The Canadian hero who would not let the Taliban get away

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The National Post has launched Heroes Among Us, a special series on Canadian military valour, celebrating courage in the presence of the enemy. Over the coming weeks, we will propose 10 heroic Canadians who could be the first-ever recipients of the Canadian Victoria Cross, created three decades ago as a homegrown version of the Commonwealth’s highest award for valour. In conjunction with the True Patriot Love Foundation, Anthony Wilson-Smith of Historica Canada, Gen. (ret’d) Rick Hillier and entrepreneur/benefactor Kevin Reed, we will celebrate them all at a June 26 gala at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

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In the hot summer of 2006, Brig. General Bill Fletcher and his men were in the Arghandab River Valley, just north of Kandahar in Afghanistan.

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After travelling up the river, they parked their light armoured vehicles (LAVs) and dismounted. Fletcher and other Canadian soldiers moved through houses in the village, where they encountered an exodus of mostly women and children.

“That was a very clear indicator that they were trying to find a safe spot and certainly expected that at that point in time that there was going to be a fight,” recalls Fletcher, who retired from the army three years ago.

At the time, he was the commanding officer of Charlie Company.

Amidst that tense situation, Fletcher, had a simple moment of connection with an old Afghan man who was sitting with his son under the shade of a tree. He shared his yogurt with the soldier. “They were very hospitable,” Bill said.

Soon after, Fletcher saw an armed Taliban insurgent standing in front of Sgt. Patrick Tower, who was later honoured with the Star of Military Valour for a separate battle.

“They stared at each other, and it’s like something out of a movie,” Fletcher said from his hometown of St. Albert, Alberta. “Like out of, you know, a wild west gun battle.”

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Tower and the insurgent both fired on each other and both missed. That’s when Fletcher realized the significant Taliban presence. He saw between 10 and 20 insurgents armed with heavy and light weapons.

“They had holed up in a fortified grape drying hut,” he said of the Taliban. “We were using the vineyard to maneuver and stay out of fire.”

Fletcher called in artillery fire to cut off the enemy’s escape route. His men maneuvered into a position where they were firing small arms. To bring the fight to the Taliban, they started flanking the insurgents, moving behind a small wall that paralleled the grape field. As they crossed a break in the wall, gunfire erupted. A soldier in front of Fletcher was wounded in both legs and one behind him was hit in the shoulder. Bill was untouched.

“I returned fire. Very chaotic as we started figuring out what the situation was,” he said. “With such an amazing team, everybody rushed forward and started providing first aid. I was providing the fire support to keep the enemy’s heads down to allow that first aid to happen.”

Fletcher got on the radio and called up LAVs to evacuate two wounded comrades. With the support of air cover, they successfully neutralized the threat and even captured two prisoners.

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In 2007, William H. Fletcher, whose father was in the army and mother was in the airforce, was presented with the Star of Military Valour, Canada’s second highest medal, for his “extraordinary bravery by exposing himself to intense fire while leading his forces, on foot, to assault heavily defended enemy positions.”

“On two occasions, the soldiers at his side were struck by enemy fire. He immediately rendered first aid and then continued to head the subsequent assaults. On these occasions and in ensuing combat actions, his selfless courage, tactical acumen and effective command were pivotal to the success of his company in defeating a determined opponent,” reads the official citation.

Fletcher said the award belong to his whole company and he “was just fortunate enough to lead them.”

Bill was 17 when he joined the army and served for 33 years. Now 52, he reminisced about his journey from newlywed to parent while serving his country overseas. He was married in 2005 and bid farewell to his wife for seven months, returning to the joyous occasion of parenthood.

His son, 16, and daughter, turning 15, are now each charting their own paths.

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After 33 years of service in the army, Fletcher is currently the chief administrative officer of St. Albert city, a role he is overseeing municipal operations. “everything from roads and sewers to snow clearing to tax assessment and collection and managing, you name it, if it happens in the city. I’m ultimately responsible for it,” he told National Post in a phone interview from his office in St. Albert. “I enjoy it. it’s meaningful work because I see it as serving residents serving Canadians in a different sense and growing our community helping it to be a great place to live.”

Fletcher maintains a deep respect and connection to his military roots. “I do miss the army, that camaraderie, that sense of belonging,” he said. “It’s different.”

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