With those fatal words, “I’m rollin’ in in self defence” a U.S fighter pilot descended on a group of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, dropped a bomb, and killed four and wounded eight.
These would represent the first Canadian deaths in Afghanistan, and the first deaths in a combat zone since the Korean War.
It was nighttime on April 17, 2002 and members of the 3 Bn Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) were practicing live fire exercises at a place known as “Tarnak Farms”. This was a walled 100 acre former farm cooperative with several dozen one and two storey mud brick buildings, located about 15 kilometres from the Kandahar airfield and base
The place was a recognised training area where all coalition troops would practice. Information about the night exercise had also been properly given to other coalition members. That night two American F-16 pilots were returning to Kuwait after six hours in the air over northern Afghanistan.
Killed in the bombing were (L_R) Sergeant Marc Leger, Private Richard Green, Private Nathan Smith, Corporal Ainsworth Dyer (DND)
At 23,000 feet (7,000m) the pilots saw the tracers and flashes from the exercise and thought it was ground to air fire. One descended several thousand feet to get a closer look and asked the AWACS controllers if he could spray the area with 20mm cannon fire.
He was told to wait by controllers and by the other pilot as well.
More ground fire was spotted and the pilot said there were men on the road and it “looks like a piece of artillery firing at us”.
In spite of being told to wait, the former ‘top gun’ instructor whose call sign was ‘psycho’ dove down and released a laser guided 500 pound bomb in a direct hit on the Canadians. Seconds later the controller ordered the pilots to disengage, that the ground forces were “friendlies”.
The outrage and sorrow in Canada was immense. In the Canadian parliament, then Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien sadly said, “At times like these we grasp for words of comfort and consolation, but they are just words. They can never do justice to the pain and loss that is being felt this morning,”
Then acting opposition leader Conservative leader John Reynolds said, “It should always be a great source of national pride,that we have amongst us young people who volunteer to join our Armed Forces willingly and knowing that any day, at any hour, any minute, they may be thrust into perilous situations.”
While Canadians were expressing sorrow and anger, in the U.S, there were many, especially in the air force, and the pilots themselves who suggested to appease Canada the two were being made scapegoats for other problem issues. The names of the two Illinois-based pilots was only revealed much later. In two inquiries.
In the testimony, the breakdown in communications between ground forces and the U.S air operations were cited. Only much later revealed to be Air National Guard pilot Major Harry Schmidt, along with another pilot Major William Umbach, the pilots also blamed the not atypical use of amphetamines by pilots on long missions, known colloquially as ‘go pills’.
.Major Harry Schmidt and wife Lisa enter the Tarnak Farms Article 32 hearing room at Barksdale air force base in Louisiana Major William Umbach and Schmidt were involved in the April 17, 2002 bombing incident that killed 4 Canadian soldiers and injured 8 near Kandahar, Afghanistan.
(U.S.A.F. MSgt.Michael A. Kaplan )
It was also noted that even if Canadians had been aiming in the air during the exercise firing at an old tank, the tracers would have burned out thousands of feet below the aircraft.
Five U.S F-16 pilots also testified all saying that Schmidt’s action was not unreasonable, although one also said reasonable action if fired upon would have been to leave the area while another said rather equivocally that Schmidt’s action of descending and slowing down if under fire were initially unreasonable.
While Canadians were expressing anger, in the U.S, there were many, especially in the air force, and the pilots themselves who suggested the two were being made scapegoats for other problem issues.
Initially the two pilots were charged with four counts of negligent manslaughter, eight counts of aggravated assault, and one count of dereliction of duty. In 2003 charges against Maj. Umbauch were dismissed and he was allowed to retire with just a reprimand for leadership failures. Maj Schimdt also had charges dropped except for derliction of duty, resulting in a stiff reprimand for “flagrantly disregarding a direct order’ and a “total lack of basic flight discipline”. He was also docked two months pay, about $5,700 reprimanded for dereliction of duty and agreed to retire.
The reprimand by Gen. B Carlson also ended with the comment, “ Following the engagement in question, you lied about the reasons why you engaged the target after you were directed to hold fire and then you sought to blame others. You had the right to remain silent, but not the right to lie. In short, the final casualty of the engagement over Kandahar on 17 April 2002 was your integrity.
Was it due to ‘the fog of war’ as claimed by the pilots? Whatever the reasons, it remains a day of deep sadness that should not have occurred, and one that is remembered within the ranks of the Canadian military.
Private Mark Anthony Graham, RCR, in 2006 was also killed by American friendly fire (DND)
On September 4, 2006, a U.S A-10 Thunderbolt pilot mistakely fired his cannon at a garbage fire lit by Canadian soldiers seeking some warmth. Canadian olympian Pte Mark Anthony Graham was killed, five others had to be airlifted to hospitals
The soldiers killed were:
- Sgt. Marc Leger, 29, from Lancaster, Ont.
- Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, 24, Montreal, Que.
- Pte. Richard Green, 21, Mill Cove, N.S.
- Pte. Nathan Lloyd Smith, 27, Porters Lake, N.S.
The eight wounded:
- Sgt. Lorne Ford, 33, Brampton, Ont.
- Cpl. René Paquette, 33, Winnipeg, Man.
- Cpl. Brett Perry, 26, Winnipeg, Man.
- Pte. Norman Link, 24, Grande Prairie, Alta.
- Cpl. Brian Decaire, 25, Winnipeg, Man.
- M.Cpl. Curtis Hollister, 29, Cupar, Sask.
- M.Cpl. Stan Clark, 35, Vancouver, B.C.
- Cpl. Shane Brennan, 28, Collingwood, Ont.
additional information-sources
- Ottawa Citizen: P Robb; Aug 8/14: Facts on the friendly fire incident
- Toronto Sun: R Corbett: Nov 8/12: Four soldiers down: Canada’s friendly fire deaths in Afghanistan
- Go Flight Med: R Jedick: Jul 10/14: Tarnak Farm- Reckless pilots, speed, or fog of war?
- CBC: Jul 6/04: U.S. Air Force verdict- reprimand Maj Schmidt
- CBC: Jun 5/05: ‘Friendly fire’ pilot relives incident
- Defense-Aerospace; DND. Jun 26/02: Tarnak Board of Inquiry executive summary
- CBC: Jun 6/05: Friendly fire case- the legal saga
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