Joined
1990
Postings
- Cold Lake, AB: 1995–1999
- Ottawa, ON: 1999-2006
- San Diego, CA: 2006-2009
- Cold Lake, AB: 2009-2010
- Cold Lake, AB: 2010-2012
- Colorado Springs, CO: 2012-2014
- Cold Lake, AB: 2014-2016
- Ottawa, ON: 2016-2019
Deployments
- NATO Stabilization Force: 1997
- Operation Allied Force: 1999
- San Diego, CA: 2006-2008
- Operation Mobile: 2011
- NORAD: 2012-2014
Introduction
Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) John Alexander was born in Miami, Manitoba. An aerospace engineer by trade, John served with the Canadian Armed Forces for 29 years. His service took him around the world and made him proud to give back to his country.
His interest in joining the military started while he was on a youth exchange through the Lions Club in Okinawa, Japan, at 16 years old. Sitting in the seat of an F4 Phantom ignited his desire to pursue a career in the military.
“I had a lot of pride about being Canadian and wanting to contribute to the country that I loved.”
In grade 11, he learned that through the military he could get an engineering degree and have an opportunity to explore more of Canada. He enlisted on 16 June 1990, and started basic training a few weeks later, right after graduating from high school.
“I had a lot of pride about being Canadian and wanting to contribute to the country that I loved”.
Service in the United States
After graduating from military college, John was posted to Cold Lake in 1995 and Ottawa in 1999. In 2006, he was posted to San Diego as a liaison officer, where he relayed information between countries who used the F/A 18 Hornets. John fielded questions about the aircraft and connected the country representative with the appropriate engineer. He and other foreign liaison officers once boarded the USS Lincoln for three days to observe the F/A18 operations.
416 Hero Shot – 416 Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) – Cold Lake, AB, June 1997. Photo Courtesy of John Alexander.
“Being right on the deck as aircraft are landing and taking off was definitely a highlight,” he says.
To leave the USS Lincoln, John and the officers were catapulted off the ship on a C-2 Greyhound aircraft.
“You haven't felt acceleration like that until you've been on a catapult!”
A few years later, John was posted in Colorado to NORAD headquarters. He was the first aerospace engineer to become an air domain chief. In this role, he monitored all air traffic in North America including Russian strategic military aviation.
“It was outstanding to see this bi-national organization working towards a common goal and operating in the defence of North America.”
He remembers one incident when three Russian aircraft entered Canadian aerospace. As he followed procedure, he recalled feeling amazed.
“... here's this little kid from Miami, Manitoba, population 300, speaking on the phone with people from the Pentagon,” he says.
The Nijmegen March
John’s service also took him outside of the Americas several times. One of the most memorable was participating two years in a row in the Nijmegen March in the Netherlands.
Nijmegen 2001 – National Capital Region (NCR) Nijmegen Team – Nijmegen Holland, 2001. Photo Courtesy of John Alexander.
“I didn’t realize the extent of the appreciation the Dutch people had for Canadians.”
“The enormity of the sacrifice made by generations before me hit me with an intensity I had never experienced.”
On the third day of the march, they stopped at the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery for a commemorative ceremony. As the rain fell around him, John stood soaked and cold, looking around at the headstones. Most of the soldiers who had died were only 18 or 19 years old.
“The enormity of the sacrifice made by generations before me hit me with an intensity I had never experienced. I also realized that to wear the same uniform as those who were laid to rest before me, I had a very high standard to live up to.”
The second year, he participated in the Nijmegen March as a captain. The Dutch people applauded and hugged the Canadians as they marched through the towns. John remembers a special moment when an elderly man came up to him. The gentleman told him a Canadian soldier had pulled him from a pile of bodies—and had saved his life. “I was speechless. That is how much they love Canadians.”
1 AMS – 1 AMS squadron photo – Cold Lake, AB 2016. Photo Courtesy of John Alexander.
Broadening horizons
“My 29 years of experience has been nothing but endless possibilities.”
John retired from the CAF in 2019 to pursue a career in the public service as an engineer. He began as the Deputy Weapons Systems Manager at the Department of National Defence for the CH148 maritime helicopter. After 9 months he became the Release to Service Manager for the Future Fighter Capability Project. He resides in Ottawa, Ontario, with his wife Allison and their 23-year-old parrot Sunkist.
With courage, integrity and loyalty, John Alexander has left his mark. He is one of our Canadian Veterans. Discover more stories.