Jacques Alfred Dextraze (August 15, 1919 – May 9, 1993) was a Canadian military officer who served as Chief of the Defence Staff of Canada from 1972–1977.

Early life

Born 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 ...

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 ...

, the son of Alfred Dextraze and Amanda (Bond) Dextraze, he joined

Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. Lineage File:FMR Colours.jpg, The regimental colour of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal. File:FMR Camp Flag.jpg, The camp flag of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal. File:Fusilie ...

in 1940 as a Private, and was soon commissioned as Lieutenant.

Military career

He served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in North West Europe where he was granted command of his regiment in action and was awarded two Distinguished Service Orders. In 1950 he was called back from a civilian career to build, train and command the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22^e Régiment, leading it in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. His battalion won considerable acclaim for its stubborn stand at "Hill 355" when allied troops withdrew, leaving the "Vingt deux" surrounded but unshaken. In 1962 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. In 1963 he was the first Canadian to be Chief of Staff of the

United Nations Operation in the Congo The United Nations Operation in the Congo (french: Opération des Nations Unies au Congo, abbreviated to ONUC) was a United Nations peacekeeping force deployed in the Republic of the Congo in 1960 in response to the Congo Crisis. ONUC was the ...

Congo (Léopoldville) The Congo may refer to the Congo River in central Africa or the Congo Basin, the sedimentary basin of the river. Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the river: * Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the ...

. The military component headquarters, coordinated by Dextraze, was in the process of planning the mission's withdrawal in early 1964 as the

Simba rebellion The Simba rebellion, also known as the Orientale revolt, was a regional uprising which took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1963 and 1965 in the wider context of the Congo Crisis and the Cold War. The rebellion, located in t ...

loomed. Dextraze launched a small-scale operation during

Pierre Mulele Pierre Mulele (11 August 1929 – 3 or 9 October 1968) was a Congolese rebel active in the Simba rebellion of 1964. Mulele had also been minister of education in Patrice Lumumba's cabinet. With the assassination of Lumumba in January 1961 and ...

Kwilu Province Kwilu is a province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It's one of the 21 provinces created in the 2015 repartitioning. Kwilu, Kwango, and Mai-Ndombe provinces are the result of the dismemberment of the former Bandundu province. Kwil ...

uprising of January 1964 in order to save at least some of the threatened aid workers and missionaries under attack from the ''jeunesse''. He also led missions to rescue a group of Non Governmental Organization personnel, who were hostages of Katangan rebels in the Congo. He was awarded the Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

for his service. He was one of Canada's most distinguished peacekeeping commanders. In 1967 he was promoted to Major General and Lieutenant-General in 1968. In 1972, he was promoted to the rank of General and became Chief of Defence Staff of 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. ...

for an unusual period of five years.

Civilian career

He retired from the

in 1977 and from 1977 to 1982 was Chairman of the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

Honours

In 1978 he was made a Companion of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. Dextraze Pavilion, a dining hall at the

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

was named in his honour. The General J. A. Dextraze Fitness Center at

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 ...

is likewise dedicated to him.

Family

In 1942, he married Frances Helena Pare. They had four sons; Richard, Jacques, Robert and John. His son, Richard Paul Dextraze, was Killed In Action (KIA) in Vietnam on April 23, 1969, where he fought as a Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps, and was a posthumous recipient of the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

medal and the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

. He is interred along with his father in Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery in Montreal, Quebec.

Notes

References

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External links

Canada's 25 Most Renowned Military Leaders
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dextraze, Jacques 1919 births 1993 deaths Military personnel from Montreal People from Montreal Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Canada) Canadian generals Canadian military personnel of the Korean War Canadian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of Canada Canadian Army personnel of World War II People of the Congo Crisis Canadian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery Fusiliers Mont-Royal Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal officers Royal 22nd Regiment Royal 22nd Regiment officers