Canadian Forces; Strong, Proud, and fucked over 24/7 by their political masters

Here at Falling Downs we're not newbies on the CF file.

We're always amazed at how the rank and file boys and girls get the short end while the brass live large on studies and reviews and overviews and reviews of the overviews etc.

I am in fact working my way through a couple of books penned by "disgruntled" former CF dudes. I've got Strogan's "Rude Awakening" and also the "Dirty Little Skirmish" by MacLeod and Leduc, and I will provide full book reviews once I'm through them.

But turn to page A12 of today's Globe and Mail and read up on Brad Elms' story.

Hey, I'm an out and out sissy pacifist, and I can't remember a CF engagement that I thought was worthwhile, but I have total respect for the working class guys and girls who go into the CF because they see it as a good career choice.

And it completely burns my ass to see how they are treated by that bureaucracy.

By the way, it was a hell of a thing just getting these books from the local Indigo. Apparently neither of these titles are "Heather's picks," and it took months from making the order to having them in hand.

Delay, deny, and let 'em die...

For the think tank here at Falling Downs, one of the more odious Harperite deceptions was how they loved to wrap themselves in the flag and pose as super-patriots while at the same time stabbing the rank and file vets of the Canadian Forces in the back.

We  certainly weren't the only folks to notice. Former Canadian Forces Sergeant David MacLeod had a book out last year, A Dirty Little Skirmish, that gave the lie to that fake Harperite patriotism.

Now there's another book coming out, authored by Colonel Pat Stogran, former 'Veterans' Ombudsman,' appointed by Harper himself to look out for the interests of Canadian Forces veterans; Rude Awakening;the Government's secret war against veterans.

Big Steve must have figured Colonel Stogran was going to be sufficiently dazzled by the prospect of hanging with the big dogs that he'd forget all about his fellow veterans.

That was obviously a gross underestimation of Colonel Stogran.