuss updates on a number of issues relevant to the Alliance …. The two-day conference focused on NATO Transformation and the progress made in its Connected Forces Initiative and Smart Defence projects. Discussion also covered NATO’s current major operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as the planning for NATO post the 2014 mission in Afghanistan ….”
- “All charges against a Nova Scotia woman in the Royal Canadian Navy who is fighting cancer, and who was charged with being absent without leave, have been dropped, the woman and her lawyer say. “I feel fantastic, I feel vindicated, it’s been a long 11 months. Between having to face a court martial and fighting cancer, some days I didn’t know which one was more difficult. But now I can just focus on getting better,” said Able Seaman Carol Anne Deyoung. Both Deyoung and her lawyer, Maj. Sarah Collins, said the charges were dropped Friday afternoon. The Department of National Defence confirmed Friday evening that all charges against Deyoung have been dropped ….”
- “Lights, action, weapons free. Canada’s special operations forces soldiers have produced a slick sales video showcasing their fighting skills — on water, in the air and room-by-room in the close confines of a building. At a time when special forces soldiers are in the limelight with movies like Zero Dark Thirty, which tells the tale of the U.S. hunt for Osama bin Laden, the video gives a brief window into Canada’s cadre of shadow warriors. The three-minute video begins showing six soldiers climbing aboard a Griffon helicopter, flying low, and then rappelling to a rooftop. It goes on to highlight soldiers parachuting from a C-130J Hercules transport at high altitude, speeding along the water in rigid-hull inflatable boats, and driving in what appear to be specially equipped Humvees ….” You can check out the video here.
- Meanwhile, a less-than-desirable video pops up …. “A stolen iPhone and a sex tape that’s been circulating for three years has left a young woman’s military career in ruins. Alexandra-Kim Martin-Roberge joined the Canadian Forces in May 2009, dreaming of serving in the infantry. One of only two women in the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment, the Quebecer had planned to join the combat mission in Afghanistan. But one indiscretion destroyed her reputation, her self-esteem and her integrity in the eyes of comrades. In 2010, while on a 12-month assignment in Alberta, a fellow soldier stole her smart phone and copied a 13-minute clip that depicted her having sex, her face clearly visible. “He managed to take my phone during a patrol,” Martin-Roberge told QMI Agency. “Ten days later I found out all the guys were swapping it. It was like an atomic bomb. For a woman in the infantry, this is the worst thing that can happen.” ….”
- “By the shore of Hudson Bay (background), just south of Churchill, Man., Cpl Réjean Lefebvre (middle-ground) and Sgt Steven Amos (foreground) prepare to drop rescue equipment from the back of a CC-130 Hercules to Royal Canadian Air Force personnel who had already parachuted to the ground to help mock victims on the frozen tundra. They are members of the 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron’s search and rescue team, based at 8 Wing in Trenton, Ont., who participated in TigerEx 2013, a week-long exercise to hone their Far North lifesaving skills. The annual search and rescue exercise took place May 13-17 ….”
- From the RCAF Info-machine: “Therapy on wheels: healing the wounds of war through art“
- F-35 Tug o’ War Mark Collins on “Will the Canadian Government Keep the RCAF’s Hornets Buzzing?”
- DND Info-machine’s latest Backgrounder on Aboriginals in the Forces
- From the Halifax Shipping News blog: “Work is continuing on HMCS Athabaskan, though it appears they are only tending to her holes now ….”
- “On behalf of the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Minister for La Francophonie, the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State (Western Economic Diversification) and Member of Parliament for Blackstrap, will pay tribute to Canada’s Veterans by participating in a ceremonial puck drop during the Memorial Cup tournament (tonight)….”
- “The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs), (yesterday) announced increased support for regional security projects in the Caribbean that well help to improve security in the hemisphere and fight the problem of organized crime. Canadian support will help to equip the Regional Security System (RSS), a collective security organization for the eastern Caribbean, with new radar, infrared scanners and avionics for its air wing. Minister Ablonczy made the announcement at the E.T. Joshua Airport in Kingstown and was joined by partners including Ralph Gonsalves, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, National Security, Grenadines Affairs and Legal Affairs, and Grant Watson, Executive Director of the RSS ….”
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – May 17, 2013
- “Peruvian Defence Minister, Pedro Cateriano, met Ambassador of Canada to Peru, Patricia Portier, to further strengthen defence and security cooperation. The meeting was attended by Peru’s Interior Minister, Wilfredo Pedraza; Minister of Energy and Mines, Jorge Merino; official of Canadian Commercial Corporation, Stan Jacobson, commercial counselor, Sandra Shaddick and business consultant, Katia Rivadeneyra. This year, Cateriano paid an official visit to Canada from February 28 to March 2, to deepen bilateral ties in security and defence ….”
- “Some Canadian Forces members and veterans say the military culture needs to accept the usefulness of service dogs for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Many former soldiers are now acquiring specially trained dogs to help them manage anxiety, anger and stressful situations. Jocelyn Boucher, who served as a warrant officer doing military intelligence in the Canadian Forces for three decades overseas, said he began taking his support dog, Spirit, to his part-time job only to be told a short time later his services were no longer needed. Boucher was under doctor’s instructions to limit his work to two half-days a week. He and his wife were surprised at his release, as he had recently signed on for three more months at two half-days a week. “I said, ‘Is this about my dog?’ He said, ‘No, no it’s not about your dog. It’s about the hours,’” Boucher said. His wife Theresa said she’s convinced he was let go because of the dog. She said the military culture needs to change ….”
- “A sailor in the Royal Canadian Navy says she’s fighting two battles right now — one against breast cancer and another against the navy — over a disputed sick day last year. “I can’t put into words how it feels,” said Able Seaman Carol Anne Deyoung. “I feel somehow betrayed.” Deyoung said she felt a growing lump in her breast last June and called in sick. She was then ordered to go to a military hospital on Canadian Forces Base Stadacona in Halifax. She said she followed orders, but it took her two hours to get there. A month later, she was told she was being charged with two counts of disobeying a lawful command and one count of absence without leave ….” - more discussion of the case (or at least what we’re able to read of it to this point) at Milnet.ca here
- “Charges of committing a terrorist hoax have been dropped against four people arrested last year when Montreal’s subway system was paralyzed at the height of rush hour by smoke-bomb attacks. Jean Pascal Boucher, a spokesman for the director of criminal and penal prosecutions, says the Crown decided there was insufficient evidence to support the charge. Three woman face charges of mischief and conspiracy while a man faces an additional charge of possession of a prohibited weapon. The four accused are free on bail pending their next court appearance on Sept. 3. At least three smoke bombs were tossed into several subway stations in Montreal on May 10, 2012, shutting down the entire system for hours during the key morning commute period ….”
- “More Canadians say they are seeing unidentified flying objects than ever before, with 2012 numbers nearly doubling the record number of sightings recorded in previous years. In 2012, there were 1,981 sightings, nearly doubling the previous annual record of 1,004 sightings recorded in 2008. There were record numbers of UFOs reported in every province last year except for Saskatchewan and P.E.I. ….”
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – May 16, 2013
- Afghanistan Canada officially declares Taliban, Haqqanis terrorists - more here and from the Public Safety Canada Info-machine here
- Chris Karigiannis, 1975-2007, R.I.P. “It began as a touching gesture, with a group of students planting a tree at their school in memory of an alumnus, a Canadian soldier who had been killed in Afghanistan a year before. It was Nov. 11, 2008. It could have stopped there. Such well-meant tributes, born in the emotion of tragedy, often do. But in the years that followed, something absolutely remarkable happened at Laval Liberty High School in Laval. “The kids got it,” is how Daniel Johnson, a behavioural technician at the school, puts it . “They got that it was important what he (the soldier) did, that he had committed himself to a higher cause. “The kids said it can’t end there,” Johnson says. “They said we can’t care for him, but we can care for his friends. And that’s when everything changed.” The soldier was Sgt. Chris Karigiannis of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton. He had graduated from the school, when it was called Chomedy Polyvalent High School, in the early 1990s ….”
- Way Up North (1) “The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council, (yesterday) assumed the chairmanship of the Arctic Council for a two-year period, 2013-2015. The Arctic Council is the leading body for international cooperation in the Arctic region. “I am honoured to chair the Council at this important time in the history of the circumpolar region,” said Minister Aglukkaq. “Canada’s chairmanship theme of Development for the People of the North will put the interests of Northerners first.” Minister Aglukkaq thanked the Indigenous Permanent Participant organizations and Arctic Council states for their support for the program to be undertaken during the Canadian chairmanship and Sweden, in particular, for its strong guidance over the last two years. “Canada is determined to see Arctic communities benefit from the economic boom that is unfolding in the region,” said Minister Aglukkaq. “The Arctic Council will establish a circumpolar business forum to foster sustainable circumpolar economic development.” Following today’s signing by Arctic states of the Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic, the Council will focus during Canada’s chairmanship on actions to prevent oil spills in the Arctic marine environment ….” - more on the Arctic here, here and here.
- Way Up North (2) “The Relay for Life is an international event that takes place each spring to raise funds and awareness for the Canadian Cancer Society. More than 20 countries from across and the world will participate this year. Last year, there were more than 17,000 teams across Canada and the Frozen Chosen are now, for a second year in a row, proud to be part of this global movement. Fundraising for The Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life has been enthusiastically embraced by all station personnel at Canadian Forces Station Alert. Throughout the spring months of 2013, the Alert family has come together in a unique show of solidarity to support this great cause. The Relay for Life in CFS Alert will take place on May 18 and 19 as a 12-hour fundraising event ….”
- “On a windy hilltop, Don Tremblay was watching soldiers through binoculars and thinking back to another hilltop 60 years ago where a few young Canadians fought a desperate battle. wednesday was a chance for modern soldiers from the Royal Canadian Regiment to remember what Canadians went through in Korea, in what they now call the Battle of Hill 187. It began in the dark, when a Canadian patrol ran into a much larger group of Chinese soldiers in the valley between their two fortified hilltops ….”
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – April 12, 2013
- Afghanistan Editorial on cuts to danger pay “…. Their rationale was that serving in Kabul, where our troops are training Afghan security forces until March 31, 2014, is not as tough or dangerous as when Canadian soldiers were actively hunting insurgents during our deployment in Kandahar, which ended in 2011. Perhaps not. But surely the current mission in Kabul, as the public correctly perceives it, is also fraught with grave risks and difficult living conditions for the more than 900 brave women and men in uniform who are there to serve their country. With about a year to go on this mission, such significant pay cuts seem petty and, considering unsurprising reports the pay reductions have hurt morale, shortsighted. Since those pay reductions are already taking effect, the committee should heed Ottawa’s words and retreat without delay.”
- “A federal audit has clearly shown that Ontario’s Liberal government is ducking its duty to oversee quality of care at Canada’s largest veterans facility, activists and opposition critics say. They’re urging the province to force regular inspections and proper accountability at the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre, where complaints about neglect and other issues prompted Veterans Affairs Canada to order the audit. To date, however, the province has insisted Sunnybrook can look after itself, and that the facility answers to Ottawa. “This denial of responsibility is typical for the (Liberal) government,” said Christine Elliott, health critic for the Progressive Conservatives. “It’s only when things blow up that they’ll finally accept responsibility.” The audit ordered by Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney finds that Ottawa’s responsibility extends to ensuring Sunnybrook spends the $26 million in federal tax dollars appropriately, while Ontario is responsible for enforcing standards of care. The audit cites a 1988 agreement among Sunnybrook, Ottawa and the province that says Ontario “shall use its best efforts” to ensure the facility meets its obligations under provincial quality rules and standards. Unlike similar facilities in Ontario, the 500-bed veterans centre is excluded from the provincial Long Term Care Homes Act which, among other things, mandates annual inspections with results posted publicly ….”
- Way Up North “Canadian Rangers and a myriad of armed forces personnel are teaming up in the High Arctic this month for Operation Nunalivut, an exercise designed to collect and report information relevant to protecting Canada’s Arctic sovereignty while training personnel to operate in the harsh weather and terrain. The annual exercise, coordinated by Joint Task Force North since 2006, began in Resolute Bay, Nunavut on Apr. 2 and will continue until the end of the month. Participants will go out on the land and by air to conduct patrols and report back to the headquarters in Yellowknife, who will in turn contact Ottawa with their findings ….”
- “Statement by the Army Commander following the visit of NATO Commander of Allied Land Command”
- “The Royal Canadian Air Force officer who headed up the aviation element of the latest Rim of the Pacific Exercise considers RIMPAC a huge learning experience for all 22 participating countries. Every two years, at the invitation of the United States Navy, the armed forces of an increasing number of countries congregate around Hawaii to strut their stuff. It’s effectively as close to actual combat as it gets. Canada and Australia have been involved with the U.S. since the first RIMPAC in 1971, but the latest exercise saw non-U.S. officers in key command positions for the first time. Mike Hood, a Brigadier General when he oversaw the Combined Forces Air Component Command at RIMPAC 2012, has since been promoted to Major General and named Deputy Commander of the RCAF. He also has been appointed Director of Staff within the Strategic Joint Staff, which determines training requirements and priorities for all commands within the Canadian Armed Forces ….”
- “Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird (yesterday) announced that Canada is taking further action in preventing sexual violence against women and girls in conflict areas. Canada will contribute $5 million this year to help prevent conflict-related sexual violence and to respond to the needs of victims ….”
- Ooopsie…. “A “technical anomaly” appears to have knocked out Canada’s Radarsat-1 satellite, which has been beaming images of everything from Arctic ice to oil spills down to Earth for almost 18 years. The satellite, which gathered detailed images day and night, through cloud, smoke and haze, malfunctioned on March 29. “Expectations of a full recovery are low,” the Canadian Space Agency said in a statement Tuesday. An expert team is trying to determine what is wrong with the aging satellite, which helped “set world standards” for Earth observation, says Michel Doyon, manager of flight operations for the space agency ….” - more here. The good news: “…. This situation does not impact the security of Canadian borders, coasts and northern territories as RADARSAT-2 continues to provide critical, high-quality data ….”
- “Prime Minister Stephen Harper has come out swinging against New Democrat Alexandre Boulerice for the Quebec MP’s 2007 blog post that praised communists who opposed the First World War and cast the conflict as “a purely capitalist war on the backs of the workers and peasants.” “I find the comments outrageous, inflammatory, unacceptable,” said Harper in Calgary ….”
- “Sault MP Bryan Hayes says Korean War Veterans in Sault Ste. Marie and area should be properly recognized. He’s put out a call to area residents in the riding, asking them to submit their stories or identify members of the community who fought in the Korean War so they can be recognized at a special anniversary celebration later this year. Hayes said he has already received some feedback from three living Korean War Veterans and from several family members of other deceased vets. The Sault MP said 2013 is a special year in Canadian history and the Minister of Veterans Affairs has marked the year as the Year of the Korean War Veteran. In July, Canada will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that led to the conclusion of combat on the Korean Peninsula ….”
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – April 10, 2013
- Afghanistan (1) “The federal government is reducing danger pay for Canadian military personnel who are currently serving in Afghanistan on training missions, saying that the country is not as dangerous as it used to be, according to Radio-Canada. Starting in mid-April, the cut in danger pay will result in a loss of about $500 a month. The current tour ends in late summer, meaning this decision is coming half way through their tour ….” – discussion of the change over at Milnet.ca here
- Afghanistan (2) Joshua Baker, 1985-2010, R.I.P. “Prosecutors are seeking a harsher sentence for a veteran Canadian Forces reservist convicted in a deadly Afghanistan training accident. Darryl Watts was found guilty in December of unlawfully causing bodily harm and negligent performance of military duty, but not guilty of manslaughter. He was demoted two ranks to lieutenant from major and given a severe reprimand. Watts filed an appeal of both his sentence and conviction last month. But the director of military prosecutions has filed a cross-appeal in the case. The prosecution had requested jail time for Watts during sentencing arguments as well as his dismissal with disgrace from the Canadian Forces. “Yes, the Crown will be asking the Court Martial Appeal Court to substitute a greater punishment in lieu of the sentence imposed by the court martial,” prosecutor Maj. Tony Tamburro confirmed in an email to The Canadian Press ….”
- Afghanistan (3) “Children and their parents are better able to play a healthy and active role in their community and contribute to the long-term economic growth of Afghanistan thanks to investments in health by the Harper Government. (Yesterday) Chris Alexander, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence, on behalf of the Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of International Cooperation, announced a new partnership with Save the Children that will help provide critical nutrition supplements to pregnant and nursing mothers, and children in their first years of life ….”
- Video (1) A BC student’s video of what the new, young veteran is all about
- Video (2) Another video including a Canadian soldier highlighting the scars we never see
- “The 139-year-old Royal Military College of Canada’s authority is under siege, and the school’s leaders are powerless to protect it. Professors’ promotions have been frozen, programs are being scaled back, and dozens of academic jobs are in jeopardy – all at the hands of a federal government asserting control over the school as it grapples with dramatic fiscal shortfalls. Those moves at the RMC, the country’s only federally run university, have spurred growing concerns that its academic quality could be under threat, and that a climate of cutbacks might drive the school back toward its technical roots. The measures have also revealed fault lines in the governance of the school, which has tried to reconcile academic independence with federal oversight for decades …. a new report, to be released Tuesday, argues RMC’s leaders have had their power to shape its academic experience slowly stripped away. The report, penned by an independent panel of three accomplished RMC alumni, says civil servants are running the school more like a government department than a university, damaging morale and making it harder to attract and keep leading academics from civilian universities ….”
- Mark Collins on “The Military and Canadian Identity”
- RCAF Info-machine on new online learning system
- Twitter warning from DFAIT: “#Terrorists are reportedly planning to kidnap Westerners in #Sudan, probably in #Khartoum“ – more here
- Norh Korea “Is it time for Canada to join the U.S. in a continental ballistic missile defence (BMD) program? ….” – more here
- “As Canada develops its own economic pivot towards the countries of the Asia-Pacific, it’s also going to have to develop a coherent security policy toward the region. It’s going to need imaginative thinking and focus to develop a policy tailored to deepening our trade and investment ties while simultaneously addressing the security needs of those with whom we want to do business. Canadians are not strategically-inclined by nature; geography has conspired to align our security interests with those of the United States. But we’re going to have to change our thinking and get serious about the kind of role we want to play in the world’s fastest-growing neighborhood. If we don’t, we will quickly find ourselves marginalized in what many are now calling “the Pacific century.” ….”
- “The 150th anniversary of a military unit involved in many high-profile Canadian missions has been recognized by Canada Post with the launch of a new commemorative stamp. The Princess of Wales’ Own Regiment, which formed in Kingston, Ont., pre-dates Confederation with its creation in 1863 and continues to play an active role in the Canadian Forces. “The Regiment’s contributions dating back to the 1860s through to the recent Canadian mission in Afghanistan are truly commendable,” says the Honourable Steven Fletcher, Minister of State (Transport). “This resilient element of our military history deserves this recognition for its efforts over the last 150 years to help make Canada the best country in the world in which to live.” The Regiment’s first deployment came in 1866 when it was sent to the Niagara region to deter Fenian attacks from the United States and its members have served as part of the Canadian Forces in every major conflict since ….” – you can take a closer look at the stamp here
- “Message from His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, on the Occasion of Vimy Ridge Day”
- “Harper Government Remembers the Battle of Vimy Ridge”
- “Harper Government Marks the 96th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge”
- “Liberal Statement on the Anniversary of Vimy Ridge”
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – April 8, 2013
- Algeria (1) Seems like guy #3 is, indeed, in jail (and off the hook, a bit, for the Algerian attack) “Aaron Yoon, a London, Ont., man who went overseas with two high school friends who later perished participating in a militant attack on an Algerian gas plant, has told CBC News he is shocked to hear his friends were killed. Yoon, who is about 24, was arrested in Mauritania in December 2011 on charges of belonging to an illegal organization. He was sentenced to two years in prison in the summer of 2012. It appears Yoon had no role in the Algerian gas plant attack by militants linked with al-Qaeda in January of this year, in which his two former classmates, Ali Medlej and Xris Katsiroubas, were among the dozens killed. Yoon was already behind bars in Mauritania when the attack happened. Before his arrest, Yoon attended a religious school in Mauritania, reportedly with Americans and Europeans, studying the Qur’an. Yoon, was raised a Catholic, but converted to Islam a year before graduating from London South Secondary School. Speaking by cellphone with the CBC’s Adrienne Arsenault, Yoon said he didn’t know Medlej and Katsiroubas had been killed, saying that he lost touch with them about two years ago ….”
- Algeria (2) “Doubt is being cast on a young Canadian man’s claim that the federal government is not helping him try to get out of jail in the West African nation of Mauritania. Sources familiar with the file tell CBC News that Aaron Yoon has been visited nine times by either Canada’s Honorary Consul based in Mauritania or by consular officials based in Rabat, Morocco. A spokesperson for Diane Ablonczy, Canada’s minister of state for foreign affairs, wrote in a statement that “Canadian officials continue to provide assistance to the individual as they would for any Canadian detained abroad.” The assistance does not signify a belief in Yoon’s guilt or innocence, read the statement. The sources say Yoon repeatedly urged officials not to contact his family in Canada to advise them of his situation. The government is required by the Privacy Act to abide by that kind of request ….”
- Algeria (3) Column: “You could call them the 519 Caliphate, after their area code. Or perhaps the Middlesex County Mujahedeen. We don’t know what the three London, Ont., high-school students branded themselves, but it appears that Aaron Yoon, Ali Medlej and Xris Katsiroubas were probably the latest in a long history of young Canadians to travel overseas to take part in a foreign struggle ….”
- Algeria (4) Column: “…. Religion is but one of several factors galvanizing mostly alienated youth to militancy, according to studies by security services in Canada, the U.S. and across Europe. Often their inspiration was no farther than a click away on the Internet. Their biggest motivation has been revenge for the occupation of Muslim lands and the killing of civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Constantly looking for culprits under prayer carpets is racist, Islamophobic and, more crucially, counterproductive. It feeds the jihadist narrative that the West is at war with Muslims — something that terrorist groups use as a recruitment tool.”
- How Terrorists are Made (1) “The allure of fighting for a cause steeped in religious obligation is one of the reasons why more and more North American youth are choosing to join terrorist organizations overseas, says Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, a Canadian man who says he once fought alongside Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Somalia ….”
- How Terrorists are Made (2) “Terrorists using social media – they were, unfortunately, among the early adopters. Still, it’s not often that a wanted terrorist – especially one whose name is on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted Terrorists list – would agree to take part in a live blog moderated by the Global News special investigation program 16×9 on Friday ….”
- Syria “Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird (yesterday) announced that Canada is providing real leadership to help address the effects of raging crisis in Syria. Canada is extending credit of up to $2 million to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The Canadian contribution will make possible the investigation announced recently by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon into alleged chemical weapons use in Syria ….” - more here
- North Korea (1) “Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird …. issued the following statement: “In another series of dangerous actions and rhetoric, North Korea continues to threaten regional and global security. These acts serve as a reminder of why North Korea is among the most isolated regimes in the world. While the North Korean people starve, precious resources are used for military weapons and the country’s nuclear program. We call on the leadership in North Korea to reverse this dangerous course and start attending to the urgent needs of its people, who have continued to suffer under repressive regimes. The United Nations Security Council has taken strong and unequivocal actions with the virtually unanimous support of the international community, serving clear notice to the rogue regime in Pyongyang ….” “
- North Korea (2) “As nuclear-armed North Korea continues to threaten war, a former Canadian diplomat says it is time for Canada to reconsider its decision to not join a ballistic missile defence program. “You can’t be sure whether something aimed at the United States isn’t going to strike Canada. Our interest is in protecting Canadians, ” Colin Robertson said in an interview on the Global News program The West Block with Tom Clark. Robertson’s call comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un began mobilizing long range missiles and cleared his army to launch a nuclear attack on North America. Diplomats in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang have also received warning that their safety will not be guaranteed past Wednesday and have been urged to leave ….”
- One of the other places the troops are working “The 1,700 km stretch of Haitian coastline is dotted with numerous islands, making surveillance difficult and gives smugglers and criminal groups an advantage for carrying out their illegal activities. They pose a real threat to the country’s stability and the establishment of a credible and effective law enforcement agency. To combat this, training and mentoring are underway for the Haitian National Police (HNP) so that it can fight criminal activity throughout its territory, as part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) ….” - more on Canada’s OP Hamlet in Haiti here
- Well done CSOR! “The fifth Warrior Competition concluded (28 Mar 13), with the Jordanian teams winning nine awards. Organised by the Jordan Armed Forces and the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Centre (KASOTC), the four-day international competition, included 35 teams from 18 Arab and foreign countries …. The Canadian Special Operations Regiment team leader said the competition was “fun”, with the team winning five awards and third place in the overall results ….” - more on the competition here
- “When Sylvain Chartrand was captured in Bosnia while in the military, when he was suffering from post-traumatic stress, the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Veterans Hospital was a welcome haven. But veterans like Chartrand and about 14,000 others in the Montreal area worry about what’s going to happen when the hospital passes from federal to provincial hands in less than six months. “We need places where they have multi-disciplinary health care professionals who work together for the benefit of the veteran,” Chartrand said during a demonstration in front of the hospital Saturday afternoon. The biggest concern for people who use the hospital is whether the province can maintain the level of care that it enjoyed under federal stewardship. The hospital has consistently ranked among Canada’s best, and is the last of 18 veterans hospitals to have gone from federal to provincial management. Workers and patients want answers now, as to whether the province plans on retaining the hospital’s standards ….” - more here
- “The Mounties have been called in to investigate allegations that a long-time veterans advocate continues to be harassed, even after he won a human-rights case against a federal review panel. The RCMP probe was initiated at the request of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, which is carrying out a separate review of fresh allegations by Harold Leduc. Leduc is the outspoken former warrant officer who created a political storm last year when he claimed members and management of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board leaked private information about his post traumatic stress diagnosis. He alleged the leak was made in order to discredit his decisions at the board, which takes a second look at the rejected benefits claims of ex-soldiers. The human rights commission had previously ordered the veterans board to pay Leduc $4,000, including legal costs, for harassment he’d suffered from other agency members. But he claims the harassment did not cease, even though his position with the board was not renewed last fall ….”
- “Relax folks: those “loaded” U.S. nuclear missiles being shipped around Vancouver Island by train aren’t real and are just movie props. In fact, they were used for Gareth Edward’s reboot of the Godzilla movie franchise, filmed on Vancouver Island in late March, just as tensions are on the rise with North Korea. At one point, the fake nukes were strapped to a train car and appeared to be headed towards the Canadian Forces test ranges in Nanoose Bay, B.C. Godzilla publicist Ernie Malik says the props were likely made in B.C., as the entire film was expected to be shot in this province, and were used in one scene. Canadian Forces spokesman Kevin Carle says the military doesn’t have nuclear weapons and has not received any complaints about the props ….”
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – April 6, 2013
- Algeria “How three London teens ended up dead or jailed, accused of terrorism”
- Way Up North (1) Arctic expert on a proposed CF arctic training centre in the far north “…. I think the idea of training soldiers for cold weather is a really important one in a country that has Arctic conditions across very large parts of the provinces in wintertime. So yes, if there is a need for disaster response in Saskatchewan in winter, then it’s really important to have winter trained soldiers. And Resolute [Bay] strikes me as a good place to do that because of course there are facilities there that are used that were built for scientists to use in the summer. So the idea of having a dual functional dormitory and cafeteria and warehouse in Resolute to be used for training soldiers in the winter and for scientific support – for housing scientists in the summer – is simply common sense ….”
- Way Up North (2) Paper: “If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Break It: Expanding and Enhancing the Canadian Rangers” ( 28 page PDF)
- Way Up North (3) “Soldiers and Canadian Rangers kicked off their spring time Arctic sovereignty operation April 2, launching patrols across the High Arctic Islands from Resolute Bay. This year’s Operation Nunalivut will see more than 120 members of the Canadian forces, including about 35 Rangers, fan out from operation headquarters in four patrols. Three of these will cover the northwestern portion of the islands ….”
- “On behalf of the Honorable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Minister for La Francophonie, Parliamentary Secretary Eve Adams (yesterday) joined Her Excellency Ms. Quentin Bryce AC CVO, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, at the National War Memorial for a wreath-laying ceremony in honour of Canadian Veterans and Canadian Armed Forces personnel ….”
- “The Honourable Vic Toews, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, (yesterday) announced that the Government of Canada has delivered on its commitment to provide an ex gratia payment to the families of the victims of the bombing of Air India Flight 182. This payment is a symbolic gesture to acknowledge the administrative difficulties families faced following the bombing of Air India Flight 182 on June 23, 1985 ….”
