Students get glimpse of Afghan mission

FORT FRANCES—Students at J.W. Walker School here had a once-in-a-lifetime experience Friday as they were able to chat via videoconference with a Canadian soldier stationed in Afghanistan.
Two groups of students were able to chat for about 15 minutes each with Cpl. Andrew Mcleod of Timmins, nephew of the school’s literacy teacher, Mary Lynne Bondett.
Cpl. Mcleod’s video image was projected onto a large screen in one of the classrooms while students watched and asked questions.
Students asked about the geography of the country, about the local people, and about Cpl. Mcleod’s daily life there.
“It’s very hot and dusty and dry,” he said. “It can get up to 50 or 60 degrees [Celsius] during the day. At night, I wear a toque and a sweater. It drops to 25 or 30 degrees.
“It feels like winter.”
While some regions of the country are desert, others contain fertile farmland while still others are mountainous.
He works 12-14 hours a day and gets one day off every two weeks “if I’m lucky,” he laughed. “I’ve got pretty long days.
“I live in a tent with seven other guys,” he added. “We each have a cot and a mattress.”
Due to security issues, Cpl. Mcleod wasn’t at liberty to describe the base in detail, but did say there is a large mess where soldiers can eat at almost any time, as well as a gym and phone and Internet access.
They’ve also recently constructed a ball hockey court and soon will be starting up a league, which he is eager to join.
The first group to speak to Cpl. Mcleod were the Grade 2 and 3 students. They asked him what time it was there as they spoke to him at 10 a.m. locally (it was 8 p.m. there).
The young students also were curious about the food there. Cpl. Mcleod said the food in the mess was good, but that if they got tired of it, they always had the option of going to Tim Hortons, Burger King, Pizza Hut, or Subway.
He hadn’t had the opportunity to try the local food, with the exception of flat bread, which he said was “really good.”
The second group was made up of Grade 6-8 students. One asked what his greatest fear was.
“My greatest fear is letting my friends down over here,” he said. “We all look out for each other.”
The intermediate students also were curious about the Afghan people and how they respond to the foreign soldiers in their country.
“The Afghan people are really nice. They’re always willing to help you out,” he said. “They work long hours. Some of them can speak English.”
Cpl. Mcleod said he believes the Afghans are happy to have the military there. “We’ve got them giving us the thumbs-up and the salute in the street,” he noted.
He’s even made friends among some of the local men he deals with on a regular basis.
One student asked what combat was like.
“It’s very scary but you get a big surge of adrenaline,” Mcleod replied. “It’s definitely not something I’d like to do every day.”
Cpl. Mcleod’s job is force protection. “I provide security for any convoys that go outside the base,” he explained.
Cpl. Mcleod showed the students his protective gear for when he leaves the base, which includes an armour-plated vest and a task vest to hold items like magazines for his C7 assault rifle, similar to the American M16.
He also carries a pistol and a bayonet, and wears a helmet with a night vision mount.
In all, his gear weighs about 30-35 pounds.
Many of the students on hand wore red to mark “Wear Red Fridays” to remember Canadian troops overseas.
“It really lifts my spirits seeing that,” Cpl. Mcleod told the students.
“I’d like to thank everybody for the letters I’m getting,” he added. “I really appreciate that.”
At the end of each talk, the students sang “Happy Birthday” to Cpl. Mcleod, who turned 21 the following day.
Walker principal Bill Daley thanked the soldier for his time. “I know the students will go away with a new appreciation of your life in Afghanistan,” he said.
Daley was so impressed with the event, he said the school may look into holding similar videoconferences with Canadian soldiers stationed in other countries.
(Fort Frances Times)