Veteren dies of wounds recieved in WWII

The Times has an article about Leslie Croft, a British veteran who died recently at the age of 86, from the effects of a shrapnel wound suffered during the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943.

Croft served with the 6th Battalion of The York and Lancaster Regiment but never returned to combat after his injury. The wound to his stomach caused the growth of scar tissue which eventually lead to his death.

According to the Rotherham coroner:

“I rather suspect that Leslie Croft will be one of the last men to die of a wound suffered in World War Two.

“Mr Croft died from broncho-pneumonia consequent on a war wound which he suffered when fighting in World War Two in Italy in 1943.

“He had undoubtedly made what appeared to be a miraculous recovery because he went on to work in the coalmines and he must have enjoyed quite a long period of retirement.”

First Canadian pilots certified on C-17

The Canadian Air Force news site announces that the first Canadian Forces pilots have been certified to fly the C-17 transport aircraft. Both of the pilots have flown the planes while on exchanges with the US Air Force and each have over a thousand hours of flight time.

Canadian helps build school in the Sudan

The Trident has an article about a Canadian officer, Lt(N) Jamie Stewart, who helped rebuild a school in the Sudan while he was a member of UNMIS, the United Nations Mission in Sudan.

New tankers for Canadian Air Force

The Air Force News reports that the Canadian Air Force has taken delivery of its first CC-150 Polaris air tanker. The plane, a modified Airbus A310, will give Canada a strategic Air-to-air-refueling capability which will allow the air force's CF-18s to be deployed worldwide.

Dealing with Afghans

The Halifax Chronicle-Herald has an article about the difficulties in trying to get things done in Afghanistan. Basically the Canadians want to pay the workers directly while the village higher ups feel that they should be in charge of distributing the cash. Reminds me of stories of getting construction work done in New York City.

Chaplains train at Toronto hospital

A news release from Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto describes a programme for training Canadian Forces Chaplains before they are deployed overseas.

Conclusion of Arctic Patrol

The CTV has an article about the conclusion of the previously mentioned Arctic patrol.

"We were supposed to see some of the most beautiful scenery in Canada. All we saw was white.''

Additional: The Washington Post has an interesting article about the patrol which gives, at least part of, the American view. Amusingly they refer to members of the Canadian Rangers as "Eskimo reservists".

TV Interview lead to capture of RN personnel

The Guardian has an article claiming that the Iranians decided to capture the Royal Navy personnel after seeing a TV interview with one of the crew that implied they were gathering intelligence as well as enforcing sanctions.

Blog post: Driving in Afghanistan

Slate has a blog post that links to a YouTube video about driving in Afghanistan.

Canadian Tanks

The Hamilton Spectator has an article about tanks and their use in the Canadian Forces.

Every generation of the Canadian army since the first use of the tank -- more than 90 years ago on Sept. 15, 1916, in the Battle of the Somme -- has had to articulate the immutable, steadfast, necessity for having and maintaining armoured regiments equipped with tracked armoured fighting vehicles.

The link came via this post on the Torch.

Vimy Ridge Diary

Canada.com has some excerpts from the diary of a Canadian gunner at Vimy Ridge.

Sweating for his country

The Chronicle-Herald has an article about the gunner in a Canadian Forces Leopard tank serving in Afghanistan. A lot has been written about the heat in the vehicles but this article put a more personal spin on the issue.

"I’ve lost about 15 pounds since I got here in late February," he said Friday.

"I weigh about 170 now and I’m guessing I’ll probably be down to 150 by the time I go home for good."

Blog post: Must have combat gear - flip flops

A blog post describing a mandatory piece of equipment for service overseas - sandals for the shower.

More on the Arctic patrol

The Chronicle Herald has an article about the previously mentioned Arctic sovereignty patrol that is currently underway in the Canadian north. The going seems to be a bit rough so far.

There is also an article in the Globe and Mail but I find that their articles often tend to vanish after a while.