General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Gérard Charles Édouard Thériault, CMM, CD (June 5, 1932 in

Gaspé, Quebec Gaspé is a city at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of eastern Quebec in Canada. Gaspé is located about northeast of Quebec City, and east of Rimouski. As of the 2021 Canadian Census, the city had ...

, Canada – October 13, 1998 in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

, Canada) was Chief of the Defence Staff between 1983 and 1986.

Military service

Thériault graduated from

Sir George Williams University Sir George Williams University was a university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It merged with Loyola College to create Concordia University on August 24, 1974. History In 1851, the first YMCA in North America was established on Sainte-Hélène S ...

(now

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

) in

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 ...

.The Canadian Encyclopedia
/ref> He joined the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

in 1951. His first solo flight, where he earned his wings, took place on June 5, 1952, in a

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

aircraft. He was a proponent of the unification of the military of Canada. In 1967 he was promoted to

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

and moved to the Collège Militaire Royal (CMR), St-Jean, Qué, now

Royal Military College Saint-Jean , mottoeng = Truth, Duty, Valour , established = 1952 , type = Military college , chancellor = Anita Anand (''ex officio'' as Defence Minister) , principal = Commanda ...

where he served as Vice-Commandant until 1970. Promoted to

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 ...

, he became commandant of the CMR in 1970. In 1971, he was assigned command of

Canadian Forces Base Bagotville Canadian Forces Base Bagotville , commonly referred to as CFB Bagotville, and also known as Bagotville Airport or Saguenay-Bagotville Airport, is a Canadian Forces base located west of Bagotville in the city of Saguenay. Located in the centre ...

in Northern Québec. In 1973, he was promoted to Brigadier General and took over command of 1 CAG (First Canadian Air Group) in Germany. In 1975, he was promoted to Major General and assumed command of Air Command in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1977, he was transferred to Ottawa as the CADO (Chief, Air Doctrine Operations). In 1979, he was installed as the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (DCDS). In 1980, he became Vice Chief of the Defence Staff and Chief of the Defence Staff in 1983 before retiring in 1986. He was President of

AEG Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG (AEG; ) was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in Berlin as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität'' in 1883 by Emil Rathenau. During the Second World War, AEG ...

Canada Inc. until 1995.

References

, - 1932 births 1998 deaths Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Canada) Royal Canadian Air Force officers Canadian Forces Air Command generals Sir George Williams University alumni French Quebecers People from Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine Royal Military College Saint-Jean faculty Vice Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Canada) Commanders of the Order of Military Merit (Canada) Canadian military personnel from Quebec {{Canada-mil-bio-stub