"The most important element in our success as an Army is our soldiers"
Commander bids farewell and urges to maintain the ideal of service to the Army and to Canada
by LGen J.H.P.M. Caron
This will be my last opportunity to share a few thoughts with you; I am retiring after 35 great years of service. I have enjoyed every posting; from my early days as a young officer to the privilege I have had to command the Army. I will always value the opportunity I had to serve alongside so many outstanding Canadians.
Like all senior officers, I owe a great debt of gratitude to those who helped me along the way. There are too many to mention them by name, but I am especially grateful to my superiors who inspired and mentored me when I was a young officer. I am thankful that I served with some outstanding senior NCOs who supported me and who taught by example. During my command in Land Force Quebec Area and my tenure as Chief of the Land Staff, I enjoyed the support of talented and dedicated staff officers committed to our soldier’s success.
A very great deal has changed since I joined in 1971—our equipment, our training, our command support, the way we generate forces—all are vastly improved today. Imagine conducting reconnaissance with a Lynx and a pair of binoculars compared to mounting up on a Coyote with its armament, protection and world-class capability. Imagine communicating through a field message pad compared with using a digital, encrypted, rapid-burst system in the console of your vehicle.
The most important element in our success as an Army is our soldiers, and Canada has always had good soldiers. But I believe that the young men and women serving today are the best we have ever had. During my time as commander, I had the opportunity to visit many of you. You love to challenge yourselves physically. At ease in the computer age and eager to learn, you also welcome the challenges of our high-tech kit and new ways of conducting operations. Above all, you consistently demonstrate your courage, dedication and professionalism whether you are in Afghanistan, elsewhere around the world, or helping Canadians here at home.
With the perspective that 35 years of service has given me, I can say that there has not been a better time to serve in the Canadian Army. We still have a great deal of work to do, but we are becoming an extremely effective, well-led, well-trained and well-equipped Land Force. Our soldiers are second to none and have tough challenging missions that test and hone their soldiering skills. The Officer Corps now has vast collective experience across the spectrum of operations. Perhaps the greatest reason for optimism is the opportunity we now have to grow the Army. This will not be easy in the short term, but in the long run it will finally resolve the operational and personnel tempos that have plagued us for years.
Given complete freedom to choose, I would opt to remain with you for a little longer, but life doesn’t always give us absolute freedom to choose. So as I bid you adieu, I thank you. We accomplished a great deal in recent years, particularly through transformation and regeneration. Together we moved the Army a good distance forward.
I urge you to maintain the ideal of service at the centre of your commitment to the Army and to Canada. I wish you and your families the very best—you do the country proud.
LGen J.H.P.M. Caron
Chief of the Land Staff
