November 2, 2008
We recently returned from a 3 day trip with Brigadier General Denis Thompson. He’s the man in charge of the Canadian Task force in Afghanistan. This is a man who does not let dust collect at his feet. He’s always on the move.
We joined him as he went to visit his soldiers closer to the front line. Given the level of insurgency, and the Taliban’s ability to create havoc throughout the country, the exact location of the “front line” could be debated at length. For the purpose of this e-mail, the “front line” is about a 2 to 3 hour drive from this main base. With that said, don’t make any distance judgments based on the timing. The location may only be a 20 minute drive by North American standards. This, however, is not North America.
Driving Afghanistan’s highways has become a bit of a blood sport. There’s a reason stretches of roadway are called “Suicide Alley” or “Highway of Death.” These aren’t flippant nicknames; they are factual descriptions of the Taliban’s favorite venue of violence.
While Canadian and coalition forces are becoming much better locating IEDs and suicide bombs prior to detonation, (Military officials say they find nearly 90 percent in the main cities and about 60 percent in rural areas.), few days go by without word of at least one IED or suicide attack.
Most civilian deaths are the result of these attacks and almost half of the 97 Canadian soldiers killed, since coming to Afghanistan, have been because of these tactics. As a result, soldiers take their driving very seriously.
On this specific trip, the General was concerned the roads had not yet been swept for IEDs. That means the highways were off limits. Fortunately, for the General’s travel plans, there’s plenty of desert here. Unfortunately, for my ass, we were about to drive across it.
Canada’s Light Armoured Vehicles and Bisons are well equipped to handle the rigors of off road driving. But just because you CAN does not always mean you SHOULD. While I don’t want to come across as whiny, I just need to point out that these vehicles are designed for protection… not comfort. We rode in the Bison and any illusions of a smooth ride across soft fluffy sand dunes were quickly dashed the moment we dropped onto the hard crusty dust carpet.
My butt felt every divot, dry water hole, bump and, for that matter, each individual grain of miserable sand. Dust poured in from the air sentry hole as we bounced around the back of the windowless Bison. Everything in this vehicle is tied down except for us… Oh, and 1 box of grenades!
Hanging on for dear life, bracing ourselves between the wall and various pieces of equipment, Mike and I were speechless the first time this box of grenades fell from the air sentry opening and crashed on the floor. We watched as they bounced and rolled. We watched as the Cpl came down from his air sentry position to pick them up, checking each pin before putting the grenades back into the box. When it happened for the third time, the Cpl actually asked Mike to hold one while he repeated his clean up and pin check. All I could do was laugh as Mike looked at me, the grenade awkwardly in his grasp.
I didn’t think this trip could get any more surreal. It did. As the sun was at its afternoon peak, our Bison made a sudden stop. You must understand that there are no windows in the back of a Bison so passengers have no clue where you are. When the back hatch opened, we assumed we had arrived to visit soldiers at another forward operating base. In fact, we had stopped in the middle of the desert to provide road side assistance to an Afghan truck driver.
Like us, a big semi decided to take the long cut across the desert and found the only soft patch of sand. It was stuck. Never one to miss an opportunity to win the hearts and minds of the locals, General Thompson decided to play the role of CAAA… Canadian Armed Automobile Assistance. The men in his LAV attached the tow cable and quickly pulled the truck out of its hole.
The driver thanked the General and then drove away, turning back towards the distant highway. We did not. We continued bouncing across the desert and, after meeting soldiers in no less than 7 forward operating bases and 2 ongoing operations, 3 days later we were safely back at main base.
The entire trip could likely have been completed in one afternoon but safety is paramount for the General. While everyone understands there are dangers associated with working in this environment, risk is very much managed. There are no short cuts to safety. As I found out on this trip, though, safety does not come without a price. After 3 days of bouncing in the back of a Bison, sometimes the size of your butt will dictate how big that price is.
Francis
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