NATIONAL NEWS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY / SOMMAIRE DES NOUVELLES NATIONALES
ADM(PA) / SMA(AP)
September 24 2012 / le 24 septembre 2012
MINISTER / LE MINISTRE
DND Ombudsman on PTSD
CF senior leadership has dismissed the findings of DND Ombudsman Pierre Daigle that two former
soldiers, suffering from posttraumatic stress disorders, were unfairly treated by officers and DND
managers. The military is claiming that Mr. Daigle has no jurisdiction to even investigate such cases. The
decision to ignore the recommendations in Mr. Daigle's two reports, the result of five years of
investigation, appears to be a hardening of the attitude in the military leadership toward PTSD cases and
what the Canadian Forces ombudsman can and cannot investigate. Mr. Daigle's two reports are
potentially damaging to the efforts of the Conservative government and the CF to send a message they
care about soldiers dealing with mental-health and other stress issues. The military leadership and
Defence Minister Peter MacKay have stated they are making strides in helping soldiers dealing with
such illnesses. But some soldiers have come forward to say the military leadership and government has
abandoned them after they admitted suffering from stress disorders (D. Pugliese: Ctz A1, No mention of
the Minister: D. Pugliese: EJ A11, Gaz A11).
Cost of Veterans Clawback Case
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government spent $750,462 in legal fees fighting veterans over the
clawback of military pensions, documents tabled in Parliament show. In siding with veterans last May,
Judge Robert Barnes “unreservedly” rejected the government's arguments. Mr. MacKay and VAC
Minister Steven Blaney announced in June the government would not appeal a Federal Court of Canada
ruling that rejected clawbacks from the pensions of disabled veterans (M. Brewster: TStar A7, RLP A5,
SSP A5, VProv A15, HCH B1, SJT A7).
Canada Army Run
Coverage noted that Mr. MacKay joined in the fifth Canada Army Run. Mr. MacKay said to participants:
“You are everything that Canadians admire” (M. Pearson: Ctz C1; No mention of the Minister: D.
Hempstead: OSun 2).
ASSOCIATE MINISTER / MINISTRE ASSOCIÉ
No related coverage. / Aucune couverture pertinente.
CDS / CEM
No related coverage. / Aucune couverture pertinente.
CANADA IN AFGHANISTAN / LE CANADA EN AFGHANISTAN
No related coverage. / Aucune couverture pertinente.
PROCUREMENT / APPROVISIONNEMENT
‘Buy Canada’ Military Procurement
The government is embarking on an ambitious effort to develop a Canada-first military purchasing
strategy – one that aims to funnel as many procurement dollars as possible to domestic firms with the
potential to be leaders in their field. This week, the government will announce it is tapping high-tech
luminary Tom Jenkins, executive chairman of OpenText Corp., to help assemble a plan for what has been
called “strategic procurement.” Some DND officials worry it will end up adding costs and delays to military
spending (S. Chase: G&M A3).
OTHERS / AUTRES
Robert Semrau: Comment
Peter Worthington: Anyone is wrong who may think the book by former captain Rob Semrau – The
Taliban Don't Wave – Is his justification for what happened in Afghanistan in 2008. Although Mr. Semrau
is the first Canadian soldier ever to be court martialed for allegedly killing a wounded enemy on the
battlefield, his book devotes barely a page to the incident that led to his court marital and dismissal from
the army. It's an astonishing book. More than any account I've seen, it tells vividly and graphically what
it's like to be an infantry soldier in Afghanistan, working with the Afghanistan National Army (ANA), trying
to bring them up to speed to protect their own country against the Taliban. When Mr. Semrau was found
not guilty of murder, not guilty of attempted murder, not guilty of negligence – how on earth could he be
found guilty of disgraceful conduct? In every situation, his conduct was the very antithesis of disgraceful
(ESun 31, KWS 10, LFP B3).
SAR Rescue in B.C.
A military rescue crew from Comox 442 Base plucked a man off Mount Cheam near Chilliwack on Sunday
morning after he was injured in a paragliding crash. The 25-year-old crashed his paraglider and had to
spend a chilly night on the mountain until help could arrive (J. Colebourn: CH B7).
Russell Williams
Coverage included an excerpt from a book by Ian Robertson and Cal Millar about former colonel Russell
Williams (KWS 9, LFP A7).
Royal Visit to Canadian Rangers: Comment
In a column, Craig and Marc Kielburger noted their experience with the Canadian Rangers. They were
part of a visit by Prince Edward (VSun B2, EJ A19, CH A11).
Section: News
Byline: David Pugliese
Outlet: Ottawa Citizen
Headline: Military dismissive of PTSD findings; Officials ignore ombudsman's report on
alleged mistreatment of ex-soldiers, documents show
Page: A1 / Front
Date: Monday 24 September 2012
Source: Ottawa Citizen
The Canadian Forces senior leadership has dismissed the findings of military watchdog Pierre
Daigle that two former soldiers, suffering from posttraumatic stress disorders, were unfairly
treated by officers and Defence Department managers.
The military is claiming that Daigle, the Canadian Forces ombudsman, has no jurisdiction to
even investigate such cases, according to documents obtained by the Citizen.
The Canadian Forces leadership has refused to accept the findings by Daigle that the two combat
veterans were treated unfairly and that steps should be taken to deal with their situations. The
soldiers had made complaints against a senior officer and other Defence Department managers
who deal with stress-disorder issues.
The decision to ignore the recommendations in Daigle's two reports, the result of five years of
investigation, appears to be a hardening of the attitude in the military leadership toward PTSD
cases and what the Canadian Forces ombudsman can and cannot investigate. Officials in the
ombudsman's office note this is one of the first times the Canadian Forces leadership has
questioned the watchdog's authority to investigate the conduct of officers and department
managers.
In the two separate reports, Daigle determined that managers from the Operational Stress Injury
Social Support program, the organization whose job is to help soldiers suffering from mentalhealth issues, unfairly treated some of their own employees who were dealing with the same
ailments. OSISS is run jointly by the Defence Department and Veterans Affairs.
The two veterans, hired as peer support co-ordinators to help fellow soldiers, complained they
were forced from their jobs after a series of runins with OSISS management.
In the case of one of the soldiers, retired Master Cpl. Kevin Clark, OSISS clawed back his final
pay to cover the extra sick days he had to take because of his deteriorating health, the
ombudsman's report states.
The stress created by the events at OSISS led to a significant deterioration of Clark's health and
financial situation, the report noted.
To produce the reports, the ombudsman's investigators reviewed hundreds of pages of documents
and interviewed almost 40 individuals.
But in a June 27 letter, Rear Admiral Andrew Smith, the Canadian Forces chief of military
personnel, told Daigle he had no jurisdiction to look into the complaints from the two combat
veterans.
Smith also told Daigle that the investigation reports were not balanced.
Daigle fired back in a July 12 letter, writing that it was clear Smith did not understand the
mandate of the ombudsman's office. Daigle pointed out to Smith that mandate clearly stated
Canadian Forces and National Defence employees, either retired or current, can bring a
complaint to the ombudsman in matters related to the DND and military.
He also noted out the com-plaints from the two soldiers were directed at employees of the
department and the Canadian Forces.
"From the tone and errors in your letter, I think you are more interested in attacking our office
and the core principles of our office than addressing the serious concerns of two former
Canadian Forces members who were treated unfairly by your organization," Daigle told Smith.
Daigle said he considered the investigation complete and asked Smith once again to support the
recommendations.
Officials in the ombudsman's office say they are trying to resolve the situation. "Due to the fact
this case is not fully resolved, it would be inappropriate for the Canadian Forces to comment at
this point," added an email from the Canadian Forces.
The ombudsman's office also received a third com-plaint against unfair management practices
and procedures in OSISS, but did not make any findings on that, the Citizen has learned.
Daigle's two reports are potentially damaging to the efforts of the Conservative government and
the Canadian Forces to send a message they care about soldiers dealing with mental-health and
other stress issues. The military leadership and Defence Minister Peter MacKay have stated they
are making strides in helping soldiers dealing with such illnesses.
But some soldiers have come forward to say the military leadership and government has
abandoned them after they admitted suffering from stress disorders.
In May, one father went as far as to kidnap his son from Canadian Forces Base Peta-wawa and
admit the Afghan war veteran into a civilian treatment facility after the military failed to deal
with the soldier's problems.
The soldier had tried to commit suicide twice.
Back to Top
Section: News
Headline: Ottawa spent $750,000 fighting vets' pension claim
Page: A7
Byline: Murray Brewster The Canadian Press
Outlet: Toronto Star
Date: Monday 24 September 2012
The Harper government spent $750,462 in legal fees fighting veterans over the clawback of
military pensions, documents tabled in Parliament show.
Federal Liberals have been demanding to see a breakdown of Ottawa's legal costs in the classaction lawsuit launched by veterans advocate Dennis Manuge, of Halifax.
The response was tabled in Parliament last week, but Justice Minister Rob Nicholson refused to
release an itemized count, invoking solicitor-client privilege. Instead, he released a global
amount for the lawsuit, which has been in court since March 2007.
Liberal MP and veterans critic Sean Casey described the legal bill as an "obscene waste of
taxpayers' money."
In abandoning the legal fight, the government appointed Stephen Toope, the president of the
University of British Columbia, to lead negotiations with Manuge's legal team to arrive at a
settlement, including retroactive payments. The settlement could run as high as $600 million,
depending upon how many years back the federal compensation plan will go, say internal
government estimates.
Casey said that given the amount of money at stake, he could see the government fighting it
tooth and nail - if it had a strong case.
"The court didn't see any merit; the court didn't equivocate. The court slammed them," he said.
"They had a weak case from the get-go and it was absolutely irresponsible."
In siding with veterans last May, Judge Robert Barnes "unreservedly" rejected the government's
arguments. Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney
announced in June the government would not appeal a Federal Court of Canada ruling that
rejected clawbacks from the pensions of disabled veterans.
The class-action lawsuit involved Manuge and 4,500 other disabled veterans whose long-term
disability benefits were reduced by the amount of the monthly Veterans Affairs disability
pension they receive. The ex-soldiers argued it was unfair to treat pain and suffering awards as
income.
Back to Top
Section: City
Byline: Matthew Pearson
Outlet: Ottawa Citizen
Illustrations:
 Chris Mikula, Ottawa Citizen / Canada Army Run participants are seen on the move during
Sunday's event. For more photos, go to ottawacitizen.com
Headline: Thousands turn out for Canada Army Run; Fifth instalment of event expected to raise
more than $150,000 for military charities
Page: C1 / Front
Date: Monday 24 September 2012
Source: Ottawa Citizen
The fifth instalment of the Canada Army Run was a family affair for Nick and Celine Best.
The brother-sister duo both blazed a trail in Sun-day's half marathon, each finishing second in
their gender categories. Nick's impressive 1: 10: 23 finish might have even been quicker were it
not for a cramp that forced him to take a quick walking break, he said at the finish line. He then
heaped praise on his sister, whom he called "the best runner in Canada's Armed Forces."
True to form, Celine crossed the finish line minutes later, at an equally impressive time of 1: 23:
46. Put another way, both of the Bests ran each kilometre, on average, in less than four minutes.
"I'm feeling it," a panting Celine said at the finish line. "I'm sore."
But the combat engineer officer stationed at CFB Gage-town said the Army Run is the race she
looks forward to above all others. "For me, this is the race of the year, it's the best race to do well
at."
Her brother's support is the icing on the cake, she said. "He runs this race because I'm in the
army, so that's one of the great things - he comes out to support me."
Thousands packed down-town Ottawa to cheer on participants as they ran, walked or wheeled
along the five-kilometre and 21.1-kilometre routes.
The air was crisp as the annual autumn race, which Mayor Jim Watson called "one of the great
traditions of Ottawa," began just before 8 a.m. This year's event sold out in June.
Ill and injured soldiers, as well as athletes with disabilities, were the first to cross the starting
line, as thousands of boisterous spectators cheered them on.
"You are everything that Canadians admire," Defence Minister Peter MacKay told the group
before they departed.
He and about 18,000 others ran in the two events. Gov. Gen. David Johnston also participated in
the five-kilometre race and later cheered on runners near the gates of Rideau Hall.
Organizers expect the event will raise more than $150,000 for the military charities Soldier On
and the Military Families Fund.
For veteran David Laverdure, the race is a way to honour the work he and other soldiers did at
home and abroad.
"I run for my brothers and sisters in arms and those we left behind," he said. Laverdure served
overseas on United Nations and NATO missions.
He added that he's also inspired by the tenacity shown by the injured soldiers, many of whom
wear prosthetics or use wheelchairs.
"Any pain I have when I run is immediately gone when I see them start," he said before the start
of the half marathon.
Simon Mailloux was one of the participants who ran with a prosthetic leg.
The 28-year-old was injured in an IED blast in Kandahar in November 2007, but returned to
Afghanistan in 2009 following his rehabilitation.
He had his friend and fellow amputee Rick Rickard running alongside him, each challenging the
other to dig just a little deeper.
Rickard, who lost part of his left leg in a training accident in 1988 and has run in all five Army
Runs, said the support of people who line the streets of Ottawa and Gatineau is tremendous.
He had wondered if the support would wane once Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan
ended, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
"I think the Canadian public actually learned that soldiers are there for a purpose, no matter if
there is a mission in Afghanistan or anything else, and I think the support's going to stay there,"
he said.
INDIVIDUAL TOP FINISHERS
5K Male
1: Lt. Ryan McKenzie (Stittsville), 16: 17.3
2: Maj. Joe Boland (Ottawa), 16: 19.6
3: Andrew Towle (Ottawa), 16: 25.2
5K Female
1: Leah Larocque (Ottawa), 18: 03.7
2: Liz Maguire (Ottawa), 18: 45.2
3: Morgan Johnson-Dugay (Ottawa), 18: 56.2
Half Marathon Male
1: Gezahgn Eshetu (Ethiopia), 1: 06: 42.6
2: Nick Best (Ottawa), 1: 10: 23.2
3: Kevin Coffey (Kingston), 1: 11: 07.0
Half Marathon Female
1: Jutta Merilainen (Batawa), 1: 21: 23.0
2: Celine Best (Oromocto), 1: 23: 46.7
3: Georgette Mink (Midhurst), 1: 25: 31.6
Back to Top
Section: News
Lead: Gaston Bedard wants to know how fast he ran the 5 km race, so Neil Cachero taps out the
minutes, in fives, on his arm.
Headline: Army Run marches on Fifth annual race series draws 18,000 runners, raises $250,000
Page: 2
Byline: DOUG HEMPSTEAD, OTTAWA SUN
Outlet: The Ottawa Sun
Illustrations:
 Doug Hempstead/Ottawa Sun Deaf and blind runner Gaston Bedard of Gatineauand guide
Neil Cachero complete the injured soldier run Sunday morning.
Date: Monday 24 September 2012
Gaston Bedard wants to know how fast he ran the 5 km race, so Neil Cachero taps out the
minutes, in fives, on his arm.
Bedard smiles. It's a decent finish. A brilliant finish when you consider he can neither see nor
hear.
"He trusts me with his life," says Cachero, his guide, who runs along with Bedard, joined by a
plastic hoop tether, which both men hold.
Now that it's no longer needed, the local men throw an arm over each other's shoulder. The bond
of trust between the two is unique.
"This is our fourth race together," Cachero says.
The pair was among the 18,000 running in the fifth annual Canada Army Run on Sunday
morning.
Considering many of the participants bring their families along, the number of people flooding
the Elgin-Laurier area was likely higher.
A few minutes after Cachero and Bedard have passed through and collected their "dog-tag"
finisher's medal, a more familiar face to Canadians crosses the finish line.
Though he's the governor general, David Johnston mingles and chats like any ordinary Ottawan.
The large man with an earpiece a few feet away is the only indicator he's someone out of the
ordinary.
The 71-year-old Johnston finished the 5k in just 36 minutes.
EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE
"My two boys are running in the half (marathon) today as well," he says. Johnston said the Army
Run is an "enormous" emotional experience.
Just the sight of injured soldiers running is inspiring, he said.
One of those, Ottawa-based Capt. Simon Mailloux, says he feels lucky that his injuries are
visible.
"So many others, you can't see," he says.
As people pat him on the back, he explains how his right leg was blown off in Kandahar in
November 2007.
"Our LAV III hit an IED," he says. "I was ejected and that's the only reason I'm alive."
The member of the Van Doos was always a runner. It became a big part of his rehabilitation as
he worked toward getting back to service. The same day in 2009 he collected an award at Rideau
Hall for his sacrifice, he was back on a plane to Afghanistan.
The Army Run is the fastest growing run in Canada.
Organizers expected 1,000 people the first year and got 7,000.
Since then, it has risen by at least 2,000 participants every year and raises funds for Soldier On
and the Military Families Fund. This year's run raised about $250,000.
Back to Top
Section: National News
Outlet: The Globe And Mail
Byline: STEVEN CHASE
Headline: Tories plan `buy Canada' military budget
Page: A3
Date: Monday 24 September 2012
The Harper government is embarking on an ambitious effort to develop a Canada-first military
purchasing strategy - one that aims to funnel as many procurement dollars as possible to
domestic firms with the potential to be leaders in their field.
It is the latest step in the Conservatives' plans to craft a defence industrial policy for Canada - an
effort to harness the power of the military-security budget in the service of long-term jobs and
economic growth.
This week, the government will announce it is tapping high-tech luminary Tom Jenkins,
executive chairman of OpenText Corp., to help assemble a plan for what has been called
``strategic procurement.'' He'll serve as special adviser to Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose
to help Ottawa identify key industrial capabilities it wants to support and develop.
Over the past 30 years, Canada has shied away from using defence policy to promote and build
domestic industries. In the case of major equipment buys, for instance, it has often relied on
foreign contractors to share work with domestic firms in exchange for winning the job.
But relying on non-Canadians to spin off industrial and regional benefits has had mixed results;
in the worst case, government officials joke, Canadians are left to build the air hangar for planes
or supply the fuel to fill a vehicle's gas tank.
Ottawa's not planning to spurn foreign suppliers. But it wants to be smarter about backing
Canadian industry where possible - funnelling more of the $240-billion the government plans to
spend over 20 years on military acquisitions to domestic suppliers. This new procurement
strategy got the nod from federal policy makers in the 2011 and 2012 budgets.
There are several ways Ottawa can help Canadian companies.
It could start by contracting out more of the billions of dollars of research and development the
federal government conducts in-house. It can set aside more contracts for small- and mediumsized Canadian businesses.
It can design major defence procurements to ensure promising Canadian companies get work
that helps them develop innovative new products .
For instance, flight simulators and munitions - bombs and bullets - are two areas where Canadian
companies have become strong international competitors .
Ottawa wants to nurture more companies that can become the next CAE Inc. or General
Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Canada.
This new approach, which Ms. Ambrose has championed throughout government, has its risks
and its critics. Some Department of National Defence officials worry it will end up adding costs
and delays to military spending. Others in the Industry department feel the current system of
extracting spinoff contracts from foreign suppliers is adequate.
Over the past five years, though, the Harper government has become more focused on protecting
and fostering a home-grown expertise in defence and security technology. It is an evolution in
thinking for the Conservatives, who have tempered their laissez-faire approach to business since
they took office.
In 2008, for instance, the Tories blocked the sale of MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.'s
space technology division to Minneapolis-based Alliant Techsystems Inc., saying the unit was of
strategic interest to Canada.
In 2011, the Tories unveiled a 30-year plan to build the next generation of military and
government research vessels in Canada, a long-term commitment to support jobs and talent in
shipyards .
Ottawa's been advised to adopt a Canada-first procurement strategy as a means of levelling the
playing field for Canadian companies who find themselves competing globally for business
against foreign firms that enjoy strong and steady support from their respective governments.
Back to Top
Section: News
Lead: Anyone is wrong who may think the book by former captain Rob Semrau -- The Taliban
Don't Wave -- is his justification for what happened in Afghanistan in 2008.
Headline: A SOLDIER'S ORDEAL Officer's dismissal results in first-rate military book
Page: 31
Byline: PETER WORTHINGTON
Outlet: The Edmonton Sun
Illustrations:
 3 photos 1. Robert Semrau with wife Amelieduring his court martial. 2. Semrau in
Afghanistan. 3. The cover of Semrau's book, The Taliban Don't Wave.
Date: Monday 24 September 2012
Anyone is wrong who may think the book by former captain Rob Semrau -- The Taliban Don't
Wave -- is his justification for what happened in Afghanistan in 2008.
Although Semrau is the first Canadian soldier ever to be court martialed for allegedly killing a
wounded enemy on the battlefield, his 291-page book devotes barely a page to the incident that
led to his court marital and dismissal from the army.
It's an astonishing book. More than any account I've seen, it tells vividly and graphically what it's
like to be an infantry soldier in Afghanistan, working with the Afghanistan National Army
(ANA), trying to bring them up to speed to protect their own country against the Taliban.
Semrau led an Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT). Usually an officer, warrant
officer and two or three other ranks work with an ANA detachment of 40 to 150 men, with the
job of training them by advising, recommending, suggesting rather than giving direct orders.
Diplomacy is essential, not to cause their Afghan counterparts to lose face.
Difficult and invariably frustrating.
Semrau paints a vibrant, realistic picture that is far different from movies, news reports, or even
imagination. Some ANA were gung-ho fighters, others wanted no part of fighting. All ANA
officers were temperamental -- some ferociously brave and foolhardy, some reluctant to leave
their base. All of them, in the heat of battle, were likely to suddenly decide it was time for lunch
and to return to their base.
Canadian mentors had to curb impatience and exasperation. To put it mildly. Small wonder that
"stress" of command and insecurity could be debilitating.
The Taliban were often innovative. Semrau tells of one occasion where the Taliban planted an
IED (improvised explosive device) in a haystack and sent kids out to play on the haystack,
hoping to lure the Canadianguided OMLT to rescue the kids and be ambushed.
Canadian snipers often spotted Taliban planting IEDs, but the Canadian major in command
would not allow them to shoot the enemy for fear they were farmers, and there'd be hell to pay.
Instead, ANA OMLT troops would be sent to cordon the area -- and the Taliban would escape.
In Semrau's experience, the snipers never were wrong, but the major was adamant. He wanted no
trouble. Risk averse.
This style changed when the major was replaced.
Some Canadian officers had no idea what it was like on patrol, and never went outside the wire.
Their "war" was more sedate than the OMLT function.
Arguably, Semrau's finest moment was when an American Apache helicopter thought his ANA
squad were Taliban, and prepared to shoot them up. Instead of telling the men to take cover,
Semrau frantically urged them all to stand up and wave at the Apache. The pilot realized that
"the Taliban don't wave," and veered off. Semrau's quick judgment saved the Alliance from
another "friendly fire" catastrophe. Hence the title of his book.
Semrau has never acknowledged in print or interview that he shot a mortally wounded Taliban
fighter. It happened in an operation where other Canadian soldiers were engaged. According to
witnesses, the Taliban fighter had apparently been hit by fire from an Apache helicopter and had
a hole in his midsection the size of a dinner plate, his legs also were smashed. To one ANA
witness, he was "98% dead." ANA troops were kicking and spitting on him, and when Semrau's
OMLT group moved on to support others under fire, a couple of shots dispatched the Taliban.
The question begs, how did this incident reach the chain of command? Why didn't it vanish in
the fog of battle? Who broke silence?
Semrau doesn't speculate, but likely an ANA officer who routinely avoided contact with the
enemy and resented Semrau's determination, filed a complaint. Instead of ignoring it, as should
have happened, higher command ordered Semrau's arrest. He was charged with second-degree
murder, attempted murder, negligence of duty, and disgraceful conduct.
A lot of people who've been to war felt it a travesty that Semrau was charged. One of these is
Maj.-Gen. Lew MacKenzie, arguably Canada's most experienced "field" commander, who wrote
a persuasive forward to Semrau's book.
From his record in the field, Semrau was a competent, compassionate officer, ever concerned for
the welfare of those under him and those he was tasked to protect.
A concern about his court martial was that the judge, the prosecutor, the jury (panel), the defence
lawyer and the accused, all worked for the same employer. All were paid by the government
seeking to convict Semrau.
I felt Semrau should have gotten a civilian lawyer (Eddie Greenspan came to mind). Semrau said
no, he'd stick with a JAG (Judge Advocate General) lawyer. I urged he get retired officers who'd
led patrols in war, to testify in his defence that instant decisions have to be made when you're in
Indian country, without any source to consult.
At a luncheon at the Royal Canadian Military Institute, I spoke to General Rick Hillier, when he
was chief of defence staff, about Semrau's upcoming trial. Hillier seemed to think that all would
go well. I had doubts.
I solicited members of the Military Institute who had led fighting or probing patrols in the
Second World War, Korea, Vietnam and the Balkans, who were prepared to testify on Semrau's
behalf. I volunteered to testify, having led fighting patrols in the Korean war, where unexpected
decisions were predictable.
As witness to this latter reality, one could mention that the U.S. Navy SEALs who killed Osama
bin Laden had practised their raid a hundred times, yet on the night of the attack a helicopter was
damaged and the SEALs had to improvise. That's the story of every patrol, and it is the story of
Semrau's patrols -- and the "mercy killed" Taliban.
As it turned out, Semrau and his lawyers (in whom he still has faith) decided he wouldn't testify,
or offer a defence for his actions, or call witnesses, or even try to explain to the panel the unique
job of mentoring Afghan soldiers in enemy territory.
The panel or jury that would decide Semrau's fate consisted of a navy commodore, an army
major and captain with no field or patrol experience, and two air force majors.
If Semrau and his lawyers weren't prepared to defend him, or to convince the panel that leading a
fighting patrol of ANA soldiers was unlike anything they could imagine, then who can fault the
panel for not understanding?
Semrau became upset with me when I quoted from an e-mail he sent that if asked he'd gladly
serve again in Afghanistan. The Sun claimed he was speaking out (which he wasn't) and used it
in a headline which upset me -- but annoyed Semrau more. The moral being, I guess, don't send
e-mails to journalists.
When Semrau was found not guilty of murder, not guilty of attempted murder, not guilty of
negligence -- how on earth could he be found guilty of disgraceful conduct?
In every situation, his conduct was the very antithesis of disgraceful.
Anyway, it's all academic now. Semrau was reduced in rank to second lieutenant (so what?) and
dismissed from the army, but not dismissed with disgrace. His erstwhile comrades and
commanding officers are on record as supporting him and having wanted him back.
Semrau now is in international security consulting work, and should do well. But his story is one
that should never have happened. Apart from his own disappointment, the biggest loser is the
Canadian army. They lost a good soldier, and a better officer.
The one virtue of his ordeal is a book that may well be the best one, so far, that tells the story of
our soldiers in Afghanistan whose work was mostly "outside the wire."
Back to Top
Section: News
Byline: John Colebourn
Outlet: Calgary Herald
Headline: Crew rescues injured paraglider; Serious injuries after crash on B.C. mountain
Page: B7
Date: Monday 24 September 2012
Dateline: VANCOUVER
Source: Postmedia News
A military rescue crew from Comox 442 Base plucked a man off Mount Cheam near Chilliwack
on Sunday morning after he was injured in a paragliding crash.
The 25-year-old crashed his paraglider Saturday evening. The man had to spend a chilly night on
the mountain until help could arrive.
The rescue crew was lowered to the injured man by a longline Sunday morning.
Capt. Justin Olsen of the rescue co-ordination centre in Victoria said the man was taken by
helicopter to a waiting air ambulance.
The man was then taken to Royal Columbian Hospital. He is believed to have serious leg and
head injuries. There is no update on his condition.
Olsen said it took the search and rescue technicians about an hour to stabilize the man before he
was lifted into the helicopter.
He was pulled off the mountain just before 10 a.m.
"The injuries are quite severe - the search and rescue technicians took an hour be-fore stabilizing
him," Olsen said. "It was very steep terrain where he crashed."
Jason Warner, safety officer of the Hang Gliding and Para-gliding Association of Canada, said
he knew very little about the latest accident.
"We don't even know who it is yet. We know the person is in the hospital. We believe it is a
young person," said Warner.
"There have been many, many accidents this year. On average you get one or two accidents
reported across Canada in a year."
"Right now my first thought is that I hope this guy is OK. That's independent of every-thing
else," said Margit Nance, executive director of the association.
Nance, who is a paragliding pilot, said the association will collect the facts of the accident in the
days to come.
"We spend so much of our curriculum ... on safety," Nance said from Vancouver.
Last month, the association found that the death of hang-gliding passenger Lenami GodinezAvila, 27, was due to the pilot neglecting to connect himself to his passenger.
Godinez-Avila fell to her death just after takeoff in a tandem hang-gliding trip in Agassiz on
April 28.
The pilot, Jon Orders, has since been charged with obstructing justice.
Barry Kleiter, a 43-year-old Saskatchewan man, died June 7 when his powered paraglider
crashed to the ground near Enderby.
On June 11, Richard Michael Wood, of Hope, died while hang-gliding solo near Lumby.
On Aug. 6, a paraglider died during the Canadian Para-gliding Championship near Pemberton.
John Clifford, 55, of Seattle, accidentally landed in the Lillooet River during poor weather.
Back to Top
Section: News
Lead: In How a colonel became a killer, writer Cal Millar and Toronto Sun reporter Ian
Robertson dig into the background of the brutal sex slayer and detail the startling and horrific
evidence that made Russell Williams the first murderer who made technology an accomplice to
his crimes. The following is an edited version of a chapter from their new book, available
through Amazon.com.
Headline: How a colonel became akiller: Book excerpt
Page: 9
Byline: IAN ROBERTSON AND CAL MILLAR, QMI AGENCY
Outlet: The Kingston Whig-Standard
Illustrations:
 JEROME LESSARD QMI Agency Long-time journalist with the Toronto Sun and The
Intelligencer (joined the Belleville daily newspaper in May, 1970) Ian Robertson holds a copy of
'How a colonel became a killer', which details the story of convicted killer Russell Williams
during a 873-day crime spree while serving as commander of 8 Wing/CFBTrenton. in The
Intelligencer's newsroom Sept. 14. Robertson co-wrote the book, which is only available online
through www.amazon.com, with journalist and author Cal Millar.
Date: Monday 24 September 2012
In How a colonel became a killer, writer Cal Millar and Toronto Sun reporter Ian Robertson dig
into the background of the brutal sex slayer and detail the startling and horrific evidence that
made Russell Williams the first murderer who made technology an accomplice to his crimes.
The following is an edited version of a chapter from their new book, available through
Amazon.com.
Rape and murder victims have been photographed or videotaped during sexual assaults or after
being killed.
But until Williams' arrest, investigators never encountered a killer who fully documented their
crimes.
Evidence uncovered during Project Hatfield provided the law enforcement community, police
psychiatrists and researchers with an encyclopedia of information about his 29-month crime
spree -- which began with sexually motivated residential burglaries and culminated with the
senseless slayings of two young women.
Former Toronto Police homicide detective Tom Klatt, a partner at MKD International Inc., a
leading worldwide private investigation agency, said it's "extremely rare" to find a case in which
the culprit took pictures. But he predicts it will become more common.
"Williams was the first," Klatt said, calling him a "rare and different type of killer" -- someone
who has shown us the future.
With new technology such as small iPhones and other high-quality image recording equipment,
Klatt suggests some murderers will videotape or photograph killings so they can relive the
experience or share images with others, similar to how child pornography is distributed through
underground computer networks.
"It's common for criminals to take something from a crime scene," he said. "Since they do take
trophies, I fully expect in the future, killers will make use of modern technology to record their
crimes.
"They get off ... looking at what they have done."
One of the most recent movies featuring a killer making gruesome videos, the documentary-style
'Poughkeepsie Tapes', is total fiction. Like Williams, the fictional slayer documented victims
from their abductions to their deaths and posthumous mutilation in the town midway between
Albany and New York City.
With its release only a few years after Kendall Francois pleaded guilty in 2000 to murdering
eight women there, some people surmised it was a true account. Police found several bodies in
his home, but nothing to indicate any victims were photographed or video-taped as the horror
film portrayed.
Clifford Olson, who is considered Canada's most callous serial killer, didn't photograph his
victims, but did tape-record a 14- year-old girl's fatal screams. He then played her anguished
cries over the family's telephone.
From January 1980 to August 1981, Olson who murdered 11 young people in British Columbia's
heavily-populated lower mainland. He died in prison last September.
St. Catharines slayer Paul Bernardo videotaped his wife, Karla Homolka, during sexual activity
with one victim, but no pictorial evidence of the killings surfaced.
Dating Game contestant Rodney Alcala, a U.S. rapist sentenced to death in 2010 for five 1970s
murders, had more than 1,000 photographs of young women and boys mostly in sexually explicit
poses. None depicted people after death.
Dubbed the "Beauty Queen Killer" after murdering eight women across America and being
implicated in numerous other rapes and sex-slayings, Australia- born Christopher Bernard
Wilder -- killed when his gun discharged while struggling with a New Hampshire cop in 1984 -was heading to Canada, where capital punishment was abolished.
Among those taking photographs of victims was a British couple who also made a 16- minute
audio-recording of a 10- year-old girl being killed in 1964. Like Williams' victims, she was
forced to pose naked before being raped and strangled in one of the earliest-known cases
involving pictures taken before a slaying.
The judge who sentenced Ian Brady and Myra Hindley -- she died in prison in 2002 -- to life for
the five "Moor Murders" in Manchester, called them sadistic and depraved.
Hanged in Tokyo in 2008, serial abductor Tsutomu Miyazak killed four young girls, who he
photographed before and after death, then partially ate -- after sending graphically-detailed
letters to their families.
Miyazaki, who was more extreme and depraved than Williams, owned more than 5,000 horror
and explicit adult videos, plus photographs and videotaped recordings of his little victims.
Former U.S. soldier Dean Corll took photos of some of the 28 boys he tortured, raped and
murdered in Texas.
Police found photographs of at least 16, taken before they were killed, most likely so he could
relive the euphoria he achieved while committing rape and murder. He was shot dead in 1973 by
a victim promised freedom if he slew a 15-year-old girl Corll had abducted.
Another bizarre case with videos and stills taken of victims before their murders involves
Leonard Lake and Charles Ng., of California men who, like Williams, had served in the military.
In less than two years, they may have killed up to 25 people, including two babies. Although law
enforcement authorities have not formally indicated the purpose of the videos, the men may have
experimented with the idea of producing so-called "snuff films."
Caught shoplifting in San Francisco, Ng fled before police arrived, leaving his car with a gun and
silencer. Before committing suicide, Lake gave them his partner's name and mentioned several
victims slaughtered in their hideout bunker, where investigators found written logs and
videotapes outlining some of the horror that took place there.
Arrested in Calgary in 1985 when caught shoplifting, Ng made headlines after officials refused
American requests for his extradition -- arguing the serial killer might be executed if convicted.
Following public pressure, he was shipped to California, where he remains on San Quentin State
Prison's death row.
Muslim extremists have also video-taped their brutal torture and murder of kidnap victims.
These images are key tools in a propaganda campaign aimed at demoralizing countries which
declared a war on terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001 slaughters in New York, Washington and
Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Extremist groups, including al- Qaida, began posting video and still images of barbaric
executions after foreign coalition troops organized by the United Nations to destroy training
camps and wipe out terrorism worldwide. They also seek to reduce the free world's appetite for
battle and give activists ammunition to pressure politicians into withdrawing support for military
action in the Middle East.
It is now obvious that the video camera has become a popular tool for any killer seeking more
than 15 minutes of fame.
After Anders Behring Breivik gunned down 77 young people and wounded more than 300 in
Norway last year, and detonated a fertilizer bomb in Oslo that killed eight people, police found
his lengthy anti-Muslim manifesto -- which urged other mass murderers to make and share
videotapes of their carnage, using a specific camera.
It appears a gunman who murdered four people at a Jewish school in Toulouse, France, this
March, including a seven-year-old girl, after earlier killing three soldiers, wore Breivik's
recommended camera. The shooter, al- Qaida sympathizer Mohammed Merah, was killed when
"special forces" police officers raided his apartment.
No images were posted on the Internet, but he sent videos to the Al Jazeera Arab television
network, which did not broadcast them.
It's easy to compare Russell Williams with serial killers.
He escalated rapidly from panty-stealing raids at neighbouring homes in Tweed and Ottawa to
sex-related homicides, but wasn't a serial, since he only killed twice. But the former CFB
Trenton commander shares similarities with most and, having escalated his attacks, undoubtedly
more women would likely have been raped and murdered without police intervention.
Because he was so calculating and methodically recorded Jessica Lloyd and Cpl. Marie-France
Comeau being killed, police had "a gut feeling" that he may have already murdered other
victims.
Military police compiled records of his travels and civilian forces, including OPP cold case
detectives, were also asked about any unsolved homicides. No evidence, however, linked
Williams to previous victims.
Back to Top
Section: Canada & World
Byline: Craig & Marc Kielburger
Outlet: Vancouver Sun
Headline: Royals recognize unsung heroes; Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and his wife visit the
Far North to honour outstanding community members
Page: B2
Date: Monday 24 September 2012
Dateline: IQALUIT, NUNAVUT
Source: Vancouver Sun
It was at once one of the most beautiful and the most surreal moments of our lives. We gazed out
across seemingly endless kilometres of empty Arctic landscape. It's a vista that one Canadian in
a thousand might ever witness, yet we were out on the tundra with a Canadian Ranger and Prince
Edward, Earl of Wessex.
Recently we had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to accompany Edward and his wife Sophie,
Countess of Wes-sex, on their historic visit to Canada's northern territories.
The wind was bitingly cold. We were so swathed in toques and parkas we could barely hear, yet
Edward was bare-headed so he could better listen to Ranger Paul Nuyalia talk about his life and
work in the Far North.
The Canadian Rangers are a branch of the Canadian Forces most Canadians have likely never
heard of. They are volunteers - Inuit, First Nations, Metis and non-aboriginals - who patrol the
vast frozen lands of the north, upholding Canada's arctic sovereignty, conducting search-and-rescue operations, and training Canadian soldiers and others in arctic survival.
Nuyalia's patrols often last for weeks. For Edward, he arranged a two-hour hike. An ancient boltaction rifle slung across his back, Nuyalia explained that while he patrols, he and his colleagues
hunt and employ traditional Inuit practices to live off the land.
At a lonely tent pitched on the plain we stopped for a lunch of tea and caribou stew cooked over
an open fire. Nuyalia offered up his hunting harpoon and a rope made from seal skin, which he
chews to keep supple.
He also discussed his other project, helping Inuit young and adult offenders learn the traditional
ways of their people by taking them out onto the tundra for up to a week to teach survival skills.
Despite the cold and the lines of fatigue around the prince's eyes - he and the countess keep a
travel schedule that would bring veteran politicians to their knees - his attention never wavered.
He attended raptly to everything Nuyalia said with sincere interest.
That's the aspect we'll likely remember most: how the royal couple inter-acted with everyone
they met, and how people responded in turn.
Before departing on the hike, the Prince met with 12 members of Nuy-alia's Ranger group. As
they stood on parade in their signature camouflage pants and red sweatshirts, the prince took
time to speak with each man, gloves off so he could shake hands and personally thank them for
their service.
Earlier, the couple visited the general store where the people of Iqaluit shop for their food and
supplies. Again the prince engaged every single person in the store individually, giving each his
undivided attention as he asked about their lives, families, hopes.
One older Inuit woman, groceries in hand, recognized the prince and greeted him with a
surprised, "What are you doing here?" "I'm here to meet you," he replied.
With many northern aboriginals old enough to remember residential schools, it would have been
easy to understand a certain antipathy toward this couple whose historic titles could be seen as a
lightning rod for anger toward the past baggage of white colonialism. Yet the community was
clearly thrilled with the visit.
A special community ceremony was organized to welcome the royals. Before the event, the
kitchens of the community centre were a hive of activity, with women frantically pre-paring
whale, seal and other traditional foods.
There was no big PR blitz to promote the event. News spread by simple word of mouth. Yet
when the royal couple arrived, the local parish hall was packed to the rafters, and they were
greeted with thunderous applause.
Entirely funded by private sources, this trip was the prince's 33rd visit to Canada but his first to
the North. Throughout the trip they stopped to recognize those like the Rangers and nurses at a
shelter for battered women, and present Queen's Jubilee Medals to those who serve the community - RCMP officers, and community members who raised the funds to rebuild Iqaluit's St.
Jude's Cathedral, which burned down in 2005.
Everyone we met seemed simply pleased the royals chose, of all the places, to fly to the top of
the world and meet with them. For many of these volunteers, who have given years of their lives
in service, this was the first time anyone of note has ever recognized their contribution.
Watching the tears well up in people's eyes as the prince pinned on their medals, while their
families snapped hundreds of photos to preserve the moment forever, we wanted to tip our
virtual hats to the couples for the care and attention they give Canada, travelling to the smallest
towns in the farthest corners of the country to show their appreciation for all our unsung heroes.
Craig and Marc Kielburger are founders of international charity and educational partner, Free
The Children. Its youth empowerment event, We Day, is in eight cities across Canada this year,
inspiring more than 100,000 attendees. For more information, visit www. weday.com or follow
Craig on Twitter at @ craigkielburger
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