I wont say much cuz i'll get emotional. What really pisses me off is the fact that this incident has recieved little or no coverage in the American media. Bush's reaction to the whole thing was callous and cold. The casual little comment he did make made him come across as someone who didn't give a rat's ass about the whole thing.
I know it was an accident but this reaction is in stark contrast to the whining fits the Americans throw when one of their own dies.
**Bush, top U.S. general react differently to Canadians' deaths **
WASHINGTON - U.S. President George W. Bush and the top U.S. general were a study in contrasts Thursday in reacting to the deaths of four Canadian soldiers accidentally killed by a U.S. pilot.
*Bush did not mention the deaths during a series of events in Washington until a reporter shouted a question as the president was leaving the fourth meeting of the day. "I talked to the prime minister last night and expressed my condolences," Bush said. *
He called Jean Chrétien late Wednesday when news of the deaths reached Ottawa and Washington. The accident happened in Afghanistan when Canadian soldiers were on a night training exercise.
At a media briefing Thursday, a clearly distressed chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, General Richard Myers, said the accident "is right up there with the worst news I've heard in my career."
Later Thursday, the White House put out a statement expressing regret at the deaths and admiration for Canadian soldiers and Canada's contribution to the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan.
Both the U.S. and Canadian military have begun investigations into the circumstances of the deaths. But losses to "friendly fire" are very common in war, historians and soldiers say.
Fog of war
While some Canadian soldiers expressed anger at the U.S. military, others were sad but recognized the fog of war often leads to horrible accidents.
*On Wednesday in Afghanistan, members of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry were on a night exercise using real ammunition. Two U.S. F-16 fighters on patrol in the same area saw the gun flashes and one of the pilots believed he was being shot at.
They were apparently not aware they were flying over an area restricted for training.*
One pilot sought and received permission to mark the area as a potential target. He was not given permission to bomb it, but pilots can act in self-defence.
On a second pass over the area, he invoked his right of self-defence, and dropped at least one 250-kilogram laser-guided bomb.
Canadian Chief of Staff General Ray Henault, a pilot who has flown jet fighters, said the U.S. pilots were in a war zone and had to make a quick decision. "All of it is done in seconds," he said.
The U.S. pilot was from the 183rd Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard, based in Springfield, Ill. Gen. Myers said National Guard pilots are trained to the same standard as active Air Force pilots.
The U.S. investigation is expected to be complete in 30 to 60 days.
These are the first Canadian offensive combat casualties since the Korean War in the 1950's.
DS: "What ever happened to 'Trust No One'?"
FM: "I changed it to 'Trust Everyone.' Didn't I tell you?"
[This message has been edited by hk (edited April 22, 2002).]