W. Joseph Aitchison
Colonel William Joseph (W.J.) "Joe" Aitchison, OMM, CD[1] (born December 5, 1941) is a retired Canadian military officer, and former Colonel of the Regiment for the Royal Canadian Regiment.[2] He is also a security consultant and member of the board of directors of several organizations.[3][4] He received the 2008 J.J. Kelso Award from the Hastings Children's Aid Society for his work with the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies.[5][6]
William Joseph Aitchison | |
|---|---|
| Colonel of the Regiment of the Royal Canadian Regiment | |
| In office February 25, 2011 – June 18, 2018 | |
| Succeeded by | Ivan Fenton |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Royal Military College of Canada |
| Occupation | Soldier |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Branch/service | Canadian Army |
| Years of service | 1959 - 1996 2011-2015 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | Royal Canadian Regiment The Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment |
Life edit
Aitchison attended the Royal Military College of Canada and graduated with the class of 1963. Throughout Aitchison's career he held several command appointments, including being the Commanding Officer of 2nd Battalion of The RCR, Commandant of the Canadian Forces School of Infantry and Base Commander of CFB London, ON.
Aitchison has three sons, retired Master Warrant Officer Alan Aitchison, CD,[7] Major General D. Craig Aitchison, CD,[8] and Daniel, and five grandchildren, Justin, Colin, Kayla, Callie, and Alicia. Son Craig is a currently serving member of the Canadian Forces, while son Alan and grandson Justin are former serving members. Craig is also an officer in The Royal Canadian Regiment and also commanded the Infantry School (2009–11),[9] perhaps the first father-son to command the same unit in the Regiment's, if not Army's, history.
Aitchison became the new Colonel of the Royal Canadian Regiment on February 25, 2011. On June 18, 2015, Aitchison handed over this position to his successor, Major-General (Retired) J.I. Fenton, OMM, CD.
He currently resides in Southern Ontario.
Honours and decorations edit
Aitchison received the following orders and decorations during his military career:[10]
| Ribbon bars of William Joseph Aitchison OMM, CD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ribbon | Description | Notes |
| Order of Military Merit (OMM) |
| |
| Order of Saint John |
| |
| Special Service Medal |
| |
| Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal | ||
| United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus | ||
| 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal |
| |
| Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal |
| |
| Canadian Forces Decoration (CD) |
|
References edit
- ^ "Jubilee winners go above and beyond for all of us". Intelligencer. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
- ^ "20 Questions - The Young Officer". Royal Canadian Regiment. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
- ^ "W.J. (Joe) Aitchison". OMERS Sponsors Corporation. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
- ^ "Disclosure of contracts over $10,000". Public Safety Canada. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
- ^ "HCAS Board of Directors present Joe Aitchison the J. J. Kelso Award for 2008 at Society's 101st Annual General Meeting June 25" (PDF). Hastings Children's Aid Society. June 25, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
- ^ McVicar, W. Brice (June 24, 2008). "Residents lauded for years of giving back Province recognizes 90 local volunteers". The Intelligencer. Belleville, Ontario. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
- ^ "RETIREMENT – MWO ALAN AITCHISON, CD – 00383 SIG OP". Canadian Military Communications and Electronic Network. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ "Promotions and Seniors Appointments 2020 - General and Flag Officers". Government of Canada. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ "The Chair of the RCR Senate". The Royal Canadian Regiment. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ Decorations identified via official Colonel of the Regiment Portrait of the RCR, or from the website of the Governor General of Canada
- ^ "The Governor General of Canada > Find a Recipient". gg.ca. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 15 Aug 2018.
- ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "The Governor General of Canada > Find a Recipient". gg.ca. 11 June 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.