Desert Lions: Canadian Forces Mentors in Kandahar

This documentary follows a Canadian Operational Mentor and Liaison Team in the village of Nakhonay, SW of Kandahar City, in the summer of 2010. The OMLT's role is to assist the Afghan National Army by mentoring, advising, and coordinating NATO assets. The documentary was produced by LCol Mike Vernon, a former CBC TV video journalist, for Canadian Army Public Affairs (DAPA) and released in 2011.

[@dudley2112]

Had a couple guys from this as course staff on my BMQ L, remember a bunch of us watching this on course, we definitely had a new respect for our staff after that.

[@oshaughnessyrof5201]

Gagetown?

[@dudley2112]

@@oshaughnessyrof5201 No didnt have that pleasure haha, Meaford

[@oshaughnessyrof5201]

@@dudley2112 Id take gagetown’s mess over meafords any day

[@1970swimmer]

I taught BMQ, and DP1 infantry in Gagetown in 2008. When my section of troops learnt about what we had been through just like my goofy buddy Wade Crooker the newf in the video (you might be eluding to) the troops than seemed to listen to our advice more closely. What the recruits and future infantry members (aka chicken nuggets) don’t understand is how much we want you guys/gals to not die on tours. When I would see news updates about Afghanistan after instructing I always was grateful to know my batch of troops weren’t in the news but still upset knowing a fellow soldier was hurt or killed. I hope you have a great career and stay fit.

[@sayedmohammadghairat1101]

@@1970swimmerhi dear sir are you Darryl chambers? ??

[@treadheadpete4770]

"Lest we forget" now includes Afghanistan. Thank you for this amazing look at front line service in the Canadian Forces!

[@beverleybazinet551]

All of our service men and women should never hang there heads. Every time I hear,watch,see anything about our military l personally feel so proud,proud because of everything you do. Watching this,it’s so Canadian,the respect you give,you are pros serious when at work,but still having a great sense of humour.Again thank you so very much

[@eziekkiel5876]

Great little documentary. Thank you so much for producing and posting this. As a Canadian (Ottawa...), I love seeing old videos of our boys in Afghanistan. Glad you made it out safe!

[@TheYukonnahanni]

BOYS & GIRLS !!! :))

[@abedlahabassi7514]

@@TheYukonnahanni u

[@sayedmohammadghairat1101]

Hi bro

[@wood2hoz4]

Myself being American 🇺🇸 love watching Allies at work kicking AsS!!!

[@eziekkiel5876]

@@wood2hoz4 Really unfortunate it went out the window, strategically anyway.

[@mikejmardis]

I stand corrected. The sgtmaj is a grounded soldier. That being said, I believe living/working together is the ultimate in respect building.

[@lilacscentedfushias1852]

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@jay-ham5649]

Thank you to each and everyone for their courage to serve. I’ve applied to the reserves. What an honour it would be to wear the Canadian military combat gear and serve.

[@Kgcottawa]

Have you gotten in yet ?

[@jay-ham5649]

@@Kgcottawa no, unfortunately I’m still awaiting my medical appeal.

[@Kgcottawa]

@@jay-ham5649 roger. Good luck and ask for a Medical waiver to be staffed up to DPGR thru CFRG. the recruiter will / should know what this means.

[@quantumhelium]

What a fantastic piece. This video needs way more play.

[@russbooth6766]

39:55 the Sergeant Major (god) flexing with the Coy OC to thrash out a good balanced solution. This is great example of what the Canadian and British Armys do very well.

[@russbooth6766]

@@yousafshah9892 I`m not helping you. I was commenting on the video. And you don`t know me, so I am not your "bro".

[@mattyc7]

That tension is so healthy in my opinion. I hate to see NCOs being pushed to obey blindly. They need to be pushing back on their officers - even if the decision doesn't get changed, the officers need to that added info and benefit of their experience as part of the decision making process.

[@canadianboy5578]

Thank you to our brave soldiers 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@michellestockal8245]

Very well produced - thank you for the insight into the lives of our soldiers

[@davidmcrae4791]

wow an amazing display of the frustrations and how to deal with them.

[@asmatniazi7942]

Beautiful memories never come back love you brother

[@Dra741]

I'm proud of the Canadian humanitarian role and also combat role in Afghanistan, that do an exceptional job

[@danield9182]

All heroes serving Canada 🇨🇦 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@andreaquino1114]

Sgt/Major was right, you don't blade someone from the top and expect the working relationship to be the same. We watched over them a few time with the Heron...hope all the best.

[@MrPagandog]

Great video. Thank you for sharing this.

[@DrHogfather]

Awesome documentary. I could watch stuff like this exclusively.

[@Jaxon-cf5gl]

Brian Pinksen was from from Newfoundland

[@randomassname445]

What a fantastically done documentary

[@b062838868]

Great watch!

[@djpd6499]

Very good video! Thank you!

[@TheGhjgjgjgjgjg]

Ricky supports the troops

[@djpd6499]

TheGhjgjgjgjgjg Sunnyvale loves the Troops!

[@nicholashanson837]

This was taken down for a while, why is that?

[@mcvernon63]

Good question. I was told someone at Army Public Affairs did it by mistake while cleaning up old postings earlier this year. It had over 200,000 views.

[@mcvernon63]

They also took down Deployed: Canadian Army Reservists Overseas. It's back up again.

[@juicyj3819]

Americans jealous of how cool we are.

[@ballinkingston]

Mike, I appreciate the insight.

[@susansmall6992]

Very well done understand what's really going on there.

[@Mr.CanCan]

really amazing documentary man. great shots and story and editing

[@cohall46]

Very interesting - Thanks for sharing.

[@zxrcanada]

great documentary! not enough works like this about canadian operations in afghanistan!

[@christianaguirre3113]

Great doc!

[@Awselmakayed]

Can’t wait!

[@sarajohansson569]

Very good done. Brave :-)

[@roshanpk7073]

By the way no one can mentor Afghan lions ever. They know very well what they are upto. Americans , Canadians or all those allies have realized this fact very well...

[@1970swimmer]

One thing I learnt from ANA and Muslims in Afghanistan was they are solid people, there word is there bond, they’re tough people who have been at war forever. The one thing I brought back was all they will wish you I’d love and peace! Extremists are basically a mislead, disillusioned and lost Muslim.

[@stephenmason5773]

Great video!! Thanks so much Michael!!!!

[@user-gn3tx5ri2d]

Nice documentary.

[@vtek8383]

WoW merci j'ai bien aimer votres video

[@nervouswreck392]

GRATE‼️

[@jmn194]

Dar was (one of) my recruiters.

[@kazkazimierz1742]

I was completely opposed to sending Canadians there when Chretien decided to do so. Some 150 Canadians died and many more came back wounded physically and/or mentally. In the end the Taliban took control. Past history indicates that Afghans will resist foreign occupiers. The Brits and Soviets found that out, and NATO forces are learned it as well.

[@mikejmardis]

I’m with the Capt. you don’t have to “shred” armor/what’s positive to live with locals. Gain their respect and hopefully they I’ll get kitted to the same.

[@neildavid10]

This is great content that u literally can’t find elsewhere. Quick question that American army major was a green beret wasn’t he?? Or some SOF.

[@mrnic3058]

yea im sure he was some sort of SOF dont think regulars US soldiers are allowed to have beards

[@billybombay6189]

These guys smoked a joint for sure

[@DanMProductionsBois]

"This is a workers comp claim right here " lol.

[@oshaughnessyrof5201]

I should get workers comp for all the CLP I ate

[@nacholibre1962]

37:26 Russian kid! Lots of them there. All from the Russian occumation of the 80's. Some even had red hair.

[@kutter_ttl6786]

Red hair is actually a lot more common in that part of the world than you think. Certain areas of Afghanistan have high instances of natural red hair(well before the Russians came). That guy could just as easily be Pashtun, an Indo-Iranian group. I've known my fair share of Iranians that could easily pass for Slavic.

[@XDKnoori]

@@kutter_ttl6786 yep

[@AyyanGoats]

Epic...

[@inquilabzindabad562]

This was 2010. Come 2021 the Canadian Troops are back home, Some working in Barber shops and Bars. The Afghan Soldiers who are left behind are running for their lives.

[@duuub227]

They are still fighting the taliban. This war can last forever

[@inquilabzindabad562]

@@duuub227 It is not going to last forever. There is always a winner and loser the War eventually ends.

[@n00fer]

@@inquilabzindabad562 people have e been fighting in this area of the world for thousands of years man, this shit is never going to end. Especially when you have guys like Ahmed, the front gate sentry who doesn't even bring his rifle with him and looks like he's high as fuck on drugs the way his head bobs back and forth

[@hansmueller3029]

It seems the canadians were willing to be sensitive to Islamic culture. Maybe more so than other Coalition forces. But it also seems they are sent to the places, like say... Catholic missionaries are, that nobody else wants to go.

[@garmancathotmailcom]

Except when they sent in a woman as the senior to a shura.

[@zeezeez7943]

8:00 is going to be evidence of “service related injury” guaranteed

[@savagex466-qt1io]

Has a shirt saying " The Great Crusade " thats awsome.

[@nacholibre1962]

34:36 Singularly stupid mistake on the part of the Canadians to put a woman in a Shura as one of the key stakeholders and without her head covered. I have no doubt the elders felt that was very disrespectful. A very bad read of the culture and an astoundingly idiotic blunder and failure.

[@yunassaxer7119]

great! please stay!

[@roshanpk7073]

22:25 what kind of soldiers they are who are concerned about their own security?

[@antnewbon2673]

Its a bit worrying when the boss is bricking it, firing a flair.

[@mrnic3058]

24:48 hmmm I wonder why the Afghans like working with the Canadians more

[@whiteprivilege4469]

Being tough on the Afghans has its pros sometimes. We were too nice in retrospect. They respected American upfrontness and would often lie and decieve us canadians to even a fatal degree in some cases. You also dont see how frustrated we were with afghan troops and off the record i can tell you it came to fisticuffs and even guns being drawn between us. The Americans understand war. Its a tough reality but its true.

[@alisinabayat1683]

Going to war while you are fasting, means no eat, and drink for the whole day. That's impressive Afghan National Army.

[@ilwa324fg6]

What's impressive is Taliban fasting and fighting

[@mix1426]

Are you have Lots and variety of food in Canadian army??

[@nolanyoung8786]

The Canadian Platoon protecting the Marijuana Crop. Of course lol

[@chuckd5877]

Marijuana crop? Like the afghanis or Americans/Canadians are shipping marijuana across the world? We grow that shit at home dude. You’re an idiot

[@nolanyoung8786]

@@chuckd5877 10:32 the narrator explicitly says that every patrol starts with walking past "The local landmark. A Marijuana crop". Afghani Marijuana would more likely be smuggled into Russia by border crossing or to Europe through the Middle East because you're right, we grow that shit at home.

[@AbruzzoPride]

Man not gonna lie when the word got back that the kid from NF lost his life I was cranked up for them i would want that guy whose house was around the corner asap idn why they waited for ANA to go and do a soft knock screw that you had 2 soldiers blewn up and a 3rd COULD have been. They should have went and booted his door in and got him before he ran. IMO

[@ill-fatedgamer]

His name is Brian Pinksen from Corner Brook.

[@andrejapaunic4761]

10:45 better that than on a donkey trust me no matter how hungry you are you are not touching that food until they literally order you to eat it because you are about to faint from hunger and you cant eat it because it stinks so much it cant be described

[@mickh4256]

blows my mind they didn't have the reserve Captain (OPP Officer) with the POMLT

[@dingo5208]

Some guys don't want to go across the planet and do the same job they do at home.

[@mickh4256]

@@dingo5208 the POMLT isn't even close to the same job as OPP. Literally the same thing they did with the ANA but with the ANP. POMLT had infantry with them too. This might have been after they shit it down though.

[@dingo5208]

@@mickh4256 i was with the POMLT 3-06.

[@YasirKhan-jh3lu]

The power fullll only my god 💪

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

Fired a flair across the compound?! That could be either a case of boredom or incompetence!

[@nawabpundit4072]

Where are these kids now?

[@davidcarter6737]

Feel for the lad's family that died. Was there no chopper available, it might have made a difference.

[@BucyKalman]

Cpl Pinksen was only 20, from the province of Newfoundland in Canada. He unfortunately died at the U.S.Army's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany a few days after the IED went off. His mate, Cpl Grant Miller, survived the blast.

[@qadimachakzai2405]

anyone knows about KAF bazzar?

[@Onix.556]

Assessment: if you had the ANA doing unsupervised security, talking on phones, without one Canadian awake.....I bet one or more of them new and allowed the IED to be planted, while you were all sleeping. The ANA that was relieved of duty could have known or they were worried an ANA would leak the info to him then to you, so they eliminated that worry. Personally, I think the entire Canadian unit got to complacent and allowed things they normally wouldn't. Example before you deployed did any of you think you would all go to sleep while ANA guard you? I fully understand building trust but don't put all your trust in ANA, especially when you're the responsible party of all your men safety. I hope i misunderstood something here.

[@timf5479]

Yes, you have misunderstood. You are welcome.

[@jakethunderbird8735]

I agree. I would have exercised ALOT of caution around the ANA, especially after the first IED. They are very easy to manipulate plus they know the word and layout around town, almost impossible for not at least one knowing that a bomb was going to happen . A level have trust just HAS to be there, because of the language barrier, the post not being all Canadian, etc. but putting ALL your trust into them is a terrible idea.

[@juicyj3819]

🇨🇦 ✊🏻

[@jondenmark9577]

Dont forget about the British army who were there by there side

[@davidmcrae4791]

i bet all those boxes were candy or something

[@HowlingWo1f]

20 years in Afghanistan is enough..It’s time to bring our troops & our allies home.

[@newsinatra4178]

Canada hasnt been in afghanistan since 2014

[@paulusmpeter5034]

All right 💧 Iban 🥀🌡️😈

[@waqarahmad9094]

look at 20:50 a soldier from Pakistan serving in Canandian Army. Proud of him

[@bm-tn7uw]

Les soldats canadiens les meilleurs aux monde même si mal équipés

[@hishkhamosh3013]

Don't get far over soldiers....

[@mn_lazy6816]

Lol they just seem like they look to have fun and joke around lol 😂

[@trooper744]

CHIMO my fellow Sappers

[@claytonmann7375]

RIP Goudreu and sapper Collier

[@Jaws10214]

Private Cameron Hurrell! I dont give a shit if you find their culture "primitive"! You're representing Canada over there. Watch your damn tongue! 26:45

[@hamidijafri]

In my country a journalist is not an army, in Canada the journalist that covers Afghanistan is a high ranking officer in Canadian army. An intelligent spy maybe?... Is it a common practice of all western nations...

[@gjohnston6052]

As a citizen of Canada you may join local militia part time. Some see it as a way to serve our country.

[@Glee73]

many countries have that. normal regular people who join the armed forces "reserve" and can be called up to serve their country if needed. They could be teachers, mechanics, accountants, and so on.

[@dubNrun]

KEK, giving our soldiers new found sympathy for the enemy that has blue on blued hundreds of them. Yes, great people the ANA.....

[@YasirKhan-jh3lu]

Where are you guys now?😂😂

[@kitson1778]

R.I.p pinkson

[@chrisb2239]

ANA soldier on left demonstrating weapon control and safety at 15:30. Surprised he's not resting his head on the business end of that barrel. Communications barriers are the single greatest threat to coalition forces, not IEDs. If we could effectively communicate with the locals and ANA we wouldn't encounter most IEDs. Great video all the same.

[@westyinzer4607]

I wonder how having a female officer in the shura went over with those elders.

[@ULTRAINFINITEJUSTICE]

cpt pete fucking cursed his cpl

[@zombiedreams3825]

Not 10 months old its is super old

[@emanuelruiz6676]

Afghan,iraqi, Iranians...they all look untrustworthy...just some are not

[@wilfdarr]

Your OP is in the MIDDLE of a hostile town, and you have to be told to go get your weapon? If I were allowed I'd have my weapon on me 24/7 and I live in Calgary!

[@tg13fire]

Ford fucking ranger

[@noeschmoe9927]

I was the Chaplain at Camp Stone 2006/7 and I mentored 17 ANA Korengi/Afghan "chaplains". I brought my translator back and he is now a multi-degree American citizen who works for NATO throughout he world. For everyone who gets credit there are 100 guys like me and him whom histroy never acknowledges. Who gives a fuck? No one. Wart is fucked ans most unfair. Wish I had died over there... No one really gives a shit...

[@justsomedudelmao]

They got all the natural melatonin a man could want seconds away from outpost lion 🤣

[@toddflagg322]

Why did so many Canadian soldiers have their faces blurred out on this documentary I don’t understand

[@johndoraziosr1202]

!!!!!!!!!!!! HEY > I DO NOT HEAR ANY >> "EH" >> FROM ANY OF THE CANADIANS !?!?!? HAHAHA !!!!!!!!!!!!! HHOOAAHH !!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE & RIP TO ALL WHO HAVE MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@andrej1659]

Jesus is King of kings

[@ikm1796]

No he was just a human

[@andrej1659]

@@ikm1796 says who

[@ikm1796]

@@andrej1659 the Bible

[@andrej1659]

@@ikm1796 usually men aren’t born of a virgin

[@ikm1796]

@@andrej1659 I agree so what about Adam then he was born without a mother or a father

[@BucyKalman]

The Canadian Army looks very undisciplined in this movie. The officers seem to have no authority with the NCOs.

[@skym1116]

Canada Eh

[@marianchambers1588]

The sneaky hubcap partly step because relative definitely squeal like a fuzzy patient. disagreeable, wanting missile

[@charliewilliams1590]

The brave crime positionally pull because sushi ultimately trace inside a little insulation. unkempt, pushy delivery

[@MrPagandog]

Ha! Route Chimo!!

[@claytonmann7375]

Good old days.

[@FlintyB]

Chimo...!

[@Brunte81]

Seem to be a little gay here and there haha

[@jay_kay709]

Thanks to .... Taliban and their 85 Billion worth of USA arms. whatta fucking slap.

[@Broken_dreams4234]

Lets see what Taliban can do to their country by 2036