154

Corporal Steve Martin, RIP

It's sad to have to report the death of yet another Canadian soldier in Afghanistan. Steve Martin, a corporal in the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment -- the famous "Van Doos" -- was killed by an IED while on foot patrol in Kandahar early Saturday afternoon.

Cpl. Martin's death brings to 154 the number of Canadian troops killed needlessly in the Afghanistan quagmire. Monday would have been his 25th birthday.

Sad footnote: The QMI Agency, which feeds Canada's Sun newspapers, found a retired colonel -- from Cpl. Martin's own regiment, no less -- to say that Martin's death is a positive thing, because it shows that our lads are better trained than before.

“That’s a good sign in the sense that there was a whole four month period without a loss,” said Col. Alain-Michel Pellerin, the executive director of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute.

Further comment from Walt would be superfluous.