We have contacted numerous ex-cadets from the fifties through to the new millennium and plan to feature them in the coming months to give readers a chance to catch up with names and faces from each of the respective CMCs. If you would like to contribute to this column, please feel free to email me at dean.fleet@rmc.ca
by M0917 Dean Fleet
– 8420 Bill Hawken(RMC 1970)
After graduating from RMC in May 1970, I completed a full career as an Air CELE Officer beginning with myposting to CFS Ramore, a Pine Tree Line air defence radar station and my first preference because it was near my home town of New Liskeard, ON. Following a variety of postings in Canada and Europe such as: Goose Bay, Labrador; Valcartier, Que; and Kalkar, Germany, including two CO appointments, I transferred to the Supplementary Reserve in 2003 at CRA after nearly 37 yrs’ svc. When CRA was subsequently raised to 60, I returned on Primary Reserve service for a further 3 1/2 yrs, completing two contracts and finally retiring from the Canadian Forces in March 2008 with a total of over 40 yrs’ svc. Thanks to RMC and the CF, I’ve enjoyed many tremendous opportunities and experiences throughout my career, including sponsored post graduate training at Keesler AFB, Biloxi, MS.
My final Regular Force posting and a career highlight was as Canadian Defence Attache, Czech Republic, a new NATO member and also home to some of the world’s best beer! We were located in Prague and I was cross-accredited to the Slovak Republic, which became a NATO and EU member shortly after we returned to Canada. The attached photo was taken during the NATO Summit in Prague in November 2002 when PM Chretien visited and officially opened the relocated Canadian Embassy’s new premises. The lady in the photo is my wife Jacquie, an elementary school teacher who has just begun what may be her last year of teaching Grade 8 before her retirement. We presently live in Orleans, in the East end of Ottawa, but will be moving shortly to a very nice house in Rockland, just a little further East. We have four grown children and eleven grandchildren, most of whom fortunately live nearby and like to visit often. My son Brian is trying to teach me to fly radio-controlled airplanes, so far with limited success. Now fully retired, I also enjoy playing trumpet in the Ottawa Rube Band, a German-style oompah band under the direction of 14969 Hari Gupta (RMC 1985), and singing Barbershop music in the Capital City Chorus along with Hari, classmate 8423 Jeff Holt (RMC 1970) and longtime member 3026 Walt Conrad (RMC 1953).
Bill can be contacted at hawkenw@hotmail.com
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– 14638 Steve Wallenburg (RMC 1985)
Since RMC graduation, I proceeded to Moose Jaw for Pilot training where I received my wings in Sep 86, from there I was stationed at CFB Greenwood on the CP140 Aurora with 415 sqn from 86-90, my next posting was to 404 sqn as an instructor. In 92 I made the decision to leave the military and move into the Airline industry where I did a short stint with Canada 3000. Shortly after that I was hired by Cathay Pacific Airways in early 93, where I relocated to Hong Kong. I lived there for 13 years before taking up a based position in Vancouver in early 2006. I am currently a Captain on the B777-300ER living in Whiterock, BC.
Steve can be contacted at swallen@shaw.ca
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Craig is the Director of Academics at the Canadian Forces College and the Head of the Department of Defence Studies at the Royal Military College of Canada. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Manitoba and an MA and PhD in War Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada. Dr. Stone joined the academic staff at CFC in the summer of 2005 after 29 years in the Canadian Forces, the last five at CFC in the Strategic Studies Directorate. Dr. Stone teaches in the areas of defence management, defence policy and is the Course Academic for the Defence Economics and Strategic Resource Management course of the National Security Programme. His research interests include the implementation of capabilities based planning within the CF, the economic impact of defence expenditures, the allocation of resources within defence and Canadian defence industrial policy and the Defence industrial base. He is a member of the Canadian International Council Strategic Studies Working Group.
Craig can be contacted at Stone@cfc.dnd.ca