Author Archive

It is almost the end of October and I have officially missed my daughter’s 18th birthday and my son’s 21st birthday – both milestones that I managed to ‘witness’ on skype.  My other daughter will be 20 in December, and that too I will miss.  Coupled with missing my husband’s birthday at the beginning of my deployment – and then mine in September – I guess I’m batting a thousand.  Good news is that my first R&R is scheduled to start in a few days and we have decided to celebrate all our birthdays together while we are in Florida.  Yup, we are off to Florida for a bit of a family vacation.  A week for my husband and I alone and then a week with the kids all together.  It was a hard decision to go somewhere besides home, my parents are older and I won’t be home for the Chirstmas holidays, but I really wanted all of us to have some time away from the stresses of home life and school.  This way we can just relax and get to know eachother a bit again.  There is no doubt I will be heading home for my next leave period – but that’s a way off!

Besides thinking about a break from serving in Afghanistan, I – and others from here in Kabul – are spending some time right now looking into how we may be able to give something to the local Afghan people. I visited a local school here this past week and was thrilled with the sight of seeing an 8 year old actually read from a book – the literacy rate here as you know is so low, much of it due to war and hostilies in Afghanistan for the last 30 years, and due to the closing of schools, especially for girls, during the Taliban regime.  This young girl epitimizes to me what we are doing here – creating a safe environement where people can be free to go about their business – work, school, shopping, whatever.  Coupled with that the fact that for Afghanistan to develop further, education must be a priority.

I know there is a lot of great work being done by Canadians all through this country – whether fighting the insurgents, building schools and medical facilities or mentoring and advising government and other institutions – we are a people who have a lot to offer and we are a people who believe in giving of ourselves.  Which is why so many Canadians and other coaltion forces here at ISAF HQ are happy to help me with taking this school I visited to the next level.  They need anything and everything – wish us luck.

It has been almost 5 months since I got here, and I can honestly say that I do see progress in this country.  And I do see hope in the eyes of the people.  It’s not all good, but it’s getting there.

I am looking forward to seeing my family for a few weeks and when I get back here I will almost be at my half way mark.  A year is a long time, but I am feeling good about the work we are doing and the support we get from all of you.

Take care – until the next time – and I hope the screening of this important film goes well

It was great to read BGen Whitecross’ 10 Sep entry about what she is doing in Afghanistan. I first met BGen Whitecross when she gave a keynote leadership presentation at a conference that I organized – amazing – I found myself wondering how my years in the military might have been different if I had been exposed to inspiring presentations from leaders like her. BGen Whitecross, I wish you and your family well and hope your visit home in November is full of good things.

I look forward to following many more entries on this blog. One of the things I frequently come across in my research and other activities related to women in the CF, is the perception among serving women that they really do not have anything to say or add to what everyone already knows about being in the military. Sooo not true! A significant amount of information has been published about the CF in Afghanistan, but I rarely come across anything about CF women or by CF women. I can’t wait to see the film – I had the privilege of seeing a short “demo” before the film was developed and it was very powerful. I suspect I am not alone with the many questions I have about the experience of CF women in Afghanistan and other deployed operations. Hopefully this blog will become a place for women to share their experiences, challenges and opportunities, ask  questions, provide encouraging words, pass along the things they have learned about themselves and others, etc. – pre- during and post-deployment …until next time,

Karen in Kingston.

Well, it’s been already a little over 3 months since I arrived in Kabul, and I am finally putting my fingers to the keyboard to update this blog on my work to date.  I was asked to explain a bit about what I do here as with most military terms, giving a job title may not mean much to many.  My official title is Deputy to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Communication.  Two deputies?  Isn’t that confusing?  Well no, Deputy DCOS COMM just means that I am the next in line to the actual DCOS COMM, who is a US 2-star general.  In terms of Communication, we are responsible for coordinating and putting into effect messaging plans that help our mission.  Given that I am not a public affairs specialist, (I am an engineer) I am learning new jargon everyday and I am understanding how important it is that we all communicate the same message, whether it is to our Afghan partners or to our national capitals.

It was a steep learning curve for me, and one where I wondered what I could possibly contribute given I had a limited background in this area of work.  Luckily I found a niche, and the more I learn the more I have to offer.  Our days are long, anywhere between 14 and 16 hours, except for Friday mornings where we can start a few hours later.  Even with these hours, I manage to get some work-outs in as I believe that keeping fit is one reason we are able to put in such long hours.  The food is ok, the weather hot, the accommodations fine, and given we are relatively safe here in Kabul compared to our other Canadian friends in Kandahar, we have next to nothing to complain about.

Lately I have been particularly busy as both my boss is away as is the ISAF Spokesman – fortunate for me as I get to do both their jobs….  Being the DCOS isn’t so bad, but being the ISAF Spokesman on short notice (more on that later) has been more challenging.  I am not new to being in front of the camera, but this normally happens because I know the subject at hand and the message that we want to impart.  There is so much going on here – all you have to do is read the paper or listen to the news – so to be completely up to date on all subjects is a bit difficult.  I’ve had a number of interviews, done a press conference and a round table.  I have to admit, were it not for this opportunity, I wouldn’t be as up to date on what is going on in this theatre.  It has been interesting, especially when I get to speak about the progress we are making on the ground, the glimpses of hope I see in Afghans and when I get to tell about success stories where normal people do amazing things.  In fact I had the distinct pleasure of being the keynote speaker at the Afghan National Youth Conference a few weeks ago, and I was genuinely impressed with the level of desire and hope that is resident in the young – and half the conference participants were young women!

On a more personal side, the reason I wasn’t as prepared as I would have liked to have been to become the spokesman on short notice is because my husband Ian suffered a heart attack in early Aug and I had to head home.  We are truly fortunate as members of the Canadian Forces because I was able to go home.  I have to admit, this was hard – but the support to both myself and my family was wonderful and heartfelt.  He is doing well now, and we are looking forward to when I can see my family at my first R&R early November and we can spend time together in a more relaxed environment.

My thanks to all of you who support our Canadian Forces, to which I am a proud member.  Take care, until the next time!

Kelly Thompson is a military logistics officer working in Kingston whose fiancé has been deployed to Afghanistan. She also happened to be our military liaison when we filmed BGen Whitecross  during  exercise being run in Vancouver for the Olympics last year.

Kelly shares her experiences and  insights on being a military couple and coping with her loved one fighting in Afghanistan.  Check out her blog http://blog.en.chatelaine.com/category/under-fire/

BGen Whitecross’ first blog post from Afghanistan:

Q How did you feel when you found out you were going to Afghanistan – what were some of the personal challenges?

A I was surprised as it was not something I had expected at the time, however, I was thrilled that I would be chosen by the Canadian Forces senior leadership to participate in this mission. Of course, knowing that your going to be gone for a year is always a challenge personally and professionally – this was something we discussed as a family. Luckily I have a tremendous support network at home and a family that understands the importance of this mission and my participation in it.

Q What is your job while you are in Afghanistan?

A I am part of the Multi-national ISAF HQ in Kabul and hold the position of Deputy to DCOS Comms (Deputy Chief of Staff, Communications)

Q Can you describe where you will be living?

A I am living in Kabul, at ISAF HQ. I live in an accommodation container, eat in the central kitchen facility run by NATO and have an office to work from. We have all the necessities of home, even a place to work-out when time allows it!

Q Can you describe your first impressions when you arrived in Afghanistan?

A I came through Kandahar and the first thing that struck me was the immense heat and humidity. Having since arrived at Kabul, where it is still hot, but no where near as hot or humid as Kandahar, I continue to be impressed and amazed that our soldiers work in such a climate as Kandahar. Work-wise, I am surrounded by determined and motivated people from all over the world here to do what has to be done – I marvel at the great work relationships and focus by all members of the staffs. Unfortunately I also feel the sense of loss when a member nation looses a military member, it is felt by all.

Q What has been greatest challenge for you so far?

A Like any new post, it’s learning new terminology, finding my way and learning what I need to know to do my job.

Q Have you met any Afghan women?

A Only a few and not on a personal level.

Q How do the Afghan men react to you?

A For those limited few I have met, no different than other men I meet.