LCdr (ret`d) Allan Hu (RMC PG / 1978), an active member of the local Chinese community, was honoured to be invited as a veteran guest to the DND/CF Asian Heritage Month events in May, 2008. All DND employees and CF members are encouraged to use the Asian Heritage Month celebrations as an opportunity to discover and recognize the important contribution of Asian communities to our country and our society. Thousands of Canadians, including Allan (who was born in China) and his wife Kid (who was born in the Phillippines) can proudly trace their ancestry to the many nations that make up Asia.
Allan has worked for the last six years in the Materiel Acquisition and Support Information System (MASIS) project, most recently as deputy project director. He joined the Navy as a direct entry officer and qualified as a Naval Combat Systems Engineering officer. He holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Royal Military College in Kingston (1978); an electrical engineering degree from McGill and is a project management professional (PMP).
He served at sea on board HMCS Nipigon as the Combat Systems Engineering department head. He held various project management positions in PMO CPF (Project Management Office- Canadian Patrol Frigate); PMO TRUMP (Project Management Office-Tribal Class Update and Modernization Project), Arctic Subsurface Surveillance System project and ” a Navy member of the DND team that produced the departmental principles and guidance on Capital Project Management. He retired from the CF after 25 years service in 1998. Allan joined the Major Project Service Line division in PWGSC for two years. He returned to DND as the Engineering Manager/Deputy Project Manager responsible for the 8 Air Communication and Control Squadron Modernization project. Allan and Kid have three adult children (two boys and one girl) and two grandchildren (one boy and one girl).
The book, Fighting for Canada: Chinese and Japanese Canadians in military service, by Dennis and Leslie McLaughlin for the DND Directorate of Human Rights and Diversity illuminates some of the hardships faced by Chinese and Japanese Canadians who were veterans or who tried to serve their country.