MacKenzie, Dan: my Afghanistan experiences (March 7, 2016)
PublicRank: Sergeant.
Interviewer: Gray, Josie
Interviewee: MacKenzie, Dan, 1983-
ABSTRACT: Military Oral History Project Interview Summary Narrator: MacKenzie, Sergeant Dan, 1983- Title: Canada in Afghanistan: Counter Insurgency, Counter IED, and Development Interviewer: Interviewed by Josie Gray. Extent 1 sound recording (WMA File) 1:53:31 – 53,754 KB Interview Date and Location 7 March 2016, Victoria BC. Synopsis: 0:00 – 3:20 – Decision to enlist in the Canadian Forces and his time as a reservist. 3:20 – 6:09 – Volunteering to go to Afghanistan, a way to test his abilities, romantic notions of war, money. 6:09 – 9:40 Previously attempted to deploy to Bosnia, excitement about a Battle Group position being open for Afghanistan, could have gone as a LAV crew commander, goes as a rifleman. 9:40 – 11:48 – Transferring into 3vp, a light regiment who was preparing to augment into a mechanized battle group, a huge change as they had to learn a new way to fight, MacKenzie was able to augment in already having a lot of that experience. 11:48 – 14:05 – Training, ranges in Wainwright and Suffield, patrolling, mechanized drills, tanks, various courses, first aid training. 14:05 – 15:02 – Training as a reservist vs. the regular forces. 15:02 – 15:50 – Being a young reservist as a Master Corporal. 15:50 – 17:10 – Description of training, building core skills, IBTS, lectures on culture, Colonel Grossman’s Book On Killing, psychological preparation, family support, less support for reservists. 17:10 – 19:05 – The complicated process of their company getting split up when they augmented into 2VP Battle Group and administration complications. 19:05 – 23:50 – Final training, realistic-type training, stimulated battle experience, did not always work well, 3rd Battalion Platoons seemed to be less prepared than the ones who came from the 2nd Battalion, month of ranges which were quite realistic, room clearing with tanks, bombs dropping, explosions, live rounds and explosions. 23:50 – 26:50 – The use of tanks in Afghanistan, problems working with the Tankers. 23:50 – 29:45 – Instruction in Afghan culture, mixed results, description of shuras. 29:45 – 33:05 – Initial arrival in Kandahar. 33:05 – 35:18 – Supposed to rip in in January but delayed until February. 35:18 – 37:37 – Difficulties from an entire new set of troops replacing the previous. 37:37 – 42:00 – Description of his position in particular and that of the Battle Group more generally. 42:00 – 47:15 – Feeling of always being in danger, the “why are we here” questions, hearing about the politics back in Canada, importance of language, culture, and villages, more specific description of what it was like fighting a counterinsurgency. 47:15 – 48:42 – Seeing Taliban members digging in an IED. 48:42 – 53:09 – Fighting gradually intensifies, recalls walking through a known Taliban village deep in Zhari District that was super high threat, hold a shura with the elders, always surrounded by threat and the enemy. 53:09 – 54: 07 – Description of IED search practises. 54:09 – 54:40 – Omnipresent fear, not scared during fights but scared afterwards. 55:00 – 58:46 The size of the Canadian Force compared to the size of Kandahar in the context of the ferocity of the enemy, Americans put a lot more troops in when they took over, patrolling areas to provide presence and gather intelligence, not to hold, trying to convince the population that they are here to help, later in the tour doing more fighting-orientated operations, reconnaissance missions. 58:46 – 59:53 – Description of doing constant patrols all the time, no time off, a really bad fight on June 14th. 1:00:20 – 1:02:50 – Working more with security than with local people, facilitating conversations and relationships with local people for development projects, collecting intelligence that gets sent up to generals, everyone is a sensor, supervising ANP. 1:02:50 – 1:11:45 – Anecdotes and descriptions about working with the Afghan National Army (ANA), some better than others, RPG Guy, supervising the main gate at Masum Gahr, trying to build relationships with the ANA, witnessing ANA punishment but not in the place to intervene, ANA unit abandoned them in one fight, ANP guys get little to no training, issues he had with not being able to intervene in some cases, training in morals and ethics in the Canadian Forces. 1:11:46 – 1:16:50 – Description of Forward Operating Bases, FOB Wilson, FOB Frontenac, FOB Masum Gahr; FOB Sperwan Gahr, PRT had a swimming pool, FOBs were a place where you were safe, people had different conceptions of security depending on what they were used to. 1:16:50 – 1:24:00 – Saraposa Prison Break and following operations, strengthened the Taliban forces significantly, foreign fighters coming from Iraq, operations in preparation for OP Timus Prime, Josh Roberts killed, June 14th ambush. 1:24:00 – 1:33:55 – Operation Timus Prime, Erin Doyle killed, attack on Taliban commanders, Taliban punishing villagers and ANP officers for not cooperating. 1:33:55 – 1:37:15 – Description of the effects of training when comparing infantry soldiers vs. IED engineers’ response to being fired on. 1:37:15 – 1:39:10 – Concluding remarks on OP Timus Prime. 1:39:25 – 1:42:15 – Process of ripping (Relieved in Place – RIP) people out at the end of the tour, he requested to go first so he could start school in September. 1:42:15 - 1:47:25 – Description of Decompression in Cyprus, poor attempts at mental health briefs, the plastic room. 1:47:25 –1:50:48 – Difficulties adjusting after coming home, reservists really have a hard time. Subject Key Words North Saskatchewan Regiment; Wainwright, Alberta; Regina Riffles; Canadian Scottish Regiment; infantry; PO; Bosnia; Korea; battle group; Taliban; Shilo; LAV; rifleman; Edmonton; 3vp; 2vp; training; Suffield; mechanized regiment; tanks; first aid; medic support; reservist; IBTS; Lieutenant Colonel Grossman; On Killing; OMLT; POMLT; Leopard C2; Forward Operating Base (FOB); FOB Masum Gahr; Pashto; Pashtun; Afghan culture; Afghan National Army (ANA); Afghan National Police (ANP); shuras; Afghanistan; Kandahar; Kandahar Air Field (KAF); FOB Frontenac; Helmand; Shah Wali Kot District; OP Timus Prime; HLTA; insurgency; counter insurgency; COIN Doctrine; snipers; Improvised Explosive Device (IED); Zhari District; Afghan National Police (ANP); Afghan National Army (ANA); Civic-Military Cooperation (CIMIC); Mujahedeen; Military Medal of Valour (MMV); ambush; Canadian Forces (CF); FOB Wilson; FOB Sperwan Gahr; Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT); Kandahar City; Saraposa Prison Break; Panjwayi District; Arghandab District; Josh Roberts; Pakistan; jihad; Erin Doyle; Relieved in Place (RIP); decompression; Cyprus; plastic room; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
An interview/narrative of Dan MacKenzie's experiences in Afghanistan. Sergeant MacKenzie served with the Canadian Forces. Interview took place on March 7, 2016.
- In Collection:
- 1 sound recording (MP3)
- 33, 66
- 48.4359, -123.35155
- Original sound recording (WMA) also available.
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- MD_836
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/military-oral-history-collection
- May 19, 2016
- Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 128 kbps. Recorded in digital format by interviewer, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2016. Migration metadata by KD and MT.
- Rights
- This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca
- DOI
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