It is far worse north of the border.
Canadian snipers who fought with us with distinction and skill in Afghanistan when we destroyed the Taliban regime and sent Osama into a cave condo development in Pakistan have been treated like dirt back home (via Strategypage email update):
Rob Furlong, Tim McMeekin and three other Canadian sharpshooters -- Graham Ragsdale, Arron Perry and Dennis Eason -- had spent nearly a week in the rugged terrain of Afghanistan's Shahikot Valley, reaching out and touching the enemy from distances even they had never trained for. But that shot was something special. Rob Furlong had just killed another human being from 2,430 m, the rough equivalent of standing at Toronto's CN Tower and hitting a target near Bloor Street. It was -- and still is -- the longest-ever recorded kill by a sniper in combat, surpassing the mark of 2,250 m set by U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Hathcock during the Vietnam War.
It should have been a moment of pride for the Canadian army. Five of its most talented snipers -- men trained to kill without remorse, then turn around and kill again -- did exactly that. They destroyed al-Qaeda firing positions, saved American lives and tallied a body count unmatched by any Canadian soldier of their generation. U.S. commanders who served alongside the snipers nominated all five for the coveted Bronze Star medal. "Thank God the Canadians were there," is how one American soldier put it.
Yet days later, their heroics on the mountain would be overshadowed by suspicion, including stunning allegations that one sniper, in a subsequent mission, sliced himself a souvenir from the battlefield: the finger of a dead Taliban fighter. Military police launched a criminal investigation, but uncovered nothing but denials.
Can't we bring such fine soldiers here? Give them the recognition they deserve? I don't even care if they join our military. I don't care what party they vote for. Such troops deserve more than they have gotten in Canada:
Among the American troops who served with the snipers, the viewpoint is unanimous. "These are the type of people that I would want to put up on a pedestal and say: 'This is the very best that we have to offer,' " Justin Overbaugh says. "I am not big on apologies, but if they are owed an apology, I hope that they get one. I am quite certain that is all they want."
I'm sure there are lots of Westerners out there who would fight this war if we gave them the chance.
Canada has been a good friend and neighbor. They have a proud military tradition, fighting around the world with honor. An entire Canadian army fought in Western Europe in World War II. Today keeping a reinforce battalion in the fight strains them.
Canada welcomes our deserters with open arms but their own fighters are persecuted.
If Canada today can't recognize their very best, their recent resolve to fight with us is but a blip on a long downward slide toward irrelevancy and passivity in the face of deadly threats to the West.
I guess I'd best visit Canada while I still can. Nice country. Shame they don't seem to want to fight for it. Or even recognize those who will fight in their name.
