Valerie Fortney- The true story of Capt. Nichola Goddard

This afternoon the book: "Sunray, the death and life of Captain Nichola Godard" written by award winning journalist Valerie Fortney. This afternoon we will be looking at this young woman  why she went to Afghanistan to fight. "Sunray tells the story of a remarkable 21st-century soldier. It is an intriguing, heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring look at the decision to serve, and at the costs."

Many folks firmly believe we shouldn't be in Afghanistan, but when does a country stand together and stand up and say: No, what's happening to people in Afghanistan is no longer tolerable. Are Afghani women any less human beings than Canadian women? Do we simply turn a blind eye and allow little girls to be murdered and have acid thrown in their faces all for daring to have the audacity to desire an education? And despite the rants of some who cry colonialism, we certainly aren't there for its resources. It's certainly not oil. Canada has the 2nd largest oil reserves in the world. Is there anything else we derive from Afghanistan? Well...we know Afghanistan produces 90% of the globe's opium; the poppy; heroin. Certainly that is not our priority to balance trade deficits. So why are we there?

Perhaps this afternoon we will gain a measure of  insight as to why captain Nichola Godard chose to leave the comfort of Canada to put herself in harm's way in Afghanistan. Tragically Nichola became the first combat qualified female  Canadian soldier to die in combat. Captain Nichola Godard was a woman of idealism. She was a leader. Above all she was a human being who wanted something better for her fellow human beings inhabiting this small planet.

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Hi Brent-
The media has been getting it wrong for years-Nichola was not the first Cdn female soldier to die in combat. Lots of female soldiers have been caught up in combat and killed. As the general made responsible in 1997 for introducing women into the combat arms of the CF(Infantry, Armour, Artillery, Combat engineerrs, Pilots, Surface and sub-service Navy) I find such discription of Nicola's sacrifice inadequate. She was the first combat qualified Canadian female soldier to die in combat. She was the Artillery FOO(Forward Operating Observer/Officer) for her battle group responsible for calling in and adjusting artillery fire in support of her commander's mission-and from what I understand from her commander one of the best FOOs in the theater.
All the best, Lew MacKenzie

Capt. Dr. Ray Wiss Canadian Combat Doctor in Afghanistan

A Line In The Sand. An impassioned insider’s view of the Canadian soldier’s war in Afghanistan and why it matters.

A Line in the Sand takes up where the bestselling FOB Doc left off—this time, with a focus on the Canadian soldier in Afghanistan. What Captain Wiss saw in Afghanistan during his first tour there in 2007–08 convinced him that this conflict was a rare example of a moral war. When the Canadian Forces asked him to return to the combat area, he agreed. Once again, he kept a diary. This time, he wrote something completely different.

The conflict in Afghanistan continues to command the nation’s attention. Written in an accessible and engaging style, A Line in the Sand’s goal is to ensure that the efforts, sacrifices and achievements of those Canadians who served with such distinction are never forgotten. Illustrated with over 50 colour photographs, A Line in the Sand tells us about virtually every kind of soldier fighting in Afghanistan: the bomb technician, the woman who lugs heavy artillery shells, the engineer, the tank driver, the combat medic, the “grunt.” We accompany Dr. Wiss as he treats the casualties of war—Canadian, Afghan (civilian and military) and Taliban. We follow combat patrols through dangerous terrain. We learn about the Afghans, from whom we are seemingly so different yet with whom we share so much.

All profits from A Line in the Sand will be donated to the Military Families Fund, created by former chief of the defence staff General Rick Hillier to assist military families.


Brent Holland Show 2010_10_13 Ray Wiss doc in... by BrentHolland

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Chris Wattie Contact Charlie

Contact Charlie: The Canadian Army, The Taliban and the Battle that Saved Afghanistan. In the summer of 2006, a Canadian army patrol travelling through Afghanistan''s Panjwayi region-a densely packed maze of villages, fields and vineyards west of Kandahar-surprised an unexpectedly large force of Taliban fighters. The soldiers of the Princess Patricia''s Canadian Light Infantry had stumbled into a hornet''s nest, the largest buildup of Taliban forces in the region since their regime had fallen in 2001. The Canadians found themselves up against opponents who were suicidally brave, cunning at planting mines and roadside bombs, and experienced at disappearing into the scenery whenever they chose. As their commanders threw more and more soldiers into what became a gruelling, drawn-out struggle, the troops of the battalion''s Charlie Company found themselves at the forefront of every firefight and ambush in what became a desperate, two-month pitched battle. The 150 soldiers of Charlie Company suffered more casualties and earned more decorations for bravery than any other Canadian unit since the Korean War and came into contact with the enemy so many times they became known simply as "Contact Charlie." In Contact Charlie , National Post reporter and embedded journalist Chris Wattie offers an intimate and harrowing look at the series of battles that would eventually take the lives of seven soldiers, including Captain Nichola Goddard, Canada''s first female combat casualty, and veteran soldier Sergeant Vaughn Ingram, who died trying to save one of his young troops. Based on Wattie''s own experience in Afghanistan, as well as hundreds of post-tour interviews with the men and women on the ground, Contact Charlie is a rare piece of military writing, providing readers with a behind-the-scenes look at the stories that made headlines that summer-and continue to do so today.CHRIS WATTIE is a senior national reporter with the National Post , and one of the first Canadian reporters embedded with the army when he accompanied Canadian troops on the International Security Assistance Force mission in Kabul in 2003. He was also with the Canadian Forces'' disaster assistance response team in Sri Lanka for the aftermath of the 2005 tsunami. In January 2006, he travelled to Kandahar with the first troops of the Canadian battle group deployed to southern Afghanistan and was embedded for eight weeks.

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Ray Wiss "FOB DOC" A doctor on the front lines in Afghanistan

"A compelling and informed observation of the truth of Canada’s war, from a dedicated Canadian doctor. Since returning from Afghanistan, Dr. Wiss has continued to teach nationally and internationally, and re-joined the team at the Sudbury Regional Hospital Emergency Department. He lives in Sudbury with his wife Claude and their four-year-old daughter, Michelle. Royalties from FOB Doc will be donated to the Military Families Fund, which was created by former chief of the defence staff General Rick Hillier to assist military families. Book excerpt: "We had sent out a patrol in light armoured vehicles, and they hit an IED on their way back to the fob. Some of our men were severely wounded and landed on my medics and me within fifteen minutes of being hit. Forewarned of the seriousness of the injuries, we called for the MEDEVAC chopper before the wounded men got to the fob.

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