PANJWAII, Afghanistan — The fear factor.

Fear comes in many forms and it would be foolish to suggest that it isn't part of the equation for Canadian troops battling the Taliban here on a daily basis. But for the most part, these men and women are not afraid of injury or death.

Instead, the very real fear is failing to accomplish their mission and fear for those back at home in Canada.

Suicide bombings, friends and colleagues dying, mortars and rocket attacks and bullets whizzing overhead are taken in stride by soldiers stationed in the Panjwaii District of Kandahar province.

Despite the risk to life and limb, stories of bravery under fire are common in this war-torn region all the way from fighting men to medics to those driving resupply trucks on convoys.

One of the most horrific attacks involved a suicide bomber riding a bicycle that claimed the lives of four Canadian soldiers on Sept. 18. The troops had been handing out candy to children when the suicide bomber shattered the peace that day.

Cpl. Miguel Dulac, 23, of Varennes, Que., was there.

"I got launched into the ditch and then I stood up and saw I was bleeding from my leg. I didn't care. There were people screaming and yelling out there in panic. I just got up and called in saying we got hit by a suicide bomber,'' he recalled.

But fear wasn't a factor then and it isn't now said Dulac, one of the few francophone members of 2 PPCLI (Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry) which is made up mostly of western Canadians.

"It still could happen. I could die but no I don't fear for my life. Training kicks in. It's crazy how you really do know when you have to put it into practice,'' he said while watching the village of Panjwaii from high above at a local OP (observation post).

The events of that day still play on his mind but he doesn't worry about it now. His mother sent him a real horseshoe, which he keeps in his vehicle now, because she told him he must have "horseshoes up his butt.''

"I dealt with it really good. You still soldier on. I am lucky to be alive. A lot of people were very lucky that day.''

It might be natural for Pte. Tyler Jordan to feel a little survivor's guilt. He had been scheduled to go on patrol along with the rest of his unit but had to drop out at the last minute after breaking his foot. His replacement at his gunner position, Pte. David Byers, died in the suicide attack.

Jordan has seen more than his share of action since arriving in August but the Victoria native is looking at this experience as an adventure.

"I've been in many firefights. It's probably the best rush you could ever get; better than snowboarding, better than mountain bike riding, better than anything you can find back home that's for damn sure. It's a great rush man,'' asserted Jordan, 25, a former butcher who still carries a large carving knife for a little extra protection.

"There's nothing to be scared about, right? It's not me that hurts. If I get killed it's my family that feels the pain. If I die the pain's gone for me,'' said Jordan, who took off his helmet to show a picture of his fiance, Angela McEwan, waiting for him back home.

"She's (pop star) Nelly Furtado's cousin,'' he exclaimed proudly.

"More than anything I'm scared for my family. Scared they would have to deal with the loss of a loved one,'' Jordan added.

Dulac agreed.

"For people at home it's a lot worse than for you, I guess.''

A lack of fear doesn't mean that the soldiers fighting here are reckless or have a death wish. But Jordan said death does sometimes seem to be close at hand.

"With bullets you can hear the report. You'll hear the bang, bang and then whiz, whiz, the bullets fly by you right? But with mortars they just come out of nowhere man,'' Jordan said.

"It starts wearing after a while. You can see it on the guys' faces.''

Just hours after this interview, a Taliban rocket attack exploded in a huge plume of flying rock and smoke, just 50 metres from the observation post. Fortunately, no one was injured. But it reinforced the level of risk.

The acting company commander for A Company, 2 PPCLI, said his troops are under no illusions when they are deployed in Afghanistan.

They are also realistic about the dangers they face, he said.

"I think it's on everybody's mind. Every time we wake up and every time we go to sleep we probably think about the danger and the risks of being here,'' explained Capt. Jordan Schaub, 27, of Vancouver.

"We've done enough training and have enough equipment to be able to mitigate that and hopefully stop any additional danger.''

It's the confidence in that training and the camaraderie that keeps the fear at bay for Pte. Scott MacDonald of Surrey, B.C., who joined two years ago in order to help with the war in Afghanistan.

"I'm not really scared. You're working with a good group of guys so we have a lot of confidence and stuff like that. It's no big deal,'' said MacDonald, 20, an M-203 gunner, who rides on the back of light armoured vehicles.

"I've known a lot of these guys for two years and you just feed off each other. I'd rather be here than back in (Shiloh) Manitoba to be honest.''

The Canadian soldiers are being genuine when they say they believe in the mission.

Serving good cuts of meat to patrons in Victoria wasn't enough for Jordan, the former butcher, who said he wanted to make a difference.

"During a mortar attack, an Afghan soldier got his leg blown off and I ran out in the mortar fire and picked him up and carried him back,'' said Jordan.

"I think I saved that man's life and if I died knowing I saved that man's life then I think my time on this planet hasn't been in vain.''