Going Home by Andrew McIntosh
Going Home by Andrew McIntosh
The HHR is very grateful to Andrew for generously donating use of his wonderful song to help raise funds for our partner veteran charities and assist in sustaining the HHR.
The MP3 is a High Quality 320kbps recording.
MCpl (Retired) Andrew McIntosh, Singer/Songwriter is an Afghanistan Veteran who served more than 26 years in the Canadian Armed Forces.
About the song in Andrew's own words.
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Between 2001 and 2014 a total of 3407 International Security Assistance Force(ISAF) soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. Among the total killed were: 2271 Americans, 453 British and 158 Canadians, as well 1 Canadian Journalist, 2 Canadian Civilian Contractors and 1 Canadian Diplomat. Many other ISAF member countries have lost soldiers that are included in the total killed in this war.
I touched down back in Kandahar to work with the Canadian Tactical Airlift Detachment as part of the Joint Task Force. This was my third and last 2 month tour commencing early December 2009 during the deadliest period of the Afghanistan War and just days before a roadside bomb killed 4 Canadian Soldiers and a beloved Canadian Journalist.
As was normal in Camp Kandahar when we lost a Coalition soldier, the normally noisy airfield would get eerily quiet and all the phones and internet would be shut down. Signs would be posted in the areas where we had the phones and computers that all communication outside the camp was shut down until further notice. The next thing we would see is the camp flags would go to half mast in honor of the fallen soldier. Soon after we would get the call to prepare the CC130 Hercules aircraft for the Ramp Ceremony that was held to properly honor and send off our fallen comrades. Our maintenance team would then proceed to clean the aircraft inside and out and configure the cargo area to transport the fallen personnel. A thorough inspection would then be carried out on the entire aircraft to ensure it was indeed ready for the important mission we were about to send it on. The entire International Security Assistance Force contingent in Kandahar would then take part in a solemn ramp ceremony in which the soldier would be slowly carried to the ramp of the CC130 with a piper playing in the background as all Kandahar coalition forces and civilian personnel stood in formation with headdress removed in honor of the fallen. After the CC130 ramp closed, the aircraft would then power up the four big engines and start off on the first leg of the long flight back to Canada. The Kandahar Ramp Ceremony now over, we would proceed back to work and sadly carry on with our duties of keeping our remaining AC serviceable and ready for our next mission. Following the long trip home, the fallen would be greeted by a very large Ceremony at CFB Trenton prior to the journey to Toronto on the Highway of Heroes.
This is my humble way of honoring all those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.
“WE RECALL THOSE WHO HAVE TOUCHED US ON THEIR JOURNEY GOING HOME”