AWOL troops double since 9/11

By SUN MEDIA
Calgary Sun
Jul. 14, 2006

OTTAWA -- The number of Canadian soldiers who have gone absent without leave has doubled in the last six years, Sun Media has learned.

Records obtained through access to information show 708 troops were convicted of going AWOL in 2005 -- more than two times the 340 who were convicted of the offence in 2000.

Numbers show a sharp rise after 2001, when the 9/11 terrorist attacks propelled Canada's military into a more dangerous role abroad.

Charges are considered relatively minor with punishment meant to maintain "good order and discipline."

But the Department of National Defence insists the dramatic increase is not related to the changing military deployment.

Spokesman Lieut. Desmond James said brass is not concerned with the rise in AWOL convictions because the numbers correlate to a general increase in new Canadian Forces recruits, and the "vast majority" are for those cutting out early or reporting late for duty.

Remains of trooper killed in Afghanistan returned to Canada

TRENTON, Ont. (CP) -- The grieving family and girlfriend of Cpl. Anthony Boneca wept and took comfort in each other's embrace yesterday as the remains of the fallen soldier were returned from Afghanistan.

A Canadian Forces plane carrying the body of the 21-year-old reservist, killed during a firefight with Taliban insurgents on Sunday, touched down at CFB Trenton and was greeted by a sombre procession of military brass and dignitaries.

His parents, his girlfriend and other family members carried roses as they were escorted onto the tarmac -- several of them sobbed openly.

Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor and Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Rick Hillier were also on hand for repatriation ceremony.

A funeral for the reservist from Thunder Bay, Ont., is scheduled for Monday in his hometown.

The firefight in which Boneca was killed was one of 23 small, separate engagements that Canadian troops fought over last weekend in the Zharei district west of Kandahar City.

Following Boneca's death, a squabble erupted among his loved ones.

Boneca's father, Antonio, went to the lengths of issuing a public statement Tuesday to refute suggestions the fallen reservist felt misled and disillusioned with the army before being killed.

The elder Boneca's intervention was in direct contradiction of anguished sentiments expressed by the soldier's girlfriend, Megan De-Corte, and his best friend, Dylan Bulloch. They said Boneca was deeply unhappy in Afghanistan and did not feel prepared for the mission.

The family granted the media permission to view the repatriation ceremony, but said there would be no interviews.

The government said the decision to grant media access to the airfield rested solely with Boneca's family -- an apparent reversal from a Conservative order early in the year that barred reporters when the bodies of four fallen soldiers were returned.