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First wave of Gagetown soldiers returns Tuesday
Last Updated: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 | 8:56 AM AT
CBC News
Soldiers based at CFB Gagetown begin returning home Tuesday night after their six-month tour in Afghanistan.
The first group to return to the New Brunswick base will include a handful of soldiers.
The first major return of troops will happen Thursday evening when about four dozen soldiers will be reunited with their loved ones.
About 800 soldiers from the base have been deployed in Afghanistan since February and March.
Seven soldiers from Gagetown have been killed during the tour.
Job well done, Welcome Home Troops
Article Link
First Canadian soldiers return to New Brunswick from Afghan mission
Published: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 | 5:16 PM ET
Canadian Press: KEVIN BISSETT
OROMOCTO, N.B. (CP) - Six months after they said goodbye to family and friends and left for a dangerous mission in Afghanistan, troops from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown were to begin returning to their home base in New Brunswick late Tuesday.
A small contingent of soldiers was expected on a flight into Fredericton. A larger group - to be greeted by much fanfare - is scheduled to arrive Thursday.
"It's a huge sense of relief," said Fay Tidd, the mayor of the town of Oromocto, N.B., where the sprawling base is located.
"When the troops left, there was almost an eerie silence around. People weren't laughing and talking as much... Mothers and their children were in the stores shopping, but everything was quite subdued."
But the mass homecoming will be tinged with sadness. Seven soldiers from Gagetown were killed during the rotation.
In Oromocto, virtually every utility pole, signpost and fence in the town of 9,000 has been decorated with yellow ribbons since the tour began.
Continue Article
Tidd said she expects they'll remain in place for the duration of the Afghan mission.
Of the 2,500 Canadian soldiers involved in the latest rotation, about 650 are based at Gagetown. They were part of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment battle group.
"This particular rotation of Canadian soldiers in Kandahar has a lot to be proud of," said Lee Windsor, who specializes in Canadian army history at the University of New Brunswick.
"This is the third batch of Canadians we've sent into southern Afghanistan as part of the third round of NATO expansion and they accomplished a great deal. In fact, this has been a very historic six-month period in Canadian military history."
Windsor said the latest group was able to deliver on promises to rebuild parts of Afghanistan and bring aid to the residents of Kandahar province.
He said the nature of the latest mission meant troops had to travel further from their base, exposing themselves to more danger.
"They were far more at risk than other rotations have been, especially to improvised explosive devices and ambushes," said Windsor.
Ashley White of Douglas, N.B., was counting the hours until her husband, Cpl. Chris Lawrence, returns Thursday.
"I can't stop smiling," she said. "I'm unbelievably excited."
Unlike many of the spouses, White had a visit from her husband recently.
He arrived home on Canada Day in time for the birth of their first child, a boy, and White said it will be good to have he husband home again.
She said all the spouses have been supportive of each other during the entire mission.
"On the bad days, we come together a lot more...we hold a lot of hands and cry more because that's all you can do. On the really good days, when people are coming home, we're really, really happy for each other."
Lt. Brian Owens, a spokesman for the base, said while only a handful of soldiers were expected Tuesday night, subsequent flights will arrive in Fredericton every second day until September.
"We have to stage this over a number of weeks because we're actually moving 5,000 people," said Owens.
More than 2,000 soldiers from the Royal 22nd Regiment, also known as the Van Doos, are currently making their way to Kandahar. The new rotation of troops assumes official command next month.
"The Valcartier soldiers will be going in, and our soldiers will be coming out, so it's quite a logistical evolution to move that many people," Owens said.
Some members of the Van Doos returned home earlier this week after an eight-month tour. Friends and family greeted 85 of the Quebec-based soldiers at CFB Valcartier last Sunday.
Sixty-six Canadian soldiers and airmen have died in Afghanistan since 2002
First wave of Gagetown soldiers returns Tuesday
Last Updated: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 | 8:56 AM AT
CBC News
Soldiers based at CFB Gagetown begin returning home Tuesday night after their six-month tour in Afghanistan.
The first group to return to the New Brunswick base will include a handful of soldiers.
The first major return of troops will happen Thursday evening when about four dozen soldiers will be reunited with their loved ones.
About 800 soldiers from the base have been deployed in Afghanistan since February and March.
Seven soldiers from Gagetown have been killed during the tour.
Job well done, Welcome Home Troops
Article Link
First Canadian soldiers return to New Brunswick from Afghan mission
Published: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 | 5:16 PM ET
Canadian Press: KEVIN BISSETT
OROMOCTO, N.B. (CP) - Six months after they said goodbye to family and friends and left for a dangerous mission in Afghanistan, troops from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown were to begin returning to their home base in New Brunswick late Tuesday.
A small contingent of soldiers was expected on a flight into Fredericton. A larger group - to be greeted by much fanfare - is scheduled to arrive Thursday.
"It's a huge sense of relief," said Fay Tidd, the mayor of the town of Oromocto, N.B., where the sprawling base is located.
"When the troops left, there was almost an eerie silence around. People weren't laughing and talking as much... Mothers and their children were in the stores shopping, but everything was quite subdued."
But the mass homecoming will be tinged with sadness. Seven soldiers from Gagetown were killed during the rotation.
In Oromocto, virtually every utility pole, signpost and fence in the town of 9,000 has been decorated with yellow ribbons since the tour began.
Continue Article
Tidd said she expects they'll remain in place for the duration of the Afghan mission.
Of the 2,500 Canadian soldiers involved in the latest rotation, about 650 are based at Gagetown. They were part of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment battle group.
"This particular rotation of Canadian soldiers in Kandahar has a lot to be proud of," said Lee Windsor, who specializes in Canadian army history at the University of New Brunswick.
"This is the third batch of Canadians we've sent into southern Afghanistan as part of the third round of NATO expansion and they accomplished a great deal. In fact, this has been a very historic six-month period in Canadian military history."
Windsor said the latest group was able to deliver on promises to rebuild parts of Afghanistan and bring aid to the residents of Kandahar province.
He said the nature of the latest mission meant troops had to travel further from their base, exposing themselves to more danger.
"They were far more at risk than other rotations have been, especially to improvised explosive devices and ambushes," said Windsor.
Ashley White of Douglas, N.B., was counting the hours until her husband, Cpl. Chris Lawrence, returns Thursday.
"I can't stop smiling," she said. "I'm unbelievably excited."
Unlike many of the spouses, White had a visit from her husband recently.
He arrived home on Canada Day in time for the birth of their first child, a boy, and White said it will be good to have he husband home again.
She said all the spouses have been supportive of each other during the entire mission.
"On the bad days, we come together a lot more...we hold a lot of hands and cry more because that's all you can do. On the really good days, when people are coming home, we're really, really happy for each other."
Lt. Brian Owens, a spokesman for the base, said while only a handful of soldiers were expected Tuesday night, subsequent flights will arrive in Fredericton every second day until September.
"We have to stage this over a number of weeks because we're actually moving 5,000 people," said Owens.
More than 2,000 soldiers from the Royal 22nd Regiment, also known as the Van Doos, are currently making their way to Kandahar. The new rotation of troops assumes official command next month.
"The Valcartier soldiers will be going in, and our soldiers will be coming out, so it's quite a logistical evolution to move that many people," Owens said.
Some members of the Van Doos returned home earlier this week after an eight-month tour. Friends and family greeted 85 of the Quebec-based soldiers at CFB Valcartier last Sunday.
Sixty-six Canadian soldiers and airmen have died in Afghanistan since 2002
