John de Chastelain

John de Chastelain

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix = Gerneral
name = John de Chastelain
honorific-suffix = OC CH CMM CD


imagesize =
order =
office = Chairman of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (in Northern Ireland)
term_start = 1997
term_end = 2006
predecessor =
successor =
order2 =
ambassador_from2 = Canadian
country2 = the United States
term_start2 = 1993
term_end2 = 1994
predecessor2 = Derek Burney
successor2 = Raymond Chrétien
monarch2 = Elizabeth II
order3 =
office3 = Chief of the Defence Staff
term_start3 = 1994
term_end3 = 1995
predecessor3 = John Rogers Anderson
successor3 = Jean Boyle
term_start4 = 1989
term_end4 = 1993
predecessor4 = Paul David Manson
successor4 = John Rogers Anderson
birth_date = July 30, 1937
birth_place = Bucharest, Romania
death_date =
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restingplace =
restingplacecoordinates =
birthname =
nationality = Canadian
party =
otherparty =
spouse = MaryAnn ("née" Laverty)
partner =
relations = Alfred Gardyne de Chastelain, father Marion Elizabeth (Walsh) de Chastelain, mother
children =
residence =
alma_mater = Royal Military College of Canada
occupation = Genreral, Diplomat
profession = Soldier
net worth =
cabinet =
committees =
portfolio =
religion = Presbyterian


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allegiance = Canada
branch =
serviceyears = 1960-1995
rank = General
unit = Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, The Calgary Highlanders
commands = 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, CFB Montreal, Chief of the Defense Staff
battles =
awards =
military_blank1 =
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Alfred John Gardyne Drummond de Chastelain OC CH CMM CD (born July 30, 1937) is a retired Canadian soldier and diplomat. He was appointed head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, which is responsible for ensuring the decommissioning of arms by paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland.

De Chastelain was born a British subject in 1937 in Bucharest, Romania. His parents are Alfred Gardyne de Chastelain, a Scottish oil engineer then working in Bucharest for British Petroleum, and Marion Elizabeth de Chastelain, an American author. He emigrated to Canada in 1955 and was naturalized in 1962.

De Chastelain was educated at Fettes College in Edinburgh and at the Royal Military College of Canada (# 4860), graduating in 1960 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and a commission in Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). He started his military career, however, in the reserves as a private in the Regimental Pipes and Drums of The Calgary Highlanders. Serving on regimental duty in Canada, Germany, and Cyprus, de Chastelain attended the British Army staff college in Camberley in 1966 and was commanding officer of the Second Battalion PPCLI from 1970 to 1972.

As a colonel, he commanded the Canadian Forces Base at Montreal for a two-year period ending with the 1976 Summer Olympics in that city. He was also Deputy Chief of Staff of the United Nations Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and Commander of the Canadian contingent there. As a brigadier-general, he was successively Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada, Commander of the 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in Lahr, Germany, and Director General Land Doctrine and Operations at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa.

As a major-general, he was Deputy Commander of the Canadian Land Force (then called Force Mobile Command) and Commander of the Mobile Command Division. As a lieutenant-general, he was Assistant Deputy Minister for Personnel, and then Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff. In 1989, he was promoted to the rank of general and appointed Chief of the Defence Staff. In 1993, he transferred to the Reserves and was appointed Canada's Ambassador to the United States. In 1994, he was recalled to Regular Force duty and re-appointed Chief of the Defence Staff, from which post he retired in December 1995. This was a somewhat controversial appointment given he was well past the mandatory retirement age of 55 then in place for members of the Canadian Forces. DND was able to get him around this age limit by placing him in the Cadet Instructor Cadre, where the retirement age is 65Fact|date=April 2008.

Since November 1995, de Chastelain has been involved in the Northern Ireland peace process and since 1997 he has been Chairman of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning. He has made an impact on the way that Britain has viewed the IRA since the decommissioning has began. As part of the Good Friday Agreement an independent neutral adjudicator was selected to look over the disarmament of Republican and Loyalist paramilitary weapons in Northern Ireland, however only the Provisional IRA has taken part in weapons decommissioning as of 2006.

John de Chastelain is married, and he and his wife MaryAnn (née Laverty) have two children and five grandchildren.

Honours

In 1985, de Chastelain was appointed Commander of the Order of Military Merit and in 1991, Commander of the Order of St John; in 1993, he received the Commendation Medal of Merit and Honour of Greece, and was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada; in 1995, he was appointed Commander of the Legion of Merit (U.S.A.), and in 1999, he was made a Companion of Honour.

He has an honorary Doctor of Military Science degree from the Royal Military College of Canada, an honorary Doctor of Laws (Conflict Resolution) degree from Royal Roads University in British Columbia, an honorary Doctor of Education degree from Nipissing University, an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Carleton University and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Queen's University, Kingston. He is also an Honorary Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. The General John de Chastelain was a recipient of the Vimy Award, which recognizes a Canadian who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to the defence and security of our nation and the preservation of our democratic values. [ [http://www.rmcclub.ca/everitaswp/?p=1430#more-1430 e-Veritas » Blog Archive » Misc ] ]

Trivia

* On 30 June 1990, General de Chastelain paraded with the Regimental Pipes and Drums of the Calgary Highlanders, as a piper, during the Presentation of Queen's Colour ceremony at McMahon Stadium.

References

Books

*4237 Dr. Adrian Preston & Peter Dennis (Edited) "Swords and Covenants" Rowman And Littlefield, London. Croom Helm. 1976.
*H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "Canada's RMC - A History of Royal Military College" Second Edition 1982
*H1877 R. Guy C. Smith (editor) "As You Were! Ex-Cadets Remember". In 2 Volumes. Volume I: 1876-1918. Volume II: 1919-1984. RMC. Kingston, Ontario. The R.M.C. Club of Canada. 1984

External links

* [http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=3135 Order of Canada Citation]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,2763,1578667,00.html IRA arms decommissioned]


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