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Sorry if this shoud go in another section. :-[
'I had soldiers break into tears'
BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH
OTTAWA BUREAU
OTTAWA - Canada's troops patrolling war-torn Kabul have sent a sobering message home â †"we are overtasked, overburdened and worn out."
The messenger, military ombudsman André Marin, is adding his voice to the alarm after spending two days with the soldiers last week.
"In the short period I was there I saw them very focused, motivated to do their job but they're just plain exhausted and overrun by the burden," Marin told the Toronto Star in his first interview following his visit.
Cutbacks to the Canadian contingent have meant that the soldiers are doing double duty and working flat-out, Marin said.
Marin said everyone is feeling the load. However two Edmonton-based units in particular are feeling the pinch â †the Lord Strathcona's Horse regiment, which is doing reconnaissance, and the 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, which provides the force protection.
Troops call it the "plug and play soldier" â †working 10 hours in one job and then being "plugged" in somewhere else for another shift to fill in the staffing gaps.
"It's taking its toll on these people. I saw it first-hand," said Marin, who has served as ombudsman since 1998.
"I had two soldiers break into tears as they were explaining what they were doing. I had never seen that before.
``One of my jobs is to be a voice for the soldiers and what I heard very loudly is ... this is a red flag that they wanted me to carry back."
The situation is so serious that Marin says it's essential that commanders consider a "formal decompression" period for this rotation of troops to give them time to unwind before they're returned home to Canada and their families in February.
Canada cut its troop strength in Afghanistan to 700 from 2,000 in August to give the overstretched army a breather, Gen. Ray Henault, chief of defence staff, said at the time.
But Marin suggested those cuts went too far and says that while the rest of the army recuperates, the soldiers in Afghanistan are paying the price.
"They've gone too far into the withdrawal and they feel that they're left to carry an enormous load," Marin said.
Their mission is to provide reconnaissance and surveillance for the International Security Assistance Force that is helping to keep the peace in the Afghan capital.
It was Marin's second trip to Kabul â †his third to Afghanistan â †and he says he was struck by the change.
This time, despite finding a first-rate camp, good food, "top-of-line" equipment and a "rock-solid" organization, he said the morale is being taxed by the workload.
"I was really struck and moved by the enormous weight that's on their shoulders right now."
Marin said two problems are to blame. First, three reconnaissance platoons assigned to surveillance duties have been given the work of four.
"The consensus that they would like to see the reconnaissance team operate at its normal four-platoon size," he said.
Second, while Canadians have vacated much of Camp Julien for use by troops from other nations, the smaller force still has the big job of running the base.
Marin cited the example of clerks in the administration section, who have been working 10-hour shifts, seven days a week.
"They do a normal shift and then, after that, they're reassigned to other sections such as to provide security for the base, manning the gates. ... This is added to their normal days," Marin said, noting that the second shift can stretch up to six hours.
The complaints, aired during town hall meetings and one-on-one chats, go far beyond the usual gripes of overwork, Marin said. And they cut across all ranks, from private right up the chain of command.
Marin also visited the secret Canadian base in the Middle East region that's used as a transit and rest stop for troops headed to and from Kabul. Military personnel there told him how the Canadian troops seem like "zombies" when they arrive from Kabul for their occasional breaks.
Marin said he's not worried the staffing shortage will cause safety concerns because they're "professional soldiers, dedicated to their job."
But he's deeply worried that the stress will show itself when they return home in February. That's why he says it's essential that commanders consider "decompression" time for the troops.
He's also urging military commanders to review the staffing plan for the next rotation of soldiers, due to ship out in February from CFB Petawawa.
Marin says he was so concerned about what he saw in Kabul that he's booked a meeting tomorrow with Brig-Gen. Marc Caron, assistant chief of land staff, who is planning to visit Afghanistan this month.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1101682208362&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&DPL=JvsODSH7Aw0u%2bwoRO%2bYKDSblFxAk%2bwoVO%2bYODSbhFxAg%2bwkRO%2bUPDSXiFxMh%2bwkZO%2bUCDSTmFxIk%2bw8RO%2bMKDSPkFxUj%2bw8UO%2bMNDSPgFxUv%2bw8YO%2bILDSLkFxQh1w%3d%3d&tacodalogin=yes
'I had soldiers break into tears'
BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH
OTTAWA BUREAU
OTTAWA - Canada's troops patrolling war-torn Kabul have sent a sobering message home â †"we are overtasked, overburdened and worn out."
The messenger, military ombudsman André Marin, is adding his voice to the alarm after spending two days with the soldiers last week.
"In the short period I was there I saw them very focused, motivated to do their job but they're just plain exhausted and overrun by the burden," Marin told the Toronto Star in his first interview following his visit.
Cutbacks to the Canadian contingent have meant that the soldiers are doing double duty and working flat-out, Marin said.
Marin said everyone is feeling the load. However two Edmonton-based units in particular are feeling the pinch â †the Lord Strathcona's Horse regiment, which is doing reconnaissance, and the 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, which provides the force protection.
Troops call it the "plug and play soldier" â †working 10 hours in one job and then being "plugged" in somewhere else for another shift to fill in the staffing gaps.
"It's taking its toll on these people. I saw it first-hand," said Marin, who has served as ombudsman since 1998.
"I had two soldiers break into tears as they were explaining what they were doing. I had never seen that before.
``One of my jobs is to be a voice for the soldiers and what I heard very loudly is ... this is a red flag that they wanted me to carry back."
The situation is so serious that Marin says it's essential that commanders consider a "formal decompression" period for this rotation of troops to give them time to unwind before they're returned home to Canada and their families in February.
Canada cut its troop strength in Afghanistan to 700 from 2,000 in August to give the overstretched army a breather, Gen. Ray Henault, chief of defence staff, said at the time.
But Marin suggested those cuts went too far and says that while the rest of the army recuperates, the soldiers in Afghanistan are paying the price.
"They've gone too far into the withdrawal and they feel that they're left to carry an enormous load," Marin said.
Their mission is to provide reconnaissance and surveillance for the International Security Assistance Force that is helping to keep the peace in the Afghan capital.
It was Marin's second trip to Kabul â †his third to Afghanistan â †and he says he was struck by the change.
This time, despite finding a first-rate camp, good food, "top-of-line" equipment and a "rock-solid" organization, he said the morale is being taxed by the workload.
"I was really struck and moved by the enormous weight that's on their shoulders right now."
Marin said two problems are to blame. First, three reconnaissance platoons assigned to surveillance duties have been given the work of four.
"The consensus that they would like to see the reconnaissance team operate at its normal four-platoon size," he said.
Second, while Canadians have vacated much of Camp Julien for use by troops from other nations, the smaller force still has the big job of running the base.
Marin cited the example of clerks in the administration section, who have been working 10-hour shifts, seven days a week.
"They do a normal shift and then, after that, they're reassigned to other sections such as to provide security for the base, manning the gates. ... This is added to their normal days," Marin said, noting that the second shift can stretch up to six hours.
The complaints, aired during town hall meetings and one-on-one chats, go far beyond the usual gripes of overwork, Marin said. And they cut across all ranks, from private right up the chain of command.
Marin also visited the secret Canadian base in the Middle East region that's used as a transit and rest stop for troops headed to and from Kabul. Military personnel there told him how the Canadian troops seem like "zombies" when they arrive from Kabul for their occasional breaks.
Marin said he's not worried the staffing shortage will cause safety concerns because they're "professional soldiers, dedicated to their job."
But he's deeply worried that the stress will show itself when they return home in February. That's why he says it's essential that commanders consider "decompression" time for the troops.
He's also urging military commanders to review the staffing plan for the next rotation of soldiers, due to ship out in February from CFB Petawawa.
Marin says he was so concerned about what he saw in Kabul that he's booked a meeting tomorrow with Brig-Gen. Marc Caron, assistant chief of land staff, who is planning to visit Afghanistan this month.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1101682208362&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&DPL=JvsODSH7Aw0u%2bwoRO%2bYKDSblFxAk%2bwoVO%2bYODSbhFxAg%2bwkRO%2bUPDSXiFxMh%2bwkZO%2bUCDSTmFxIk%2bw8RO%2bMKDSPkFxUj%2bw8UO%2bMNDSPgFxUv%2bw8YO%2bILDSLkFxQh1w%3d%3d&tacodalogin=yes
