Afghanistan: Back from the front

His actions earned him a meritorious service medal upon his return in March from his seven-month deployment.

Bourque, who was promoted in May from lieutenant to captain, was a forward observation officer and forward air controller with the 22nd Regiment as part of the Van Doos.

The patrol started in a typical manner with soldiers asking civilians about Taliban activity as they searched for weapons and drugs.

The force of five Canadians and 60 members of the Afghan National Army (ANA) were four hours out when they hit a pocket of enemy resistance that stopped them in their tracks.

The attackers, estimated at five dozen strong, had AK47s and rocket propelled grenades.

“When we initially came into contact we were 200-300 metres apart,” said Bourque.

“I didn’t have any aircraft at the time. I ended up calling two guns artillery – 155mm guns. We got another 60 ANA and a platoon of Canadian soldiers so we doubled our strength. The next morning we pushed forward; we were about 75 metres from the enemy compound.”

Bourque says they lost a platoon commander from the Afghan National Army after he took an AK47 round to his leg and it cut his artery.

“We had to retaliate again and try to figure out another way to get in,” he said.

During his time in Afghanistan, Bourque learned that everyone reacts differently under fire.

He says his 10 years of training, which included time with the 84th Independent Field Battery in Yarmouth, played an important role in his development.

“I finally found out how I would react. It wasn’t that bad; I guess I had other things on my mind. I wanted to get bullets the other way as fast as possible,” he said.

During his deployment in Kandahar, Bourque worked with members of the National Afghan Army, an assignment that requires great patience, he says.

“They don’t work like us at all. It’s almost like people are in slow motion. They do everything on their time,” he said.

Next to the absence of his family, Bourque says the worst thing he experienced in Afghanistan was seeing how poor the children were.

“It was wintertime, I’d say it was around minus five. I was cold, with all my kit, and I saw kids barefoot. I will never forget that,” he said.

He realizes, however, that others are working to address those hardships. His job is to handle security and although some may condemn or not understand Canada’s role in the war, his conception of Kandahar is clear.

“Someone has to be there. They (residents) can’t do it themselves and opposite to what everyone thinks, people don’t have the facts of why we’re there. They think we’re there to kill, and that we lose Canadian soldiers just because we’re trying to take over Afghanistan. That’s not it at all. We are there to help their government take control of their country. You need reconstruction and security for that.”

Two weeks before Bourque left to begin his Kandahar tour, he lost two of his friends there: Capt. Jeff Francis and Capt. Matthew Dawe.

Although he says that news like that is not easy to swallow, he adds that he does wish the media would include the other side.

“All I hear is the deaths. You don’t hear the good stories coming back. I think that’s why a lot of people don’t know what’s going on over there because all they see are coffins coming home.

“At the end of our tour we did a medical outreach. We treated over 300 Afghans – families - women and children. We’re doing stuff like that all the time, building schools and district centres.”

Bourque expects to be posted to Gagetown, New Brunswick, as a gunnery course instructor where he will be instructing officers and NCOs for artillery.