July 1, 2006

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - With barbecued burgers, beer and big smiles, troops of the Princess Patricia's battle group refused to allow a Taliban rocket attack to ruin their Canada Day.

Only hours after the rocket exploded in a tent complex on the Kandahar base, wounding 10 people including two of their own, Canadian soldiers were making the most of their one-day holiday under a roasting 55-degree C sun.

Troops put away their grimy combat uniforms for awhile and donned shorts, T-shirts and red Canada ball caps. One woman walked around draped in a Canadian flag.

Rifles and machine-guns were set aside as makeshift teams squared off to play volleyball in the desert sand and take part in a 10-kilometre charity run for the Children's Wish Foundation.

"Everyone is coming out to enjoy this. Last night's events were unfortunate. The attack ruined our sleep a little bit, but that is not going to ruin our day," said Master Cpl. Murray Clark of Morinville, Alta.

"It's Canada Day; we're going to have a good time."

Some people just chilled out in the shade with friends. Other jammed call centres to phone loved ones at home.

The rocket attack wounded two Canadian soldiers, one critically, as well as five American troops and three civilian employees.

One Canadian, Master Bombardier Bounyarat Tanaphon Makthepharak of 30 Field Regiment Ottawa, was to be flown to hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, for more extensive medical care along with one American soldier.

The others received minor wounds.

It wasn't rest-relaxation for all of the 2,300 Canadian troops Saturday in southern Afghanistan.

As their comrades were having fun, troops from B Company, 1 Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, crawled into their armoured vehicles and rolled outside the wire on patrol for Taliban.

Inside the base hospital, Sgt. Kevin Colwill, Makthepharak's section leader, spent Canada Day watching over his wounded buddy.

It was hard to see his friend lying sedated in bed with intravenous lines running out from his battered body.

"He couldn't hear me. I still had a chance to see him and say what I had to say," said Colwill, a reservist with the Brockville Rifles.

"Our hopes and prayers are with him. But everyone's chins are up. We realize we still have five months here on our tour. We want to do our jobs like Mac would want us to do."

The Canadian troops refused to be intimidated by the explosion.

Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, the Canadian commander of the multinational brigade, drew cheers from hundreds of soldiers as he cut the ribbon on the new Tim Hortons franchise on base.

Fraser was clearly moved by the spirit of his troops.

"The Taliban have under-estimated the will and the determination of Canadians and the international community here," he said. "Rocket attacks are not going to take away from what we are doing."

Throughout the day construction workers toiled in the heat to tear down the tents that were shredded with shrapnel and stained with blood from the rocket explosion .

At the same time, crews of soldiers were laying out tables and chairs for a barbecue within site of the disaster.

Troops and base employees hung strings of Canadian flags and red balloons on the walls of tents and trailers, red the only cheerful colour among all the dust and khaki.

Metal tubs were filled with ice and glistening cans of beer. Hamburgers and sausages sizzled on charcoal grills.

Hundreds of troops cheerfully socialized together like a giant outdoor kitchen party as the East Coast band Great Big Sea blared from giant speakers.

Canada Day was great fun for most of the troops, but on Sunday it will be back to reality as more soldiers head back outside the wire.

The Taliban rocket attack was just par for the course, said Cpl. Sean Kay of Edmonton.

"Today it is two cold ones and time to relax," Kay said. "Every day we are out there we are exposed to even more dangerous things."