If you think "Supporting Our Troops" means supporting the war READ THIS

Every now and then on our Facebook page I"ll see a post that "If you support the troops you support the war" and last year we ran in to this when we had a elementary school that was all set to send letters to men and women serving in Afghanistan & Iraq but the school said "NO" because it promoted support of the war. I sent a notice out to my group members and they received so many emails that it was reversed and the letters were sent.

Recently now that a large amount of US Soldiers have returned from IRAQ and Canadian forces have ended their "Combat Role" in Afghanistan the messages seem to be popping up again. When people hear about "Afghanistan" for the most part its when we lose a soldier to an IED attack or during a fire fight. What you don't hear are the reconstruction efforts.

These efforts included a range of initiatives, such as the building of roads and wells, assisting with the improvement of mosques and local markets, as well as the provision of solar-powered lighting. Not only did these efforts contribute to a strengthened security environment—road improvements reduced opportunities to plant improvised explosive devices, for example—but they also enabled local Afghans to begin rebuilding their economy and their future.

I'm going to fill you in on some of the other things our men and women are doing in various operations around the world and how they come to help whenever needed.The Canadian Forces has what is called DART - Dissaster Assistance Relief Team

Following the earthquake-generated tsunamis that devastated coastal regions of Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004, Canada sent an inter-departmental reconnaissance team to assess the requirement for assistance to the region. By the time Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005, America's military was mobilizing for emergency response.

Almost 10,000 National Guard troops were on the ground in Louisiana and Mississippi. The Canadian Forces partook in OPERATION UNISON to help in the relief efforts of people affected by the hurricane.

In 2008 after an earthquake in Haiti the HMCS St. John's (Canadian Navy) was sent to assist in the relief efforts The United States also sent over 10,000 troops to assist In Haiti via the USS Carl Vions and the USS Bataan carrying a Marine expeditionary unit.

In July 2011 The Canadian forces were called in to assist with flooding in Souris, Manitoba Our troops also assisted with the Red River flood in 1997, Y2k preparation, Security for the 2010 G8 & g20 summits in Ontario, assistance with the 2011 Ontario Forest Fires and also provided security for the
2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

Lets talk about the United States Coast Guard : On an average day, the United States Coast Guard saves 32 lives, assists 308 people, saves $8 million in property value, conducts 142 search and rescue cases, responds to 34 oil or hazardous chemical spills, boards 90 large vessels for port safety checks, inspects 64 commercial vessels, processes 120 seamen’s documents, investigates 17 marine accidents, conducts 128 Maritime Law Enforcement boardings and identifies 97 violations of the law, seizes 84 pounds of marijuana, seizes 148 pounds of cocaine, services 150 aids to navigation, and interdicts 22 illegal migrants.  The Canadian Coast Guard is a civilian organization with no military or law enforcement responsibilities. Although Canadian Coast Guard personnel are neither military nor peace officers, they may operate CCG vessels in support of military operations, or they may serve an operational role in the delivery of maritime law enforcement and security services in Canadian federal waters by serving as a platform for personnel serving with one or more law enforcement agencies.

I hope this write up gives you a better idea of some of the other things our men and women serving do overseas and at home to keep us free and make the lives of others better.  I was browsing through some Red Friday posts earlier today and saw a post that says "Wear Red on Friday to show support" and it was tagged with the caption below it "Until they all come home".

The thing is we may have 1000s of soldiers deployed on operations around the world but we also have tens of thousands in the Reserves and National Guard who are ready to defend us and help us if called upon.  Another thing that bothered me about this was that so many of our soldiers are returning with PTSD issues and when they return home they need our support more than ever.