# Britain honours Canadian pilot with DFC



## Nonskimmer (Dec 24, 2006)

Boy, "Go Commonwealth!" eh? 

First an Aussie now a Canuck, although this guy's actually in the RAF. Still, he _is_ a Nova Scotian after all.

This fella's a local boy too, from Bedford NS, which is a district of Halifax. Way to go, man! Good stuff! 


_Britain has made a helicopter pilot from Nova Scotia the first Canadian since the Korean war to be honoured with the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Flight Lieut. Christopher Hasler, who grew up in Bedford, and his Royal Air Force helicopter crew twice risked their lives during combat operations in Afghanistan.

In July, Hasler's Chinook helicopter came under intense fire from machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades during a mission to resupply British troops and pick up wounded in a Taliban stronghold in volatile Helmand province.

During another operation, Hasler landed his helicopter in a space among three buildings to get closer to the troops — again under heavy fire.

The slightest error would have been disastrous, but Hasler said there is at least one thing that scares him more than combat in Afghanistan.

"I don't know how I am going to feel when I meet the Queen" in May during the medal ceremony._

Full Article: Britain honours Canadian pilot with DFC


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## FLYBOYJ (Dec 24, 2006)




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## Gnomey (Dec 24, 2006)




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## Wildcat (Dec 24, 2006)

Good ol' colonials!


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Dec 24, 2006)

as long as you remember that's what you are, don't go getting any big ideas 

but who wouldn't get nervous about meeting the Queen!


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## evangilder (Dec 24, 2006)




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## lesofprimus (Dec 24, 2006)




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## Matt308 (Dec 25, 2006)

God bless him.

And I too would be worried that I would inadvertently commit some gaff and end up on the front page of the tabloids.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Dec 25, 2006)

the Queen's quite friendly though so she'd allow you the odd slip up..........


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## pbfoot (Dec 25, 2006)

the lancaster kicks ass said:


> as long as you remember that's what you are, don't go getting any big ideas
> 
> but who wouldn't get nervous about meeting the Queen!


I didn't it was an interuption to my day off


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## Bf109_g (Jan 2, 2007)




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## plan_D (Jan 3, 2007)

He's a RAF trained helicopter pilot, we expect nothing less!


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## Nonskimmer (Jan 3, 2007)

Absolutely.


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## Emac44 (Jan 5, 2007)

Well done to this man. Looks like men and women from the Commonwealth still know how to do their duty in the military


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Jan 7, 2007)

I don't need to tell you that many of the stronger commonwealth nations still have a long history of support for Britain, and still feature heavily in all rememberance events...........


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## Glider (Jan 7, 2007)

I have lost my list of the awards but I am pretty sure an American Marine was also awarded the DFC, whilst flying helicopters with the RAF


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## Wildcat (Jan 8, 2007)

the lancaster kicks ass said:


> and still feature heavily in all rememberance events...........



As they should be


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## Emac44 (Jan 8, 2007)

the lancaster kicks ass said:


> I don't need to tell you that many of the stronger commonwealth nations still have a long history of support for Britain, and still feature heavily in all rememberance events...........



course we do Lanc. Commonwealth might not be as it once was. but its still the Royal Australian Air Force we have here or the Royal Australian Navy it may well be the ARA Australian Regular Army but we still have the RAR Royal Australian Regiments etc. What is ANZAC Day without the reverance to the Crown and the traditions that go with ANZAC Day


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Jan 9, 2007)

what always gets me is why Madagaskar are in the Commonwealth but where never in the Empire or came under our controll


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## Gnomey (Jan 9, 2007)

the lancaster kicks ass said:


> what always gets me is why Madagaskar are in the Commonwealth but where never in the Empire or came under our controll



We traded Madagascar with the French (we got Zanzibar). It was actually not a bad deal for the British who got the main trade post (outside Kenya - which was also British) whereas the French got an Island with no real benefits except lots of vanilla and lemurs...

I think then some point after independance from France they applied to join the Commonwealth and were excepted (the only country not to of been a British colony who is in it).


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## Nonskimmer (Jan 9, 2007)

Emac44 said:


> course we do Lanc. Commonwealth might not be as it once was. but its still the Royal Australian Air Force we have here or the Royal Australian Navy it may well be the ARA Australian Regular Army but we still have the RAR Royal Australian Regiments etc. What is ANZAC Day without the reverance to the Crown and the traditions that go with ANZAC Day


Pretty much the same here. There's technically no such thing as the RCAF or RCN anymore, but the ships still use the prefix HMCS. The Canadian government unified everything into the Canadian Armed Forces back in the late 1960's (today, simply the Canadian Forces), but the "Royal" designation has never been revoked by the Crown. The Army still has the RCR, RCA, etc. as well, much the same as Australia.


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## mkloby (Jan 9, 2007)

Nonskimmer said:


> Pretty much the same here. There's technically no such thing as the RCAF or RCN anymore, but the ships still use the prefix HMCS. The Canadian government unified everything into the Canadian Armed Forces back in the late 1960's (today, simply the Canadian Forces), but the "Royal" designation has never been revoked by the Crown. The Army still has the RCR, RCA, etc. as well, much the same as Australia.



Interesting. I never knew that. I pulled it up on cia factbook, they stated:

Canadian Forces: Land Forces Command, Maritime Command, Air Command, Canada Command (homeland security) (2006)


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## Nonskimmer (Jan 10, 2007)

mkloby said:


> Canadian Forces: Land Forces Command, Maritime Command, Air Command, Canada Command (homeland security) (2006)



Yep, those are the official monikers of the main elements of the CF. We still refer to ourselves as the Army, Navy, and Air Force, but for official government purposes the above labels would apply. It's part of the whole "total force" concept that came with unification. Canada Command is new, having been formed last year, along with Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM).


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## Emac44 (Jan 10, 2007)

former RAA gunner Royal Australian Artillery 14th Field Battery 5th/11th Field Engineers 105 mm gunner. The Gunners had the honour last ANZAC Day to lead the marches in Brisbane and the GUNS were on display to the people of Brisbane. The Gunners took the salute from the Governor General of Queensland as the Queens representative in Queensland. So proud to see so many Diggers on parade with the White Lanyard and Gunners Badges on the Slouch Hat marching in Brisbane last year and taking the salute and the honour of leading the ANZAC Day Parade


trouble was some bozos of the political correct kind couldn't figure why the GUNS were on parade until some wiser heads prevailed and explained why the GUNS were on parade for the march pass. As every good Gunner knows the GUNS are our rallying point our COLOURS so to speak like the Roayl Armoured Corp has its gideons and the Infantry has its Battle Flags and Regimental Colours etc. the political correct were worried it would send the wrong message to potential enemies. i hope it did just that. don't Frigg with the Gunners


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## Wildcat (Jan 11, 2007)

Former Gunner myself, not field guns though, cloud puncher.


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## Emac44 (Jan 11, 2007)

9 mile sniper club Wild or the other name 9 mile drop short. or as my old gun sargegent use to say gunner do this gunner do that gunna get pissed as soon as possible


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