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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A reconstruction of this magnitude can’t be rendered without a number of willing deckhands. At the risk of offending anyone who helped me along, I would like to acknowledge the pivotal assistance I received from the following people who were close to the manuscript from its earliest beginnings.

I want to thank Christie Blatchford not only for her friendship and encouragement (both of which I value immeasurably) but also for the level of attention she focused upon logistics soldiers serving in the Canadian Forces. Her insightful descriptions of Canadian logistics in Kandahar were unique in my experience and important, for where Christie’s pen goes, so too do many insightful, thoughtful Canadians.

I would like to thank Dr. Howard Coombs and Lieutenant-Colonel Rob McIlroy. I am indebted to Howard for his early review of the book’s first three chapters and his outstanding suggestions. Rob McIlroy’s innumerable reviews of the manuscript and his constant blend of criticism and encouragement were key in keeping my nose to the grindstone.

I would like to acknowledge the gracious assistance of Major Scott McKenzie, who contributed excerpts from his personal Kandahar diary, which he called “Afghanistan Updates,” and Chief Warrant Officer Patrick Earles, who was a constant source of encouragement and advice. I can’t imagine two men I would rather have at my side when the chips are down. Thank you both for your support and generosity throughout the writing of this book. I hope I have held the light high enough over our story.

Colonel Bernd Horn has been a source of inspiration, advice, and mentorship. He helped me frame a labyrinth of raw recollection and impressions into what I hope is an account that is readable for professional and civilian audiences alike. Any lapses into acronym and boring technobabble are my fault and not Bernd’s. Thanks very much, Bernd, for believing in my unit and my book.

Finally, I must acknowledge my wife, Martha Rutherford Conrad, who has always waited so patiently for me to come home and has suffered through countless editorial reviews of the manuscript with the same courage and tenacity she brought to a convoy gone wrong. Thanks, Martha, you know full well that this story would not exist without you.