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I was lucky enough to be part of The Snowbirds for the 05-06
seasons. I was Snowbird 10, team coordinator. During this time, and since,
I have heard the term "life of the rock star" bandied about.
Images of convertibles filled with starlets, casks of champagne, 5-star
hotel rooms, late sleep-ins. Rarely do we think of 6 months away from home
or finding yourself in a steamy laundromat polishing your boots at 0700 hrs
for a show that afternoon. The Team has a saying "Every night's a
Friday and every morning’s a Monday". There were fantastic times and I
met phenomenal people. Believe me, everything you can imagine about being a
Snowbird is true and all of it is paid for in hard work and dedication. I
would jump at the chance to do it all again.
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Tery Lebel, far left, poses with the
team aircraft, the Canadair CT-114 Tutor and newly-selected pilots and
mechanics for the 2005 Snowbirds season. Photo DND
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Now I'm in Afghanistan. Allow me to introduce you to Kandahar Air Field
(KAF) 15 km from Kandahar. The population of the camp is approximately
25,000 from 20 odd countries. When we arrived the daytime highs were 125
degrees. Their now down to the 50s by day and 30s at night. The rains have
started which has thankfully kept the choking dust clouds down.
My "5-star hotel" is a 6 by 9 space in a tent. They call them
"weather havens" but the walls are canvas and to us they’re
tents. There are 8 of us sharing this one.
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Welcome to Weather Haven, Kandahar
Air Field - a "weather haven" suburb... a dusty compound of
miserable tents to the thousands of Canadians living in them. Photo via
Tery Lebel
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While every attempt is made to
normalize life in Kandahar, life is not at all like the streets of Ottawa
- the signs are everywhere. Photo via Tery Lebel
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There are three large messes on base and food is plentiful. Once in
a while the cooks really outdo themselves and add some flavor. Three times
a week, the long supply chain permitting, we get something they call ice
cream. Good thing they told me what is was.
We have our own water re-cycling facility. We have hot and cold running
showers, 100 meters up the gravel path. The toilets are pumped out twice a
day, most days. The camp also boasts an American PX stocked with all the
amenities from home until you need them.
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Timmy’s [Tim Hortons - a Canadian
coffee and donut shop chain - verging on a cultural icon - Ed.] is here
and doing gangbuster business. Sincere kudos to the staff that always
have a smile for everyone who walks through the door.Canadian soldiers
line up to buy coffee and donuts at the Tim Horton’s in Kandahar,
Afghanistan. The staff there have all volunteered for the duty because
they are committed to the well-being of our Canadian troops. Photo by Sgt
Roxanne Clowe, Canadian Forces Combat Camera
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We have beer here and wine for that matter. We are entitled to two
beers per person per day. We’ve been here three months and we’ve had one
such day.
This is my 4th tour. Mother Nature is on the one hand with heat,
cold, wind, rain, dust, sand storms, spiders, scorpions and snakes, and on
the other hand is the enemy.
As for our employment here, I am a Mission Commander (MC) on the
Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ( TUAV ). Our vehicle is the French built
Sperwer, powered by a Rotax engine and about the size of a pool table. As
MC I am responsible for the planning and execution of missions. I have 2
crewmen to help me in this endeavor.
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Captain Tery Lebel, former Snowbird 10, and now
Mission Controller on a three-man TUAV team, poses with the Sperwer
tactical unmanned aerial vehicle at the Kandahar airport. Photo via Tery
Lebel
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Each crew has an MC, an Air Vehicle Operator (AVO), a Payload
Operator (PO) and an Image Analyst (IA). The AVO does the driving, the PO
operates the camera and the IA helps define what it is we are looking at.
Fantastic guys to work with!
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Bombardier Jean-Francois Paré (far
left), a member of the artillery flies the CU-161 Sperwer, Unmanned
Aerial Vehicle (UAV), from a mobile ground control station while
Bombardier Karin Khoudja (foreground) operates the Sperwer’s high-tech
camera. Captain Clay Rook (far right) is a Canadian Forces pilot like
Tery Lebel and as the UAV mission commander. He is responsible for
planning the flights, ensuring that the airspace and fire support
measures are clear and supervises the ground control station activities.
The CU-161 Sperwer is sent deep into hostile territory where it would be
extremely dangerous to send a helicopter. Photo by Sergeant Carole
Morissette, Task Force Afghanistan Roto 1, Imagery Technician
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An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) descends within the
vicinity of Kandahar Airfield after conducting a mission early July 6
2006. Photo by MCpl Robert Bottrill, Canadian Forces Combat Camera.
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Master Bombardier (MBdr) Patrick Moreau (left) and
Bombardier (Bdr) Steve Michaud-Hébert recover the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
(UAV) after descending from a mission out of Kandahar Airfield, Air bags
are deployed under the wings to cushion the landing. Afghanistan. MBdr
Moreau and Bdr Michaud-Hébert are part of the 5e Régiment d’artillerie
Légère Du Canada, from Valcartier, Quebec, which operates the UAV -
instrumental in providing valuable information to the Commanders and
troops on the ground. Photo by MCpl Robert Bottrill, Canadian Forces
Combat Camera
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What we do can be summed up in two words, Shield and Strike. We
exist to protect our troops by gathering information on the enemy’s
movements and whereabouts, thereby denying the enemy room to maneuver and
depriving him of the element of surprise. If the enemy doesn’t take the
hint then we move to the Strike phase. This is when we call in “Higher
Means”. We have tanks, artillery, fast air, AH, Predator, Reaper, and even
Bones (Rockwell B-1 Lancer bombers) available to ensure the enemy takes the
hint to heart, literally.
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Tery poses with the Taliban Persuader - the much
larger Predator unmanned aerial vehicle and a laser guided munition -
prior to a mission launch. Photo via Tery Lebel
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A lot of the mission work in the TUAV and UAV teams
is done under the cover of darkness. Here, the same RAF Predator as in
the previous photo is set to deliver its package. Photo via Tery Lebel
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We do have one secret weapon that I will let you in on. We try to
fly in the lower levels, say two to three thousand feet. With the Rotax
spinning its brains out we’re fairly noisy. Experience has shown that when
the enemy can hear us they disappear back under their rocks. It may not be
much but it does provide a deserved break for the troops. Perhaps only time
for a hot meal or some sleep but it’s something. If that is the sum total
of what we accomplish here during our six months, keeping the Bad Guys away
from our troops, I’ll still go home a happy man.
While it’s true that we are separated by distance from the hard
action, we are inextricably a part of it through the electronic eye of our
cameras. On a scale of one to ten, the top tier belongs to the troops in
the field who live it daily. I’d say we are a solid seven. Just try to
watch and listen, even from a distance, and not be involved.
Is there a parallel between what we do here and what I did as a
Snowbird ? Of course there is. There is no autograph line full of eager
school children and I have already touched on our five-star accommodations
but have a quick read of the Snowbirds mandate: skill, professionalism,
teamwork. Need I say more?
Life of the rock star, not really, but worth while? Oh yes.
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In other wars on other continents, men have always
longed to be home and made their stay at Christmas time a bit more
bearable by constructing a unit Christmas tree. Kandahar was no
different. Photo via Tery Lebel
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Post Script
Today is the 13th of December. I’ve been holding on to this article
a few days to fine tune it and see if there was anything I wanted to add.
Unfortunately there is.
This morning while returning to their base an RG-31 of the
Provincial Reconstruction Team ( PRT ) was destroyed by an Improvised
Explosive Device ( IED ). Three Canadians were killed and one was badly
wounded. Whatever parallels I was able to draw between my time with the
Snowbirds and this mission still stand. They are both deadly serious
endeavors that must be treated with utmost respect. They both demand the
highest levels of professionalism, skill and teamwork. The glaring
difference is the presence of an armed and determined enemy. Whereas skill,
professionalism and teamwork will keep you alive in the Snowbirds, over here,
it also takes the Grace of God.
No crowds, no cheering, no autograph lines. Since December 13th,
there have been several more Canadian Heros laid to rest in their home
towns in Canada - a terrible price
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