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Last weekend I had the privilege of attending the Kandahar Cenotaph rededication ceremony at the NDHQ Carling Campus in Ottawa honouring 158 fallen soldiers. For veterans, serving members, and families, our time in Afghanistan holds a significant importance in our lives. Certain moments will always be ingrained in our memories … good or bad. The weekend was well executed. Its focus was exactly where it needed to be: with the families. I had no impression of politics or agendas being pushed; simply a weekend of remembrance. The weekend started Friday with the families arriving in town and being met by serving members that were friends of their lost brother, sister, son, or daughter. These serving members escorted the family the entire weekend to ensure everything they needed was provided. The memorial was open for the families, so that they could a have private moment prior to the public and televised ceremony the following day. That Friday evening I had the honor of meeting several families at the hotel where we shared experiences and stories of our departed until the early morning. It was a positive experience seeing how some of the families have dealt with one of the most tragic […]
Colonel (Ret’d) Peter Hutingford Sutton, CD (15 December 1932 – 24 August 2019) Loving husband, devoted father and grandfather, Colonel Peter Sutton passed away 24 August 2019 in Kingston, Ontario, aged 86 years. He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Audrey (nee Doerr), daughters Karen Sutton (Peter Heidinger) and Ann Hollett (Edward), and sister Ann Dunn. His life was enriched by five grandchildren: Bryan, Michael and Eric Heidinger, Philip and Emma Hollett. Colonel Sutton was the son of the late Dr. William D. Sutton and Mrs. Edna (Thompson) Sutton of London, Ontario. Visitation will take place at James Reid Funeral Home, 1900 John Counter Blvd, Kingston on 26 August 2019 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The funeral service for Colonel Sutton will be held at Trinity Chapel, Canadian Forces Base Kingston on 27 August 2019 at 2:00 PM. Private interment in London, Ontario, will take place at a later date. The family would like to have all of the guest seated by 1340 hrs at the Trinity church on Base Kingston: • Service expected to start around 1400 hrs; • Dress DEU 1A or business attire; and • Everyone is invited after the ceremony to the […]
LCol Ed Drake (Ret’d), RCCS officer drove the Canadian military SIGINT program throughout the Second World War. At war’s end, LCol Drake was appointed to head the Canadian Government’s newly established and highly secretive Communications Branch of the National Research Council (CBNRC), predecessor to today’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE). Ed Drake led the CBNRC throughout the Cold War until he died in office in early 1970. He is a true pioneer of SIGINT in Canada. To be recognized by the National Security Agency (NSA) is a tremendous acknowledgement to his outstanding leadership in the field. https://www.nsa.gov/News-Features/News-Stories/Article-View/Article/1916180/four-cryptologic-giants-will-be-inducted-into-the-cryptologic-hall-of-honor/
A friend of BGen (Retired) Pep Fraser, Ted Ryczko has developed a video to commemorate and celebrate the courageous soldiers who stormed the D-Day beaches and fought through Normandy. He has included in the video a tribute to our own HCol David Hart, MMM,CD who served so courageously and heroically during the Dieppe Raid in 1942. Thank you Ted for your efforts to recognize our military heroes.