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Recruitment, Afghan Mission

Tribute to the Troops

By Anthony Oluwatoyin

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Recruitment is up. In the deadliest week of our Afghan mission, recruitment is up.

In the week that saw the thwarting of what reportedly would have been the deadliest Week since 9/11 in the Western Front on Terror, our Canadian Forces report that whereas they average 25,000 recruits in a whole year, they secured 17,000 in the past six months alone.

In this blood-soaked week from international on down to our city streets, in which a half-dozen Indo-Canadian domestic thug-terrorists savagely swarmed a Vancouver man, fracturing his skull — all because he told the street-racing, foul-yellin' swine to cool it — our boys and girls, with focus and without bravado, are signing up for an education, for job training opportunities, for adventure and challenge, in our military, the navy, in the air force.

In this week of eroding support for our Afghan mission, with a simple majority of poll respondents wanting the troops "brought home as soon as possible," our boys and girls, with what Major Andy Coxhead, a spokesman for the Canadian Forces' recruiting group, reportedly referred to as a "steady feeling of patriotism," heed instead the call of our National Defence in that marvellous online blurb: "Consider the unique Profession of Arms. Challenging and richly rewarding."

As yet another Canadian soldier's body started the final journey home from Kandahar, a soldier's daughter this week bid farewell to her hero-dad, saying, "They tell me he is dead but I still sense his magic."

In spite of public skepticism, a recent Innovative Research Group poll found that two-thirds of Canadians agree that for the country to play a significant role in world affairs, it needs an effective military.

For some time now, our Auditor General has sounded the alarm on recruitment and service issues. In response, just last month, our CBC, the Communist Broadcast of Canada, all but relished a report of frustrated recruits quitting and targets plummeting.

Our boys and girls do not want to "stay the course." They want to advance the cause of global humanity, liberty and dignity.

We thank them. God Bless 'em.