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First Canadian female soldier killed in combat

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posted on May, 18 2006 @ 04:28 PM
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Originally posted by masqua
Would you mind elaborating a bit on the above statement? I can't understand how this relates to Captain Goddard, the other fallen Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, or even the quote which you were answering to.

Who should go home?
Who are the allies of Russia and China?
And what's turnip soup got to do with anything?


You can't?? Why not?

The person inferred by their comments, unless they wish to indicate otherwise, that this was a needless death eg. they should not be there.

How am I to interpret it otherwise?

Is the person inferring that incompetence led to this person's death then?

Are you not aware of the long and protracted struggle since the 80s for control over Afghanistan between the west-capitalism and the east-socialism? maybe I'm wrong.



posted on May, 18 2006 @ 04:44 PM
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I take my hat of to her for making the ultimate sacrafice. God bless her.

I think its great that female soldiers are up there with the men, I have met many females in the US army who are better soldiers in some aspects than a lot of their male counterparts. Some of them would terrify any enemy in combat just as much as any man would.

And im sure all the men in here would agree that women have an evil streak in them and when it surfaces guys better start running



posted on May, 18 2006 @ 04:55 PM
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Have a Way Above, Duzey. You've earned it once again.

As for Goddard, there isn't a Canuck alive who isn't damn proud of her and all our other servicemen and women. She did her job well, and her ultimate sacrifice will be remembered.

DE



posted on May, 18 2006 @ 04:55 PM
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I am male, but do take exception to your erroneous statement associating gender with any specific quality of the occult. Humans are unique and any such generalizations are a detractor from the discussion of the significance of the death of a member of our old unit (PPCLI) and what that may mean to Canadians. I'm not angry or anything but that's my considered opinion.

Victor K.



posted on May, 18 2006 @ 05:23 PM
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V Kaminski,

I did not realise I associated anybody with the occult?? I was merely trying to point out that women are just as capable as men in all respects and dont need to be shielded because of gender.

If it was the evil streak comment that has annoyed you I apologise but you are misunderstanding my use of the phrase, where I come from it simply means that women can be as bad tempered, aggresive and tough when they feel like it.

I am sorry to any women (or men) I may have offended by my previous post It was not ment to be negative in any way.



posted on May, 18 2006 @ 05:36 PM
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Thanx Oakley, That clears that up for me.


Cheers,

Victor K.



posted on May, 18 2006 @ 05:37 PM
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by cap_n_america
Yer right she was into it , but the implication of forward observer as recon translates to non-combat via non-contact.

Kind of hard to remain non-contact in a LOACH. STILL another loss that shouldn't have happened.


Recon has its dangers. Even if the group was trying to avoid contact, it is never a sure thing, is it? Every one of the personnel on that recon would have been aware of the possibilities. No doubt each one of them was watching out for an attack.


by denythestatusquo
The person inferred by their comments, unless they wish to indicate otherwise, that this was a needless death eg. they should not be there.


Capt_n_america can speak for him or herself, but I think the statement meant that the recon was to be a non-contact mission...not that Canadians didn't belong in Afghanistan.


by denythestatusquo
Then you should tell all those allies of Russia and China to not shoot at them then.


I'm thinking you mean the Taliban and the AQ factions. I had no idea they were allies of Russia and China. I thought they were mostly Islamic fundamentalists attempting to re-instate (with the help of AQ) the Taliban as rulers. If they get weapons from Russia or China, it means no more then when they were supplied by the West while they were fighting the Russians. (The enemy of my enemy is my friend)



by denythestatusquo
Myself I wish they would go home and keep making turnip soup or whatever they eat over there since they still want to remain poor and keep confrontation going with the rest of the world.


Back to the terrorist aiding Middle Eastern countries from which they came? My guess is that a large majority of those fighters have been in Afghanistan since they defeated the Russians and established the Taliban. Now their children are carrying on the fight beside them.


by denythestatusquo
Are you not aware of the long and protracted struggle since the 80s for control over Afghanistan between the west-capitalism and the east-socialism? maybe I'm wrong.


No, I've been aware of what has been happening there (to a certain degree). But I'm guessing there's a lot more to it that's not yet common knowledge.
.



posted on May, 18 2006 @ 07:40 PM
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Just a sad footnote. Heard on the news she died on her father's birthday.



posted on May, 18 2006 @ 09:13 PM
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Originally posted by V Kaminski
I suspect that we are being pushed and goaded to comply with the expectations of non-Canadian interests sympathetic to the "Enduring Freedom" rationale and being "sucked in" we are too proud to call it quits and have even extended the tour until President "Carlyle" Kharzi splits the groovy scene in 2009.

This is the way I look at it. It doesn't matter which party is in power, they'll always have their own agenda and do whatever they want. The best I can hope for is that in their eagerness to make themselves look good, they will actually do some good.

If Canada leaves Afghanistan, can we be guaranteed that other countries are going to stay for as long as it takes? Every time this country is attacked, it ends badly. It's going to take years before they are anywhere close to being a stable, democratic country. We're already there, we helped overthrow the government and I think we owe it to the citizens of Afghanistan to make sure this never has to happen in their country again.

While it can be fun to debate the why's and wherefore's and argue over whether it was the right thing to do, the fact is it's already happened and there's nothing we can do to change that. Let's be responsible and see it through to the end.

It is a shame that our military has been gutted to the point where we can't be in a position to give both Afghanistan and the Sudan the help they need.




changed occupied to attacked because it's far more accurate
[edit on 18-5-2006 by Duzey]

[edit on 18-5-2006 by Duzey]



posted on May, 18 2006 @ 09:26 PM
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Masqua:

you need to review the history of the involvement of the US in the past Russian/ Afghanistan war.

Would it surprise anybody that Russians are now backing the insurgency in Afghanistan againist the NATO based alliance?



posted on May, 18 2006 @ 09:38 PM
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Denythestatusquo...perhaps you can enlighten me by U2U on the American politics involved.

This thread is about Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan and in particular about a fellow 'arty' who has been killed in the line of duty. From what i've read about her (from personal sources), she was highly respected and capable.
www.theglobeandmail.com...



Capt. Goddard was one of only a few hundred female combat soldiers in the Canadian Forces, and one of only a handful in Afghanistan, but that mattered less to her than the job at hand.

-snip-

Major Reiffenstein remembered the same attitude.

"She'd want to be remembered as a really, really good soldier, not as a female officer, a female soldier or a first of anything," she recalled.

Capt. Goddard was an outstanding artillery officer and a passionate leader who will be sorely missed, Major Reiffenstein said.



posted on May, 18 2006 @ 10:00 PM
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I just read this statement from her parents and wanted to share. You can read the whole statement here.



Our daughter, Captain Nichola Goddard, has been portrayed in the media as a strong leader, an officer who cared for her soldiers, and one who believed in the importance of her work and of the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. She was all those things, but she was also so much more.

.....

Nichola had a huge smile, and an even bigger heart. She was a volunteer scout leader and a faithful member of the Anglican church. She was always a caring person. Once, during a ski race, a competitor became hypothermic and collapsed by the side of the track. Nichola stopped and helped him down to the finish, losing any chance of winning the race herself. After that, her friends all called her ‘care bear’. At Shilo, she agreed to shave her head as part of a Cancer Fundraiser, and her men gleefully auctioned off the right to wield the razor. She raised a lot of money.

.....

We spoke with Nichola on Monday night. She called saying she wouldn’t be able to talk to Tim on his birthday, which was Wednesday. She was anxious to get out of the Kandahar base, as she was far happier in the hills, and was keen to get on with the job. She was never a paper pusher, she wanted to be a combat officer. She was happier outside the wire with her men.

.....

Nichola lived her life fully. She died too young, but she died doing something she believed was important, something she was good at, something she loved doing, and surrounded by people she enjoyed and respected. We shall all miss her dearly.

That's sad that it was her father's birthday.




I just wanted to add a couple things:

V Kaminski, thanks for the dinner invite; DE, thanks for the vote.

I think this has got to be the most polite WoT thread I've ever seen. It's just so stereotypical.


[edit on 18-5-2006 by Duzey]



posted on May, 18 2006 @ 10:21 PM
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Duzey, thanks for the update. Regardless of our politics and beliefs, a warrior, in the truest, and finest sense of the word, has passed. The wonder of the world is lessened by one fine human being. Parents have lost a loving special child, and we are all lessened by it.



posted on May, 19 2006 @ 07:07 AM
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My first though about hearing the news was " Oh man I hope she is not a mom " Now I know some people might jump all over this comment and take it the wrong way but I am a 30yr old CDN soldier and I have a 4yr old at home. She is daddys girl for sure but when it comes down to it she wants her mom if she gets a scraped knee or she is feeling sick.....all the sudden I am not good enough..
I know it would be terrible for anyone to lose a parent at a young age but I could not imagine how my daughter would deal with losing her mom. In fact my wife is joining very soon. I am happy for her decision to join but it will certainly worry me when she goes on tours....... Guess I will see what she goes through when I go away.

Its a sign of the times. I regret to think she probably wont be the last.

My thoughts go out to her friends and family.



posted on May, 19 2006 @ 08:10 AM
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Originally posted by denythestatusquo
Masqua:

you need to review the history of the involvement of the US in the past Russian/ Afghanistan war.

Would it surprise anybody that Russians are now backing the insurgency in Afghanistan againist the NATO based alliance?


You're.....Ohhh so off target!!...
The forces allied to Russia (China doesn't/can't do jack in Afghanistan) are the Northern Alliance. These are now major part of the govt. in power.
Note that in the duration the Taliban were in power (95 to 2001) the west had nothing to do with Afghanistan and the only powers actively involved in Afghanistan were Russia, India and Pakistan.
Pakistan of course the taliban govt in power, while Russia and India continued to fund/arm/train the opposition forces mainly headed by the Northern Alliance.
This force was the main local entity that helped NATO overthrow the Taliban. They are now in power.



posted on May, 19 2006 @ 10:37 AM
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Update; Capt. Goddard's significant other will be awarded the Silver Cross (also called the Memorial Cross) as a result of an "Order In Council" from the PMO.

This is a first as this honour is normally awarded to widows and Moms as opposed to widower's. This happened as a result of NDP questioning in the house in late April concerning the eventuality of a female soldier being killed. Capt Goddard's remains are in route to Trenton.

Thanx,

Victor K.



posted on May, 20 2006 @ 09:17 PM
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[edit on 20-5-2006 by cap_n_america]



posted on May, 21 2006 @ 10:10 AM
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Originally posted by Daedalus3
powers actively involved in Afghanistan were Russia, India and Pakistan.
Pakistan of course the taliban govt in power, while Russia and India continued to fund/arm/train the opposition forces mainly headed by the Northern Alliance.
This force was the main local entity that helped NATO overthrow the Taliban. They are now in power.


Erm, what role exactly did India have in Afghanistan, they didn't supply the Northern Alliance, it was Russia. I doubt INdia had any influence whatsoever in Afghanistan.

On a side note, our SASR are regularly in contact in Southern Afghanistan with Taliban and AL-Qaeda focres, killing scores of them. This is normally kept out of the news, to downplay out combat role



posted on May, 21 2006 @ 10:54 AM
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Update: Capt. Goddard has been re-patriated arriving at Trenton CFB a little before midnight local time on the 20th. She was met by Defense Minister O'Connor, General Hillier, her Mom and Dad and her significant other and an honour guard. Her flight arrival was delayed by 8 or 9 hours owing to DND reports of "plane trouble." A service is to be held in Calgary although details were not released.

Thanx,

Victor K.



posted on May, 22 2006 @ 06:43 AM
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The death of a Candian soldier displays the fact that the burden is being carried by many nations. When some Americans starting bashing Europe and Canada they seem to forgot about there presence in Afghanistan.




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