The Afghanistan friendly fire incident refers to the accidental killing of four Canadian soldiers and the injury of eight others from the Third Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (3PPCLI) on April 18, 2002 by an American F-16 fighter jet. The aircraft, piloted by U.S. Air National Guard Major Harry Schmidt, dropped a laser-guided 225-kilogram bomb on the Canadians who were on an exercise at Tarnak Farm, near Kandahar. Friendly fire (or non-hostile fire) is a term originally adopted by the United States military in reference to an attack on friendly forces by other friendly forces, which may be deliberate (eg. ... Cap Badge Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry is one of the most decorated regiments in the Canadian Armed Forces. ... April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a modern multi-role jet fighter aircraft built in the United States and used by dozens of countries all over the world. ... Shield of the United States Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG) is part of the United States National Guard and a reserve component of the United States Air Force (USAF). ... Harry Schmidt is a Major in the Illinois National Guard and was at one time an instructor at the Navys elite TOPGUN fighter pilot school. ... Tarnak Farms refers to a former Al Qaeda training camp near Kandahar, Afghanistan. ... Kandahār (or Qandahār, قندهار) is a city in southern Afghanistan, the capital of Kandahar province. ...

Description of incident

Major Harry Schmidt and his wingman, Major William Umbach were returning from a 10-hour patrol, at 23,000 feet, when they spotted surface-to-air fire. The fire was from a Canadian anti-tank and machine-gun exercise. Apparently thinking Umbach was under attack, Schmidt requested permission from flight control (AWACS) to fire his 20 mm cannons. He received the response: "hold fire." Four seconds later, Schmidt said he was "rolling in, in self defense." He dropped a laser-guided bomb 35 seconds later. Harry Schmidt is a Major in the Illinois National Guard and was at one time an instructor at the Navys elite TOPGUN fighter pilot school. ... Major William Umbach was a pilot in the Illinois National Guard. ... Anti-tank, or simply AT, refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. ... M2 machine gun surrounded by spent shell casings. ... US Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft is prepared for flight in November 1997 Cockpit of RAF E-3 Sentry undergoing upgrades Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) is a radar-based electronic system designed to carry out airborne surveillance, and C3 (command, control and communications) functions for both...

Casualties

The soldiers who died were:

• Sgt. Marc D. Leger, Age: 29, From Lancaster, Ontario.
• Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Age: 24, Montreal, Quebec.
• Pte. Richard Green, Age: 21, Mill Cove, Nova Scotia.
• Pte. Nathan Smith, Age: 27, Porters Lake, Nova Scotia.

The eight injured men include: Canadian Sergeant Marc Léger (March 26, 1973-April 17, 2002) was killed in Afghanistan when two U.S. planes dropped an unauthorized laser-guided bomb on the 3rd Battalion of the Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry. ... Lancaster is a village located in SE Ontario, Canada (1991 pop. ... Corporal Ainsworth Dyer (July 29, 1977_April 17, 2002) was one of 4 Canadian soldiers killed in a friendly fire incident near Kandahar in Afghanistan. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Canadian Private Richard A. Green (May 26, 1980-April 17, 2002) was killed in Afghanistan when two U.S. planes dropped an unauthorized laser-guided bomb on the 3rd Battalion of the Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry. ... A request has been made on Wikipedia for this article to be deleted in accordance with the deletion policy. ...

• Sgt. Lorne Ford, Age: 33, Brampton, Ontario
• Cpl. René Paquette, Age: 33, Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Cpl. Brett Perry, Age: 26, Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Pte. Norman Link, Age: 24, Grande Prairie, Alberta
• Cpl. Brian Decaire, Age: 25, Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Master Cpl. Curtis Hollister, Age: 29, Cupar, Saskatchewan
• Master Cpl. Stan Clark, Age: Unknown, Vancouver, British Columbia

Motto: Welcomes you Area: 266. ... Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Unum Cum Virtute Multorum (One With the Strength of Many) City of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canadas Location. ... Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Unum Cum Virtute Multorum (One With the Strength of Many) City of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canadas Location. ... Grande Prairie (55°11′ N 118°53′ W MST) is the chief city in the northwestern part of the province of Alberta. ... Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Unum Cum Virtute Multorum (One With the Strength of Many) City of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canadas Location. ... Cupar is a town 75 kilometres northeast of Regina. ... This article refers to the city in British Columbia, Canada. ...

Findings of Board of Inquiry

Two Boards of Inquiry, one Canadian and one American, were held simultaneously. The two boards shared personnel and information. Canadian Brigadier-General M.J. Dumais was specialist advisor to the Canadian board and co-chair of the American board. The findings of the four-member Canadian Tarnak Farm Board of Inquiry, chaired by General Maurice Baril, were released on June 28th, 2002. The Board found that the Canadian troops engaged in the night live-fire exercise had conducted their operations as authorized and in accordance with the established range procedures for the types of weapons fire. The Board concluded that the American F-16 pilots contravened established procedures and were the cause of the incident.

Disposition

On September 11, 2002, the U.S. pilots, Majors Harry Schmidt and William Umbach were officially charged with 4 counts of negligent manslaughter, 8 counts of aggravated assault, and 1 count of dereliction of duty. On July 6, 2004 U.S. Lt.-Gen. Bruce Carlson found Schmidt guilty of dereliction of duty in what the U.S. military calls a "non-judicial hearing" before a senior officer. He was given thirty days of house arrest. Umbach was reprimanded for leadership failures and allowed to retire. September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Harry Schmidt is a Major in the Illinois National Guard and was at one time an instructor at the Navys elite TOPGUN fighter pilot school. ... Major William Umbach was a pilot in the Illinois National Guard. ... British and American criminal law differentiates between various crimes based on mens rea (criminal intent). ... Aggravated assault is a form of violent crime. ... Robert Buzz Patterson is a US Marine officer and author. ... Robert Buzz Patterson is a US Marine officer and author. ...

This was the most serious case of fratricide or friendly fire to have been experienced by the Canadian Forces (CF) in Coalition operations since the Korean War. Fratricide (from the Latin word frater, meaning: brother) is the act of a person killing his or her brother. ... The Canadian Forces (French: Forces canadiennes) are the combined armed forces of Canada. ... The Korean War, from June 25, 1950 to cease-fire on July 27, 1953 (the war has not ended officially), was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea. ...

External links

• Tarnak Farm Board of Inquiry