Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 31, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press thursday August 31, 2006 world a9 Afghanistan casualties grieving families to receive flags Manitoba honouring its soldiers bring much closer to Home the realities of a Distant War. As a Community its important we recognize their Dwight Macaulay head of protocol for the provincial government said the flags and a personal letter from doer will be sent to families of soldiers who Are from Manitoba or who were based in Manitoba before being deployed Over seas. He said he in to sure whether this has been done in the past noting having sol Diers die in War is not something the Manitoba government has had to address for years. Paying tribute to fallen soldiers has become a hotly debated political Issue in Canada this year after prime minister Stephen Harper declared the Flag Over the parliament buildings in Ottawa would not be lowered each time a sol Dier Dies. Manitoba however continued to lower both the Canada and Manitoba flags that Mark either Side of the main Entrance to the legislature grounds off Broadway. Macaulay said provincial protocol is to lower them to half Mast As soon As the province confirms a Manitoba Soldier has died. They remain lowered until Sun set on the Day of the soldiers funeral. Giving the families the . Flags that drape the coffins of fallen american sol Diers has Long been a custom in the United states. by Mia Rabson t he provincial government is honouring Manitoba soldiers who die in the Afghanistan conflict by sending their families the Manitoba flags flown at half Mast in the soldiers memory at the provincial legislature. Five soldiers based at the military base in Shilo have died in Afghanistan and at least three of their families have already been sent the provincial Flag and a personal letter from Premier Gary doer. The Manitoba Flag being flown at half Mast in front of the legislature right now will be sent to the family of Cpl. David Braun after his funeral. Braun 27, died aug. 22. A spokesman for Braun a family who live in Raymore sask., said the tribute of the Flag would be received by each Mil itary family differently. I a sure they will receive the letter and the gift of the Flag with All the other expressions of condolence they be received in the last 10 Days said Jim Braman of Braun smother and siblings. Jonathan Hildebrand spokesman for Premier Gary doer said yesterday the Premier decided to Send the flags to the families out of respect for the sacrifice they made. For him it want political said Hildebrand. These men and women Are members of our Community and deaths Vienna Austria ? a Friend of the Man who held a girl captive for More than eight years in an underground cell said yesterday he met her at the kidnappers Home last month where she was introduced As an acquaintance. Ernst Holzapfel said he never noticed anything unusual about Wolfgang Priklopil a Home or about the Young woman Oconnor predicts a safer Afghanistan by Les Perreaux Kandahar Afghanistan ? defence minister Gordon Oconnor predicted yesterday that Afghanistan will be a safer place a year from now after a sol Dier questioned him about Public sup port Back Home for the Mission. Oconnor is visiting Canadian troops in Kandahar amid a Security situation in Afghanistan that has rapidly deteriorated this year culminating in eight Cana Dian deaths in August alone. My expectation is that Over the next year the Security situation will improve Oconnor told reporters after a meeting with soldiers. Moments earlier Oconnor faced the toughest question of the open door por Tion of his two Days in Kandahar when a senior Soldier asked him if the Canadian Public was still behind the afghan mis Sion. How do you feel with the political Cli mate do we still have the Public in Gen eral backing for our Mission asked warrant officer David Mclaughlin one of the few soldiers who stepped Forward to question his civilian Boss. We Only hear from our spouses and our immediate family. How about the people who really Don to know what we Are doing Here Oconnor a conservative government is under pressure to do a better Job explaining the Mission to canadians. Oconnor told Mclaughlin that Public support remained steadfast despite recent polls showing a drop. I believe support for the Mission is solid among canadians Oconnor said. I think they understand Why we re Here. The Public certainly support the Mil itary. If you go by polls we Don to operate on polls but poll after poll shows Cana Dian forces Are High in the esteem of the Public. They know what a Tough Job we re doing Oconnor said the Canadian Public is getting Only part of the Story of what Canada is doing in Southern Afghanistan because the recent upswing in violence is dominating headlines. He said canadians must remember that the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United states which also killed canadians were launched from Afghanistan. The retired general said Ottawa a Effort in Afghanistan will concentrate heavily on reconstruction Over the next year with a boost of resources for the provincial reconstruction team based in Kandahar. We Are going to focus More and More on the activities of the pro Connor said. We As the Canadian government Are going to put a lot of resources and Effort behind the he did not provide specifics. Oconnor is in Kandahar to assess the situation and help give troops a morale boost. He will also meet with afghan presi Dent Hamid Karzai and pay a visit to Pakistan. ? Canadian press staying there and said she seemed Friendly and Happy. When i opened the door he introduced the Young woman to me As an acquaintance and did to give any name Holzapfel said. I was very surprised and could to Tell if she was his Girlfriend or really just his acquaintance. Of course at that Point in time i did to know it was Natascha Pampusch who was 10 when she was abducted on a Vienna Street in 1998, escaped last week while Priklopil stepped away to talk on his cell phone. Priklopil committed suicide hours after her escape by throwing himself in front of a train. ? associated press ;