KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Canadian ground troops in Afghanistan are rattled over plans for a campaign medal they say fails to recognize that their part in the fight against terrorism was by far the toughest.

The Department of National Defence is putting the final touches on a campaign medal to be awarded to all soldiers who participated in Operation Apollo -- Canada's contribution to the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism.

The problem, soldiers say privately, is that the medal won't sufficiently differentiate between infantry soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan - who live in rough conditions - and others in the navy, airforce and support roles who have served outside the country in relative comfort.

There's also the matter of the threat level - which is significantly higher in Afghanistan than anywhere else in the region.

Few soldiers wanted to be quoted on the matter. But among the ranks, there is little disagreement: the plan is just not fair.

Their commanding officer, Lt.-Col. Pat Stogran, said he shares his soldiers' feeling that their service merits distinction from the rest.

"When you're committing troops to ground combat, that blood offering is different from anything else," he said in an interview.

"That's not to downplay the significance of (other) contributions . . . but that blood offering of the ground troops, of having soldiers potentially closing with an enemy is very different from the other environments."

Stogran said the medals for the more than 800 soldiers on the ground here will be slightly modified with the addition of a small metal bar on the ribbon which will be engraved with "Afghanistan."

Similar bars were authorized for soldiers who served in Dieppe in the Second World War, as well as those who served in Hong Kong.

Stogran said the modification is "a step in the right direction."

But he added that other avenues - which he would not discuss - are being pursued to further recognize the achievements of his soldiers.

"Having a mark of honour that you can wear on your uniform is more important to a soldier than financial compensation or anything else," he said.

"So whether it's a distinctly unique medal, or it's a badge of honour of some sort - that will be extremely important to a soldier."

The disparity in living and working conditions among Apollo soldiers struck a nerve here early on.

A report prepared by a group of soldiers here highlighted earlier this year the wide gap in the benefits made available to those serving in the Persian Gulf and those living in the inhospitable southern Afghanistan desert.

Soldiers in Kandahar learned that while they live with spiders and scorpions, portable toilets, ready-to-eat rations and the dust storms that occasionally blast their cramped, two-man tents - some others lived in well-equipped hotels.

According to the report, others in the region had access to a local fitness club, and that each had a single room which included a variety of services soldiers in Kandahar can only dream about.

Soldiers here patiently waited for a gym, computers and entertainment facilities which have only recently been added to their camp. They've also had to contend with a constant mine threat and the possibility that their barracks would be attacked.

Even personnel in the Gulf "seemed a bit embarrassed with the amount of benefits which they are receiving compared with the soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan (and getting the same medal!)," said the report.

"This is certainly not intended to point fingers, rather it demonstrates the different standard of benefits between the various (Canadian Forces) elements deployed in South West Asia."

Awareness of that disparity among the soldiers here has only intensified their belief that they deserve distinct recognition.

But the defence department opted to pursue other avenues of recognition for the ground troops rather than derail the current medal plan because it takes so long to have a medal approved, added Stogran.

Campaign medals are struck for most Canadian Forces deployments, and normally go to anyone who served for a specific length of time in the area of operations.