Seven soldiers. Seven military specialties. Seven stories.

What was it like to serve in the combat mission in Afghanistan? Journalists’ reports from 2006 to 2011 could only give brief glimpses of the reality on the ground for Canadian soldiers. This book reveals the full story of what happened to seven soldiers, ranking from corporal to captain, who were deployed during Operation ATHENA, Phase 2. The operation became known as “the combat mission” as Canadian battle groups engaged in a deadly multi-year war of counter-insurgency in Kandahar province. Each of the seven soldier’s experiences covered in Combat Mission Kandahar highlights a facet of one of Canada’s longest, most complicated, and challenging operations.

T. Robert Fowler served in the 1950s as a member of the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment. He has been writing about the military since 1994, and is the author of several books, including Courage Rewarded and Valour on Juno Beach. He has also written articles for The Canadian Army Journal and Canadian Military History, among others. He lives in Nepean, Ontario.

T. Robert Fowler's profile page

exceptionally engaging … Fowler is a consummate writer

Canadian Military History

Fowler gives readers an insightful cross-section view of Operation Athena … Through these seven firsthand accounts, Fowler paints portraits of soldiers who were dedicated, loyal, and highly trained, and of whom Canada can be proud.

Publishers Weekly

Fowler’s combination of open–source research and detailed interviews paint a broader and more granular picture of what different types of soldiers did during Rotations (ROTOs) 1 through 10 of Operation Athena, Phase 2, between 2006 and 2011.

MilNews.ca

Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, Combat Mission Kandahar: The Canadian Experience in Afghanistan is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to community and academic library Canadian Military History collections.

Midwest Book Review