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 One
of Canada’s most successful rock groups, Glass Tiger recently
returned home from one tour they will never forget. The Toronto-based
band was invited to visit Afghanistan by the Canadian military as part
of a ‘Team Canada’ program that sees Canadian entertainers and former
NHL hockey players provide a positive morale boost to the soldiers
serving there. “Our mission was to lift the soldiers’ spirits for even a
few brief moments, to show them Canada still cares, and to learn
firsthand about what they are trying to accomplish in Afghanistan,” says
Glass Tiger keyboardist Sam Reid.
Prior to their departure from Ottawa, the members of Glass Tiger met
with General Walt Natynczyk, Chief of Defense Staff, who then
accompanied the band throughout the trip. After their military flight to
Afghanistan, the band visited several camps, touring the facilities,
meeting not just the soldiers, but local children, the police force and
Afghan military. They performed impromptu for soldiers serving literally
on the front lines as well as at the main base, and presented a signed
guitar to Brigadier General Jon Vance for ‘Canada House,’ the social
meeting place for the troops.
The visit of Glass Tiger and 13 NHL alumni coincided with the loss of
three courageous Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. After entertaining
the troops with a set that fittingly included their international hit
“Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone),” the band attended the ramp ceremony
to farewell the three departed heroes. “It punctuates the reality of
what they are dealing with here,” Glass Tiger keyboardist Sam Reid told
Ottawa Sun reporter Chris Stevenson. Reid’s bandmate Alan Connelly notes
that “we got to witness, first-hand, the emotional depth our Canadian
forces in Afghanistan experience when seeing their fallen comrades off
with a ramp ceremony at Kandahar Air Field,” adding that “I’ll never
listen to the words of O Canada the same way again.”
To Reid, this visit “brought the realization that our soldiers are there
to make improvements in the basic quality of life for these people. We
were in a place where a handful of little girls who get a chance to go
to school are routinely punished or tortured for learning. Canadians
have a long history of helping humans around the world, and here they
are again in Afghanistan.”
The Chief of Defense Staff praised Glass Tiger’s efforts, calling them
“true ambassadors. They achieved their mission of boosting troop morale
with their solid performance and genuine interaction with our soldiers.
We are grateful to them for giving their time and joining this memorable
Team Canada visit.”
Glass Tiger pledge to tell their story to Canadian fans attending the
band’s just commenced spring/summer tour that will take them right
across the country. The rejuvenated band is as relevant as ever, 25
years into a memorable career that has earned them five Juno Awards, a
Grammy nomination, two huge hit singles in the U.S. (“Don’t Forget Me”
and “Someday”), and three Canadian platinum-selling albums, The Thin Red
Line, Diamond Sun, and Simple Mission. Their own recent mission to
Afghanistan was not simple, but was indeed a meaningful and
life-changing experience.
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