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The Death of Cpl. Anthony Boneca, RCR Battle Group

June 2006
I find it really unfortunate the family of Cpl. Anthony Boneca’s girlfriend chose to release his private e-mails, as it is so easy to take them out of context. Cpl. Boneca served as a member of 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in the Kandahar region of Afghanistan.

 

Corporal Boneca was killed during an engagement with Taliban insurgents on 9 July 2006.

As someone who served 13 years in the Naval Reserve, I know that sometimes the conditions faced by military personnel are not always ideal and there will always be complaints voiced by said personnel. When conditions (weather, food, job assignments, etc.) would (inevitably) get worse for us, my colleagues and I used to say, “Just when you thought things couldn’t suck any more (than it already does)! However, whether things were good or bad, it was all a great bonding experience (as we were all in it together). You felt a sense of pride that you accomplished something, sometimes very difficult, that not everyone would be able or willing to do. I am sure Cpl. Boneca felt the same way. The military, in particular the infantry, is not an ordinary job. I am VERY PROUD that I served my country and VERY PROUD of those still serving.

As for those who think that Canada should not be in Afghanistan as we are “a peacekeeper nation”; do yourself a favour and pick up a history book. Canada exemplified itself as an effective fighting force in both world wars, the Korean War and even on “peacekeeping” missions like in the former Yugoslavia (the Medak Pocket for one). Canadian personnel have even been killed on UN peacekeeping missions, so don’t think that strictly being “blue hats” means no other soldiers will die in the future.

 

About the author

Bruce Forsyth

Bruce Forsyth served in the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve for 13 years (1987-2000). He served with units in Toronto, Hamilton & Windsor and worked or trained at CFB Esquimalt, CFB Halifax, CFB Petawawa, CFB Kingston, CFB Toronto, Camp Borden, The Burwash Training Area and LFCA Training Centre Meaford.

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