Defence minister's remarks were cold

Moose Jaw Times-Herald, 12 Jul 06

Word has come out that Canada's latest victim in the war in

Afghanistan was disillusioned about with the military mission and

he felt he was misled about the conditions in Afghanistan.

Cpl. Anthony Boneca, 21, was happy that he was just three weeks

away from returning to Canada when he was gunned down during a

battle with Afghans who are against the West's mission in that

country.

It is very sad that someone of our Armed Forces felt that he was

misled by Canada's military honchos. It is even sadder that he died

living through something he realized he wanted no part of anymore.

However, what is even sadder is the posthumous treatment *Boneca* is

now receiving from the man who is in charge of sending these people

to potential death, without having to even consider facing it

himself, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor.

After Boneca's feelings were made public by his girlfriend's

father, O'Connor took potshots at the dead man, while playing to

the crowd at a military base in Winnipeg.

"You don't get a choice in what you do or don't do. This is the

military," O'Connor said.

"As an old sergeant said to me years ago when I was a young

officer 'You only volunteer once.'"

But if one soldier can say from the grave that he was unhappy in

Afghanistan, it's probably not a solitary sentiment, just one that

is not said very loudly.

And sure enough, the Canadian Press reported that a member of

Boneca's group, Master Cpl. Robert Lander expressed some

frustration.

"We have done our share," said Lander. "It is time for the

replacements from the Royal Canadian Regiment to come and replace

us."

Instead of poking fun at a man who can't defend himself, the

Defence minister must realize that this is a nasty situation these

men and women are in over in Afghanistan.

O'Connor has to accept that there are at least some soldiers

unhappy with the situation and mocking one of our own who died

doing something O'Connor is not doing is not going to help our

troops.

The Defence Minister has to accept that he's made a mistake and

apologize to all of our troops for treating *Boneca*'s memory so

cavalierly and shabbily.

He also has to be willing to listen to all of our soldiers or else

it's going to be much harder finding people willing to fight the

government's battles in the future.