Today, three more Canadian soldiers were killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan. Although no one death is any more significant than the other, these three young men represent a milestone for the Canadian effort there. The total now stands at 100. This pales in comparison to the death toll of Americans, even based on a per capita count.
When being a soldier in the Canadian Army, which is strictly voluntary, is compared to other jobs in the nation, it is for certain a dangerous one, and not one man who signs up does not acknowledge that. Canada has been in Afghanistan since 2002. That means there have been an average of 16.6 deaths per year. Every death is one too many, but compared to another 'peaceful' industry in Canada, it is relatively safe. Logging is carried out all across our nation, but in one province alone, British Columbia, there are 25 deaths per year related to logging. I do not think that when a young man signs on with a forestry company that he thinks for one minute that his chances for survival would be better on the front lines of Afghanistan!
The logger gives his life for lumber and paper. The soldier gives his life for the betterment of the people of Afghanistan. We must keep this in perspective when we hear the inevitable cry from the public to withdraw from that troubled region of the world.
1 comment:
Terry, thank you kindly for the comments to my posts. Please feel free to leave your comments anytime. I do appreciate your comments and I would like for you to continue to do so, seems though you are the only one who leaves regular comments and they encourage me. Yes, I started my blog with intention of leaving photos and memories for my family and future generations but I post entries about varied topics as well, as you have seen. Christmas was always a very special time for me, as a child and as an adult. I carried on the family traditions to my own family as well during the holidays, in the past at least. Therefore, I have so much to say about this most special time of the year. Our home burned due to electrical problems. Charlie and I were enjoying a movie, about 30 miles away when we received the call our house was on fire. It was certainly one of the most difficult times we had been through because we had not only ourselves to care for, but at the time we had our children and two of our grandsons to care for. However, with the help of family and many friends, we made it through the first days following the fire. They were very generous with contributions and support. Thankfully, we had insurance, but we were underinsured on contents. We didn't realize how much we had until we actually sat down and listed it all. You can imagine with six people in our household just how antagonizing it was to list everything. We managed to replace most household furniture and enough clothing and household goods to get us started again with our insurance proceeds. Thank you again, Terry for the most kind comments. Have a blessed Sunday!
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