Don Cherry read the book and said, “Sandstorms, killer heat, sneak suicide attacks, rotten food, bites from five-foot snakes, death of buddies, can’t tell the enemy from friends – a tough and deadly war, yet Blatchford shows how our troops soldier on with no complaints. You will be involved in conversations with the troops that could only be gathered first hand. This book will open your eyes to this brutal war and it is worthy of our brave young men and women.  It is a tough book written by a tough broad who tells it like it is. I could not put the book down.”

You can read an excerpt from the book in the Globe & Mail that talks about Gomez’s death and mentions that he was in the Airborne Regiment.

[Click here to purchase the book]

It’s Troy MacInnis here, seeing if the Patricia’s can help an “old Pat” out. It’s not money or anything like that, but because you guys are the ultimate resource for my project, I would appreciate any help you can give me.

I want to gather stories from soldiers that have served whenever/wherever with either the PPCLI or 2Cdo (within the Airborne Regiment) about any good times/funny memories of their own experiences during their time in the Regiment. They could be from the Colonel of the Regiment, all the way to the “no-hook” private. Once I get as many stories as I can, with good taste (or at least a little cleaned up-you get the picture), I plan to compile them into a book. Anywhere we can find some good ones would help. e.g.-the PPCLI association, all 3 battalions, the Parachute Centre, the Airborne association even the PPCLI chat rooms, basically wherever we can reach them.

Depending on the response, I can’t promise everyone’s stuff will be used at this point (although I would if I could), but I’m sure every soldier has many memories/stories that others can appreciate. So as a starting point, I’d love any responses from any PPCLI/2Cdo troops, past or present.

This is my way of giving back to the place I called my home, my family for many years, and a way for the troops to get a laugh out of each other, even if they don’t know them personally (because we can all relate to another soldier’s tales).

So long for now, and let me know how this sounds. Feel free to call me (780) 487-9909 or email with any questions.

Where were the calls for disbandment? Why are politicians silent? Why are people defending them? Why the balanced views hearing both sides of the story? Why does the Canadian public continue to support every public institution except for the military whose men and women risk their lives daily around the world defending the ideals Canadians believe in?

Of course there was no-one defending us, we were under a gag order and we obeyed that order as we had every other one. We were condemned men unable to defend ourselves and trusting our superiors and the government to do it for us. We had sacrificed so much to defend our country, surely they would do the same for us? We were naive I guess, NDHQ betrayed us and left us to the wolves…

I guess I am still bitter.

It is on CBC’s Newsworld on Thursday, July 17th at 10:00 p.m. and on Sunday, July 20th at 5:00 p.m. All times are Eastern Standard. Please check your local listings for other areas.

Of the documentaries on the Airborne that came out recently, I thought that this was the best one. It is a must watch if you haven’t seen it already. Thanks to Adam de Bartok for sending this in.

You can help to bring back the Airborne Regiment by downloading this petition (click here and save), printing it out, then collecting at least 25 signatures. Once the petition is complete, mail it to the office of Leon Benoit, MP, at 613 Justice Building, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6.

Click on Continue reading just below for full instructions on filling out the petition. Let’s make a difference.

Instructions for completing and submitting the petition:

• The petition must be printed on sheets of paper of usual size, i.e. 8 1/2 x 11 inches or 8 1/2 x 14 inches.
• The text of the petition must not be altered by erasing, crossing out or adding words.
• Nothing may be attached or appended to or written on the petition, whether in the form of additional documents, pictures, requests for support, etc.
• The petition must contain a minimum of 25 valid signatures, each with the address of the petitioner.
• Each petitioner must sign his or her own name directly on the petition and must not sign for anyone else. Names should be signed, not printed. Signatures cannot be attached to a sheet (taped or pasted on) or photocopied onto it. If a petitioner cannot sign because of illness or a disability, this must be noted on the petition and the note signed by a witness.
• The petitioner’s address must be written directly on the petition and not pasted on or reproduced. The petitioner may give his or her full home address or simply the city and province.
• Only persons resident in Canada may petition the House of Commons of Canada.

For anyone who can make it, I would highly recommend attending. The documentary is excellent and it is a chance to talk to Mike who has done so much to get the true story of the Airborne out to the public.

In my opinion though, Mike has done the best job yet and I commend him on it. It was hard to watch as it brought back all of the feelings of sacrifice and betrayal, but it was worth seeing. If you did not see the show tonight make sure you see it when it airs again on Sat, Feb 15 at 10pm ET (7pm PT). I would appreciate hearing your opinions, just click on the Comments link below and send in your comments, or if you prefer to keep it anonymous, click on the Contact link on the left and email me.

Airborne…