"People are rarely interested in events half a world away. That may well be true, but we are going to have to learn to care. The Taliban’s utter disregard for human life is at the very heart of the reason our soldiers are in Afghanistan. It is precisely because we value human life that we are waging war.This is something a nation must only undertake in the direst of circumstances. Our children are risking and losing their lives. Just as important, our soldiers are killing other human beings at our behest. The only way such losses and such actions can be justified is if our enemies, through their actions, have completely crossed the line into immorality.
Have the Taliban reached this point? Like most Canadians, I oppose the death penalty. But I fully support the right of people to defend themselves against hideous abuse, not necessarily by war, but by war if necessary. I want my country to stand with those people, where it can.
So I would urge all [Canadians] to ask themselves two questions. The first is whether Afghan civilians are worth protecting. The second is whether the Taliban are so bad that they need to be opposed with lethal force.
The answer to the first question should be self-evident. The answer to the second requires more information. If you oppose the war or if you have not yet made up your mind, read everything you can about the mission. And when you hear about the Taliban killing dozens of civilians on the chance that they might kill a single Canadian, take a moment to reflect on what life was like for the Afghans when they were in power.
And what it would be like if they returned. Then decide if you support this war or not."
~excerpt from FOB Doc - by Ray Wiss 
a Forward Operating Base doctor who served two tours in Afghanistan, this is a diary of his first tour from Nov 07 - Mar 08
You can read more excerpts here
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.
One of the frustrations of those serving in Afghanistan (or anywhere else, really) is the lack of understanding, or appreciation, of what is endured during those tours of duties in far off lands that most of us have not, and will never, experience. For many of us, the war in Afghanistan is a recorded tally of the number of dead soldiers - currently at 133 Canadian, 1340 foreign casualties altogether - but very little of the background information or a tally of the successes that these men and women have achieved. In this book are included dozens of photographs of the horror of the war and the beauty of the country in which it is waged. There are stories of desperation, fear, and boredom. Stories of successes and failures, and explanations of some of the difficulties the soldiers and the civilians are up against in such a harsh land.
A particularly interesting and informative read.
From someone who does not usually find war stories to be particularly interesting enough to be informative.
"Lest We Forget"
