Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Joseph Robert Alain Pierre (Alain) Forand, CMM SC MSC CD (born January 27, 1944) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

officer and the former

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the Royal 22^e Régiment.

Early life

Alain Forand was born in

Farnham, Quebec Farnham is a city in Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality in the Estrie region of Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 10,149, making it the second most populated community in the RCM. History The city of Fa ...

, Canada on 27 January 1944. He is married to Pierrette Langlois and is father of two sons: Jean Guillaume and Marc Antoine.

Military career

In 1967,

Alain Forand enlisted in the

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

as an infantry officer with the Royal 22^e Régiment. He served in all the battalions of the regiment in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

as well with the

Canadian Airborne Regiment The Canadian Airborne Regiment (french: links=, Régiment aéroporté canadien) was a Canadian Forces formation created on April 8, 1968. It was not an administrative regiment in the commonly accepted British Commonwealth sense, but rather a tactic ...

Forand commanded the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22^e Régiment (

Valcartier Canadian Forces Base Valcartier (CFB Valcartier), now re-designated 2 Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier (2 CDSB Valcartier), is a Canadian Forces base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, north northwest of Quebec ...

, Quebec, the 5th Mechanized Brigade Group of Canada (

, Quebec)) and the Quebec Area Land Force (

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

). His other assignments were the Aide de Camp (ADC) of the Commander of the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Infantry School
Chief Instructor, Instructor at the

Army Command and Staff College The Australian Defence College (ADC) comprises three joint education and training organisations operated by the Australian Defence Force in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: * the War College, * the Australian Defence Force Training Cent ...

in Kingston (Ontario), responsible for training the

and postings as Staff Officer at

NDHQ National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) ( French: ''Quartiers généraux de la Défense nationale'' (''QGDN'')) was created through the integration of Canadian Armed Forces Headquarters (CAF HQ) with the civilian Department of National Defence (DND ...

(

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

), at

and

Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

as responsible for plans and operations.

Forand participated in three

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

missions:

UNFICYP The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is a United Nations peacekeeping force that was established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 186 in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting following intercommunal violen ...

(2),

MINURSO The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara ( ar, بعثة الأمم المتحدة لتنظيم استفتاء في الصحراء الغربية; french: Mission des Nations Unies pour l'Organisation d'un Référendum au ...

(2),

UNPROFOR The United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR; also known by its French acronym FORPRONU: ''Force de Protection des Nations Unies'') was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav War ...

. He is known for many accomplishments throughout his career. He served in Cyprus in 1974 with the

during the

Turkish invasion The 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, code-named Operation Peace Spring ( tr, Barış Pınarı Harekâtı) by Turkey, was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the Syrian National Arm ...

. He was awarded the Star of Courage for his extraordinary actions under enemy fire. In 1991, he assumed the position of higher Liaison Officer Group belligerents "POLISARIO" and later became the Deputy Commander for the mission of the United Nations Referendum in Western Sahara. In 1993 he was given command of 5,000 soldiers of the 5th Mechanized Brigade Group of Canada and the

Canadian Forces Base Valcartier Canadian Forces Base Valcartier (CFB Valcartier), now re-designated 2 Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier (2 CDSB Valcartier), is a Canadian Forces base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, north northwest of Quebe ...

. During this period, he was responsible for training more than 4,000 soldiers deployed to UN missions. In 1995,

Forand became the Commander of the Southern Sector of the United Nations in Croatia when the Croatian army became master of the Serbo-Croatian separatist republic.

Forand often reported war atrocities committed in the territory surrounding his area of responsibility. Despite threats by and constraints of the Croatian authorities, he ensured the safety of 1,200 Serbs that took refuge in his camp. Upon his return to

, he was awarded the

Meritorious Service Cross The Meritorious Service Cross (french: Croix du service méritoire) is a decoration that is, within the Canadian system of honours, one of the two Meritorious Service Decorations gifted by the Canadian monarch, his or her Governor-in-Council. Cr ...

for his actions in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. From 1996 to 1998,

Forand was the Commander of the Quebec Area Land Force in

. This command was marked by the Saguenay flood operation and the famous ice storm of 1998, where he successfully led the activities of more than 12,000 soldiers and worked closely with political, civil and public safety authorities to quickly resolve the crisis. In 1997, Major-General Forand was appointed Commander of the Order of Military Merit and in 1999 was admitted to the

Order of St. John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headqu ...

. From 1998 to 2000,

Forand was the executive director of the Group of National Contingency Planning for

Y2K The year 2000 problem, also known as the Y2K problem, Y2K scare, millennium bug, Y2K bug, Y2K glitch, Y2K error, or simply Y2K refers to potential computer errors related to the formatting and storage of calendar data for dates in and after ...

Citation - Star of Courage

On July 23, 1974, during the war in Cyprus, a Canadian patrol conducting a group of combatants out of a UN controlled area came under fire. Several combatant soldiers were killed or wounded and the Canadian officer leading the escort party was wounded. One of his men who began to render first aid to the fallen officer was also hit. At the bottom of a creek bed, the victims were exposed to continuing machine gun fire. Coming on the scene, Captain Alain Forand arranged for covering fire and, with complete disregard for his own safety, he crawled forward over the exposed ground, to aid the two casualties. Single-handedly, he managed to drag the wounded officer some distance up onto the bank of the creek where others then helped carry him out of the danger area. Captain Forand then directed the rescue of the wounded soldier.

Citation
Meritorious Service Cross The Meritorious Service Cross (french: Croix du service méritoire) is a decoration that is, within the Canadian system of honours, one of the two Meritorious Service Decorations gifted by the Canadian monarch, his or her Governor-in-Council. Cr ...

From July to October 1995, Brigadier-General Forand served as Commander of Sector South with the United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation (UNCRO) in the Serb-controlled territory of Krajina in Croatia. During "Operation Storm", which started on August 4, 1995, he provided outstanding leadership and demonstrated extreme courage and determination. Thanks to his actions, countless UN peacekeepers and more than 700 Serb refugees escaped injury.

In retirement

Forand retired from the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

in August 2000 after 33 years of honorable service. He was a member of the Board of Directors of

Hydro-Québec Hydro-Québec is a public utility that manages the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the Canadian province of Quebec, as well as the export of power to portions of the Northeast United States. It was established by the ...

from 2000 to 2004. He was Colonel Commandant of the Canadian Infantry from August 2001 to October 2004, Honorary Colonel of the 4th Intelligence Company-LFQA and Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel 4^e Bataillon Royal 22^e Régiment until summer 2009. He is a member of the Board of the

Corps of Commissionaires The Corps of Commissionaires refers to a global movement in Commonwealth countries of societies created to provide meaningful employment for veterans of the armed services. The Commissionaires movement traces its roots to 1859, when Captain Sir Edw ...

Region and member of the board o
IInterloge Montreal
He acts as a senior consultant and mentor at

Rheinmetall Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. Its shares are traded on the Frankfurt stock exchange. History Rheinmetall was founded in 1889. Banker and investor Lorenz Zuckermandel L ...

and acts as mentor at the

Canadian Forces College The Canadian Forces College (CFC) is a military school for senior and general officers of the Canadian Armed Forces. The college provides graduate-level military education courses to enable officers to develop their leadership quality within th ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Forand became the 14th

of the

Royal 22nd Regiment , colors = Scarlet with blue facings (full dress and mess dress) , march = Quick: ''Vive la Canadienne''Slow: ''Marche lente du Royal 22e Régiment: La Prière en famille'' , mascot ...

June 26, 2009. In 2008,

Forand testified at the International Court of Justice of La Hague in the case of former Serb generals answering for war crime charges in the 2005

Operation Storm }) was the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence and a major factor in the outcome of the Bosnian War. It was a decisive victory for the Croatian Army (HV), which attacked across a front against the self-declared proto-state R ...

Forand is the honorary president of the branch Major-General Alain R. Forand of th
Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations peace (CAVUNP)
since its founding in 1988 in Chambly, QC. In 2012,

received his third bar of the

Canadian Forces' Decoration The Canadian Forces' Decoration (post-nominal letters "CD") is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to t ...

for 42 years of ongoing service and received the medal for the

Queen's Diamond Jubilee The year 2012 marked the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II being the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. The only diamond jubilee celebration for any of Elizabeth's predecessors was in 1897, for the 60th an ...

. In March 2014,

Forand participated in a commemorative ceremony in

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

of the 50th Anniversary of

's Peacekeeping Mission to

accompanied by a delegation of

veterans and Canada's Veterans Affairs minister, M. Julian Fantino 2014 was the anniversary year of the

Forand represented the Regiment throughout the 100th Anniversary activities. On May 14, 2014,

Forand lead a delegation of the Regiment to

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

and had the

Regimental colors In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours (or colors), standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt som ...

blessed by the

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

. Afterward, he led the Regiment at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

where the palace"s guard duties were assumed by the

and all commands given in French Canadian– an historic moment. On June 15, 2015,

Forand passed on his role of Colonel of the Regiment to

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Richard Évraire at the

Citadelle of Quebec The Citadelle of Quebec (french: Citadelle de Québec), also known as ''La Citadelle'', is an active military installation and the secondary official residence of both the Canadian monarch and the governor general of Canada. It is located atop Cap ...

As an Author

Forand has authored a number of books and papers.

Books

CYPRUS 1974, 'THIS AIN'T NO PICNIC, IT'S WAR'

* ttps://books.google.com/books?id=aHB0OBZpcwYC&dq=alain+forand&pg=PA41 Canadian Peacekeepers: Grades 5-8
Out of Darkness, Light: a History of Canadian Military Intelligence, Volume 2, 1983-1997

Written Articles

Canadian Army Journal - 2001 - MGen Forand: I am proud to be in the military

2011 - Canadian Military Journal - Military Ethics

PEACEKEEPING AND PEACEMAKING MINUTES - Major General Alain R. Forand, peacekeeper extraordinaire

* ttps://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/678515—summer-of-74-a-dark-time-for-our-peacekeepers Summer of '74 a dark time for our peacekeepers
Canadians to testify against Croatian officers

References

Documentary, The Veterans - Episode 41 - MGen Alain Forand

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20131005005931/http://westlakebrothers.free.fr/spip/spip.php?article294 Cérémonie d'Hommage aux Soldats Canadiens, Monument franco-canadien, Montreal
Airborne Regiment Association of Canada - Star of Courage Citation

Foreign TV interview with BGen Forand on the events at Knin in 1995

The Ghosts of Medak Pocket: The Story of Canada's Secret War

The Insubordinate and the Noncompliant: Case Studies of Canadian Mutiny and Disobedience, 1920 to present

* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ABgIMUBHIs The Veterans - The career of MGen Alain Forand - 2011 , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Forand, Alain 1944 births Living people Canadian generals Recipients of the Meritorious Service Decoration Commanders of the Order of Military Merit (Canada)