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 ...

Paul David Manson (born August 20, 1934) is a retired

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. ...

officer,

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...

and businessman.

Early life and education

Born in

Trail, BC Trail is a city in the West Kootenay region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It was named after the Dewdney Trail, which passed through the area. The town was first called Trail Creek or Trail Creek Landing, and the name was shorten ...

, Paul Manson attended both

Royal Roads Royal Roads is a roadstead or anchorage located in Strait of Juan de Fuca near the entrance to Esquimalt Harbour in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. History In 1790, Sub-Lt Don Manuel Quimper of the Spanish navy anchored his ship th ...

and

Royal Military College of Canada '') , established = 1876 , type = Military academy , chancellor = Anita Anand ('' la, ex officio, label=none'' as Defence Minister) , principal = Harry Kowal , head_label ...

. He was appointed Cadet Wing Commander in both colleges winning the H.E. Sellars Award at Royal Roads and the Sword of Honour at RMC. After graduating from RMC in 1956, he attended Queen's University in Kingston, and received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1957. He is a graduate of the Canadian Forces Staff College and attended National Defence College from 1973-1974.

Military career

Manson received his ''

wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

'' in 1957 and subsequently served as a fighter pilot in Germany, France and Canada. He flew the CF-100, F-86 Sabre, the CF-104 Starfighter and the CF-101 Voodoo. He served as Commanding Officer of

441 Tactical Fighter Squadron 441 Tactical Fighter Squadron was a unit of the Canadian Forces. It was originally formed as a unit of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) during the Second World War. The squadron operated the McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet fighter jet from CFB ...

before becoming Program Manager of the New Fighter Aircraft Program in 1977, which led to the selection of the

CF-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet (official military designation CF-188) is a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) variant of the American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft. In 1980, the F/A-18 was selected as the winner of the New ...

.General Paul David Manson, OC, CMM, CD
Royal Military College of Canada He went on to be Commander 1 Canadian Air Group in 1980, Commander, Air Command in 1983 and Assistant Deputy Minister in the Department of National Defence in 1985. In 1986, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney appointed him Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff, a position he held until his retirement from the military in 1989.

Business career

Following his military service, he was the president of Paramax, a Montreal-based aerospace company, eventually retiring from business as Chairman of

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...

Canada in 1997.

Volunteer work

Upon retiring from the business world, Manson worked full-time from 1997 until 2005 as volunteer Chairman of the "Passing the Torch" campaign, which raised $16.5 million in support of the new Canadian War Museum. He was on the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation from 2000 to 2006, and during that time, he chaired the Canadian War Museum Committee and the Canadian War Museum Building Committee for the new museum, which opened in 2005. He is past Chairman of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada and Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame.

Honours

In 1980, he was invested as a Commander of the Order of Military Merit. In 1987 he became an Officer of the Order of St. John, and in 1989 he became a Commander of the United States Legion of Merit. He received the C.D. Howe Award in 1992 "for achievement in the fields of planning, policy-making and leadership in aeronautics and space". In 2002, he was made an Officer 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 ...

for being "an exemplary and inspirational military leader, business executive and volunteer" and for having "served his country with honour and distinction". In 2003, he was a recipient of the

Vimy Award The Vimy Award is an award presented by the Conference of Defence Associations Institute (CDA Institute) to the "Canadian who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to the defence and security of Canada and the preservation of (its) dem ...

, which "recognizes Canadians who have made outstanding commitments to Canadian security and defence and towards preserving our democratic values." In 2009, Manson was added to the Wall of Honour at the Royal Military College of Canada, and in 2018, he was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. General Manson is the recipient of honorary Doctorate of Military Science degrees from both Royal Roads and Royal Military College.

Notes

References

External links

* Archives of Paul David Manso
(Paul D. Manson fonds, R11222)
are held at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Manson, Paul David 1934 births Living people Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Canada) Royal Canadian Air Force officers Canadian Forces Air Command generals Officers of the Order of Canada Royal Military College of Canada alumni Canadian military personnel from British Columbia Commanders of the Order of Military Merit (Canada)