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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-11-22, Page 1818 TIMES -ADVOCATE Wednesday, November 22, 2006 South Huron grad sees the face of war By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF LUCAN — "We're taking the fight to them, which is how you succeed." That's how South Huron District High School graduate Mike Blois Jr., 24, a corporal with 4 Platoon, part of Bravo Company, a unit of the First Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment, describes Canada's efforts in the ongo- ing war in Afghanistan. Blois is on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan and recently spoke to the Times -Advocate from his father's home in Lucan while on a three-week break in Canada. He returned to action in Afghanistan last week and is scheduled to be there until February. Blois also did a seven-month tour of Afghanistan in 2004. In addition to Afghanistan, he has served in Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo and Croatia. While here, the former Our Lady of Mount Carmel student and local minor hockey player visited the Exeter Legion and spoke at schools about his war experiences. A `dream job' Being a soldier is something Blois has always wanted to do. "This is his dream job," says his dad, Mike Sr. "Mike always wanted to be a soldier and he's a good soldier." Mike Jr. has been in the Canadian military for six years and intends to make it a career. He has plans to even- tually become a regimental sergeant major. But for now, Blois is fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, an enemy he says he and his fellow soldiers don't underestimate. "The Taliban are not old men with long beards, they are young men who are motivated," he says, adding one of the Taliban's tactics is to suddenly change strategies after doing the same thing over and over. There is never a "normal" day for the Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. The soldiers will go out on clearing patrols and follow various orders. At night, they'll sit in a defensive -style posture. Blois said the Taliban likes to attack right before sunset so the Canadian soldiers are staring straight into the sun. "We try to hunt them down before they get to us," he says. Blois has great pride in the Canadian military and adds he's impressed with how supportive military staff have been of the combat troops. "When the cards are on the table, the Canadian army is as tough as it ever was," he says, adding morale in his platoon is great and is like family. Blois is based 60 kilometres outside Kandahar in the Panjwaii region. The hardships of war Describing the country, Blois says it isn't a desert area where he is based — the area is full of vineyards and mountains can be seen in the distance. Along with the vineyards are row upon row of three to five foot tall mud walls, making it easy for Canadian soldiers and the Taliban to hide. Temperatures range from 40 C in the daytime to 10 C at night. In the sum- mer, Blois said the heat got up to a scorching 70 C. It's not uncommon for soldiers to drink two litres of water in an hour. In addition to worrying about the enemy, Canadian soldiers have to adapt to the conditions of war. "The hardships of war are still there," Blois said, adding soldiers sleep in trenches on occasion. "You're not clean and your feet are rotting because you haven't taken your boots off in a couple of days." Also, because of the conditions, it will take weeks for minor cuts to heal. As for the Afghans themselves, Blois says he likes and respects them and On duty — South Huron District High School graduate Cpl. Mike Blois Jr. is fight- ing in Afghanistan on his second tour with the Royal Canadian Regiment. Blois recently returned home to Canada for a break, where he spoke at the Exeter Legion and local schools. He returned to action last week. (photo/submitted) describes their culture as the most hospitable he's encountered in his travels around the world. The Canadians are working with the Afghan National Army, whose soldiers Blois describes as hard workers. Most of the members of the Afghan Army have had a member of their family killed by the Taliban, Blois says. He says the Canadian soldiers aren't in Afghanistan to change that country, but to make Canada safer from the Taliban. Friends lost Blois is aware of the life -changing experiences he's gone through at war. "Every time you're overseas, it changes your life," he says. This mis- sion in particular, he says, has caused him to "see into himself." He says everything seems different when he comes home and, while the emotional scars may be easier for him to deal with now, they may be harder later on when he comes home for good. Blois has also lost friends in the war, including 23 -year-old Canadian Private Josh Klukie, killed during a foot patrol in an explosion. Blois spoke to his friend after he suffered his fatal injury and was with him when he died. When a soldier dies, Blois says he thinks of that person's friends, because it's devastating for them. "You really have to support the friends," Blois says, adding he has lost other friends in the war and says it's a helpless feeling when he hears about it after the fact. Blois hasn't escaped injury — like most soldiers, he suffers from hearing loss. He also cracked five ribs during a firefight four days into Operation Medusa. While running ammo, he hit a rut, fell and hit a wall with live ammo in his hands. He said his body armour protected him from actually breaking the ribs. He started having problems breathing and didn't realize how bad his injury was until later on. Klukie, a paramedic, helped him with the injury. Despite being hurt, that didn't stop Blois from doing his job. "I just stayed out and took some painkillers and soldiered on," he says, adding the injury still affects his breathing Blois doesn't regret his time in Afghanistan. "As a soldier, I wouldn't want to be here (in Canada) and have my friends over there." And while he misses his girlfriend and his family when he's in Afghanistan, he tries to focus on his mission. Appreciates support On his visit back to Canada, Blois said it's great to see Canadians showing support by wearing red, but he adds it seems hypocritical to him when people say they support the troops but not the mission. "You can't do one without the other," he says, adding Canadians should be proud of their military. "We are the backbone of that entire organization over there," he says, adding American and British soldiers want to work with the Canadians. "We don't shy away from the tough jobs." While in Canada, Blois wanted to dis- pel some of the rumours about the war, such as the combat workers resenting the support personnel. "That's not true," Blois says. "Everybody has a role to play." And to those who think Canada is los- ing the war, "That's not possible," Blois says, adding Canadian soldiers have taken and held an area in Panjwaii that the Russians and U.S. couldn't take. "We're inflicting massive casualties on the enemy," he says. On the day Blois cracked his ribs, the military estimated 70 enemy soldiers were killed in three hours. Blois says it's difficult to determine the casualties the Taliban suffers because the Taliban hides the bodies and any signs that there has been a fatality. Blois says the Canadian military's tactics have been effective. "Our section has been very success- ful." While he worries about ambushes, Blois doesn't worry about his safety during firefights and, as a leader, he says he puts himself "out there more than (he'll) put the others out there." He says after a firefight he'll some- times think about the danger he was in, but "you have to have faith in a greater purpose and go on. If it's your time, it's your time." Tough on family Blois says his family supports him and he understands it's a stressful situ- ation for them, particularly when a Canadian soldier is killed and the name isn't immediately released. Blois's dad Mike Sr. says it's difficult for him because he has to wait for answers, but "we know they're trained well and have all the equipment they need ... He's had some near misses. God smiled at him, I guess." Mike Sr., and Blois's mom Mary (of London) and his sister Leigha Corbett (of Zurich) are able to keep in touch with Blois through the occasional e- mail. Operation Medusa was tough on the family because they didn't hear from Blois for about three weeks. "I'm very proud of him," Blois's dad says. "I can't wait for him to come home ... sitting and waiting is one of the hardest things you can do. My worst fear is a guy in a green uniform knocking on my door." Mary describes her son's involvement in the war as "nerve wracking." She said she tries to carry on with her life, but, "It's not good some days." Mike's sister Leigha says some days are better than others and it's hard to explain to her two young daughters what their uncle Mike is doing in Afghanistan. "If we hear someone gets hurt, we pray it isn't him, but we feel bad for the other person and their family." Blois's second tour has been a bigger strain on his family than his first tour in 2004, because of the casualties suf- fered by the Canadian soldiers this time around. "We're very proud of him," Mary says, with Leigha describing her broth- er as "fiercely proudly Canadian." Once he returns from his mission in February, Blois says there is a chance he could go back to Afghanistan for a third tour in 2008 if he volunteers. "I most likely will," he says.