Never fear, Timmy’s is here
Okay, I know some people are going to think that this is corny, but I don’t give a damn. Tim Hortons has finally opened up shop in Kandahar and our men and women on the ground are finally getting to enjoy a little taste of home. Yes, it was Boston creams and double-doubles at the double on Thursday. Maple dips, too.
Officials said that Thursday’s opening a “soft-opening” ahead of a formal ribbon-cutting dog and pony show set for Saturday, Canada Day. Previously, everybody said that the outlet wouldn’t open until then but I guess when a few hundred heavily armed Canucks want some Timbits, you give ’em to them.
“Big deal,” some might say; “it’s just a doughnut shop.”
No, it isn’t. When you’re thousands of miles away from your hearth and home, in a hostile land replete with bad guys who are trying to kill you, each and every little piece of home that you can lay your hands on is worth its weight in Klondike gold. The Yanks already had a Burger King, Subway and Pizza Hut, but it just isn’t the same.
None of these really say “Canada” the way that Timmy’s does though, do they? And let’s face it, when you miss home, it’s the littlest things that gnaw away at you the most. Mom’s cooking, your favourite chair, your dog, your other half’s annoying habits, your bone-headed brother in law’s dumbass jokes… the list goes on and on. I could babble on about this until the Leafs win the Cup, but it’s probably better to let our soldiers speak to it themselves:
“I am so happy; I’ve been waiting five months for this place to get here. Now it is finally here. I’m ecstatic!” – Pte. Janice Magrath of Edmonton
“This is good for morale. It’s a bit of home, just having a bit of Canada here. It’s incredible.” – Warrant Officer Mark Pickford, 1PPCLI
“It is a really nice change of routine. It is something to look forward to when you come back in from the forward operating bases. They might need a drive-through though, eh?” – Master Cpl. Mike Schmidt
Okay, I screwed up. I admit it. For some time now, I’ve been trumpeting on the net about how Canadian snipers are the best shots in the world. I didn’t get that part wrong, but I did flub the details; I told everyone that would listen that in March of ’02, during Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan’s Shahikot Valley, MCpl Arron Perry (hailing from Moncton and serving with 3 PPCLI) had set the record for the longest combat kill in history by taking out an enemy at a range of 2430m, beating the old record of 2250m held by USMC sniping legend Carlos Hathcock since the Vietnam war. I got it wrong.
