Capt. Nichola GoddardCanada’s First Female Combat Death Wrote Of Afghan Sex Assaults -- National Post
Capt. Nichola Goddard, who in 2006 became the first female Canadian combat death, wrote to her husband that women working at bases in Afghanistan were often victims of sexual harassment or assault, and that in one week there had been six rapes at her camp.
“OK. Now for all the stuff I can’t say over the phone,” she wrote in a personal letter to her husband of three years, Jason Beam, on Feb. 3, 2006, a little more than three months before she was killed in a firefight with the Taliban, west of Kandahar.
“There were six rapes in the camp last week, so we have to work out an escort at night.”
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My Comment: As a Canadian, I find this very disturbing. I know a few Canadian soldiers who are serving in Afghanistan, and they represent what is to me the best in a professional army. The idea that there are rogue elements in the forces committing such crimes makes me boil with anger .... coupled with a hunger to know if these accusations are true.
What is even more disturbing is that these bases have many Canadian reporters embeded with the troops .... women reporters included .... but no reports of such behavior has been reported by the media.
Who to believe? My money is on Capt. Nichola Goddard, and to restore integrity to the Canadian Armed forces the Minister responsible for Defense (Peter Mackay) should investigate these accusation ASAP.