ARMY Alastair was a regular soldier for four years (1979-1983), seeing active service in the Falklands War of 1982 and also on peace keeping duties in Northern Ireland with the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards. He is still a reserve officer, currently serving as Deputy Commander (R), 3rd UK Division in the rank of Brigadier, having served in Media and Communications and commanding the Media Operations Group (Volunteers). In March 2004 he completed his period of mobilized service on active operations […]

Warrant Officer Aly Hirji a member of The Royal Regiment of Canada was born and raised in East York Ontario. Warrant Officer Hirji completed his basic training through the Cooperative Education Program during February 1995 and May 1995 not earning any money, but in turn earning two High School Credits. Warrant Officer Hirji was promoted to Corporal in 1997, to Master- Corporal in 1999, Sergeant in 2007 and Warrant Officer in 2009. He has deployed to Israel in support of […]

CWO Brian Budden, CD is a Canadian Armed Forces Veteran.  He is the past president of the Toronto Branch of The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Association, and he currently serves as the 1st Vice-President and Health & Welfare Chairman. Following his first tour of Normandy and northwest Europe in 1974, CWO Budden began organizing historical tours to Normandy, Belgium and the Netherlands for First and Second World War Veterans. He arranged for the Westlake Brothers Souvenir Association in Normandy, […]

Captain Terry (Stoney) Burke joined the Royal Canadian Regiment in October 1964.  He completed basic recruit training at the Regimental Depot, in Wolseley Barracks, in London, Ontario. In October 1965, he was posted to the Second Battalion of the RCR, in Fort York, West Germany, where he became a member of the Assault Pioneer Platoon. Over the next three years he completed the Junior NCO Course and was promoted Corporal in December of 1968. In November of 1969 he returned […]

Lieutenant-General Guy R. Thibault, CMM, MSC, CD joined the Canadian Forces in 1978 and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Physics at the Royal Military College.  Upon completion of Army Signal Officer training in Kingston, he served in various operational capacities within the Special Service Force in Petawawa as well as 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, and Canadian Forces Europe in Lahr, West Germany. He has held a wide range of command and staff appointments within the […]

Colonel (Ret’d) Kevin Cameron joined the Canadian Forces in 1989 under the Officer Candidate Training Plan (OCTP), was commissioned into The Royal Canadian Regiment (The RCR) and posted to 3rd Battalion, The RCR at Canadian Force Base (CFB) Baden-Solingen, Germany.  During his two years with 3 RCR Germany, he deployed to Croatia and Sarajevo in 1992. Upon return from the Former Yugoslavia, and with the close-out of CFB Baden-Solingen in 1993, he was posted to 2nd Battalion, The RCR at […]

WO2 Paul Baines, MC joined the British Army on the 6th of April, 1996 at the Exeter Recruiting Office.  He completed his Basic Training at the Guards Depot in Pirbright, Surrey, then completed Infantry training at the Infantry Training Centre Catterick.  He passed in October, 1996 as a Guardsman and joined the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards in Oxford Barracks, Munster in Germany. Throughout his Army career he has participated in high profile state ceremonial events such as the Trooping of […]

Sgt Sean Wickett joined The Grey & Simcoe Foresters in 2002, at the age of 18, after serving as a youth in the Royal Canadian Army Cadets.  In the past 14 years, Sean has deployed to Afghanistan as part of Roto 3-08, deployed to the Middle East on Op Proteus as well as the Arctic and sub-arctic with the 4th Canadian Division’s Arctic Response Company Group as well as on Operation Nanook. In the summer of 2015, Sgt Wickett led […]

Brigadier-​General Omer Lavoie was born and raised in Marathon, Ontario. He joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1983 as a pri­vate sol­dier in the Lake Supe­rior Scot­tish Reg­i­ment. Upon high school grad­u­a­tion, he trans­ferred to the Reg­u­lar Force and attended Royal Roads Mil­i­tary Col­lege from 1985 – 1989. Upon com­ple­tion of infantry phase train­ing, he was posted to Sec­ond Bat­tal­ion, The Royal Cana­dian Reg­i­ment. Brigadier-​General Lavoie’s reg­i­men­tal employ­ment includes ser­vice with 2RCR, 1 RCR and as the Reg­i­men­tal Adju­tant. As […]

Part 2 of the Episode with Chief Warrant Officer Bill Darling continues! Cpl Bill Darling, 1983 – hard at work! Bill’s uncle, HCol (LCol ret’d) Robert Darling, CD (a 3rd generation Highlander) & RSM (CWO) Bill Darling, CD 1999 HEGG David Johnston, CC, CMM, CD presenting CWO Bill Darling with his Military Medal of Merit in 2011