Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

OTTAWA - Canada is launching a board of inquiry to find out how a training mission in Afghanistan turned into a tragedy that took the lives of four Canadian soldiers.

Pilot may have acted in self-defence: Pentagon

Canadians shocked, saddened, outraged by deaths

Politicians express condolences and ask questions

BACKGROUNDER: Canada's Casualties

Defence Minister Art Eggleton says former chief of defence staff Maurice Baril will head the investigation into the tragedy near Kandahar. Four others will be named to the board soon.

Eggleton says the Department of National Defence has already launched its own parallel investigation.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Share your thoughts on this story

The four soldiers died when a U.S. National Guard F-16 fighter jet dropped either one or two 250-kilogram laser-guided bombs during an overnight training exercise. Dead are Sgt. Marc Leger, Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Pte. Richard Green, and Pte. Nathan Smith.

Eight other soldiers were wounded. Six of them arrived for medical treatment at an American military hospital in Germany Thursday. Governor General Adrienne Clarkson was there to meet them. Two of the soldiers are in very serious condition. The other four could be on their way home by Saturday.

The wounds of the two others are minor and they've been treated in Afghanistan. The bodies of the four soldiers who were killed are expected to arrive in Germany Friday, before being flown back to Canada.

According to an American report, two U.S. fighters spotted the live fire and asked a command centre for permission to strafe the area. Permission was denied. But the report says the jets thought they were being attacked and one of them bombed the area.

The U.S. jet was reportedly not involved in the training exercise on the ground.

Marley Leger, the wife of Sgt. Leger, told CBC News that her husband was 29 and had been a soldier for eight or nine years. She said family members were on their way to her home in Edmonton.

Joyce Clooney, the grandmother of Pte. Richard Green, says she got a letter from him just last month, reassuring her that he was doing well.

"He just wanted to be somebody, just to do something important," she said.

The victims were all members of the Third Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton.

The Defence Department said the deaths were the first loss of Canadian lives in an offensive operation since the Korean War in the 1950s.

The injured are listed as: Sgt. Lorne Ford, Cpl. René Paquet, Master Cpl. Curtis Hollister, Cpl. Brett Perry, Pte. Norman Link, Cpl. Shane Brennan, Master Cpl. Stanley Clark, and Cpl. Brian Decaire.

Written by CBC News Online staff

any thoughts?

R.I.P

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what are you talking aboot?

this is further proof that the US should not be over there to begin with. we're killing allies and terrorism isn't really slowing down. its bullshit in my opinion

yeah the us kinda fucked up.

Im sorry to hear of this.I know fighter pilot selection and training is extremely competitve and only the best of the best make it.And in my opinion its premature in this case to start assigning blame.I also know many combat air patrols go on all over the world everyday with out problems but it seems like some pilots are a little too eager to try out their "toys".But this eagerness to prove themselves is a well documented trait in Rangers and Delta force guys as well(not to mention many non military highly specialized professions) Not a combat death since the Korean war?Canada does a good job of exploiting other countries without getting its hands too dirty...

im not sure exploiting other countries is the right way to say it noam.

im just pissed that some eager beaver pilot ignored his denial to fire and killed our soldiers in fighting what would most likley be considered "America's war".

I believe it is.I respect Canada for alot of things,but they do not have a squeaky clean record(not that anyone does,but still).Please T.T,im all about learning new things so feel free to enlighten me on your stance.

"Indonesia is Canada's second largest aid recipient.Since 1985,Indonesia has recieved annual disbursements of 45-75 million.Canada gives more bi-lateral aid to Indonesia than America does.Japan is number one."-East Timor Alert Network

Hmmm oil from the sea of Timor,dig in canucks!

my question is what the hell we're CANADIAN SOLDIERS doing in Afghanistan anyway? They're probably planning the U.S. invasion. I think it's too bad we didn't get them alive!

Actually, this was a horrible tragedy... it's always too bad to hear these things

Hey TT,do you know if Canada's counter-terrorist unit JTF(Joint Task Force)was deployed to Afghanistan?Also,how are soldiers treated up there?Is it a respected profession,or is it comprable to Japans SDF,seen as pointless by many?

^

The JTF is involved.

There aren't as many 'career military' people up here,

but it is regared as a respectable job. All be it on outdated gear.

And now the news say that the fighter pilot was told NOT to fire,

and that the canadians were in a 'safe-training-zone'.

Someone has to pay for this.

Originally posted by NoamChomsky

Hey TT,do you know if Canada's counter-terrorist unit JTF(Joint Task Force)was deployed to Afghanistan?Also,how are soldiers treated up there?Is it a respected profession,or is it comprable to Japans SDF,seen as pointless by many?

The Canadian military is a joke. It's obviously incredibly sad that these guys died, but for the most part, Canada's military is pretty pointless. I guess it is respected, and I have nothing against soldiers, but we get nowhere near as much funding as the American or Russian armies. But then again, few countries do.....

This shit is all over the news. Sad.....

RIP

its extremly sad to hear.

RIP

the fog of war is always a part of military operations

Noam: the JTF were the first canadian military units to go over there. There was a big stink after the JTF handed over captured prisoners to the US, cause the defense minister claimed he didn't know about it, then turned around the next day and admitted he had known for a week. I forget the exact details, but that was all over the national news for a fucking month...

Canada has an Army? Get out of town.

^

yep! and they all fit on 1 dogslead.

Originally posted by --zeSto--

^

yep! and they all fit on 1 dogslead.

You mean they used to.....right?

this shit is fucking stupid.

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"i love makros."

..............

i love people with their "political panacea" opinions around here

I remember reading about rumors that the British SAS commandos,donned u.s. uniforms and participated in firefights during the Vietnam war to gain experience.You guys think the Canadians do the same thing?In they're job experience is very important.Is JTF "kinda" top secret like Delta Force is?

i dont thin its really too secret.

we trained a bunch of secret agents up here in WWII i think, some camp in ontario trained a bunch of british agents.

actually i think its sort of a respected career, its not as bis as the army in the us, but people still make a life of it. id say its mostly peace keeping.

alot of people have resorted to joining the army if the place they live is running low on work. alot of my friends from northern ontario joined just for the hell of it actully. they did a bunch of training in the us, and its kind of funny, their infantry or troop, i cant remember which has almost the same uniform as the us army rangers and are often mistaken for them while training in the us, i guess he got jocked pretty hard by the american army thinking he wa sa ranger or something.

ummmmm your guys' standard weapon is the ak-47? correct? im not too sure, ours is the c7 the less powerful one.

hmmmm we wre just there chillin, helping you guys out, being the nice guys we are.

oh yeah, our military training is up to par with yours, were not some second grade soldiers, actually (sorry i had to throw this in) when our soldiers came to replace some of yours in afghanistan 600 american soldiers went out and only 100 canadian soldiers went in, i guesss its 6 to 1 raito.

oh yeah noam, about the oil thing, i dont think we have anything to worry about, we have 10 times more oil in my province than in all of the middle east if im not mistaken, something ridiculous like that. when the sands there dry up well be just fine.

We use M-16's,the Russians use AK's.

yeah thats what theyre called, what was i thinking. sorry about that.

Thanks for all the info TT,im pretty interested in special forces and military history in general.The accident hasnt got much press in my town.It was mentioned in an editorial but he glossed over the fact that one of the pilots probaly showed horrible judgement,it was just about the "fog of war" bullshit.If i ever got courtmartialed I would want Catherine bell from JAG to defend me.MEOW.

Thanks,its a good site.I dont know of any JTF2 books,but if anyones interested I recommend Andy Mcnab's Bravo Two Zero,about an 8 man SAS team destroying scuds during the gulf war.SAS is just like Delta,except they have bad teeth. :lol:

Originally posted by platapie

yeah the us kinda fucked up.

naw the US didnt fuck up, the world did when humans came into existance:rolleyes:

Wow, what was this, the first 4 canadians to die in war? I dunno, for some reason this doesnt sadden me too much, 4 people die every day in my state in car accedents.

R.I.P to the individuals who did loose their lives, respect to their families.

Somebody Has to Be Ready To Fight

In the modern world, military actions big enough to permit armies to give soldiers some experience don't come along too often. If your entire armed forces is made up of young guys who have never been to war, they are almost certain to get their asses kicked. What every country needs is a solid, experienced cadre of combat veterans who can teach the newbies when the shit hits the fan. Look at the ranks of the Canadian soldiers who died. Sergeants and corporals and one private. These men were part of the Canadian Army's NCO corps, the backbone of any armed force. Canada probably has little need to send troops to Afghanistan except to show solidarity with their biggest and most loyal ally, the United States, and to get their men some much-needed, real-time experience. At my job, there are many Canadians who came to Houston to work. When 9/11 occurred they were in tears just like the citizens of the U.S. And they were just as pissed off as the Americans. What do you suppose would happen if some other nation attacked Montreal they way that al-Quaida attacked New York? We'd fry their fucking ass, that's what would happen. Anybody picks a fight with Canada will wind up getting smoked by the U.S.

It's always sad when people on our side die. But when men sign on the dotted line to JOIN THE ARMY, they know that they are going to be going in harm's way. That's why we honor them. Being a soldier is a dangerous ass thing to do. It's not just a job . Those soldiers are DEFENDING YOU. Sometimes, even under the best of circumstances, our own people get killed by accident. Mistakes happen. Pilots and artillery crews, and naval missle frigate crews are all human beings. They are not perfect. I'm sure that the pilot that dropped that ordnance is grieving. When we send men to war, we know that some will not return, whether from disease, or falling overboard, or auto crashes, or accidental friendly fire, or enemy action. We accept that risk when we enlist. Some will die for the greater good. But I bet it will be a cold day in hell before anybody in Afghanistan agrees to the idea of attacking New York twice. And if not, then we'll come back, and bomb their motherfucking asses back to the Stone Age AGAIN. And if necessary, a third or fourth time. Until they get a fucking clue.

i think it's funny that we're killing so many allies compared to the terrorists.

fuck the "war" on terror, cause it's gonna be just like the "war" on drugs.