As the 30-millimetre shells from American warplanes rained down, Jeff Rainey tumbled down the hillside where he and other Canadian soldiers had gathered.
asserted
he → rain → hillside
“It felt like somebody hit my leg with a sledgehammer and then I rolled over some more, and then I got hit in the back,” the master corporal remembered.
asserted
corporal → feel → back
He saw another soldier, Bruce Moncur, with an open skull injury.
asserted
He → see → injury
Despite his own wounds, Mr. Rainey did his best to bandage Mr. Moncur.
asserted
Rainey → do → Moncur
Mr. Rainey’s platoon was preparing to attack a Taliban position but instead was mistakenly strafed by its ally.
asserted
platoon → prepare → ally
Now, two decades later, Mr. Rainey and other soldiers will attend a weekend gathering marking the 20th anniversary of Operation Medusa, an offensive that saw some of the fiercest gunfights Canadians faced in Afghanistan.
asserted
Canadians → attend → Afghanistan
This year’s reunion comes amid unprecedented acrimony between Canada and the United States, two countries whose military once fought side by side in Afghanistan.
asserted
military → come → Afghanistan
“I cannot believe that we are seeing this,” Mr. Rainey said, describing the American political stance as “a ridiculous anomaly.”
asserted
Rainey → believe → anomaly
Mr. Moncur says he holds no grudges against the American pilot who fired on his platoon because it was an accident.
asserted
it → say → platoon
His feelings are however different when it comes to present-day American policies.
asserted
it → come → policies
“It’s harder to forgive a deliberate act of aggression rather than an accident like shooting your own side,” he said.
asserted
he → ’ → side
Another veteran, David Goldenberg, recalled the goodwill between Canadians and Americans deployed in Afghanistan.
asserted
veteran → recall → Afghanistan
“We did it because it was the right thing to do.
asserted
it → do → it
So now you sit here 20 some years later … and you’re scratching your head, going ‘This does not make sense’ and it’s sad.”
asserted
it → sit → sense
The three were among more than 40,000 Canadian military personnel who served in Afghanistan in support of the U.S. after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist strikes.
asserted
who → serve → strikes
In the summer of 2006, the Canadian military deployed to Kandahar region, where coalition forces came under the command of a Canadian general, David Fraser.
asserted
forces → deploy → general
Mr. Goldenberg, then a warrant officer, landed in Kandahar in August with a military psychological operations team, doing outreach with the local population.
Mr. Rainey and Mr. Moncur, who was a corporal, arrived around the same time, with 8 Platoon, Charles Company, one of the sub-units of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment.
asserted
who → land → Regiment
Within weeks, the regiment was called to spearhead Operation Medusa, to clear the Taliban from the Pashmul area, west of Kandahar City.
asserted
regiment → call → City
Operation Medusa: Objective Rugby
Operation Medusa was a major Canadian-led NATO offensive conducted in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, from Sept. 2 to 17, 2006.
asserted
Medusa → lead → 2006
During the operation, Charles Company of the 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, which consisted of 7 Platoon and 8 Platoon, was tasked with capturing a heavily defended Taliban strongpoint known as the White School, designated Objective Rugby.
asserted
which → consist → School
The battle for Objective Rugby was intense and costly, resulting in the deaths of five Canadian soldiers.
asserted
battle → result → soldiers
The company takes a hillside called Masum Ghar.
asserted
company → take → hillside
The company crosses the Arghandab River, riding in armoured LAV III and G-Wagon vehicles.
White School
AFGHANISTAN
Detail
2
Arghandab
River
8
7
Masum Ghar
1
7 Platoon
8 Platoon
LAV-III
G-Wagon
White
School
Engineer
breach*
4
6
5
3
*The Canadian combat engineers brought bulldozers
to breach some of the obstacles.
asserted
engineers → cross → obstacles
Platoon begins clearing buildings nearby.
asserted
Platoon → begin → buildings
3
7 Platoon vehicles approach the White School when the enemy opens fire.
asserted
enemy → approach → fire
Sgt. Shane Stachnik and Warrant Officer Richard Nolan are killed.
asserted
Stachnik → kill → ?
As the soldiers retreat, a casualty collection point is set up beside a Zettelmeyer wheel loader, which is struck by a Taliban rocket, killing Private William Cushley and Warrant Officer Frank Mellish.
asserted
which → retreat → Cushley
A coalition plane mistakenly drops a 1,000-pound bomb into the scene but it doesn’t explode.
asserted
it → drop → scene
The company returns to the foot of Masum Ghar.
asserted
company → return → Ghar
At dawn as they prepare to attack again, 8 Platoon is mistakenly strafed by two U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt warplanes, killing Private Mark Graham and wounding 30 others.
asserted
Platoon → prepare → others
Objective Rugby
Operation Medusa was a major Canadian-led NATO offensive conducted in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, from Sept. 2 to 17, 2006.
asserted
Medusa → lead → 2006
During the operation, Charles Company of the 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, which consisted of 7 Platoon and 8 Platoon, was tasked with capturing a heavily defended Taliban strongpoint known as the White School, designated Objective Rugby.
asserted
which → consist → School
The battle for Objective Rugby was intense and costly, resulting in the deaths of five Canadian soldiers.
asserted
battle → result → soldiers
1
The company takes a hillside called Masum Ghar.
asserted
company → take → hillside
The company crosses the Arghandab River, riding in armoured LAV III and G-Wagon vehicles.
2
White School
AFGHANISTAN
Detail
2
Arghandab
River
8
7
Masum Ghar
1
7 Platoon
8 Platoon
LAV-III
G-Wagon
Engineer
breach*
White
School
4
6
5
3
*The Canadian combat engineers brought bulldozers
to breach some of the obstacles.
asserted
engineers → cross → obstacles
8 Platoon begins clearing buildings nearby.
asserted
Platoon → begin → buildings
Platoon vehicles approach the White School when the enemy opens fire.
asserted
enemy → approach → fire
Sgt. Shane Stachnik and Warrant Officer Richard Nolan are killed.
asserted
Stachnik → kill → ?
As the soldiers retreat, a casualty collection point is set up beside a Zettelmeyer wheel loader, which is struck by a Taliban rocket, killing Private William Cushley and Warrant Officer Frank Mellish.
asserted
which → retreat → Cushley
A coalition plane mistakenly drops a 1,000-pound bomb into the scene but it doesn’t explode.
asserted
it → drop → scene
…and 86 more, not listed.
