The war in Afghanistan may seem a long distance away, but not for Canadians who wait for news of their friends or relatives who fight this faceless war.  Wayne and Sandy, the parents of Kyle and Glenn Fox, understand how difficult it is to wait.  Graduates of Confederation Secondary School , both brothers joined the Canadian Military as Peacekeepers. The younger Kyle who joined in 2001 and Glenn, later in 2004, shared a two month tour.  Both gunners, Glenn is doing more extensive training in Edmonton , while Kyle is presently stationed in Petawawa, awaiting surgery that, hopefully, will repair the hearing lost during a rocket launch attack.

            Not all of their news reaches home.  Daily missions are unpredictable and many of the men who began active duty with Kyle have been lost in action.  Kyle speaks of Mark Anthony Graham as “the best friend I ever had or ever will have”.

Although serving in Afghanistan is very dangerous for our soldiers, Sandy understands that, without it, terrorism would reach as far as our own homes here in the Valley; no one would be safe.  So, while she waits anxiously for news, Sandy has been promoting what she can to support not only her sons, but the rest of Canadian Troops. 

For like-minded Canadians, the Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency website, www.cfpsa.com, has several recommendations:

• The proceeds from the sale of Support Our Troops merchandise (ball caps, t-shirts, car and fridge magnets, cling vinyl window decals, bracelets, lapel pins, and more) are reinvested directly into morale and welfare programs for CF members and their families.  They would make good Christmas gifts at this time of year. 
   
• Messages of appreciation can be posted on the online message board at www.forces.gc.ca/site/community?messageboard/index_e.asp. 
   
• Place an ad in Canadian Forces Newspapers that reach 15 military bases in seven provinces. 
   
• Wear something red on Fridays.           

            The Valley East Community Action Network invites you to wear red on Saturday, December 9^th when you visit the Support Our Troops display across from the Royal Bank in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre, from 10 till 3.  Sandy and Wayne are hoping that Kyle will be able to join them there from 11 until 2. 

            If you are aware of other local families whose relatives have been deployed, please share that information by e-mailing vecan@mysudbury.ca, or by telephoning Claudette @ 897-2113.

Glenn, 28, who most recently completed a parachuting course in Trenton, was called into service for two months to replace an injured soldier during the summer. He has since returned and is currently in Edmonton, waiting to be called to complete the final four months of his tour of duty.

Younger brother, Kyle, 23, was scheduled to finish off his stay in Afghanistan in February, but was injured when a rocket launcher blew up beside him, causing multiple injuries, including the loss of hearing in his right ear. Once his ear has been treated and his hearing is returned to a satisfactory level, he expects to be sent back to finish off the remaining months in his tour of duty..

In particular, a good friend of Kyle's, Mark Graham, was killed in a friendly fire accident in September. This was extremely hard on Kyle, but it also had a tremendous impact on Sandra and Wayne, who had become close to Mark when he stayed at their home for two weeks during the summer.

   "The hardest thing is the lack of communication," he explained. "When they are over there I have a hard time sleeping. I get up and turn on the news all of the time to listen to reports. When there are Canadians killed, I am very anxious, waiting to find out if it is one of my sons. And then when I hear that it is someone else, I feel guilty for being so relieved and for knowing that another father somewhere else is devastated."

   "When they are on tour, I am afraid to answer the phone when it rings. I feel terrible whenever a police car slows down in front of the house, or when there is a knock at the door and I am not expecting anyone," Wayne went on. "This becomes a way of life for you, and you live for those special brief moments when you make contact by phone or email. They know what is going on. They know that they are ok. But as a parent you live in constant fear of finding out the worst."

   Wayne and his wife, Sandra, are both proud of what their boys are doing. They understand how hard it is on the family and friends of our soldiers while they are potentially risking their lives to ensure a better quality of life for the rest of the world. They also know that there are many other people in Valley East and Capreol who are going through the same feelings as them and want to encourage everyone in the community to pull together and do whatever we can to show out troops that we truly support and appreciate what they are doing for us.