Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Canadian Forces Afghanistan Vet interview

All;
Good evening, I hope you're well.

Honestly I'm still processing this interview, it's thought provoking to say the very least.

If you've got an 90 minutes, it contains information and a point of view that is new to me.



If there are any Afghanistan vets who watch this, I'd be honored if you'd give an opinion on it.

Thanks in advance.

Dwayne

Thanks for posting, Dwayne. Well worth the time to watch.

Nick

Dwayne, thanks for putting the video up. Well worth watching. Big learning moments and some scary thoughts.

Dwayne; thanks for posting the video. Very interesting and impressive young woman.

Nothing surprising to me came out of watching it. Sad statement on the condition of our country.

GRF;
Good afternoon my friend, I trust the day's behaved for you all and you're well.

Thanks for your reply and for watching the video, I appreciate you taking the time to do both.

For me it was somewhat of a surprise that we'd taken female troops from other specialties and put them front and center with the door kickers.

When she explained why that was it did make sense to me for sure, but somehow I'd thought/believed/hoped that the female soldiers there had been at least previously trained for that sort of thing.

While I was aware that the veteran suicide rate was high, I did not fathom that 44 a day were ending their lives.

As an extension to that, while I knew that the MAID program here was being put into high gear and had been offered to some vets, when she talked about the number of instances it hit home with me.

Indeed, it is a sad statement on the condition of our country.

All the best to you and yours my friend.

Dwayne

Excellent video, thanks for posting.

I don't know much about the last few minutes of the interview, but rest was generally inline with what I saw.

We rolled into Iraq in OIF II with plywood, sandbags, and any sheet steel we could scrouge for "hillbilly" armor, only a handful of Hummers had actual blast and frag kits out a 600 vehicle convoy through Baghdad.

So - yeah, you made do with what you have - and hope you've trained enough to get through the rest.

In Iraq - our artillery battery rotated something like 30 days on the gun line inside the base - and 60-90 days on the route clearance and force protection teams outside of the wire - definitely not what they were expecting after enlistment.

Kandahar in 2009 was a hard place to be for anybody rolling out - the operations tempo was up, and we were going into places we hadn't been to establish presence, operations, and FOBs to get after the IED and HME operations.

Many troops were pulled into non-trained, and non-standard roles in Iraq and Afghanistan - we needed certain things to accomplish the mission now, and you did it without much reservation to help your teammates get it done.

AH64guy;
Good morning to you sir, I hope the day in north VA is a tad warmer than here and that you're well.

Thanks so much for your service and your perspective, I appreciate both.

The last part of the video regarding MAID is something that we seem to be really diving into up here. I'm given to understand California has something similar but even so they only use it a fraction of what we seem to be.

Thanks again, I was hoping someone who'd been there could give some perspective.

All the best.

Dwayne

Interesting video Dwayne, thanks for posting!

Dwayne,
I would imagine you might be as anxious to see spring arrive as we are here. It's a slow transition this year.
Our daughter spent a year in Afghanistan as a BlackHawk pilot. Our future son in law was her crew chief. This would have been around 2006, I think. Somewhat different circumstances but she was there. It is apparent that everyone handles situations, and the aftermath thereof, differently. Mental health issues for veterans are real and almost all can be traced to a lack of a support system which is administered proactively. We are thankful that our daughter and her family have been able to deal well, but they have had unwavering support, if needed. GD

greydog;
Morning sir, thanks so much for the reply and information given.

Regarding spring, the garlic is poking up, the buttercups are starting to come out and it was -7° this morning - so the fire gets lit once more.

Again thanks very much for the personal experience.

Thanks to your daughter and your future son in law for their service too.

While I have chatted with a couple Canadian Forces vets who were in Afghanistan, we didn't get too deep into anything which of course makes sense as we didn't really know one another.

Once more I'll say that while I was aware there were female combatants on the ground enabling the teams to search women and children, in my naivete I'd believed that "surely" there was at least a standard training procedure.

Mind you too greydog, this was in the same timeframe that WorkSafeBC required us to do safety assessments and have written procedures in place for pretty much any and all tasks in our cabinet and furniture facility. Not having them in place as well as being able to prove that we'd taught say the router/shaper operator proper lock out and PPE could result in fines or being written up, regardless of whether an incident had resulted or not.

Meanwhile in Afghanistan it was, "Hey you're coming with us now, buckle up".

Having no personal experience with the Canadian military, working a lifetime in industry, sometimes the irony of useless red tape vs. training that would actually make sense astounded me.

Again on the MAID, I was aware we've gone way, way in on it, but hearing it from someone who is dealing with vets who've been offered it drove some of the points home for me.

All the best to you all.

Dwayne

My mind wanders to our grandfathers who came back after war and received FA. My grandfather was involved in WW1 and WW2.

My Wifes dad was in WW2 and was really struggling with things, now I know abit more about it, I wish I could of understood how I could of helped him out in some way.

If he was sleeping and having nightmares, which was every night, nobody would go near him, not even close to him, he kept things to himself, maybe it was better that way.

My wife watched the video last night and was not surprised by the number 44 --- we talked about how her Dad handled coming home from WW2 and never talking about his time over there. The most he ever said was the infantry guys had it hard (he served in a Sherman and a couple of tanks in his group were lost in battles in Italy).

I had an uncle on my Dad's side that was in the infantry. Dad said when he came home he was not the same and committed suicide. Back then PTSD was not recognized as well as today and even today I question if it is actually proactively managed.

My dad said something to the effect of "if you were in combat, worked an ER or were a first responder to a [bleep] show you’ve got PTSD it’s all in how you are able to cope".

As the years went by one can see many events where the old man’s PTSD manifested itself. Once he was past 75 he started talking about his experiences in the war and his PTSD events after.

He said “it feels so much better to talk about these things, I wish I’d done it sooner. I guess I was afraid everyone would think I was a monster”. I asked him if anyone ever thought less of him after he spoke up “no, never, just understanding and empathy, although I’m not good at dealing with empathy” this last quote is paraphrased.

A good deal of the WW1 vets I met had "shell shock”. Worst PTSD I saw was in an uncle who never saw “combat”. He was in bomb disposal in London for the entire war. The blitz really rung him out.

so if yall know a vet, a copper, an ER staffer, paramedic, firefighter, etc and they start to talk STFU and listen, really listen. That may be a moment of opening for them and your attentive listening may be just what they need.


i hope all yall are doing well and that you can take care of some folks and that there are folks taking care of you.

GRF;
Good evening my friend, I trust you and your fine family are all well tonight.

Thanks so much for that wonderful, sage advice.

I shall do my level best to follow it.

Best to you all.

Dwayne

Thank you - it's shaping to be an early Spring and a long hot summer with a water shortage if we don't get a lot of rain in the next 45 days.

GRF hit it directly on the head:


As a veteran and those listed, we don't expect you to understand what we saw or experienced, but we may need you just listen when we decide open up about it.

There was a comment above about actively treating PTSD - the harsh reality is still that admission is first step in recovery - the person within has acknowledge that it's there, and be willing to do something about it.

The interviewee spoke of it - "we're fine, I'm fine, you're fine, all good here"...and then the drugs started - at some point she recognized it but sounds like much later.

I have not watched the video, not sure I can due my service. Maybe I will later.
However, I work side by side with several still serving CF members who were in Afghanistan. These guys are Combat Arms types, mostly Infantry but a couple Tankers.
We talk, a lot at times, about our experiences and where we are now. Due to the confidences they have told me, I won't go into detail however, our Vets, still serving and not, need help dealing with PTSD and any other number of wounds, seen and unseen. Right now, we lean on each other heavily at times. Both men and woman serve in frontline jobs.
I was diagnosed with PTSD in 1994 after serving in Bosnia, Sarajevo airlift to be exact. I dealt with injuries to men, woman and children that no one should see or experience and I will leave it that. I was a Medic so you can guess at what I dealt with over a 26 year career with tours in Bosnia. Funny thing is, I was never told about the diagnosis for almost 25 years. It was tripped over during a routine review of my medical documents.
Anyway, it is important to listen, to recognize when a Vet is opening up to you. Sit, listen and try not to interject what you may have seen on TV etc. as a way to connect. It likely won't work. So please just listen and support them.
This govt is useless when it comes to helping Vets. There are many of them who are homeless for frig sakes. And yes, I realize it has been this way through successive govts.
That is about as open as I'll get on here. I am fortunate to have a good support system, I hunt, fly-fish and try to enjoy life with my family and friends. Oh yeah, I do some outdoor writing as well.
Jeff

troutfly;
Good morning my friend, I hope the fire's lit and the coffee is on out your way and that you're all well.

Thanks so much for the reply, I very much appreciate your perspective.

When we were able to sit down together, you'd mentioned some of your background and that you've got continued contact in the community, so I was hoping you'd add some thoughts for sure.

I will do my best to take your advice to heart next time those sorts of conversations happen.

All the best.

Dwayne

I had an uncle who fought Japs in the Pacific. He wasn’t right when he got home. He hated Orientals, wouldn’t buy anything made in Japan. He required VA psych care and they did the best they could. He did live to an old age.

PTSD diagnosis didn’t come along until later. And there’s still much to be learned about these vets.

At least it’s getting attention, which is a good thing.

DF

Seems like a good time to say.......my Uncle was a WW2 veteran and a Member of the Canadian Navy. We were at one of our family gatherings at a high Mountain lk near here, I took him out in a 10ft boat with a small outboard engine to fish.

We got out on the lk maybe 400 meters from shore heading to a good spot to fish, and all of a sudden he fell on the floor of the boat crying and saying ...take me back, take me back ...look at how black the water is....I turned and headed back to shore full throttle, I ran it onto the shore and he got out and sat in the water which was about 6" deep and stared at "himself".

His Wife (my Aunt) came over and helped him get himself together, I couldn't help him, I had no idea, I was terrified.

He was a great Fiddler and there was always a Fiddle nearby at our gatherings, it was special when he played various jigging tunes he had learned from his Father, it was therapy for him, I always felt bad for him, we treat out veterans like shyte.

I listened to that interview recently and her comments about the shocking difference in culture I’ve heard many times from other vets that served in Afghanistan.

I’ve listened to interviews with soldiers that were serving during the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the brutality they had to witness and not allowed to help is hard to comprehend.

Shawn Ryan is a former Navy Seal and has a good podcast where he interviews a lot of veterans.

mod7rem;
Good afternoon to you sir, I hope your part of the province is getting the weather you need and you're all well.

It's a wee bit chillier than I'd prefer at night here, but we did see the sun and the buttercups are starting to come out so the yard mulies are feasting on them.

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.

For sure Sean Ryan is on my subscribe list of channels and I like a lot of his stuff.

Being former military he seems to be able to bring connect with a lot of the interviewees better than some others are able to.

All the best.

Dwayne

Good evening Dwayne,
Busy day around here as I mentioned in our txt's. It will be nice when the weather warms a bit, rumoured to happen this weekend.
I mention the bit about interjecting in a conversation only because there is one guy who has no military background yet attempts to insert himself every chance he gets.
Conversations usually end about that time. It can make things uncomfortable. Most folks however, do simply listen and try to understand fortunately.
It was a good life, I am proud of my service even retiring "broken".
I started to watch the video, will likely do it in chunks. I get where she is coming from being in an all French unit. The last few weeks of my last tour in Bosnia were with a French unit. Guess what, I'm 100% Anglo. It was interesting.
Jeff

Hi Dwayne.
Everything’s good here in PG. Went from -28 yesterday to *3 today. Weather changes fast here. I’d rather it stayed somewhere in the middle of the two extremes we seem to get here, but my wants don’t mean much to Mother Nature ha ha.

Shawn Ryan’s is great at letting his guests speak without injecting too much of himself into the conversation. Not all podcasters have that ability. But, he definitely doesn’t have a time limit. His episodes take as long as they take so some are marathons.

I haven't been able to watch the whole thing yet, but I'll echo Greg's comments, especially about improvising when you don't have the resources you need. Full disclosure: I spent close to 2 years in Iraq: I never made it to Afghanistan.

The smells she mentions at the very beginning is absolutely a real phenomena. It'll knock you off your feet and you'll never forget it. I will somewhat disagree however about the rich not sending their kids. While there is some truth to that I am sure, I think it is important to mention that I knew several well off kids who just wanted to join. There are plenty of kids from poor families that don't. One Jr officer I was in Fallujah with was a congressman's son and a few others came from very well to do families. There are people from all walks of life in the military, and people who joined for every reason that can be thought of.

On the PTSD front, I have heard it is more pronounced these days after the Vietnam era(ish) because in earlier wars there was time to decompress and talk to teammates on the long ride home. Now they're back in 2 days and thrown out into the world, albeit with some relatively minor screening by a psychologist. I hope in the 15 years I have been on the outside they have amped that screening up.

While I'd have to really think about it, I suspect more guys from my units have committed suicide after getting back, including at least 2 senior SNCOs, than we lost in actual combat. That is just the ones that I know about...there could be even more that I never heard about. PTSD affects everyone differently and even very mentally tough people can be broken down by it.

T Inman;
Good morning my friend, I hope all is going as well as can be for you up north.

Thanks so much for your thoughts on the subject, you were another one that I was hoping might drop in with your input.

Any thoughts I have are as a complete outsider of course.

The fact that our government is encouraging veterans to commit suicide via our MAID system is so detestable to me that I have a difficult time expressing the degree of disgust and anger.

Hopefully we can have a change of government along with some policy changes in time to save what's left of our armed forces T. As it stands now for so many reasons it's not sustainable and everyone, allies and enemies, can see that.

On a lighter note, I am sitting waiting for a long time buddy to show up and we're heading out to call coyotes and will howl for wolves too just because.

All the best to you this weekend.

Dwayne

Good luck out there today Dwayne! Hope you get into them!
I pulled the last of my lynx traps yesterday as the season closed. I still have a few sets out for wolves but haven't caught one of either this year. It has been a slow year, but that is OK. I have the snowmachine loaded and I am planning for an all out assault on ptarmigan here in a couple hours.

I googled a bit more about Canada's MAID system, and my goodness. It seems like it isn't the terminally ill Dr. Kavorkian types that the 'service' is designed for...I honestly don't even want to think about it. Even for Justin Trudeau's regime it is just wrong on so many levels, although some articles I read indicated he was actively fighting against it.

At 19:30 when referring to KIA, Mrs. Sheren said something to the effect of: "They're gone. They don't care". I understand her point to some extent, but in some ways am not in agreement. Back when though, I sometimes felt that the 'lucky' ones were the ones who didn't make it back. There are times i still believe that even though in the back of my mind I feel a bit guilty about it. I really should get more involved with local veterans organizations and do more than I do to help the issue.

T Inman;
Me again sir, back down without firing a shot, but it was a grand run regardless.

The MAID system was originally presented as a humane way for terminally ill folks to be able to choose to die "with dignity".

That's as I understand it.

At the same time, ironically in my view, the feds are still saying we need more firearms regulations in order to prevent suicide?

The cynical side of me might suggest they don't want competition in anything, death included.

Regarding getting involved in veteran organizations, if you're so inclined then by all means I'd encourage you to do that.

As I've aged and look back on a life of relationships in and out of work, it's the ability to effect positive change in others' lives that have been among the most meaningful - for me.

Thanks again and all the best this weekend T.

Dwayne

I haven't finished watching it either. I'm around half way maybe. She makes plenty of great points though. The improvisation to complete the mission is huge, esp in the Canadian Armed Forces, or at least it was during my time. One instance that comes to mind was the need for an incubator as we were air medevacing an infant, newborn actually, from a village in Bosnia via Herc. The flight team consisted of myself, a Cpl Flight Medic and a Capt Flight Nurse. We built an incubator from a cardboard box, a space blanket lined it. We hooked an O2 bottle to the box and ran a canula into the box. Every once in a while the nurse would place baby inside the front of her flight suit for warmth and so I could exam it. The child was successfully evac'ed however, the mother never turned up. We were told that she was too ill to travel. We were a Medevac flight for [bleep] sake! More like, she was taken as a sex slave.....

Smells, damn straight, I can still smell the mass graves we found on another tour in Bosnia. Plus, the smell of death and destruction from the shelling of Sarajevo will always be with me.
The things humans do to one another are horrifying to see. I'll leave it there.

As for VAC offering MAID to veterans, that is a most despicable thing to discuss with someone reaching out for help dealing with PTSD. This current government is a coalition of evil in Canada.
Jeff