Portrait of a Canadian soldier
Please read this story about a 43 year-old British immigrant (ex-RN) preparing to serve in Afstan as an engineer private. And congratulations to The Brick for being truly a brick.
Stand up and applaud Pte. Jed Stone, serial number N88103401, 3rd Field Engineers Squadron, Canadian Army Reserves...
Jed Stone, 43, furniture consultant at The Brick store on Cyrville Rd. [Ottawa], and while you're applauding Jed Stone, applaud The Brick for promising Jed Stone that while he'll lose his salary for the times he's away, his full-time job will be waiting for him when he gets back from the ultimate fulfilment of his mission in life: Combat duty in Afghanistan with his fellow Canadian soldiers.
But don't, in front of Jed Stone, applaud the misguided feckless fools in Canadian society who say we need to debate our military role in Afghanistan, who say we have no right to be there, who say bring the poor soldiers home before more of them get killed. Don't, in front of Jed Stone, applaud the self-righteous whose understanding of freedom's worth, freedom's sacrifices, soldiering's necessity, soldier pride, is shamefully abysmal, a discredit to our nation...
His late father fought in World War II in the Royal Navy. Born in London, one of six siblings, Stone says: "I always wanted to follow my dad's footsteps."
He did. He was studying electrical engineering when the Gulf War broke out in 1991 and he quit to join the Navy, assigned to the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious and then the destroyer HMS Gloucester. In 1999, after leaving the service, he emigrated to Canada.
"Canada's been great for me, and this is my way of giving back. The people of Afghanistan are a society of oppression under the Taliban, the denial of basic human rights. The Taliban's not only bad for Afghanistan, but for all of us. The people want us there to help them in the fight.
"The problem in Canada is that, except for the veterans who fought, we don't really know what freedom is because there's never been a war for freedom on our soil. We take it for granted, we've nothing to compare it against. Lose the desire to fight for freedom, you will lose freedom."..
That's why Jed Stone, who asked the army for at least one tour of front-line duty in Afghanistan, will get that opportunity after 30 more weeks of intense training this summer at Camp Gagetown in New Brunswick...
Stand up and applaud Pte. Jed Stone, serial number N88103401, 3rd Field Engineers Squadron, Canadian Army Reserves...
Jed Stone, 43, furniture consultant at The Brick store on Cyrville Rd. [Ottawa], and while you're applauding Jed Stone, applaud The Brick for promising Jed Stone that while he'll lose his salary for the times he's away, his full-time job will be waiting for him when he gets back from the ultimate fulfilment of his mission in life: Combat duty in Afghanistan with his fellow Canadian soldiers.
But don't, in front of Jed Stone, applaud the misguided feckless fools in Canadian society who say we need to debate our military role in Afghanistan, who say we have no right to be there, who say bring the poor soldiers home before more of them get killed. Don't, in front of Jed Stone, applaud the self-righteous whose understanding of freedom's worth, freedom's sacrifices, soldiering's necessity, soldier pride, is shamefully abysmal, a discredit to our nation...
His late father fought in World War II in the Royal Navy. Born in London, one of six siblings, Stone says: "I always wanted to follow my dad's footsteps."
He did. He was studying electrical engineering when the Gulf War broke out in 1991 and he quit to join the Navy, assigned to the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious and then the destroyer HMS Gloucester. In 1999, after leaving the service, he emigrated to Canada.
"Canada's been great for me, and this is my way of giving back. The people of Afghanistan are a society of oppression under the Taliban, the denial of basic human rights. The Taliban's not only bad for Afghanistan, but for all of us. The people want us there to help them in the fight.
"The problem in Canada is that, except for the veterans who fought, we don't really know what freedom is because there's never been a war for freedom on our soil. We take it for granted, we've nothing to compare it against. Lose the desire to fight for freedom, you will lose freedom."..
That's why Jed Stone, who asked the army for at least one tour of front-line duty in Afghanistan, will get that opportunity after 30 more weeks of intense training this summer at Camp Gagetown in New Brunswick...
posted by Mark, Ottawa at 8:17 a.m.
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