Publication request from DND: "To show respect to the majority of the military personnel currently deployed in Afghanistan, who work in collaboration, but are not part of the Royal 22e Regiment, we want to specify this fact and have asked for media's cooperation regarding the diffusion of complete and fair information."
Below, I have listed information (Composition of this rotation's Battlegroup - JTF AFG) as attained from 5e Group-Brigade Mecanise du Canada (5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group)
Rotation 4, deployed in summer 2007, comprises nearly 2,500 CF members from all Army professions and the medical and legal branches of the Canadian Forces. The complexity of Canada’s commitment in Afghanistan requires that representatives from all CF occupations be involved. The in-depth knowledge that all CF members have of their respective fields contributes immensely to furthering the mission of the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan.
Although most of these men and women are from Valcartier, there are also many from other regions of Quebec, such as Outaouais, Rimouski, Trois Rivières, Montreal, Sherbrooke and the Saguenay, as well as from the rest of Canada (see list below).
Here is a list of the CF units participating in JTF AFG.
FROM QUEBEC (approximately 2,330 CF members)
Land Force Quebec Area – Joint Task Force (East)
· 4 Intelligence Company – Montreal
· Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) – Montreal
5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (Regular Force)
· 5e Régiment d’artillerie légère du Canada – Valcartier
· 12e Régiment blindé du Canada – Valcartier
· 5 Combat Engineer Regiment – Valcartier
· Headquarters and Signals Squadron – Valcartier· 1 Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment – Valcartier
· 2 Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment – Valcartier· 3 Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment – Valcartier
· 5 Field Ambulance – Valcartier
5 Area Support Group (Regular Force)
Web site: 
www.fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit%C3%A9_de_soutien_de_secteur_Valcartier (Non-Official)
· 5 Canadian Service Battalion – Valcartier
Transport and Movement Company
Supply Company
Maintenance Company
Service Company
Operations Centre
· Personnel Support Services – Valcartier, Montreal and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
· Signals Branch – Valcartier, Montreal and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
· Garrison Military Police Platoon – Valcartier
· Engineer Branch – Valcartier, Montreal and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
· Public Affairs – Valcartier
· Coopérative régionale de développement – Valcartier, Montreal and Saint Jean sur Richelieu
35 Canadian Brigade Group (Reserve Force)
· 12e Régiment blindé du Canada – Trois-Rivières
· 62 Field Artillery Regiment – Shawinigan
· 6 Field Artillery Regiment –Lévis
· 55 Canadian Service Battalion – Quebec City
· Fusiliers de Sherbrooke – Sherbrooke
· Fusiliers du Saint-Laurent – Rimouski, Matane, Rivière-du-Loup· Régiment de la Chaudière – Lévis, Beauceville, Lac-Mégantic
· Régiment du Saguenay – Chicoutimi
· Voltigeurs de Québec – Quebec City
· Sherbrooke Hussars – Sherbrooke
· 10 Field Engineer Squadron – Quebec City
34 Canadian Brigade Group (Reserve Force)
· Fusiliers du Mont-Royal – Montreal
· Régiment de Hull – Hull
· Régiment de Maisonneuve – Montreal
· 34 Field Engineer Regiment – Westmount
· 4 Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment – Laval
· 6 Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment – Saint-Hyacinthe
· 51 Service Battalion – Montreal
· 2 Field Artillery Regiment – Montreal
· 9 Field Engineer Squadron – Rouyn-Noranda
· Royal Montreal Regiment – Montreal
· Canadian Grenadier Guards – Montreal
· Royal Canadian Hussars – Montreal
· Royal Highland Regiment of Canada (Black Watch) – Montreal
Communication Reserve (Reserve Force)
· 712 Communication Squadron – Montreal
· 713 Communication Regiment – Beauport
· 714 Communication Squadron – Sherbrooke
FROM OTHER PROVINCES (approximately 170 CF members)
(Regular Force)
· 1 Service Battalion – Halifax
· 1 Combat Engineer Regiment – Edmonton
· 1 Royal Canadian Horse Artillery – Shilo
· 119 Air Defence Battery – Gagetown
· 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron – Petawawa
· 2 Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry – Edmonton
· 2 Service Battalion – Petawawa· 210 Work Shop, Air Defence Artillery School – Gagetown
· 26 Service Battalion – North Bay
· 30 Military Police Company – Shearwater
· 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise’s) – Gagetown
· The British Columbia Dragoons – Kelowna
· The King’s Own Calgary Regiment – Calgary
· The Ontario Regiment – Brampton
Communication Reserve (Reserve Force)
· 705 Communication Squadron – Hamilton
· 709 Communication Regiment – Toronto
· 734 Communication Squadron – Regina
· 749 Communication Squadron – Red Deer
· 772 Electronic Warfare Squadron – Kingston
COMPOSITION OF JTF AFG IN BRIEF
Reg Force and Reserve Force (2,500):
· 2,200 Regular Force members
· 300 Reserve Force members (12%)
Provinces:
· 2,330 CF members from Quebec
· 170 CF members from other provinces (7%)
More than 800 people, including a strong contingent of war veterans crowded inside St. Antoine de Padoue cathedral today in Longueuil, Que. to attend the military funeral of Pte. Simon Longtin. About another 200 mourners lined the streets outside the church in this city, just south of Montreal, to pay their respect to Longtin as his courtege wound its way to and from the church.
Pte. Simon Longtin was remembered as a high-spirited, sociable soldier who put his heart into everything he did. Rev. Yves Lepain, one of the priests leading the service, said the funeral was meant to "honour his effort and his sacrifice" but also to give comfort to his family and friends.
An honour guard carried his coffin, with a large Canadian flag draped over it. Bells that were ringing stopped as his coffin was carried up the steps of the church in silence. Soldiers and veterans -- also in uniform -- lined the steps.
Federal Public Works Minister Michael Fortier and Jean-Marc Fournier, Quebec's minister of revenue, were among the dignitaries attending the funeral.
Longtin, 23, died Aug. 19 when his light armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
He was the first member of Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment to be killed in the Afghan mission.
Donations in Longtin's honour are welcome at Laval's Vanguard Quebec high school or the Association de paralysie cerebrale du Quebec.
Our love and prayers are with you Pte Longtin and your family and friends.
Master Warrant Officer Mercier, 43, of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment – known as the Van Doos – and Master Corporal Duchesne, 34, of the 5th Field Ambulance died Wednesday when their vehicle was hit by what appeared to have been a roadside bomb.
JOHNNY XAYSY 23 December 1981 - 23 August 2007 Johnny passed away tragically, as a result of a motor vehicle accident, in Wainwright, AB, on Thursday, August 23, 2007, at the age of 25. He is survived by his loving parents Chintana and Kasem, sister Soussamay, brother Jamie and a very large extended family. Johnny was born and raised in Waterloo. He attended Bluevale Collegiate, was an active member of the football team and a very popular individual. He joined the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada (RHFC) in January 1999 and completed a number of military courses. From April to September 2001, he completed a tour on International Peacekeeping Operations within Bosnia Herzegovina. He was promoted to Master Corporal in August 2005 and was serving with the Canadian Maneuver Training Centre in Wainwright, AB when he passed away. He was an avid outdoorsman, who enjoyed fishing, hunting, nature and the environment. Friends are invited to share their memories of Johnny with his family during visitation at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home , 171 King Street South, Waterloo, on Thursday, August 30, 2007 and Friday, August 31 from 7-9 p.m. with Parish Prayers held at 8:45 p.m., Friday. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Louis RC Church, 53 Allen Street E., Waterloo on Saturday, September 1, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. with the Rev. Ray Reitzel, CR., Celebrant. Interment and military graveside service will follow at Parkview Cemetery, Waterloo. Johnny was a highly respected member of the RHFC and will be missed by family and friends.
If you would like to leave a tribute, comments,pictures or videos of MCpl John Xaysy (Johnny X) you can visit: http://www.respectance.com/
Highway of Heroes: Let’s Make it Official
By Pete Fisher
Photo credit : Cpl Martin Long 
Photo credit : Cplc Martine Morin
Pte. Simon Longtin's father Maurice Longtin (centre) and his son Pte. Benoit Longtin (right) make their way to the hearse with Manon Daoust after Pte. Simon Longtin's casket arried in Canada during a repatriation ceremony Wednesday. Photo Credit: Adrian Wyld
TRENTON, Ont. – Benoit Longtin wasn't standing with his grief-stricken family when the remains of his brother, slain Quebec soldier Pte. Simon Longtin, arrived from Afghanistan today.
Instead, he was among the eight uniformed men who carefully hoisted the flag-draped casket on their shoulders and carried it towards a waiting hearse. Their parents, Simon’s girlfriend and about seven other family members, each carrying a single rose, met the plane. Some of the other family wept quietly as a trumpeter played Amazing Grace while his flag-draped coffin was carried from the Hercules 130 transport plane to the hearse. While the other soldiers faces largely remained stoic, Benoit’s lips quivered and tears streamed down his cheeks as he carried the coffin to the black hearse. As the mourners approached the car, a visibly upset Benoit – who recently completed basic training – joined his father at the head of the group, gripping his hand tightly as the tears were finally allowed to fall.
Some of Canada's top civilian and military leaders joined Longtin's family and loved ones to receive the remains of the young soldier, whose death was the first in Afghanistan for his Quebec-based regiment – a province where support is low for the Canadian mission.
Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean, Defence Minister Peter MacKay, Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier and former chief of defence staff retired general Maurice Baril, were among the many dignitaries who stood alongside Longtin's family as the body of the 23-year-old member of the Royal 22nd Regiment – known as the Van Doos – arrived at this eastern Ontario military base.
At one point during the repatriation ceremony, Jean put her arm around one of the mourners, offering some comfort as the woman, clad in black, wiped away tears.
The group, which included Longtin's father, Maurice Longtin, his mother, Johanne Larente, and his girlfriend, Debbie Duclos-Bedard, watched tearfully as the casket was carried across the wind-swept tarmac.
Pallbearers stepping slowly to the mournful notes of Amazing Grace. Longtin's stepmother, Manon Daoust, as well as his aunt, uncle and several cousins were also in attendance.
Family members carrying red or white roses gently laid the blooms on top of the casket, some wiping away tears before walking away. His head bent forward and arm outstretched towards his dead son, Maurice Longtin said his silent goodbyes then backed away slowly, sorrow etched across his face.
Longtin, from Longueil, Que., died Sunday after his light-armoured vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. More than 1,000 soldiers from 37 countries paid tribute to Longtin at a ramp ceremony in Kandahar Airfield on Monday.
On Wednesday, dozens of Canadian soldiers, who military officials said were bound for CFB Gagetown and travelled on the same military aircraft that carried Longtin's remains, poured out of the plane and stood in formation as the casket was lowered to the ground.
Dozens more onlookers, including a number of bikers, gathered outside the razor-wire fence, carrying flags and standing in solemn tribute to the fallen soldier.
In a recent statement, they echoed the comments of Longtin's fellow Van Doos, painting a picture a soldier who embraced military life and his mission in Afghanistan.
Photo Credit: Cplc Ken Fenner
Col. Juneau said the death will hit the Van Doos hard."It's like losing almost a brother. We're like a big family here," he said. "We will mourn, we will pay our respects to the family and our fallen comrade, and we will carry on with the mission. The important thing for us, the soldiers, the whole team that is deployed here, is the fact that we know the Canadian public is behind the soldiers, the people wearing the uniform," he said.
Pte Simon Longtin was killed on 19 August, 2007 after the vehicle he was traveling in, a LAV III, struck an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The incident occurred roughly 1:41 am Kandahar time, approximately 20 km West of Kandahar City. The soldier was immediately evacuated from the scene by helicopter for urgent medical attention, but later succumbed to his injuries. At the time of the incident, the Canadian convoy was returning from a Forward Operating Base following a re-supply mission from Kandahar Airfield. Pte Longtin was a member of 3e Bataillon du Royal 22e Régiment, based out of Valcartier, Québec.
"There is no way to comfort those who are grieving today, except to say this soldier was an exceptional Canadian who deserved the gratitude and respect of his nation," said Col. Christian Juneau, Canada's deputy commander in Afghanistan.
Canadian Forces exchanged fire with Taliban insurgents after the blast -- 20 kilometres west of Kandahar City -- but no other Canadian soldiers were injured and no Taliban casualties could be confirmed.
The soldier was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital at Kandahar Airfield, but pronounced dead upon arrival.
Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment, known in English Canada as the Van Doos, took command of Canadian military operations here on Aug. 1.
Political observers will watch to see how the news reverberates in Quebec, where support for the war is the lowest of any province.
Col. Juneau said the death will hit the Van Doos hard.
"It's like losing almost a brother. We're like a big family here," he said. "We will mourn, we will pay our respects to the family and our fallen comrade, and we will carry on with the mission."
Prayers and love go to the friends and family here and overseas of Private Simon Longtin.
It is the second time in a week that Canadian soldiers have been wounded or killed along Foster Road, a well-travelled supply route to forward operating base Masum Ghar.
Five soldiers were lightly injured last Sunday by an IED along the same road. After that attack, the military dispatched engineers to survey the route for IEDs.
The engineers checked for bombs in drainage culverts where insurgents are believed to have planted the bomb used in last Sunday's attack.
At one point, engineers discovered a Chinese-made mortar in one of the culverts. They detonated the bomb safely, setting off a thud that echoed through the nearby mountains.
Col. Juneau said Canadian troops will step up surveillance of the route. "However, with the size of our operation, it's quite difficult to have eyes everywhere. ... You travel on the road, (and) the next night they can insert themselves and install an IED."
Two soldiers incurred minor injuries Friday after their armoured vehicle rolled over an IED while traveling in a supply convoy about 30 kilometres west of Kandahar City.
The Muslim holy period Ramadan begins in a few weeks. On Saturday, the Taliban released a statement from their reclusive leader, Mullah Omar. It called on Afghans to wage a jihad against foreign "invaders."
There are roughly 2,500 Canadian troops stationed in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led coalition that is attempting to secure and rebuild the country.
To View or Sign the Guestbook for the family of Pte Longtin,
Photo by: m.m.
Photo owned by: Military Mom taken on day of deployment.
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