Facebook-istan

This picture is of the late Brian Pinksen, another young man snuffed out by an IED in Afghanistan.

Tragic, always. But this is not the first time CBC has shown us what such a victim looked like, or more accurately how they liked to be seen, since the images were selected by the victims themselves and posted worldwide  courtesy of Facebook.

Wouldn’t there be pictures available in his training-records? Surely his family and community would provide images to mark his passing?

If I was one of the bad guys over there, I’d be looking very closely at this picture. I’d be identifying his equipment, his armaments, his camouflage.

I’d be identifying everything I could, including the geography in the background. I would also look up his Facebook account to see what this young man has, or had, to say about himself and where he was saying it.

I’d say, thank you Facebook. Thank you very much.

Would such a young man inadvertently disclose his deployment? Or say things indiscreet to impress his family and buddies?

When I was that age, I’d do things like that. I was pretty clueless but I didn’t have Facebook to confirm it.

If I was running Canada’s military I’d say………

NO FACEBOOK.